Friday, April 29, 2011

Friday after Easter Sunday: Your Steadfast Love O Lord endures forever

Psalm 49

The Folly of Trust in Riches

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
   give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 
2 both low and high,
   rich and poor together. 
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;
   the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
   I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp. 

5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,
   when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 
6 those who trust in their wealth
   and boast of the abundance of their riches? 
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
   there is no price one can give to God for it. 
8 For the ransom of life is costly,
   and can never suffice, 
9 that one should live on for ever
   and never see the grave. 

10 When we look at the wise, they die;
   fool and dolt perish together
   and leave their wealth to others. 
11 Their graves are their homes for ever,
   their dwelling-places to all generations,
   though they named lands their own. 
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish. 

13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
   the end of those who are pleased with their lot.
          Selah 
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
   Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,
   and their form shall waste away;
   Sheol shall be their home. 
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
   for he will receive me.
          Selah 

16 Do not be afraid when some become rich,
   when the wealth of their houses increases. 
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away;
   their wealth will not go down after them. 
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
   —for you are praised when you do well for yourself— 
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors,
   who will never again see the light. 
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
   they are like the animals that perish.

Psalm 138

Thanksgiving and Praise

Of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
   before the gods I sing your praise; 
2 I bow down towards your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
   for you have exalted your name and your word
   above everything. 
3 On the day I called, you answered me,
   you increased my strength of soul. 

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
   for they have heard the words of your mouth. 
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
   for great is the glory of the Lord
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
   but the haughty he perceives from far away. 

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
   you preserve me
against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
   and your right hand delivers me. 
8 The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
   your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
   Do not forsake the work of your hands.


Morning: Ps. 96, 148 Evening: Ps. 49, 138 Dan. 12:1–4, 13 Acts 4:1–12
John 16:1–15

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