Evening Devotion

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
¹ O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
² many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
³ But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
⁴ I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
⁵ I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
⁶ I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
⁷ Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
⁸ Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah (ESV)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
¹ Be not silent, O God of my praise!
² For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
³ They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
⁴ In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
⁵ So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
⁶ Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
⁷ When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!
⁸ May his days be few; may another take his office!
⁹ May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!
¹⁰ May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
¹¹ May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
¹² Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!
¹³ May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
¹⁴ May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
¹⁵ Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
¹⁶ For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
¹⁷ He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
¹⁸ He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!
¹⁹ May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day!
²⁰ May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!
²¹ But you, O GOD my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
²² For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.
²³ I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
²⁴ My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
²⁵ I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.
²⁶ Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love!
²⁷ Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it!
²⁸ Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
²⁹ May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
³⁰ With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
³¹ For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death. (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. (ESV)

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written.
¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
¹⁷ When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.”
¹⁸ But he said, “It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.”
¹⁹ And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
²⁰ He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.
²¹ And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?”
²² And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.
²³ For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’
²⁴ So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
²⁵ And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies),
²⁶ then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
²⁷ And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’”
²⁸ And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.
²⁹ And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”
³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
³¹ So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold.
³² But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”
³³ But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.
³⁴ But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”
³⁵ Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made. (ESV)

³⁹ He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
⁴¹ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
⁴³ “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
⁴⁴ for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
⁴⁶ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:
⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (ESV)

¹¹ “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
¹⁴ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
¹⁵ “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.
¹⁶ If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
¹⁷ But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,
¹⁸ I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.
¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
²⁰ loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

¹ So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel.
² And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’
³ The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken.
⁴ And the LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.
⁵ And the LORD will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you.
⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
⁷ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.
⁸ It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
⁹ Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.
¹⁰ And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths,
¹¹ when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
¹² Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,
¹³ and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
¹⁴ And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
¹⁵ And the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.
¹⁶ And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.
¹⁷ Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’
¹⁸ And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.
¹⁹ “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel.
²⁰ For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
²¹ And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.”
²² So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.
²³ And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
²⁴ When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end,
²⁵ Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD,
²⁶ “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you.
²⁷ For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death!
²⁸ Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
²⁹ For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.” (ESV)

¹¹ As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.
¹² He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.
¹³ Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’
¹⁴ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’
¹⁵ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.
¹⁶ The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’
¹⁷ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
¹⁸ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’
¹⁹ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’
²⁰ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief;
²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’
²² He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
²³ Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
²⁴ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’
²⁵ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’
²⁶ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
²⁷ But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”
²⁸ And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
²⁹ When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,
³⁰ saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.
³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”
³² So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.
³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”
³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.
³⁶ And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
³⁷ As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,
³⁸ saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
³⁹ And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
⁴¹ And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,
⁴² saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
⁴³ For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side
⁴⁴ and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (ESV)

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
¹ Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain,
² beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
³ Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.
⁴ For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together.
⁵ As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.
⁶ Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.
⁷ By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish.
⁸ As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah (ESV)