Passage results

Listen to this passage

Psalm 57

For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam . When he had fled from Saul into the cave. ^[a]

 ² I cry out to God Most High,
       to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.

 ³ He sends from heaven and saves me,
       rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
       Selah
       God sends his love and his faithfulness.

 ⁴ I am in the midst of lions;
       I lie among ravenous beasts—
       men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
       whose tongues are sharp swords.

 ⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
       let your glory be over all the earth.

 ⁶ They spread a net for my feet—
       I was bowed down in distress.
       They dug a pit in my path—
       but they have fallen into it themselves.
       Selah

 ⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God,
       my heart is steadfast;
       I will sing and make music.

 ⁸ Awake, my soul!
       Awake, harp and lyre!
       I will awaken the dawn.

 ⁹ I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
       I will sing of you among the peoples.

 ¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
       your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

 ¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
       let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 58

For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam . ^[b]

 ² No, in your heart you devise injustice,
       and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

 ³ Even from birth the wicked go astray;
       from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.

 ⁴ Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
       like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,

 ⁵ that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
       however skillful the enchanter may be.

 ⁶ Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
       tear out, O LORD, the fangs of the lions!

 ⁷ Let them vanish like water that flows away;
       when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted.

 ⁸ Like a slug melting away as it moves along,
       like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun.

 ⁹ Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
       whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away. ^[c]

 ¹⁰ The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
       when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

 ¹¹ Then men will say,
       "Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
       surely there is a God who judges the earth."

Psalm 59

For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam . When Saul had sent men to watch David's house in order to kill him. ^[d]

 ² Deliver me from evildoers
       and save me from bloodthirsty men.

 ³ See how they lie in wait for me!
       Fierce men conspire against me
       for no offense or sin of mine, O LORD.

 ⁴ I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
       Arise to help me; look on my plight!

 ⁵ O LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel,
       rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
       show no mercy to wicked traitors.
       Selah

 ⁶ They return at evening,
       snarling like dogs,
       and prowl about the city.

 ⁷ See what they spew from their mouths—
       they spew out swords from their lips,
       and they say, "Who can hear us?"

 ⁸ But you, O LORD, laugh at them;
       you scoff at all those nations.

 ⁹ O my Strength, I watch for you;
       you, O God, are my fortress, ¹⁰ my loving God.
       God will go before me
       and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

 ¹¹ But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, ^[e]
       or my people will forget.
       In your might make them wander about,
       and bring them down.

 ¹² For the sins of their mouths,
       for the words of their lips,
       let them be caught in their pride.
       For the curses and lies they utter,

 ¹³ consume them in wrath,
       consume them till they are no more.
       Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
       that God rules over Jacob.
       Selah

 ¹⁴ They return at evening,
       snarling like dogs,
       and prowl about the city.

 ¹⁵ They wander about for food
       and howl if not satisfied.

 ¹⁶ But I will sing of your strength,
       in the morning I will sing of your love;
       for you are my fortress,
       my refuge in times of trouble.

 ¹⁷ O my Strength, I sing praise to you;
       you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

Listen to this passage

Romans 4

Abraham Justified by Faith

 ⁴Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. ⁵However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
 ⁷"Blessed are they
      whose transgressions are forgiven,
      whose sins are covered.
 ⁸Blessed is the man
      whose sin the Lord will never count against him."^[b]

 ⁹Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. ¹⁰Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! ¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹²And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

 ¹³It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, ¹⁵because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

 ¹⁶Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."^[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

 ¹⁸Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."^{[d] 19}Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. ²⁰Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²²This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." ²³The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, ²⁴but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.