Psalm 81 (NRSV)
1Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
2Raise a song, sound the tambourine,
the sweet lyre with the harp.
3Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our festal day.
4For it is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5He made it a decree in Joseph,
when he went out over the land of Egypt.
I hear a voice I had not known:
6"I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7In distress you called, and I rescued you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Selah
8Hear, O my people, while I admonish you;
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11"But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
13O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,
and turn my hand against their foes.
15Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him,
and their doom would last forever.
16I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
Happy is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
Daily Bible Reading: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Psalm 128 (NRSV)
1Happy is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways.
2You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.
5The LORD bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Daily Bible Reading: Saturday, February 25, 2023
Psalm 51 (NRSV)
1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
5Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15O LORD, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
ELCA's daily Bible readings are chosen from "Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings," prepared by Consultation on the Common Texts, © 2005.
All text is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches USA, and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
