Psalm 142 (Listen)

You Are My Refuge

A Maskil¹ of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

142   With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
    with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
2   I pour out my complaint before him;
    I tell my trouble before him.
3   When my spirit faints within me,
    you know my way!
  In the path where I walk
    they have hidden a trap for me.
4   Look to the right and see:
    there is none who takes notice of me;
  no refuge remains to me;
    no one cares for my soul.
5   I cry to you, O LORD;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
6   Attend to my cry,
    for I am brought very low!
  Deliver me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me!
7   Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
  The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me.

(ESV)

Job 31 (Listen)

Job’s Final Appeal

31   “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
    how then could I gaze at a virgin?
2   What would be my portion from God above
    and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
3   Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
    and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4   Does not he see my ways
    and number all my steps?
5   “If I have walked with falsehood
    and my foot has hastened to deceit;
6   (Let me be weighed in a just balance,
    and let God know my integrity!)
7   if my step has turned aside from the way
    and my heart has gone after my eyes,
    and if any spot has stuck to my hands,
8   then let me sow, and another eat,
    and let what grows for me¹ be rooted out.
9   “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
    and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door,
10   then let my wife grind for another,
    and let others bow down on her.
11   For that would be a heinous crime;
    that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
12   for that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon,
    and it would burn to the root all my increase.
13   “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
    when they brought a complaint against me,
14   what then shall I do when God rises up?
    When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15   Did not he who made me in the womb make him?
    And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16   “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
    or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17   or have eaten my morsel alone,
    and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18   (for from my youth the fatherless² grew up with me as with a father,
    and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow³),
19   if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
    or the needy without covering,
20   if his body has not blessed me,⁴
    and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21   if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
    because I saw my help in the gate,
22   then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
    and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23   For I was in terror of calamity from God,
    and I could not have faced his majesty.
24   “If I have made gold my trust
    or called fine gold my confidence,
25   if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant
    or because my hand had found much,
26   if I have looked at the sun⁵ when it shone,
    or the moon moving in splendor,
27   and my heart has been secretly enticed,
    and my mouth has kissed my hand,
28   this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
    for I would have been false to God above.
29   “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
    or exulted when evil overtook him
30   (I have not let my mouth sin
    by asking for his life with a curse),
31   if the men of my tent have not said,
    ‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’
32   (the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
    I have opened my doors to the traveler),
33   if I have concealed my transgressions as others do⁶
    by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34   because I stood in great fear of the multitude,
    and the contempt of families terrified me,
    so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
35   Oh, that I had one to hear me!
    (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)
    Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!
36   Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
    I would bind it on me as a crown;
37   I would give him an account of all my steps;
    like a prince I would approach him.
38   “If my land has cried out against me
    and its furrows have wept together,
39   if I have eaten its yield without payment
    and made its owners breathe their last,
40   let thorns grow instead of wheat,
    and foul weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

(ESV)

Isaiah 54 (Listen)

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

54   “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
    break forth into singing and cry aloud,
    you who have not been in labor!
  For the children of the desolate one will be more
    than the children of her who is married,” says the LORD.
2   “Enlarge the place of your tent,
    and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
  do not hold back; lengthen your cords
    and strengthen your stakes.
3   For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
    and your offspring will possess the nations
    and will people the desolate cities.
4   “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
    be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
  for you will forget the shame of your youth,
    and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5   For your Maker is your husband,
    the LORD of hosts is his name;
  and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
    the God of the whole earth he is called.
6   For the LORD has called you
    like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
  like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
    says your God.
7   For a brief moment I deserted you,
    but with great compassion I will gather you.
8   In overflowing anger for a moment
    I hid my face from you,
  but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
    says the LORD, your Redeemer.
9   “This is like the days of Noah¹ to me:
    as I swore that the waters of Noah
    should no more go over the earth,
  so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
    and will not rebuke you.
10   For the mountains may depart
    and the hills be removed,
  but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
    says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
11   “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
    behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
    and lay your foundations with sapphires.²
12   I will make your pinnacles of agate,³
    your gates of carbuncles,⁴
    and all your wall of precious stones.
13   All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
    and great shall be the peace of your children.
14   In righteousness you shall be established;
    you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
    and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15   If anyone stirs up strife,
    it is not from me;
  whoever stirs up strife with you
    shall fall because of you.
16   Behold, I have created the smith
    who blows the fire of coals
    and produces a weapon for its purpose.
  I have also created the ravager to destroy;
17     no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
    and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD
    and their vindication⁵ from me, declares the LORD.”

(ESV)

Revelation 13 (Listen)

The First Beast

13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,¹ that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.² And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

10   If anyone is to be taken captive,
    to captivity he goes;
  if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
    with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

The Second Beast

11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence,³ and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of⁴ the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave,⁵ to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.⁶

(ESV)