“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine.
Tie them to your hands
and wear them on your forehead as reminders.
Teach them to your children.
Talk about them when you are at home
and when you are on the road,
when you are going to bed
and when you are getting up.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
In times of trouble,
may the LORD answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob
keep you safe from all harm.
The forests of the hill country will be yours as well.
Clear as much of the land as you wish,
and take possession of its farthest corners.
And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too,
even though they are strong and have iron chariots.
…my brothers who went with me
frightened the people from entering the Promised Land.
For my part,
I wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.
But you, O LORD, are a shield around me;
you are my glory,
the one who holds my head high.
I cried out to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy mountain.
Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley
in the direction of Zoar.
The whole area was well watered everywhere,
like the garden of the LORD
or the beautiful land of Egypt.
(This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley…
…and moved his tents to a place near Sodom
and settled among the cities of the plain.
But the people of this area were extremely wicked
and constantly sinned against the LORD.
…”Make me an altar from stones that are uncut
and have not been shaped with iron tools.”…
…the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains,
stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind.
He turns the light of dawn into darkness
and treads on the heights of the earth.
The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
Study this Book of Instruction continually.
Meditate on it day and night
so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.
Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
…be strong and courageous!
Do not be afraid or discouraged.
For the LORD your God is with you whoever you go.
