Psalm 47^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹² If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.^{(A) 13} He will love you and bless you^(B) and increase your numbers.^(C) He will bless the fruit of your womb,^(D) the crops of your land—your grain, new wine^(E) and olive oil^(F)—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.^{(G) 14} You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor will any of your livestock be without young.^{(H) 15} The Lord will keep you free from every disease.^(I) He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt,^(J) but he will inflict them on all who hate you.^{(K) 16} You must destroy all the peoples the Lord your God gives over to you.^(L) Do not look on them with pity^(M) and do not serve their gods,^(N) for that will be a snare^(O) to you.

Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel

2 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.^{(A) 2} Teach the older men^(B) to be temperate,^(C) worthy of respect, self-controlled,^(D) and sound in faith,^(E) in love and in endurance.

³ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers^(F) or addicted to much wine,^(G) but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women^(H) to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled^(I) and pure, to be busy at home,^(J) to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands,^(K) so that no one will malign the word of God.^(L)

⁶ Similarly, encourage the young men^(M) to be self-controlled.^{(N) 7} In everything set them an example^(O) by doing what is good.^(P) In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸ and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.^(Q)

⁹ Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything,^(R) to try to please them, not to talk back to them, ¹⁰ and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior^(S) attractive.^(T)

¹¹ For the grace^(U) of God has appeared^(V) that offers salvation to all people.^{(W) 12} It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,^(X) and to live self-controlled,^(Y) upright and godly lives^(Z) in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing^(AA) of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,^{(AB) 14} who gave himself for us^(AC) to redeem us from all wickedness^(AD) and to purify^(AE) for himself a people that are his very own,^(AF) eager to do what is good.^(AG)

¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus^(A)

³⁵ The next day John^(B) was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”^(C)

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi”^(D) (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).^{(E) 42} And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called^(F) Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter^[a]).^(G)