Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, CASTING ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished among your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, strengthen, confirm, and ground you. To Him be might forever and ever. Amen.

Behold, bless Yahweh, all you slaves of Yahweh,
Who stand in the house of Yahweh by night!
Lift up your hands to the sanctuary
And bless Yahweh.
May Yahweh bless you from Zion,
Who made heaven and earth.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
It is like the good oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there, Yahweh commanded the blessing—life forever.

For Yahweh has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His habitation.
“This is My resting place forever;
Here I will inhabit, for I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless her provision;
I will satisfy her needy with bread.
Her priests also I will clothe with salvation,
And her holy ones will sing loudly for joy.
There I will cause the horn of David to spring up;
I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon him, his crown shall blossom.”

Know this, my beloved brothers. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, laying aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in gentleness receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he looked at himself and has gone away, he immediately forgot what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Out of the depths I called to You, O Yahweh.
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
If You should keep iniquities, O Yah,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with You there is forgiveness,
That You may be feared.

I hope for Yahweh, my soul does hope,
And for His word do I wait.
My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning,
The watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, wait for Yahweh;
For with Yahweh there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And it is He who will redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
•••

without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who draws near to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

How blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh,
Who walks in His ways.
When you shall eat of the fruit of the labor of your hands,
How blessed will you be and how well will it be for you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
In the innermost parts of your house,
Your children like olive plants
All around your table.
Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears Yahweh.

May Yahweh bless you from Zion,
That you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
Indeed, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!

Unless Yahweh builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless Yahweh watches the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early,
That you sit out late,
O you who eat the bread of painful labors;
For in this manner, He gives sleep to His beloved.

Behold, children are an inheritance of Yahweh,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with enemies in the gate.

God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high