Psalm 40-44

New American Standard Bible

God Sustains His Servant.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

40 I ^(A)waited ^[a]patiently for the Lord;
And He reached down to me and ^(B)heard my cry.
²He brought me up out of the ^(C)pit of ^[b]destruction, out of the mud;
And ^(D)He set my feet on a rock, ^(E)making my footsteps firm.
³He put a ^(F)new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will ^(G)see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.

⁴How ^(H)blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And ^(I)has not turned to the ^[c]proud, nor to those who ^(J)become involved in falsehood.
⁵Many, Lord my God, are ^(K)the wonders which You have done,
And Your ^(L)thoughts toward us;
There is no one to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They ^(M)would be too numerous to count.

⁶^(N)You have not desired ^[d]sacrifice and meal offering;
You have ^[e]opened my ears;
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.
⁷Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
It is ^[f]written of me in the scroll of the book.
⁸^(O)I delight to do Your will, my God;
^(P)Your Law is within my ^[g]heart.”

⁹I have ^(Q)proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will ^(R)not restrain my lips,
Lord, ^(S)You know.
¹⁰I have ^(T)not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have ^(U)spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.

¹¹You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
^[h]Your ^(V)mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.
¹²For evils beyond number have ^(W)surrounded me;
My ^(X)guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are ^(Y)more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my ^(Z)heart has ^[i]failed me.

¹³^(AA)Be pleased, Lord, to rescue me;
^(AB)Hurry, Lord, to help me.
¹⁴May those be ^(AC)ashamed and humiliated together
Who ^(AD)seek my ^[j]life to destroy it;
May those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight ^[k]in my hurt.
¹⁵May those ^(AE)be ^[l]appalled because of their shame
Who ^(AF)say to me, “Aha, aha!”
¹⁶^(AG)May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation continually ^(AH)say,
“The Lord be exalted!”
¹⁷But ^(AI)I am afflicted and needy;
^(AJ)May the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my savior;
Do not delay, my God.

The Psalmist in Sickness Complains of Enemies and False Friends.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is one who ^(AK)considers the ^[m]helpless;
The Lord will save him ^(AL)on a day of ^[n]trouble.
²The Lord will ^(AM)protect him and keep him alive,
And he will be called ^[o]^(AN)blessed upon the earth;
And ^(AO)do not turn him over to the desire of his enemies.
³The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You ^[p]restore him to health.

⁴As for me, I said, “Lord, be gracious to me;
^(AP)Heal my soul, for ^(AQ)I have sinned against You.”
⁵My enemies ^(AR)speak evil against me,
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
⁶And ^[q]when he comes to see me, he ^(AS)speaks ^[r]empty words;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he tells it.
⁷All who hate me whisper together against me;
They ^(AT)plot my harm against me, saying,
⁸“A wicked thing is poured out ^[s]upon him,
So that when he lies down, he will ^(AU)not get up again.”
⁹Even my ^[t]^(AV)close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But You, Lord, be gracious to me and ^(AW)raise me up,
That I may repay them.
¹¹By this I know that ^(AX)You are pleased with me,
Because ^(AY)my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
¹²As for me, ^(AZ)You uphold me in my integrity,
And You place me ^(BA)in Your presence forever.

¹³^(BB)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

BOOK 2

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.

For the music director. A ^[u]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

42 As the deer ^[v]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul ^[w]^(BC)pants for You, God.
²My soul ^(BD)thirsts for God, for the ^(BE)living God;
When shall I come and ^[x]^(BF)appear before God?
³My ^(BG)tears have been my food day and night,
While they ^(BH)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
⁴I remember these things and ^(BI)pour out my soul within me.
For I ^(BJ)used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God,
With a voice of ^(BK)joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.

⁵^(BL)Why are you ^[y]^(BM)in despair, my soul?
And why are you ^(BN)restless within me?
^(BO)Wait for God, for I will ^[z]again praise ^[aa]Him
For the ^[ab]^(BP)help of His ^[ac]presence, my God.
⁶My soul is ^[ad]in despair within me;
Therefore I ^(BQ)remember You from ^(BR)the land of the Jordan
And the ^[ae]peaks of ^(BS)Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
⁷Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your ^(BT)breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
⁸The Lord will ^(BU)send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me ^(BV)in the night,
A prayer to ^(BW)the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God ^(BX)my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go about ^(BY)mourning ^[af]because of the ^(BZ)oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they ^(CA)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
¹¹^(CB)Why are you ^[ag]in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise ^[ah]Him
For the ^[ai]help of His presence, my God.

Prayer for Help.

43 ^(CC)Vindicate me, God, and ^(CD)plead my case against an ungodly nation;
^[aj]Save me from ^(CE)the deceitful and unjust person!
²For You are the ^(CF)God of my strength; why have You ^(CG)rejected me?
Why do I go about ^(CH)mourning ^[ak]because of the oppression of the enemy?

