Morning Devotion

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.
¹ God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (ESV)

A Miktam of David.
¹ Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
³ As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
⁴ The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
⁶ The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
⁸ I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (ESV)

¹ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
² After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
³ And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
⁴ and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’
⁵ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.
⁶ And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
⁸ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’
⁹ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
¹⁰ Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.
¹¹ And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,
¹² saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
¹³ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.
¹⁵ Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last.” (ESV)

⁹ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁰ “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
¹¹ then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.
¹² The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
¹³ And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge.
¹⁴ You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge.
¹⁵ These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.
¹⁶ “But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
¹⁷ And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
¹⁸ Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death.
¹⁹ The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.
²⁰ And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died,
²¹ or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
²² “But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait
²³ or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm,
²⁴ then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules.
²⁵ And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
²⁶ But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled,
²⁷ and the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood.
²⁸ For he must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.
²⁹ And these things shall be for a statute and rule for you throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.
³⁰ “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. (ESV)

²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,
²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.
³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”
³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.
³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
⁴³ and he took it and ate before them.
⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things.
⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
⁵⁰ And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God. (ESV)

⁸ These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.
⁹ And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew.
¹⁰ He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the LORD brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.
¹¹ And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines.
¹² But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the LORD worked a great victory.
¹³ And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
¹⁴ David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.
¹⁵ And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!”
¹⁶ 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 carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the LORD
¹⁷ and said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
¹⁸ Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three.
¹⁹ He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.
²⁰ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.
²¹ And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, 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.
²² These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men.
²³ He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
²⁴ Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
²⁵ Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod,
²⁶ Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa,
²⁷ Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah,
²⁹ Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin,
³⁰ Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,
³¹ Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim,
³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,
³³ Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,
³⁴ Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
³⁵ Hezro of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite,
³⁶ Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
³⁸ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
³⁹ Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

¹ Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
² So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.”
³ But Joab said to the king, “May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?”
⁴ But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel.
⁵ They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer, and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer.
⁶ Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they went around to Sidon,
⁷ and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba.
⁸ So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
⁹ And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.
¹⁰ But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”
¹¹ And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
¹² “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’”
¹³ So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
¹⁴ Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
¹⁵ So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men.
¹⁶ And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
¹⁷ Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
¹⁸ And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
¹⁹ So David went up at Gad’s word, as the LORD commanded.
²⁰ And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.
²¹ And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.”
²² Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.
²³ All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
²⁴ But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
²⁵ And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. (ESV)

³² Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.
³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed.
³⁴ And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.
³⁵ And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
³⁶ Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.
³⁷ In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.
³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.”
³⁹ So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.
⁴⁰ But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.
⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
⁴³ And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.

¹ At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,
² a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
³ About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.”
⁴ And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
⁵ And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.
⁶ He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,
⁸ and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
⁹ The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
¹⁰ And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance
¹¹ and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.
¹² In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
¹³ And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
¹⁵ And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
¹⁶ This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
¹⁷ Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate
¹⁸ and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.
¹⁹ And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
²⁰ Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”
²¹ And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?”
²² And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”
²³ So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. (ESV)

A Maskil of Asaph.
¹ O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
² Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.
³ Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
⁴ Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place; they set up their own signs for signs.
⁵ They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees.
⁶ And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
⁷ They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground.
⁸ They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
⁹ We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long. (ESV)