Psalm 29

New International Version

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

¹Ascribe to the Lord,^(A) you heavenly beings,^(B)
ascribe to the Lord glory^(C) and strength.
²Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his^[a] holiness.^(D)

³The voice^(E) of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory^(F) thunders,^(G)
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.^(H)
⁴The voice of the Lord is powerful;^(I)
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.^(J)
⁶He makes Lebanon leap^(K) like a calf,
    Sirion^[b]^(L) like a young wild ox.^(M)
⁷The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.^(N)
⁸The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.^(O)
⁹The voice of the Lord twists the oaks^[c]^(P)
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”^(Q)

¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;^(R)
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.^(S)
¹¹The Lord gives strength to his people;^(T)
the Lord blesses his people with peace.^(U)

Footnotes

Psalm 29:2 Or Lord with the splendor of
Psalm 29:6 That is, Mount Hermon
Psalm 29:9 Or Lord makes the deer give birth

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

New International Version

Everything Is Meaningless

1 The words of the Teacher,^[a]^(A) son of David, king in Jerusalem:^(B)

²“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”^(C)

³What do people gain from all their labors
    at which they toil under the sun?^(D)
⁴Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.^(E)
⁵The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.^(F)
⁶The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
⁷All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.^(G)
⁸All things are wearisome,
    more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,^(H)
    nor the ear its fill of hearing.
⁹What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;^(I)
    there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰Is there anything of which one can say,
    “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
    it was here before our time.
¹¹No one remembers the former generations,^(J)
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them.^(K)

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Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 2 and 12

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

New International Version

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom

¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness^(A) to those who are perishing,^(B) but to us who are being saved^(C) it is the power of God.^(D) ¹⁹For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”^[a]^(E)

²⁰Where is the wise person?^(F) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?^(G) Has not God made foolish^(H) the wisdom of the world? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world^(I) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save^(J) those who believe.^(K) ²²Jews demand signs^(L) and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified:^(M) a stumbling block^(N) to Jews and foolishness^(O) to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those whom God has called,^(P) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God^(Q) and the wisdom of God.^(R) ²⁵For the foolishness^(S) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness^(T) of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.^(U) Not many of you were wise^(V) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose^(W) the foolish^(X) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not^(Y)—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him.^(Z) ³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,^(AA) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,^(AB) holiness^(AC) and redemption.^(AD) ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[b]^(AE)