The Majesty and Condescension of God

113 Praise[a] the Lord!

(A)Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
(B)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
(C)From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.

The Lord is (D)high above all nations,
(E)His glory above the heavens.
(F)Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
(G)Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

(H)He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the (I)needy out of the ash heap,
That He may (J)seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
(K)He grants the [b]barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.

Praise the Lord!

The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel(L)

114 When (M)Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob (N)from a people [c]of strange language,
(O)Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.

(P)The sea saw it and fled;
(Q)Jordan turned back.
(R)The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
(S)What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
(T)Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.

The Futility of Idols and the Trustworthiness of God

115 Not (U)unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
Why should the [d]Gentiles say,
(V)“So where is their God?”

(W)But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
(X)Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
(Y)Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.

(Z)O Israel, trust in the Lord;
(AA)He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.

12 The Lord [e]has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 (AB)He will bless those who fear the Lord,
Both small and great.

14 May the Lord give you increase more and more,
You and your children.
15 May you be (AC)blessed by the Lord,
(AD)Who made heaven and earth.

16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17 (AE)The dead do not praise the Lord,
Nor any who go down into silence.
18 (AF)But we will bless the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore.

Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 113:1 Heb. Hallelujah
  2. Psalm 113:9 childless
  3. Psalm 114:1 who spoke unintelligibly
  4. Psalm 115:2 nations
  5. Psalm 115:12 has remembered us

Psalm 113

Praise the Lord.[a](A)

Praise the Lord, you his servants;(B)
    praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,(C)
    both now and forevermore.(D)
From the rising of the sun(E) to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is exalted(F) over all the nations,
    his glory above the heavens.(G)
Who is like the Lord our God,(H)
    the One who sits enthroned(I) on high,(J)
who stoops down to look(K)
    on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor(L) from the dust
    and lifts the needy(M) from the ash heap;
he seats them(N) with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless(O) woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 114

When Israel came out of Egypt,(P)
    Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Judah(Q) became God’s sanctuary,(R)
    Israel his dominion.

The sea looked and fled,(S)
    the Jordan turned back;(T)
the mountains leaped(U) like rams,
    the hills like lambs.

Why was it, sea, that you fled?(V)
    Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
    you hills, like lambs?

Tremble, earth,(W) at the presence of the Lord,
    at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool,
    the hard rock into springs of water.(X)

Psalm 115(Y)

Not to us, Lord, not to us
    but to your name be the glory,(Z)
    because of your love and faithfulness.(AA)

Why do the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”(AB)
Our God is in heaven;(AC)
    he does whatever pleases him.(AD)
But their idols are silver and gold,(AE)
    made by human hands.(AF)
They have mouths, but cannot speak,(AG)
    eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
    noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
    feet, but cannot walk,
    nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

All you Israelites, trust(AH) in the Lord
    he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron,(AI) trust in the Lord
    he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him,(AJ) trust in the Lord
    he is their help and shield.

12 The Lord remembers(AK) us and will bless us:(AL)
    He will bless his people Israel,
    he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear(AM) the Lord
    small and great alike.

14 May the Lord cause you to flourish,(AN)
    both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven(AO) and earth.

16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord,(AP)
    but the earth he has given(AQ) to mankind.
17 It is not the dead(AR) who praise the Lord,
    those who go down to the place of silence;
18 it is we who extol the Lord,(AS)
    both now and forevermore.(AT)

Praise the Lord.[b](AU)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 113:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9
  2. Psalm 115:18 Hebrew Hallelu Yah

Do Not Sue the Brethren

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the (A)saints? Do you not know that (B)the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall (C)judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have [a]judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. (D)Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. (E)Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [b]homosexuals, nor [c]sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were (F)some of you. (G)But you were washed, but you were [d]sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

12 (H)All things are lawful for me, but all things are not [e]helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of [f]any. 13 (I)Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for (J)sexual immorality but (K)for the Lord, (L)and the Lord for the body. 14 And (M)God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up (N)by His power.

15 Do you not know that (O)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For (P)“the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 (Q)But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 (R)Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins (S)against his own body. 19 Or (T)do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, (U)and you are not your own? 20 For (V)you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body [g]and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:4 courts
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:9 catamites, those submitting to homosexuals
  3. 1 Corinthians 6:9 male homosexuals
  4. 1 Corinthians 6:11 set apart
  5. 1 Corinthians 6:12 profitable
  6. 1 Corinthians 6:12 Or anything
  7. 1 Corinthians 6:20 NU omits the rest of v. 20.

Lawsuits Among Believers

If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?(A) Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world?(B) And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? I say this to shame you.(C) Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?(D) But instead, one brother(E) takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!(F)

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?(G) Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.(H) Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?(I) Do not be deceived:(J) Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers(K) nor men who have sex with men[a](L) 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers(M) will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were.(N) But you were washed,(O) you were sanctified,(P) you were justified(Q) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.(R) “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”(S) The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,(T) and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,(U) and he will raise us also.(V) 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?(W) Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b](X) 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.[c](Y)

18 Flee from sexual immorality.(Z) All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.(AA) 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples(AB) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;(AC) 20 you were bought at a price.(AD) Therefore honor God with your bodies.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:9 The words men who have sex with men translate two Greek words that refer to the passive and active participants in homosexual acts.
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:16 Gen. 2:24
  3. 1 Corinthians 6:17 Or in the Spirit