Night Watch Devotion

A Song of Ascents.
¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
² O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
³ If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
⁵ I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
⁷ O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸ And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (ESV)

Of David.
¹ Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
² For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹ For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
¹⁰ In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
¹² The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him,
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;
¹⁵ their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
¹⁶ Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
¹⁸ The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever;
¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.
²⁰ But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
²¹ The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;
²² for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
²³ The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;
²⁴ though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.
²⁵ I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.
²⁶ He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
²⁷ Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.
²⁸ For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.
³⁰ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
³² The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death.
³³ The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
³⁴ Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
³⁵ I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
³⁶ But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.
³⁷ Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.
³⁸ But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
³⁹ The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (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)

⁸ The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will fall on Israel;
⁹ and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
¹⁰ “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.”
¹¹ But the LORD raises the adversaries of Rezin against him, and stirs up his enemies.
¹² The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
¹³ The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the LORD of hosts.
¹⁴ So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day—
¹⁵ the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
¹⁶ for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
¹⁷ Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
¹⁸ For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹ Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another.
²⁰ They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm,
²¹ Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
¹ Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression,
² to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
³ What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?
⁴ Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
⁵ Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!
⁶ Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
⁷ But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few;
⁸ for he says: “Are not my commanders all kings?
⁹ Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
¹⁰ As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
¹¹ shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Samaria and her images?” (ESV)

¹ So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
¹¹ To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
¹² By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.
¹³ She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.
¹⁴ Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. (ESV)

²⁰ While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God,
²¹ while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.
²² He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.
²³ At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.
²⁴ “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
²⁵ Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. And for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.
²⁶ And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
²⁷ And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

¹ In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.
² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.
³ I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.
⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris)
⁵ I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist.
⁶ His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
⁷ And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves.
⁸ So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength.
⁹ Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.
¹⁰ And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.
¹¹ And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.
¹² Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.
¹³ The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,
¹⁴ and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”
¹⁵ When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute.
¹⁶ And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength.
¹⁷ How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”
¹⁸ Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me.
¹⁹ And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
²⁰ Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.
²¹ But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.

¹ “And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. (ESV)

¹¹ For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
¹² We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
¹⁶ By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
¹⁷ But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
¹⁸ Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
¹⁹ By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
²⁰ for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
²² and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
²³ And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.
²⁴ Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (ESV)

¹ By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
² On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
³ For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
⁴ How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
⁶ Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
⁷ Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!”
⁸ O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!
⁹ Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock! (ESV)