Psalm 75

New International Version

Psalm 75^[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.

¹We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;^(A)
people tell of your wonderful deeds.^(B)

²You say, “I choose the appointed time;^(C)
    it is I who judge with equity.^(D)
³When the earth and all its people quake,^(E)
    it is I who hold its pillars^(F) firm.^[b]
⁴To the arrogant^(G) I say, ‘Boast no more,’^(H)
    and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.^[c]^(I)
⁵Do not lift your horns against heaven;
    do not speak so defiantly.^(J)’”

⁶No one from the east or the west
    or from the desert can exalt themselves.
⁷It is God who judges:^(K)
    He brings one down, he exalts another.^(L)
⁸In the hand of the Lord is a cup
    full of foaming wine mixed^(M) with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
    drink it down to its very dregs.^(N)

⁹As for me, I will declare^(O) this forever;
I will sing^(P) praise to the God of Jacob,^(Q)
¹⁰who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”^(R)

Footnotes

Psalm 75:1 In Hebrew texts 75:1-10 is numbered 75:2-11.
Psalm 75:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 75:4 Horns here symbolize strength; also in verses 5 and 10.

Zephaniah 3:1-13

New International Version

Jerusalem

3 Woe to the city of oppressors,^(A)
    rebellious^(B) and defiled!^(C)
²She obeys^(D) no one,
    she accepts no correction.^(E)
She does not trust^(F) in the Lord,
    she does not draw near^(G) to her God.
³Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;^(H)
her rulers are evening wolves,^(I)
    who leave nothing for the morning.^(J)
⁴Her prophets are unprincipled;
    they are treacherous people.^(K)
Her priests profane the sanctuary
    and do violence to the law.^(L)
⁵The Lord within her is righteous;^(M)
    he does no wrong.^(N)
Morning by morning^(O) he dispenses his justice,
    and every new day he does not fail,^(P)
    yet the unrighteous know no shame.^(Q)

Jerusalem Remains Unrepentant

⁶“I have destroyed nations;
    their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
    with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;^(R)
    they are deserted and empty.
⁷Of Jerusalem I thought,
    ‘Surely you will fear me
    and accept correction!’^(S)
Then her place of refuge^[a] would not be destroyed,
    nor all my punishments come upon^[b] her.
But they were still eager
    to act corruptly^(T) in all they did.
⁸Therefore wait^(U) for me,”
    declares the Lord,
    “for the day I will stand up to testify.^[c]
I have decided to assemble^(V) the nations,^(W)
    to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath^(X) on them—
    all my fierce anger.^(Y)
The whole world will be consumed^(Z)
    by the fire of my jealous anger.

Restoration of Israel’s Remnant

⁹“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
    that all of them may call^(AA) on the name of the Lord^(AB)
    and serve^(AC) him shoulder to shoulder.
¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Cush^[d]^(AD)
    my worshipers, my scattered people,
    will bring me offerings.^(AE)
¹¹On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame^(AF)
    for all the wrongs you have done to me,^(AG)
because I will remove from you
    your arrogant boasters.^(AH)
Never again will you be haughty
    on my holy hill.^(AI)
¹²But I will leave within you
    the meek^(AJ) and humble.
The remnant of Israel
    will trust^(AK) in the name of the Lord.
¹³They^(AL) will do no wrong;^(AM)
    they will tell no lies.^(AN)
A deceitful tongue
    will not be found in their mouths.^(AO)
They will eat and lie down^(AP)
    and no one will make them afraid.^(AQ)”

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Footnotes

Zephaniah 3:7 Or her sanctuary
Zephaniah 3:7 Or all those I appointed over
Zephaniah 3:8 Septuagint and Syriac; Hebrew will rise up to plunder
Zephaniah 3:10 That is, the upper Nile region

Galatians 4:21-5:1

New International Version

Hagar and Sarah

²¹Tell me, you who want to be under the law,^(A) are you not aware of what the law says? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman^(B) and the other by the free woman.^(C) ²³His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,^(D) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.^(E)

²⁴These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above^(F) is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For it is written:

“Be glad, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
    you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband.”^[a]^(G)

²⁸Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.^(H) ²⁹At that time the son born according to the flesh^(I) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.^(J) It is the same now. ³⁰But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”^[b]^(K) ³¹Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,^(L) but of the free woman.^(M)