Psalm 123-125

Contemporary English Version

(A song for worship.)

A Prayer for Mercy

¹Our Lord and our God,
I turn my eyes to you,
on your throne in heaven.
²Servants look to their master,
but we will look to you,
until you have mercy on us.

³Please have mercy, Lord!
We have been insulted
more than we can stand,
⁴and we can't take more abuse
from those proud,
conceited people.

(A song by David for worship.)

Thanking the Lord for Victory

¹The Lord was on our side!
Let everyone in Israel say:
²    “The Lord was on our side!
Otherwise, the enemy attack
³would have killed us all,
    because it was furious.
⁴We would have been swept away
in a violent flood
⁵    of high and roaring waves.”

⁶Let's praise the Lord!
He protected us from enemies
who were like wild animals,
⁷and we escaped like birds
from a hunter's torn net.

⁸The Lord made heaven and earth,
and he is the one
who sends us help.

(A song for worship.)

The Lord's People Are Safe

¹Everyone who trusts the Lord
    is like Mount Zion
that cannot be shaken
    and will stand forever.
²Just as Jerusalem is protected
    by mountains on every side,
the Lord protects his people
by holding them in his arms
    now and forever.
³He won't let the wicked
rule his people
    or lead them to do wrong.
⁴Let's ask the Lord to be kind
to everyone who is good
    and completely obeys him.

⁵When the Lord punishes
the wicked,
he will punish everyone else
who lives an evil life.
Pray for peace in Israel!

1 Corinthians 10:1-18

Contemporary English Version

Don't Worship Idols

10 ^(A) Friends, I want to remind you that all our ancestors walked under the cloud and went through the sea. ²This was like being baptized and becoming followers of Moses. ³^(B) All of them also ate the same spiritual food ⁴^(C) and drank the same spiritual drink, which flowed from the spiritual rock that followed them. That rock was Christ. ⁵^(D) But most of them did not please God. So they died, and their bodies were scattered all over the desert.

⁶What happened to them is a warning to keep us from wanting to do the same evil things. ⁷^(E) They worshiped idols, just as the Scriptures say, “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance around.” So don't worship idols. ⁸^(F) Some of those people did shameful things, and in a single day about 23,000 died. Don't do shameful things as they did. ⁹^(G) And don't try to test Christ,^[a] as some of them did and were later bitten by poisonous snakes. ¹⁰^(H) Don't even grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel. ¹¹These things happened to them as a warning to us. All this was written in the Scriptures to teach us who live in these last days.

¹²Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall. ¹³^(I) You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.

¹⁴My friends, you must keep away from idols. ¹⁵I am speaking to you as people who have enough sense to know what I am talking about. ¹⁶^(J) When we drink from the cup we ask God to bless, isn't that sharing in the blood of Christ? When we eat the bread we break, isn't that sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷By sharing in the same loaf of bread, we become one body, even though there are many of us.

¹⁸^(K)^(L) Aren't the people of Israel sharing in the worship when they gather around the altar and eat the sacrifices offered there?

Read full chapter