Psalm 31:9-16
New Living Translation
9 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress.
Tears blur my eyes.
My body and soul are withering away.
10 I am dying from grief;
my years are shortened by sadness.
Sin has drained my strength;
I am wasting away from within.
11 I am scorned by all my enemies
and despised by my neighbors—
even my friends are afraid to come near me.
When they see me on the street,
they run the other way.
12 I am ignored as if I were dead,
as if I were a broken pot.
13 I have heard the many rumors about me,
and I am surrounded by terror.
My enemies conspire against me,
plotting to take my life.
14 But I am trusting you, O Lord,
saying, “You are my God!”
15 My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
16 Let your favor shine on your servant.
In your unfailing love, rescue me.
Psalm 31:9-16
English Standard Version
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am (A)in distress;
(B)my eye is wasted from grief;
my soul and my body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and (C)my bones waste away.
11 Because of all my adversaries I have become (D)a reproach,
especially to my (E)neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street (F)flee from me.
12 I have been (G)forgotten like one who is dead;
I have become like (H)a broken vessel.
13 For I (I)hear the whispering of many—
terror on every side!—
(J)as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14 But I (K)trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My (L)times are in your hand;
(M)rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
16 (N)Make your face shine on your servant;
save me in your steadfast love!
Job 13:13-19
New Living Translation
13 “Be silent now and leave me alone.
Let me speak, and I will face the consequences.
14 Why should I put myself in mortal danger[a]
and take my life in my own hands?
15 God might kill me, but I have no other hope.[b]
I am going to argue my case with him.
16 But this is what will save me—I am not godless.
If I were, I could not stand before him.
17 “Listen closely to what I am about to say.
Hear me out.
18 I have prepared my case;
I will be proved innocent.
19 Who can argue with me over this?
And if you prove me wrong, I will remain silent and die.
Job 13:13-19
English Standard Version
13 “Let me have silence, and I will speak,
and let come on me what may.
14 Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
and (A)put my life in my hand?
15 (B)Though he slay me, I will (C)hope in him;[a]
yet I will (D)argue my ways to his face.
16 This will be my salvation,
that the godless shall not come before him.
17 (E)Keep listening to my words,
and let my declaration be in your ears.
18 Behold, I have (F)prepared my case;
I know that I shall be in the right.
19 (G)Who is there who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.
Footnotes
- Job 13:15 Or Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope
Philippians 1:21-30
New Living Translation
21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. 26 And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.
Live as Citizens of Heaven
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
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Philippians 1:21-30
English Standard Version
21 For to me (A)to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 (B)I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is (C)to depart and (D)be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 (E)Convinced of this, (F)I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your (G)progress and (H)joy in the faith, 26 so that in me (I)you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27 Only (J)let your manner of life be (K)worthy[a] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you (L)that you are standing firm in one spirit, with (M)one mind (N)striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is (O)a clear sign to them of their destruction, but (P)of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For (Q)it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also (R)suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same (S)conflict that (T)you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Philippians 1:27 Greek Only behave as citizens worthy
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
