September 16: Proverbs 21–22; Psalm 71; John 13

Proverbs 21–22 (Listen)

21The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will.
2Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the heart.
3To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4Haughty eyes and a proud heart,
the lamp^{Or the plowing“>1} of the wicked, are sin.
5The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
6The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.^{Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Latin; most Hebrew manuscripts vapor for those who seek death“>2}
7The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
8The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
10The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
11When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
14A gift in secret averts anger,
and a concealed bribe,^{Hebrew a bribe in the bosom“>3} strong wrath.
15When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.
16One who wanders from the way of good sense
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
and the traitor for the upright.
19It is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
20Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it.
21Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22A wise man scales the city of the mighty
and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.
24“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
who acts with arrogant pride.
25The desire of the sluggard kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26All day long he craves and craves,
but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
28A false witness will perish,
but the word of a man who hears will endure.
29A wicked man puts on a bold face,
but the upright gives thought to^{Or establishes“>4} his ways.
30No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the LORD.
31The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the LORD.
22A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
2The rich and the poor meet together;
the LORD is the Maker of them all.
3The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4The reward for humility and fear of the LORD
is riches and honor and life.^{Or The reward for humility is the fear of the Lord, riches and honor and life“>5}
5Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
7The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail.
9Whoever has a bountiful^{Hebrew good“>6} eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
10Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
and quarreling and abuse will cease.
11He who loves purity of heart,
and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
12The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
13The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”
14The mouth of forbidden^{Hebrew strange“>7} women is a deep pit;
he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it.
15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

Words of the Wise

17Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
19That your trust may be in the LORD,
I have made them known to you today, even to you.
20Have I not written for you thirty sayings
of counsel and knowledge,
21to make you know what is right and true,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?


22Do not rob the poor, because he is poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate,
23for the LORD will plead their cause
and rob of life those who rob them.
24Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,
25lest you learn his ways
and entangle yourself in a snare.
26Be not one of those who give pledges,
who put up security for debts.
27If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
28Do not move the ancient landmark
that your fathers have set.
29Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.

(ESV)

Psalm 71 (Listen)

Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent

71In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
2In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
3Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.


4Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
5For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
6Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.


7I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
9Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.
10For my enemies speak concerning me;
those who watch for my life consult together
11and say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue and seize him,
for there is none to deliver him.”


12O God, be not far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
13May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
who seek my hurt.
14But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
15My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.
16With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.


17O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
19Your righteousness, O God,
reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
20You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
21You will increase my greatness
and comfort me again.


22I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed.
24And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been put to shame and disappointed
who sought to do me hurt.

(ESV)

John 13 (Listen)

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

13Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet,^{Some manuscripts omit except for his feet“>1} but is completely clean. And you^{The Greek words for you in this verse are plural“>2} are clean, but not every one of you.” 11For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant^{Or bondservant, or slave (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)“>3} is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled,^{Greek But in order that the Scripture may be fulfilled“>4} ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

One of You Will Betray Me

21After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side,^{Greek in the bosom of Jesus“>5} 24so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus^{Greek lacks Jesus“>6} of whom he was speaking. 25So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

A New Commandment

31When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

36Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

(ESV)