³Send out Your ^(CI)light and Your truth, they shall lead me;
They shall bring me to Your ^(CJ)holy hill
And to Your ^(CK)dwelling places.
⁴Then I will go to ^(CL)the altar of God,
To God ^[al]my exceeding ^(CM)joy;
And I will praise You on the ^(CN)lyre, God, my God.

⁵^(CO)Why are you ^[am]in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will ^[an]again praise ^[ao]Him
For the ^[ap]help of His presence, my God.

Former Times of Help and Present Troubles.

For the music director. A ^[aq]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

44 God, we have heard with our ears,
Our ^(CP)fathers have told us
The ^(CQ)work that You did in their days,
In the ^(CR)days of old.
²You with Your own hand ^(CS)drove out the nations;
Then You ^(CT)planted them;
You ^(CU)afflicted the peoples,
Then You ^(CV)let them go free.
³For by their own sword they ^(CW)did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your ^(CX)arm and the ^(CY)light of Your presence,
For You ^(CZ)favored them.

⁴You are ^(DA)my King, God;
^(DB)Command ^[ar]victories for Jacob.
⁵Through You we will ^(DC)push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will ^(DD)trample down those who rise up against us.
⁶For I will ^(DE)not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
⁷But You ^(DF)have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have ^(DG)put to shame those who hate us.
⁸In God we have ^(DH)boasted all day long,
And we will ^(DI)give thanks to Your name forever. Selah

⁹Yet You ^(DJ)have rejected us and brought us to ^(DK)dishonor,
And ^(DL)do not go out with our armies.
¹⁰You cause us to ^(DM)turn back from the enemy;
And those who hate us ^(DN)have taken spoils for themselves.
¹¹You turn us over ^[as]to be eaten like ^(DO)sheep,
And have ^(DP)scattered us among the nations.
¹²You ^(DQ)sell Your people ^[at]cheaply,
And have not ^[au]profited by their sale.
¹³You make us an object of ^(DR)reproach to our neighbors,
Of scoffing and ^(DS)ridicule to those around us.
¹⁴You make us ^(DT)a proverb among the nations,
A ^[av]^(DU)laughingstock among the peoples.
¹⁵All day long my dishonor is before me
And ^[aw]I am covered with my ^(DV)humiliation,
¹⁶Because of the voice of one who ^(DW)taunts and reviles,
Because of the presence of the ^(DX)enemy and the avenger.

¹⁷All this has come upon us, but we have ^(DY)not forgotten You,
And we have not ^(DZ)dealt falsely with Your covenant.
¹⁸Our heart has not ^(EA)turned back,
And our steps ^(EB)have not deviated from Your way,
¹⁹Yet You have ^(EC)crushed us in a place of ^(ED)jackals
And covered us with ^[ax]^(EE)deep darkness.

²⁰If we had ^(EF)forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our ^[ay]hands to ^(EG)a strange god,
²¹Would God not ^(EH)find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
²²But ^(EI)for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are regarded as ^(EJ)sheep to be slaughtered.
²³^(EK)Wake Yourself up, why ^(EL)do You sleep, Lord?
Awake, ^(EM)do not reject us forever.
²⁴Why do You ^(EN)hide Your face
And ^(EO)forget our affliction and oppression?
²⁵For our ^(EP)souls have sunk down into the dust;
Our bodies cling to the earth.
²⁶^(EQ)Rise up, be our help,
And ^(ER)redeem us because of Your mercy.

Footnotes

Psalm 40:1 Or intently
Psalm 40:2 Lit wasteland; i.e., the underworld
Psalm 40:4 Or enemies
Psalm 40:6 I.e., blood sacrifice
Psalm 40:6 Lit dug; or possibly pierced
Psalm 40:7 Or prescribed for
Psalm 40:8 Lit inner being
Psalm 40:11 Or May...preserve
Psalm 40:12 Lit forsaken
Psalm 40:14 Or soul
Psalm 40:14 Or to injure me
Psalm 40:15 Or desolated
Psalm 41:1 Or poor
Psalm 41:1 Or evil
Psalm 41:2 Or happy
Psalm 41:3 Lit turn all his bed
Psalm 41:6 Or if he
Psalm 41:6 Lit worthlessness
Psalm 41:8 Or within
Psalm 41:9 Lit man of peace
Psalm 42 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 42:1 Lit longs for
Psalm 42:1 Lit longs for
Psalm 42:2 Some mss see the face of God
Psalm 42:5 Lit dissolved away
Psalm 42:5 Or still
Psalm 42:5 Some ancient versions Him, the help of my face and my God
Psalm 42:5 Or saving acts of
Psalm 42:5 Or presence. O my God, my soul...
Psalm 42:6 Or dissolved away
Psalm 42:6 Lit Hermons
Psalm 42:9 Or while the enemy oppresses
Psalm 42:11 Or dissolved away
Psalm 42:11 As in some ancient mss, cf. v 5; MT Him, the help of my face and my God
Psalm 42:11 Or saving acts of
Psalm 43:1 Or May You
Psalm 43:2 Or while the enemy oppresses
Psalm 43:4 Lit the gladness of my joy
Psalm 43:5 Or dissolved away
Psalm 43:5 Or still
Psalm 43:5 As in some ancient mss; MT Him, the help of my face and my God
Psalm 43:5 Or saving acts of
Psalm 44 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 44:4 Lit salvation
Psalm 44:11 Lit for food
Psalm 44:12 Lit for no wealth
Psalm 44:12 Or set a high price on them
Psalm 44:14 Lit shaking of the head
Psalm 44:15 Lit the shame of my face has covered me
Psalm 44:19 Or the shadow of death
Psalm 44:20 Lit palms

