Daily Wisdom Plan

¹For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world,

²both low and high, rich and poor alike:

³My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.

⁴I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:

⁵Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me—

⁶those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?

⁷No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—

⁸the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—

⁹so that they should live on forever and not see decay.

¹⁰For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.

¹¹Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.

¹²People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

¹⁴They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.

¹⁵But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.

¹⁶Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases;

¹⁷for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them.

¹⁸Though while they live they count themselves blessed— and people praise you when you prosper—

¹⁹they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.

²⁰People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.

¹A psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

²From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

³Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.

⁴He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:

⁵“Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

⁶And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.

⁷“Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God.

⁸I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

⁹I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,

¹⁰for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.

¹²If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,

¹⁵and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?

¹⁷You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.

¹⁸When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.

¹⁹You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.

²⁰You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.

²¹When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you.

²²“Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:

²³Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”

¹For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

²Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

⁵Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

⁶Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

⁹Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

¹¹Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

¹⁴Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

¹⁵Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.