Numbers 24
1 Now when Balaam saw it was good before the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as he was accustomed to do, to seek and find omens; but he turned and set his face toward the desert.
2 Then Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.†
3 Then he took up his parable and said: “Balaam the son of Beor declares; The man who truly sees declares;
4 The one who hears the sayings of God declares; The one who saw the vision of God in a dream, A revelation seen by him:
5 How beautiful are your dwellings, O Jacob, Your tents, O Israel.
6 Like wooded valleys offering shade, And like gardens by the rivers, Like tents the Lord pitched, Like cedars beside the waters.
7 A Man shall come forth from his seed, And He shall rule many nations; And His kingdom shall be more exalted than Gog, And His kingdom shall increase.†
8 God led Him out of Egypt, And He has the glorious appearance of a unicorn. He shall consume the nations of his enemies And deprive them of their strength. He shall shoot the enemy with His missiles.
9 He lies down and rests like a lion, And like a lion’s cub, who shall rouse Him? Those who bless You are blessed, And those who curse You are cursed.”†
10 Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemy, and look, you actually blessed him for a third time.
11 Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would honor you, but in fact, the Lord deprived you of glory.”
12 So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,
13 ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the Lord’s word, to do good or evil of my own will. Whatever the Lord may say, this I shall speak’?
14 So now, indeed, I am going to my place. Come, I will counsel you as to what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”
Balaam’s Fourth Prophecy
15 So he took up his parable and said: “Balaam the son of Beor declares; The man who truly sees declares;
16 The one who hears the sayings of God declares; And the one who knows the knowledge of the Most High, And who saw the vision of God in a dream, a revelation seen by him:
17 I will show Him, but not now; I bless Him, but He is not near. A Star shall rise out of Jacob; And a Man shall rise out of Israel. He shall break in pieces the rulers of Moab And plunder all the sons of Seth.†
18 Edom shall be His inheritance, And also His enemy shall be His inheritance; But Israel acts with strength.
19 He shall rise up out of Jacob, And destroy the survivors of the city.”
20 Then seeing Amalek, he took up his parable and said: “Amalek was first of the nations, But their seed shall perish.”
21 Then seeing the Kenites, he took up his parable and said: “Your dwelling is strong; And if you should put your nest in a rock,
22 And become dwellings of craftiness for Beor, Nevertheless the Assyrians shall take you captive.”
23 Then seeing Og, he took up his parable and said: “Oh! Oh! Who shall live whenever God may bring these things to pass?
24 Now these things shall come to pass from the hand of the Kittians, And they shall also maltreat Asshur and the Hebrews, But they themselves with one accord shall perish.”
25 So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place; Balak also went to his own place.†
Psalms 79
1 For the End, concerning things that shall be changed; a testimony for Asaph, a psalm concerning the Assyrian. †
2 Give heed, O You who shepherd Israel; Reveal Yourself, O You who lead Joseph like a flock, Who sit upon the cherubim.
3 Raise up Your power Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, And come for our salvation.
4 O God, convert us, And reveal Your face, and we shall be saved.
5 O Lord God of hosts, How long will You be angry with the prayer of Your servant?
6 Will You feed us the bread of tears, And will You give us as drink tears in measure?
7 You made us an offense to our neighbors, And our enemies sneered at us.
8 O Lord God, convert us, And reveal Your face, and we shall be saved. (Pause)
9 You removed a vineyard from Egypt; You cast out the nations and planted it;
10 You prepared the way before it, And You planted its roots; and the earth was filled.
11 Its shade covered the mountains, And its vines the cedars of God;
12 Its branches reached to the sea And its shoots as far as the river.
13 Why did You pull down its hedge, And all who pass on the road gather its grapes?
14 A wild swine from the forest laid it waste, A solitary wild beast devoured it.
15 O God of hosts, convert us now; Look down from heaven and behold, And visit this vineyard
16 Which Your right hand planted, and perfect it. And visit the son of man, whom You strengthened for Yourself.
17 It was set on fire and uprooted, But they shall perish at the rebuke of Your face.
18 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, And upon the son of man, whom You strengthened for Yourself;
19 Then we will not turn away from You; You will give us life, and we will call upon Your name.
20 O Lord God of hosts, convert us, and reveal Your face, and we shall be saved.
Proverbs of Solomon 17
Family and Friends
1 Better is a morsel with enjoyment in peace Than a house full of many good things and unrighteous sacrifices with quarreling.†
2 A servant with discernment shall rule over masters without discernment, And will divide portions among brethren.
3 As silver and gold are tested in a furnace, So are chosen hearts before the Lord.†
4 An evil man heeds the tongue of the lawless, But a righteous man pays no attention to false lips.†
5 He who laughs at the poor provokes the One who made him, And he who rejoices in destruction will not be unpunished; But he who has compassion will be shown mercy.
Luke 8
The Gadarene Demoniac
26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.†
27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”
29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.
30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.
31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.
32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them.
33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.†
34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.
35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.
36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.
37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.
38 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
Jairus’ Daughter Raised, a Woman Healed
40 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.†
41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house,
42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.
43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,†
44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”†
46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”
47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.†
48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”
50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.”
51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.
52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.”
53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.
54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.”†
55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.
56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.