Luke 8

New American Standard Bible

Women Support Jesus

8 Soon afterward, ^[a]Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, ^(A)proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, ²and also ^(B)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: ^(C)Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³and Joanna the wife of Chuza, ^(D)Herod’s ^(E)steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

Parable of the Sower

⁴^(F)Now when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: ⁵“The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up. ⁶Other seed fell on rocky soil, and when it came up, it withered away because it had no moisture. ⁷Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸And yet other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as much.” As He said these things, He would call out, “^(G)The one who has ears to hear, ^[b]let him hear.”

⁹^(H)Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable ^[c]meant. ¹⁰And He said, “^(I)To you it has been granted to know the ^[d]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are told in parables, so that ^[e]^(J)while seeing they may not see, and ^[f]while hearing they may not understand.

¹¹“Now this is the parable: ^(K)the seed is the word of God. ¹²And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; ^[g]they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they ^[h]fall away. ¹⁴And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word ^[i]with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with ^[j]perseverance.

Parable of the Lamp

¹⁶“Now ^(L)no one lights a lamp and covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see the light. ¹⁷^(M)For nothing is concealed that will not become evident, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸So take care how you listen; ^(N)for whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he ^[k]thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

¹⁹^(O)Now His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. ²⁰And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” ²¹But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these ^(P)who hear the word of God and do it.”

Jesus Stills the Sea

²²^(Q)Now on one of those days ^[l]Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of ^(R)the lake.” So they launched out. ²³But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on ^(S)the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. ²⁴They came up to Jesus and woke Him, saying, “^(T)Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and ^(U)rebuked the wind and the surging ^[m]waves, and they stopped, and ^[n]it became calm. ²⁵And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

The Demon-possessed Man Cured

²⁶^(V)Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷And when He stepped out onto the land, a man from the city met Him who was possessed with demons; and he had not put on clothing for a long time and was not living in a house, but among the tombs. ²⁸And seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and said with a loud voice, “^[o]^(W)What business do You have with me, Jesus, Son of ^(X)the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” ²⁹For He had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into the desert. ³⁰And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “^(Y)Legion”; because many demons had entered him. ³¹And they were begging Him not to command them to go away into ^(Z)the abyss.

³²Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding there on the mountain; and the demons begged Him to permit them to enter ^[p]the pigs. And He gave them permission. ³³And the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into ^(AA)the lake and was drowned.

³⁴Now when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported everything in the city, and in the country. ³⁵And the people came out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down ^(AB)at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. ³⁶Those who had seen everything reported to them how the man who had been ^(AC)demon-possessed had been ^[q]made well. ³⁷And all the ^[r]people of the territory of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Him to leave them, because they were overwhelmed by great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. ³⁸^(AD)But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might ^[s]accompany Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return to your home and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Miracles of Healing

⁴⁰^(AE)And as Jesus was returning, the ^[t]people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him. ⁴¹^(AF)And a man named Jairus came, and he was an ^[u]^(AG)official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began urging Him to come to his house; ⁴²for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

⁴³And a woman who had suffered a chronic flow of blood for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, ⁴⁴came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His ^[v]cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “^(AH)Master, the ^[w]people are crowding and pressing in on You.” ⁴⁶But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that ^(AI)power had left Me.” ⁴⁷Now when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and admitted in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸And He said to her, “Daughter, ^(AJ)your faith has ^[x]made you well; ^(AK)go in peace.”

⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone *came from the house of ^(AL)the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” ⁵⁰But when Jesus heard this, He responded to him, “^(AM)Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be ^[y]made well.” ⁵¹When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him except Peter, John, and James, and the girl’s father and mother. ⁵²Now they were all weeping and ^(AN)mourning for her; but He said, “Stop weeping, for she has not died, but ^(AO)is asleep.” ⁵³And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. ⁵⁴He, however, took her by the hand and spoke ^[z]forcefully, saying, “Child, arise!” ⁵⁵And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He ordered that something be given her to eat. ⁵⁶Her parents were amazed; but He ^(AP)instructed them to tell no one what had happened.