Psalm 35

New International Version

Psalm 35

Of David.

¹Contend,^(A) Lord, with those who contend with me;
    fight^(B) against those who fight against me.
²Take up shield^(C) and armor;
    arise^(D) and come to my aid.^(E)
³Brandish spear^(F) and javelin^[a]^(G)
    against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
    “I am your salvation.^(H)”

⁴May those who seek my life^(I)
    be disgraced^(J) and put to shame;^(K)
may those who plot my ruin
    be turned back^(L) in dismay.
⁵May they be like chaff^(M) before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord^(N) driving them away;
⁶may their path be dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

⁷Since they hid their net^(O) for me without cause^(P)
    and without cause dug a pit^(Q) for me,
⁸may ruin overtake them by surprise—^(R)
    may the net they hid entangle them,
    may they fall into the pit,^(S) to their ruin.
⁹Then my soul will rejoice^(T) in the Lord
    and delight in his salvation.^(U)
¹⁰My whole being will exclaim,
    “Who is like you,^(V) Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong^(W) for them,
    the poor and needy^(X) from those who rob them.”

¹¹Ruthless witnesses^(Y) come forward;
    they question me on things I know nothing about.
¹²They repay me evil for good^(Z)
    and leave me like one bereaved.
¹³Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth^(AA)
    and humbled myself with fasting.^(AB)
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
¹⁴    I went about mourning^(AC)
    as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
    as though weeping for my mother.
¹⁵But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;^(AD)
    assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
    They slandered^(AE) me without ceasing.
¹⁶Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;^[b]^(AF)
    they gnashed their teeth^(AG) at me.

¹⁷How long,^(AH) Lord, will you look on?
    Rescue me from their ravages,
    my precious life^(AI) from these lions.^(AJ)
¹⁸I will give you thanks in the great assembly;^(AK)
    among the throngs^(AL) I will praise you.^(AM)
¹⁹Do not let those gloat over me
    who are my enemies^(AN) without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason^(AO)
    maliciously wink the eye.^(AP)
²⁰They do not speak peaceably,
    but devise false accusations^(AQ)
    against those who live quietly in the land.
²¹They sneer^(AR) at me and say, “Aha! Aha!^(AS)
    With our own eyes we have seen it.”

²²Lord, you have seen^(AT) this; do not be silent.
    Do not be far^(AU) from me, Lord.
²³Awake,^(AV) and rise^(AW) to my defense!
    Contend^(AX) for me, my God and Lord.
²⁴Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
    do not let them gloat^(AY) over me.
²⁵Do not let them think, “Aha,^(AZ) just what we wanted!”
    or say, “We have swallowed him up.”^(BA)

²⁶May all who gloat^(BB) over my distress^(BC)
    be put to shame^(BD) and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me^(BE)
    be clothed with shame and disgrace.
²⁷May those who delight in my vindication^(BF)
    shout for joy^(BG) and gladness;
may they always say, “The Lord be exalted,
    who delights^(BH) in the well-being of his servant.”^(BI)

²⁸My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,^(BJ)
your praises all day long.^(BK)

Footnotes

Psalm 35:3 Or and block the way
Psalm 35:16 Septuagint; Hebrew may mean Like an ungodly circle of mockers,

Exodus 14:5-22

New International Version

⁵When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,^(A) Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds^(B) about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” ⁶So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. ⁷He took six hundred of the best chariots,^(C) along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. ⁸The Lord hardened the heart^(D) of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.^(E) ⁹The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses^(F) and chariots, horsemen^[a] and troops^(G)—pursued the Israelites and overtook^(H) them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.^(I)

¹⁰As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried^(J) out to the Lord. ¹¹They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?^(K) What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? ¹²Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”^(L)

¹³Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.^(M) Stand firm and you will see^(N) the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see^(O) again. ¹⁴The Lord will fight^(P) for you; you need only to be still.”^(Q)

¹⁵Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?^(R) Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶Raise your staff^(S) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water^(T) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷I will harden the hearts^(U) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.^(V) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord^(W) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

¹⁹Then the angel of God,^(X) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud^(Y) also moved from in front and stood behind^(Z) them, ²⁰coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness^(AA) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

²¹Then Moses stretched out his hand^(AB) over the sea,^(AC) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind^(AD) and turned it into dry land.^(AE) The waters were divided,^(AF) ²²and the Israelites went through the sea^(AG) on dry ground,^(AH) with a wall^(AI) of water on their right and on their left.

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Footnotes

Exodus 14:9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28

Mark 12:28-44

New International Version

The Greatest Commandment^(A)

²⁸One of the teachers of the law^(B) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[a] ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^[b]^(C) ³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c]^(D) There is no commandment greater than these.”

³²“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.^(E) ³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^(F)

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^(G) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.^(H)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?^(I)^(J)

³⁵While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,^(K) he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?^(L) ³⁶David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,^(M) declared:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’^[d]^(N)

³⁷David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd^(O) listened to him with delight.

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

³⁸As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, ³⁹and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.^(P) ⁴⁰They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering^(Q)

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put^(R) and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴²But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”^(S)

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