BOOK 5

The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.

107 (A)Give thanks to the Lord, for (B)He is good,
For His mercy is everlasting.
(C)The redeemed of the Lord shall say so,
Those whom He has (D)redeemed from the hand of the enemy
And (E)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.

They (F)wandered in the wilderness in a [b]desert region;
They did not find a way to [c]an inhabited (G)city.
They were hungry [d]and thirsty;
Their (H)souls felt weak within them.
Then they (I)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
He also had them walk on a [e](J)straight way,
To go to [f](K)an inhabited city.
(L)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [g]wonders to the sons of mankind!
For He has (M)satisfied the [h]thirsty soul,
And He has filled the (N)hungry soul with what is good.

10 There were those who (O)lived in darkness and in [i]the shadow of death,
(P)Prisoners in misery and [j]chains,
11 Because they had (Q)rebelled against the words of God
And (R)rejected the (S)plan of the Most High.
12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was (T)no one to help.
13 Then they (U)cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
14 He (V)brought them out of darkness and [k]the shadow of death
And (W)broke their bands apart.
15 (X)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [l]wonders to the sons of mankind!
16 For He has (Y)shattered gates of bronze
And cut off bars of iron.

17 Fools, because of [m]their rebellious way,
And (Z)because of their guilty deeds, were afflicted.
18 Their (AA)souls loathed all kinds of food,
And they (AB)came close to the (AC)gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distresses.
20 He (AD)sent His word and (AE)healed them,
And (AF)saved them from their [n]destruction.
21 (AG)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [o]wonders to the sons of mankind!
22 They shall also offer (AH)sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And (AI)tell of His works with joyful singing.

23 Those who (AJ)go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24 They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His [p]wonders in the deep.
25 For He (AK)spoke and raised a (AL)stormy wind,
Which (AM)lifted the waves [q]of the sea.
26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul (AN)melted away in their misery.
27 They reeled and (AO)staggered like a drunken person,
And [r]were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He (AP)caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves [s]of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired harbor.
31 (AQ)They shall give thanks to the Lord for His mercy,
And for His [t](AR)wonders to the sons of mankind!
32 They shall also (AS)exalt Him (AT)in the congregation of the people,
And (AU)praise Him at the seat of the elders.

33 He (AV)turns rivers into a [u]wilderness,
And springs of water into a thirsty ground;
34 And a (AW)fruitful land into a (AX)salt waste,
Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 He (AY)turns a [v]wilderness into a pool of water,
And a dry land into springs of water;
36 And He has the hungry live there,
So that they may establish [w](AZ)an inhabited city,
37 And sow fields and (BA)plant vineyards,
And [x]gather a fruitful harvest.
38 He also blesses them and they (BB)multiply greatly,
And He (BC)does not let their cattle decrease.

39 When they (BD)become few and (BE)lowly
Because of oppression, misery, and sorrow,
40 He (BF)pours contempt upon noblemen
And (BG)makes them wander (BH)in a pathless wasteland.
41 But He (BI)sets the needy [y]securely on high, away from affliction,
And (BJ)makes his families like a flock.
42 The (BK)upright see it and are glad;
But all (BL)injustice shuts its mouth.
43 Who is (BM)wise? He is to pay attention to these things,
And consider the (BN)mercy of the Lord.

God Praised and Pleas to Give Victory.

A Song, a Psalm of David.

108 (BO)My heart is steadfast, God;
I will sing, I will sing praises also with my [z]soul.
Awake, harp and lyre;
I will awaken the dawn!
I will give thanks to You, Lord, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your (BP)mercy is great (BQ)above the heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the skies.
(BR)Be exalted above the heavens, God,
And may Your glory be above all the earth.
(BS)So that Your beloved may be rescued,
Save with Your right hand, and answer me!

God has spoken in His [aa]holiness:
“I will triumph, I will divide up Shechem,
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the [ab]helmet of My head;
(BT)Judah is My [ac]scepter.
Moab is My washbowl;
I will throw My sandal over Edom;
I will shout aloud over Philistia.”

10 (BU)Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who [ad]will lead me to Edom?
11 God, have You Yourself not (BV)rejected us?
And will You not go forth with our armies, God?
12 Give us help against the enemy,
For (BW)deliverance [ae]by man is worthless.
13 [af]Through God we will do valiantly,
And (BX)it is He who will trample down our enemies.

Vengeance Invoked upon Adversaries.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

109 (BY)God of my praise,
(BZ)Do not be silent!
For they have opened a [ag]wicked and (CA)deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken [ah]against me with a (CB)lying tongue.
They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And have fought against me (CC)without cause.
In return (CD)for my love they act as my accusers;
But (CE)I am in prayer.
So they have [ai](CF)repaid me evil for good,
And (CG)hatred for my love.

Appoint a wicked person over him,
And may an [aj](CH)accuser stand at his right hand.
When he is judged, may he (CI)come out guilty,
And may his (CJ)prayer become sin.
May (CK)his days be few;
May (CL)another take his office.
May his (CM)children be fatherless,
And his (CN)wife a widow.
10 May his (CO)children wander about and beg;
And may they (CP)seek sustenance [ak]far from their ruined homes.
11 May (CQ)the creditor [al]seize everything that he has,
And may (CR)strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 May there be none to [am](CS)extend kindness to him,
Nor (CT)any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 May his (CU)descendants be [an]eliminated;
May their (CV)name be wiped out in a following generation.

