Psalm 19

New International Version

Psalm 19^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹The heavens^(A) declare^(B) the glory of God;^(C)
    the skies^(D) proclaim the work of his hands.^(E)
²Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.^(F)
³They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴Yet their voice^[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.^(G)
In the heavens God has pitched a tent^(H) for the sun.^(I)
⁵    It is like a bridegroom^(J) coming out of his chamber,^(K)
    like a champion^(L) rejoicing to run his course.
⁶It rises at one end of the heavens^(M)
    and makes its circuit to the other;^(N)
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷The law of the Lord^(O) is perfect,^(P)
    refreshing the soul.^(Q)
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,^(R)
    making wise the simple.^(S)
⁸The precepts of the Lord are right,^(T)
    giving joy^(U) to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.^(V)
⁹The fear of the Lord^(W) is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.^(X)

¹⁰They are more precious than gold,^(Y)
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,^(Z)
    than honey from the honeycomb.^(AA)
¹¹By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹²But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.^(AB)
¹³Keep your servant also from willful sins;^(AC)
    may they not rule over me.^(AD)
Then I will be blameless,^(AE)
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing^(AF) in your sight,
Lord, my Rock^(AG) and my Redeemer.^(AH)

Footnotes

Psalm 19:1 In Hebrew texts 19:1-14 is numbered 19:2-15.
Psalm 19:4 Septuagint, Jerome and Syriac; Hebrew measuring line

Isaiah 45:18-25

New International Version

¹⁸For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
    he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,^(A)
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,^(B)
    but formed it to be inhabited^(C)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.^(D)
¹⁹I have not spoken in secret,^(E)
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;^(F)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,^(G)
    ‘Seek^(H) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.^(I)

²⁰“Gather together^(J) and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant^(K) are those who carry^(L) about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.^(M)
²¹Declare what is to be, present it—
    let them take counsel together.
Who foretold^(N) this long ago,
    who declared it from the distant past?^(O)
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no God apart from me,^(P)
a righteous God^(Q) and a Savior;^(R)
    there is none but me.

²²“Turn^(S) to me and be saved,^(T)
    all you ends of the earth;^(U)
    for I am God, and there is no other.^(V)
²³By myself I have sworn,^(W)
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity^(X)
    a word that will not be revoked:^(Y)
Before me every knee will bow;^(Z)
    by me every tongue will swear.^(AA)
²⁴They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
    are deliverance^(AB) and strength.^(AC)’”
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.^(AD)
²⁵But all the descendants^(AE) of Israel
    will find deliverance^(AF) in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.^(AG)

Read full chapter

Romans 1:18-32

New International Version

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

¹⁸The wrath of God^(A) is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.^(B) ²⁰For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,^(C) so that people are without excuse.^(D)

²¹For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.^(E) ²²Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools^(F) ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images^(G) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴Therefore God gave them over^(H) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.^(I) ²⁵They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,^(J) and worshiped and served created things^(K) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.^(L) Amen.^(M)

²⁶Because of this, God gave them over^(N) to shameful lusts.^(O) Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.^(P) ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.^(Q)

²⁸Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over^(R) to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,^(S) ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;^(T) ³¹they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love,^(U) no mercy. ³²Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,^(V) they not only continue to do these very things but also approve^(W) of those who practice them.

Read full chapter

2 Peter 3

New International Version

The Day of the Lord

3 Dear friends,^(A) this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders^(B) to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ²I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets^(C) and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.^(D)

³Above all, you must understand that in the last days^(E) scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.^(F) ⁴They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?^(G) Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”^(H) ⁵But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word^(I) the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.^(J) ⁶By these waters also the world of that time^(K) was deluged and destroyed.^(L) ⁷By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,^(M) being kept for the day of judgment^(N) and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.^(O) ⁹The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,^(P) as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient^(Q) with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.^(R)

¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.^(S) The heavens will disappear with a roar;^(T) the elements will be destroyed by fire,^(U) and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.^[a]^(V)

¹¹Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward^(W) to the day of God and speed its coming.^[b]^(X) That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.^(Y) ¹³But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,^(Z) where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless^(AA) and at peace with him. ¹⁵Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience^(AB) means salvation,^(AC) just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.^(AD) ¹⁶He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable^(AE) people distort,^(AF) as they do the other Scriptures,^(AG) to their own destruction.

¹⁷Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard^(AH) so that you may not be carried away by the error^(AI) of the lawless^(AJ) and fall from your secure position.^(AK) ¹⁸But grow in the grace^(AL) and knowledge^(AM) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.^(AN) To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.^(AO)