Night Watch Devotion

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
¹ O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
² Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
³ My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long?
⁴ Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
⁵ For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?
⁶ I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
⁷ My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
⁸ Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
⁹ The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. (ESV)

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
¹ O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
⁶ when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
⁷ for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
⁸ My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
⁹ But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
¹⁰ they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.
¹¹ But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped. (ESV)

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
³ For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.
⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’
⁷ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’
¹⁰ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
¹¹ Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’
¹² But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (ESV)

¹ Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.
² And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.
³ And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
⁴ And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
⁵ He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
⁶ And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
⁷ The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him.
⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”
¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.”
¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.
¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul,
¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
¹⁷ And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.
¹⁸ Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”
¹⁹ Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. (ESV)

¹ So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:
² “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews,
³ especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
⁴ “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.
⁵ They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.
⁶ And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers,
⁷ to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!
⁸ Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?
⁹ “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
¹⁰ And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.
¹¹ And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
¹² “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
¹³ At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.
¹⁴ And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
¹⁵ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
¹⁶ But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
¹⁷ delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you
¹⁸ to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
¹⁹ “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
²⁰ but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.
²¹ For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
²² To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:
²³ that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” (ESV)

¹ Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh.
² In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.’”
³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.
⁴ And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.
⁵ The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
⁶ David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.
⁷ And David lived in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David.
⁸ And he built the city all around from the Millo in complete circuit, and Joab repaired the rest of the city.
⁹ And David became greater and greater, for the LORD of hosts was with him.
¹⁰ Now these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
¹¹ This is an account of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time.
¹² And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite.
¹³ He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines.
¹⁴ But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and killed the Philistines. And the LORD saved them by a great victory.
¹⁵ Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.
¹⁷ And David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!”
¹⁸ Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the LORD
¹⁹ and said, “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
²⁰ Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name beside the three.
²¹ He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.
²² And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.
²³ And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
²⁴ These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men.
²⁵ He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
²⁶ The mighty men were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
²⁷ Shammoth of Harod, Helez the Pelonite,
²⁸ Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth,
²⁹ Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
³⁰ Maharai of Netophah, Heled the son of Baanah of Netophah,
³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah of Pirathon,
³² Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,
³³ Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
³⁴ Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite,
³⁵ Ahiam the son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur,
³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,
³⁷ Hezro of Carmel, Naarai the son of Ezbai,
³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri,
³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai,
⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,
⁴³ Hanan the son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,
⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
⁴⁵ Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite,
⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,
⁴⁷ Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

¹ Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war.
² They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul’s kinsmen.
³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu of Anathoth,
⁴ Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah,
⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;
⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;
⁷ And Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
⁸ From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains:
⁹ Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,
¹⁰ Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth,
¹¹ Attai sixth, Eliel seventh,
¹² Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth,
¹³ Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh.
¹⁴ These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was a match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand.
¹⁵ These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
¹⁶ And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.
¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.”
¹⁸ Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.
¹⁹ Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, “At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”)
²⁰ As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.
²¹ They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army.
²² For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God. (ESV)

¹⁹ So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
²⁰ Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.
²¹ It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
²² The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.
²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

¹ We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
² Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
³ For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
⁴ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
⁵ May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
⁶ that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁷ Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
⁸ For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,
⁹ and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
¹⁰ And again it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
¹¹ And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.”
¹² And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”
¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (ESV)

⁴⁶ How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷ Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
⁴⁸ What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
⁴⁹ Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
⁵⁰ Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
⁵¹ with which your enemies mock, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.
⁵² Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen. (ESV)