Psalm 144

New International Version

Psalm 144

Of David.

¹Praise be to the Lord my Rock,^(A)
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
²He is my loving God and my fortress,^(B)
    my stronghold^(C) and my deliverer,
my shield,^(D) in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples^[a]^(E) under me.

³Lord, what are human beings^(F) that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
⁴They are like a breath;^(G)
their days are like a fleeting shadow.^(H)

⁵Part your heavens,^(I) Lord, and come down;^(J)
    touch the mountains, so that they smoke.^(K)
⁶Send forth lightning^(L) and scatter^(M) the enemy;
    shoot your arrows^(N) and rout them.
⁷Reach down your hand from on high;^(O)
    deliver me and rescue me^(P)
from the mighty waters,^(Q)
    from the hands of foreigners^(R)
⁸whose mouths are full of lies,^(S)
    whose right hands^(T) are deceitful.^(U)

⁹I will sing a new song^(V) to you, my God;
on the ten-stringed lyre^(W) I will make music to you,
¹⁰to the One who gives victory to kings,^(X)
who delivers his servant David.^(Y)

From the deadly sword^(Z) ¹¹deliver me;
rescue me^(AA) from the hands of foreigners^(AB)
whose mouths are full of lies,^(AC)
whose right hands are deceitful.^(AD)

¹²Then our sons in their youth
    will be like well-nurtured plants,^(AE)
and our daughters will be like pillars^(AF)
    carved to adorn a palace.
¹³Our barns will be filled^(AG)
    with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
    by tens of thousands in our fields;
¹⁴    our oxen^(AH) will draw heavy loads.^[b]
There will be no breaching of walls,^(AI)
    no going into captivity,
    no cry of distress in our streets.^(AJ)
¹⁵Blessed is the people^(AK) of whom this is true;
    blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Footnotes

Psalm 144:2 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Jerome and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text subdues my people
Psalm 144:14 Or our chieftains will be firmly established

Isaiah 7:10-25

New International Version

¹⁰Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹“Ask the Lord your God for a sign,^(A) whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.^(B)”

¹²But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.^(C)”

¹³Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!^(D) Is it not enough^(E) to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience^(F) of my God^(G) also? ¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you^[a] a sign:^(H) The virgin^[b]^(I) will conceive and give birth to a son,^(J) and^[c] will call him Immanuel.^[d]^(K) ¹⁵He will be eating curds^(L) and honey^(M) when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, ¹⁶for before the boy knows^(N) enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,^(O) the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.^(P) ¹⁷The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away^(Q) from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.^(R)”

Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

¹⁸In that day^(S) the Lord will whistle^(T) for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.^(U) ¹⁹They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices^(V) in the rocks, on all the thornbushes^(W) and at all the water holes. ²⁰In that day^(X) the Lord will use^(Y) a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River^(Z)—the king of Assyria^(AA)—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard^(AB) also.^(AC) ²¹In that day,^(AD) a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.^(AE) ²²And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds^(AF) and honey.^(AG) ²³In that day,^(AH) in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,^[e]^(AI) there will be only briers and thorns.^(AJ) ²⁴Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers^(AK) and thorns. ²⁵As for all the hills^(AL) once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns;^(AM) they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.^(AN)

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Footnotes

Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew is plural.
Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman
Isaiah 7:14 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls son, and he or son, and they
Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God with us.
Isaiah 7:23 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

New International Version

Stand Firm

¹³But we ought always to thank God for you,^(A) brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits^[a]^(B) to be saved^(C) through the sanctifying work of the Spirit^(D) and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴He called you^(E) to this through our gospel,^(F) that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm^(G) and hold fast to the teachings^[b] we passed on to you,^(H) whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,^(I) who loved us^(J) and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷encourage^(K) your hearts and strengthen^(L) you in every good deed and word.

Request for Prayer

3 As for other matters, brothers and sisters,^(M) pray for us^(N) that the message of the Lord^(O) may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.^(P) ²And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people,^(Q) for not everyone has faith. ³But the Lord is faithful,^(R) and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.^(S) ⁴We have confidence^(T) in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ⁵May the Lord direct your hearts^(U) into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Footnotes

2 Thessalonians 2:13 Some manuscripts because from the beginning God chose you
2 Thessalonians 2:15 Or traditions

Luke 22:14-30

New International Version

¹⁴When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles^(A) reclined at the table.^(B) ¹⁵And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.^(C) ¹⁶For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”^(D)

¹⁷After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it,^(E) and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁰In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant^(F) in my blood, which is poured out for you.^[a] ²¹But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.^(G) ²²The Son of Man^(H) will go as it has been decreed.^(I) But woe to that man who betrays him!” ²³They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

²⁴A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.^(J) ²⁵Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest,^(K) and the one who rules like the one who serves.^(L) ²⁷For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.^(M) ²⁸You are those who have stood by me in my trials. ²⁹And I confer on you a kingdom,^(N) just as my Father conferred one on me, ³⁰so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom^(O) and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.^(P)