Comfort from the Word – Day 42

₄Teach me your ways, O LORD;

make them known to me.

₅Teach me to live according to your truth,

for you are my God, who saves me.

I always trust in you.

₆Remember, O LORD, your kindness and constant love

which you have shown from long ago.

₇Forgive the sins and errors of my youth.

In your constant love and goodness,

remember me, LORD!

₅How I hope that I shall be faithful

in keeping your instructions!

₆If I pay attention to all your commands,

then I will not be put to shame.

₇As I learn your righteous judgements,

I will praise you with a pure heart.

₈I will obey your laws;

never abandon me!

₉How can young people keep their lives pure?

By obeying your commands.

₁₀With all my heart I try to serve you;

keep me from disobeying your commandments.

₁₁I keep your law in my heart,

so that I will not sin against you.

₁₂I praise you, O LORD;

teach me your ways.

₁₃I will repeat aloud

all the laws you have given.

₁₄I delight in following your commands

more than in having great wealth.

₁₅I study your instructions;

I examine your teachings.

₁₆I take pleasure in your laws;

your commands I will not forget.

₁Give thanks to the LORD, proclaim his greatness;

tell the nations what he has done.

₂Sing praise to the LORD;

tell of the wonderful things he has done.

₃Be glad that we belong to him;

let all who worship him rejoice.

₄Go to the LORD for help;

and worship him continually.

_5-6You descendants of Abraham, his servant;

you descendants of Jacob, the man he chose:

remember the miracles that God performed

and the judgements that he gave.

₇The LORD is our God;

his commands are for all the world.

₈He will keep his covenant for ever,

his promises for a thousand generations.

₉He will keep the agreement he made with Abraham

and his promise to Isaac.

₁₀The LORD made a covenant with Jacob,

one that will last for ever.

₁₁“I will give you the land of Canaan,” he said.

“It will be your own possession.”

₁₂God's people were few in number,

strangers in the land of Canaan.

₁₃They wandered from country to country,

from one kingdom to another.

₁₄But God let no one oppress them;

to protect them, he warned the kings:

₁₅“Don't harm my chosen servants;

do not touch my prophets.”

₁₆The LORD sent famine to their country

and took away all their food.

₁₇But he sent a man ahead of them,

Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.

₁₈His feet were kept in chains,

and an iron collar was round his neck,

₁₉until what he had predicted came true.

The word of the LORD proved him right.

₂₀Then the king of Egypt had him released;

the ruler of nations set him free.

₂₁He put him in charge of his government

and made him ruler over all the land,

₂₂with power over the king's officials

and authority to instruct his advisers.

₂₃Then Jacob went to Egypt

and settled in that country.

₂₄The LORD gave many children to his people

and made them stronger than their enemies.

₂₅He made the Egyptians hate his people

and treat his servants with deceit.

₂₆Then he sent his servant Moses,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

₂₇They did God's mighty acts

and performed miracles in Egypt.

₂₈God sent darkness on the country,

but the Egyptians did not obey his command.

₂₉He turned their rivers into blood

and killed all their fish.

₃₀Their country was overrun with frogs,

even the palace was filled with them.

₃₁God commanded, and flies and gnats

swarmed throughout the whole country.

₃₂He sent hail and lightning on their land

instead of rain;

₃₃he destroyed their grapevines and fig trees

and broke down all the trees.

₃₄He commanded, and the locusts came,

countless millions of them;

₃₅they ate all the plants in the land;

they ate all the crops.

₃₆He killed the firstborn sons

of all the families of Egypt.

₃₇Then he led the Israelites out;

they carried silver and gold,

and all of them were healthy and strong.

₃₈The Egyptians were afraid of them

and were glad when they left.

₃₉God put a cloud over his people

and a fire at night to give them light.

₄₀They asked, and he sent quails;

he gave them food from heaven to satisfy them.

₄₁He opened a rock, and water gushed out,

flowing through the desert like a river.

₄₂He remembered his sacred promise

to Abraham his servant.

₄₃So he led his chosen people out,

and they sang and shouted for joy.

₄₄He gave them the lands of other peoples

and let them take over their fields,

₄₅so that his people would obey his laws

and keep all his commands.

Praise the LORD!