Psalm 1

English Standard Version

Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

1 Blessed is the man^[a]
    who ^(A)walks not in ^(B)the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in ^(C)the way of sinners,
    nor ^(D)sits in ^(E)the seat of ^(F)scoffers;
²but his ^(G)delight is in the law^[b] of the Lord,
    and on his ^(H)law he meditates day and night.

³He is like ^(I)a tree
    planted by ^(J)streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its ^(K)leaf does not wither.
^(L)In all that he does, he prospers.
⁴The wicked are not so,
    but are like ^(M)chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore the wicked ^(N)will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in ^(O)the congregation of the righteous;
⁶for the Lord ^(P)knows ^(Q)the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Footnotes

Psalm 1:1 The singular Hebrew word for man (ish) is used here to portray a representative example of a godly person; see Preface
Psalm 1:2 Or instruction

Leviticus 19:1-2

English Standard Version

The Lord Is Holy

19 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, ^(A)You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

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Leviticus 19:15-18

English Standard Version

¹⁵^(A)“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. ¹⁶^(B)You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not ^(C)stand up against the life^[a] of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

¹⁷^(D)“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but ^(E)you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you ^(F)incur sin because of him. ¹⁸^(G)You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but ^(H)you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

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Footnotes

Leviticus 19:16 Hebrew blood

1 Thessalonians 2:1-13

English Standard Version

Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians

2 For you yourselves know, brothers,^[a] that our ^(A)coming to you ^(B)was not in vain. ²But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated ^(C)at Philippi, as you know, ^(D)we had boldness in our God ^(E)to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much ^(F)conflict. ³For ^(G)our appeal does not spring from ^(H)error or ^(I)impurity or ^(J)any attempt to deceive, ⁴but just as we have been approved by God ^(K)to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not ^(L)to please man, but to please God ^(M)who tests our hearts. ⁵^(N)For we never came with words of flattery,^[b] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—^(O)God is witness. ⁶^(P)Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, ^(Q)though we could have made ^(R)demands as ^(S)apostles of Christ. ⁷But we were ^(T)gentle^[c] among you, ^(U)like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. ⁸So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God ^(V)but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

⁹For you remember, brothers, ^(W)our labor and toil: we ^(X)worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and ^(Y)God also, ^(Z)how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. ¹¹For you know how, ^(AA)like a father with his children, ¹²we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and ^(AB)charged ^(AC)you to walk in a manner worthy of God, ^(AD)who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

¹³And ^(AE)we also thank God constantly^[d] for this, that when you received ^(AF)the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(AG)not as the word of men^[e] but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(AH)which is at work in you believers.

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Footnotes

1 Thessalonians 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 14, 17
1 Thessalonians 2:5 Or with a flattering speech
1 Thessalonians 2:7 Some manuscripts infants
1 Thessalonians 2:13 Or without ceasing
1 Thessalonians 2:13 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women

Matthew 22:34-36

English Standard Version

The Great Commandment

³⁴^(A)But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced ^(B)the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵^(C)And one of them, ^(D)a lawyer, asked him a question ^(E)to test him. ³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”