Extended Evening Devotion

¹ Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
² In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
³ For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.
⁴ In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
⁵ His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
⁶ He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
⁷ His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
⁸ He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
⁹ he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
¹⁰ The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.
¹¹ He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
¹² Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.
¹³ Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
¹⁴ But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.
¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.
¹⁶ The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.
¹⁷ O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
¹⁸ to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. (ESV)

¹ Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?
² On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;
³ beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
⁴ “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.
⁵ O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.
⁶ Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right,
⁷ for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
⁸ All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
⁹ They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.
¹⁰ Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,
¹¹ for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
¹² “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
¹³ The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
¹⁴ I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.
¹⁵ By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;
¹⁶ by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.
¹⁷ I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
¹⁸ Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.
¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.
²⁰ I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice,
²¹ granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. (ESV)

³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
³⁷ Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,
³⁸ so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
³⁹ Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
⁴¹ Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.
⁴² Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;
⁴³ for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
⁴⁴ And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me.
⁴⁵ And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.
⁴⁶ I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
⁴⁷ If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
⁴⁸ The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
⁴⁹ For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.
⁵⁰ And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” (ESV)

¹ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom.
² And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.
³ Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.
⁴ When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, “Save me, O king.”
⁵ And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.
⁶ And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
⁷ And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.”
⁸ Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”
⁹ And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.”
¹⁰ The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.”
¹¹ Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”
¹² Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.”
¹³ And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.
¹⁴ We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
¹⁵ Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.
¹⁶ For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’
¹⁷ And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The LORD your God be with you!”
¹⁸ Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.”
¹⁹ The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
²⁰ In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”
²¹ Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
²² And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.”
²³ So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
²⁴ And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence.
²⁵ Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
²⁶ And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.
²⁷ There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.
²⁸ So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence.
²⁹ Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come.
³⁰ Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
³¹ Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
³² Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.’”
³³ Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

¹ After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
² And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,”
³ Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.”
⁴ Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.”
⁵ And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.
⁶ Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
⁷ And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron.
⁸ For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the LORD.’”
⁹ The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron.
¹⁰ But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’”
¹¹ With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.
¹² And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing. (ESV)

¹² Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.
¹³ None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
¹⁴ And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
¹⁵ so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
¹⁶ The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
¹⁷ But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy
¹⁸ they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.
¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,
²⁰ “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”
²¹ And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
²² But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,
²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.”
²⁴ Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.
²⁵ And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”
²⁶ Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,
²⁸ saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
³³ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while.
³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.
³⁶ For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
³⁷ After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
³⁸ So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,
⁴⁰ and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
⁴¹ Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
⁴² And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. (ESV)

¹⁵ The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
¹⁶ One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.
¹⁷ A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.
¹⁸ The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰ The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.
²¹ Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
²² Do they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.
²³ In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
²⁴ The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly. (ESV)