14 May (CW)the guilt of his fathers be remembered [ao]before the Lord,
And do not let the sin of his mother be (CX)wiped out.
15 May (CY)they be before the Lord continually,
So that He may (CZ)eliminate their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the (DA)afflicted and needy person,
And the (DB)despondent in heart, to (DC)put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so (DD)it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he (DE)clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it (DF)entered [ap]his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19 May it be to him as (DG)a garment with which he covers himself,
And as a belt which he constantly (DH)wears around himself.
20 May this be the (DI)reward of my accusers from the Lord,
And of those who (DJ)speak evil against my soul.

21 But You, [aq]God, the Lord, deal kindly with me (DK)for the sake of Your name;
Because (DL)Your mercy is good, rescue me;
22 For (DM)I am afflicted and needy,
And [ar]my heart is (DN)wounded within me.
23 I am passing (DO)like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off (DP)like the locust.
24 My (DQ)knees [as]are weak from (DR)fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a (DS)disgrace to them;
When they see me, they (DT)shake their head.

26 (DU)Help me, Lord my God;
Save me according to Your mercy.
27 [at]And may they (DV)know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 (DW)They will curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they will be ashamed,
But Your (DX)servant will be glad.
29 [au]May (DY)my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And [av]may they (DZ)cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And (EA)I will praise Him in the midst of many.
31 For He stands (EB)at the right hand of the needy,
To save him from those who (EC)judge his soul.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 107:3 Lit sea
  2. Psalm 107:4 Lit waste
  3. Psalm 107:4 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  4. Psalm 107:5 Lit also
  5. Psalm 107:7 Or level
  6. Psalm 107:7 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  7. Psalm 107:8 I.e., wonderful acts
  8. Psalm 107:9 Or parched
  9. Psalm 107:10 Or deep gloom
  10. Psalm 107:10 Lit irons
  11. Psalm 107:14 Or deep darkness
  12. Psalm 107:15 I.e., wonderful acts
  13. Psalm 107:17 Lit the way of their offense
  14. Psalm 107:20 Lit pits
  15. Psalm 107:21 I.e., wonderful acts
  16. Psalm 107:24 I.e., wonderful acts
  17. Psalm 107:25 Lit of it
  18. Psalm 107:27 Lit all their wisdom was swallowed up
  19. Psalm 107:29 Lit of it
  20. Psalm 107:31 I.e., wonderful acts
  21. Psalm 107:33 Or desert
  22. Psalm 107:35 Or desert
  23. Psalm 107:36 Or a habitable city; lit a city of habitation
  24. Psalm 107:37 Lit acquire fruits of yield
  25. Psalm 107:41 Lit in an inaccessibly high place
  26. Psalm 108:1 Lit glory
  27. Psalm 108:7 Or sanctuary
  28. Psalm 108:8 Lit protection
  29. Psalm 108:8 Or lawgiver
  30. Psalm 108:10 Or has led
  31. Psalm 108:12 Lit of
  32. Psalm 108:13 Or In; or With
  33. Psalm 109:2 Lit wicked mouth and the deceitful
  34. Psalm 109:2 Lit with
  35. Psalm 109:5 Lit laid upon me
  36. Psalm 109:6 Or adversary, Satan
  37. Psalm 109:10 Or out of their desolate places
  38. Psalm 109:11 Lit ensnare, strike at
  39. Psalm 109:12 Lit continue
  40. Psalm 109:13 Lit for cutting off
  41. Psalm 109:14 Lit to
  42. Psalm 109:18 Lit his inward parts
  43. Psalm 109:21 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  44. Psalm 109:22 Lit one has pierced my heart within me
  45. Psalm 109:24 Or totter
  46. Psalm 109:27 Or That they may know
  47. Psalm 109:29 Or My accusers will be
  48. Psalm 109:29 Or they will cover

Servants of Christ

This is the way any person is to regard us: as (A)servants of Christ and (B)stewards of (C)the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required [a]of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is an insignificant matter that I would be examined by you, or by any human [b]court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I (D)am not aware of anything against myself; however I am not (E)vindicated by this, but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore (F)do not go on [c]passing judgment before [d]the time, but wait (G)until the Lord comes, who will both (H)bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of human hearts; and then (I)praise will come to each person from God.

Now these things, brothers and sisters, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos on your account, so that in us you may learn not to exceed (J)what is written, so that no one of you will (K)become [e]arrogant (L)in behalf of one against the other. For who considers you as superior? (M)What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

You are (N)already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you! For I think, God has exhibited us, the apostles, last of all as men (O)condemned to death, because we (P)have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to mankind. 10 We are (Q)fools on account of Christ, but (R)you are prudent in Christ! (S)We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are without honor! 11 Up to this present hour we are both (T)hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed and roughly treated and homeless; 12 and we labor, (U)working with our own hands; when we are (V)verbally abused, we bless; when we are (W)persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we [f]reply as friends; we have (X)become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

14 I do not write these things to (Y)shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved (Z)children. 15 For if you were to have countless (AA)tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in (AB)Christ Jesus I (AC)became your father through the (AD)gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, be (AE)imitators of me. 17 For this reason I (AF)have sent to you (AG)Timothy, who is my (AH)beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, (AI)just as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Now some have become [g](AJ)arrogant, as though I were not (AK)coming to you. 19 But I (AL)will come to you soon, (AM)if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the [h]words of those who are (AN)arrogant, but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God is (AO)not in [i]words, but in power. 21 What do you desire? (AP)That I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 4:2 Lit in
  2. 1 Corinthians 4:3 Lit day
  3. 1 Corinthians 4:5 Lit judging anything
  4. 1 Corinthians 4:5 I.e., the appointed time of judgment
  5. 1 Corinthians 4:6 Lit puffed up
  6. 1 Corinthians 4:13 Or conciliate
  7. 1 Corinthians 4:18 Lit puffed up
  8. 1 Corinthians 4:19 Lit word
  9. 1 Corinthians 4:20 Lit word

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