Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

⁸ Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, ⁹ I will summon^(A) all the peoples of the north^(B) and my servant^(C) Nebuchadnezzar^(D) king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy^[a](E) them and make them an object of horror and scorn,^(F) and an everlasting ruin.^{(G) 10} I will banish from them the sounds^(H) of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom,^(I) the sound of millstones^(J) and the light of the lamp.^{(K) 11} This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,^(L) and these nations will serve^(M) the king of Babylon seventy years.^(N)

¹² “But when the seventy years^(O) are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon^(P) and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,^[b] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate^(Q) forever. ¹³ I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written^(R) in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. ¹⁴ They themselves will be enslaved^(S) by many nations^(T) and great kings; I will repay^(U) them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

The Cup of God’s Wrath

¹⁵ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup^(V) filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send^(W) you drink it. ¹⁶ When they drink^(X) it, they will stagger^(Y) and go mad^(Z) because of the sword^(AA) I will send among them.”

¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent^(AB) me drink it:

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire^(A) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous^(B) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³ Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.^{(C) 4} Christ is the culmination of the law^(D) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.^(E)

⁵ Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{[a](F) 6} But the righteousness that is by faith^(G) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[b](H) (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”^[c](I) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).^{(J) 8} But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[d](K) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare^(L) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^(M) and believe^(N) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,^(O) you will be saved.^{(P) 10} For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{[e](Q) 12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile^(R)—the same Lord is Lord of all^(S) and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^(T) will be saved.”^[f](U)

¹⁸ They^(A) still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ¹⁹ “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

²⁰ “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. ²¹ But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders,^(B) who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out^(C) of the synagogue.^{(D) 23} That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”^(E)

²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,”^(F) they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”^(G)

²⁵ He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered, “I have told you already^(H) and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!^{(I) 29} We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”^(J)

³⁰ The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.^{(K) 32} Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God,^(L) he could do nothing.”

³⁴ To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth;^(M) how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.^(N)

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe^(O) in the Son of Man?”^(P)

³⁶ “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”^(Q)

³⁷ Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”^(R)

³⁸ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.^(S)

³⁹ Jesus said,^[a] “For judgment^(T) I have come into this world,^(U) so that the blind will see^(V) and those who see will become blind.”^(W)

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”^(X)

⁴¹ Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.^(Y)