Psalm 34

1I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

3O magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together.

4I sought the LORD, and he answered me,

and delivered me from all my fears.

5Look to him, and be radiant;

so your faces shall never be ashamed.

6This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD,

and was saved from every trouble.

7The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8O taste and see that the LORD is good;

happy are those who take refuge in him.

9O fear the LORD, you his holy ones,

for those who fear him have no want.

10The young lions suffer want and hunger,

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

11Come, O children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12Which of you desires life,

and covets many days to enjoy good?

13Keep your tongue from evil,

and your lips from speaking deceit.

14Depart from evil, and do good;

seek peace, and pursue it.

15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their cry.

16The face of the LORD is against evildoers,

to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears,

and rescues them from all their troubles.

18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,

and saves the crushed in spirit.

19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD rescues them from them all.

20He keeps all their bones;

not one of them will be broken.

21Evil brings death to the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

22The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 146

1Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD, O my soul!

2I will praise the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

3Do not put your trust in princes,

in mortals, in whom there is no help.

4When their breath departs, they return to the earth;

on that very day their plans perish.

5Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD their God,

6who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them;

who keeps faith forever;

7who executes justice for the oppressed;

who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;

8the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.

The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

the LORD loves the righteous.

9The LORD watches over the strangers;

he upholds the orphan and the widow,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10The LORD will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD!

1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you keep looking at one another? 2I have heard," he said, "that there is grain in Egypt; go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die." 3So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he feared that harm might come to him. 5Thus the sons of Israel were among the other people who came to buy grain, for the famine had reached the land of Canaan.

6Now Joseph was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food." 8Although Joseph had recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9Joseph also remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them. He said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land!" 10They said to him, "No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants have never been spies." 12But he said to them, "No, you have come to see the nakedness of the land!" 13They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more." 14But Joseph said to them, "It is just as I have said to you; you are spies! 15Here is how you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here! 16Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies." 17And he put them all together in prison for three days.

1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father's wife. 2And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have mourned, so that he who has done this would have been removed from among you?

3For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present I have already pronounced judgment 4in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

6Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

19bThen he went home; 20and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." 22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." 23And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

28"Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" - 30for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

31Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." 33And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Psalm 25

1To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

2O my God, in you I trust;

do not let me be put to shame;

do not let my enemies exult over me.

3Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;

let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

4Make me to know your ways, O LORD;

teach me your paths.

5Lead me in your truth, and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all day long.

6Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

according to your steadfast love remember me,

for your goodness' sake, O LORD!

8Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

9He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way.

10All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

11For your name's sake, O LORD,

pardon my guilt, for it is great.

12Who are they that fear the LORD?

He will teach them the way that they should choose

13They will abide inprosperity,

and their children shall possess the land.

14The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,

and he makes his covenant known to them.

15My eyes are ever towards the LORD,

for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

16Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

17Relieve the troubles of my heart,

and bring me out of my distress.

18Consider my affliction and my trouble,

and forgive all my sins.

19Consider how many are my foes,

and with what violent hatred they hate me.

20O guard my life, and deliver me;

do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

21May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,

out of all its troubles.

Psalm 91

1You who live in the shelter of the Most High,

who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress;

my God, in whom I trust."

3For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence;

4he will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5You will not fear the terror of the night,

or the arrow that flies by day,

6or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8You will only look with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9Because you have made the LORD your refuge,

the Most High your dwelling place,

10no evil shall befall you,

no scourge come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

12On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

13You will tread on the lion and the adder,

the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14Those who love me, I will deliver;

I will protect those who know my name.

15When they call to me, I will answer them;

I will be with them in trouble,

I will rescue them and honor them.

16With long life I will satisfy them,

and show them my salvation.