July 18

6A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: If then I be a father, where is mine honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear? Saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? 7Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. 8And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; Will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

9And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: This hath been by your means: Will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts. 10Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? Neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, Neither will I accept an offering at your hand. 11For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles; And in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: For my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

12But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; And the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible. 13Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! And ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; And ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; Thus ye brought an offering: Should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD. 14But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, And voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: For I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, And my name is dreadful among the heathen.

5My covenant was with him of life and peace; And I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, And was afraid before my name. 6The law of truth was in his mouth, And iniquity was not found in his lips: He walked with me in peace and equity, And did turn many away from iniquity. 7For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, And they should seek the law at his mouth: For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. 8But ye are departed out of the way; Ye have caused many to stumble at the law; Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 9Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, According as ye have not kept my ways, But have been partial in the law.

10Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, By profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11Judah hath dealt treacherously, And an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; For Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, And hath married the daughter of a strange god. 12The LORD will cut off the man that doth this, the master and the scholar, Out of the tabernacles of Jacob, And him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts.

13And this have ye done again, Covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, Insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, Or receiveth it with good will at your hand. 14Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, Against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: Yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: For one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: Therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

17Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, And he delighteth in them; Or, Where is the God of judgment?

5And I will come near to you to judgment; And I will be a swift witness Against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, And against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, The widow, and the fatherless, And that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, Saith the LORD of hosts. 6For I am the LORD, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

7Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 8Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, Even this whole nation.

10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12And all nations shall call you blessed: For ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

13Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? 14Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: And what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, And that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? 15And now we call the proud happy; Yea, they that work wickedness are set up; Yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

16Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: And the LORD hearkened, and heard it, And a book of remembrance was written before him For them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, In that day when I make up my jewels; And I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, Between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

4Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, Which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. 5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, And the heart of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

4The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The LORD shall have them in derision. 5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure. 6Yet have I set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion.

7I will declare the decree: The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee. 8Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

10Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, And ye perish from the way, When his wrath is kindled but a little: Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

4I cried unto the LORD with my voice, And he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. 5I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. 6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, That have set themselves against me round about.

7Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: For thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: Thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

4Stand in awe, and sin not: Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD.

6There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7Thou hast put gladness in my heart, More than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. 8I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: For thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

4For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: Neither shall evil dwell with thee. 5The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. 6Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: The LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

7But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: And in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. 8Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; Make thy way straight before my face. 9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is very wickedness; Their throat is an open sepulchre; They flatter with their tongue.

10Destroy thou them, O God; Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; For they have rebelled against thee. 11But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.