Psalm 5

New International Version

Psalm 5^[a]

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

¹Listen^(A) to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.^(B)
²Hear my cry for help,^(C)
    my King and my God,^(D)
    for to you I pray.

³In the morning,^(E) Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.^(F)
⁴For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
    with you, evil people^(G) are not welcome.
⁵The arrogant^(H) cannot stand^(I)
    in your presence.
You hate^(J) all who do wrong;
⁶    you destroy those who tell lies.^(K)
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.
⁷But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence^(L) I bow down^(M)
    toward your holy temple.^(N)

⁸Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness^(O)
    because of my enemies—
    make your way straight^(P) before me.
⁹Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;^(Q)
    with their tongues they tell lies.^(R)
¹⁰Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,^(S)
    for they have rebelled^(T) against you.
¹¹But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.^(U)
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name^(V) may rejoice in you.^(W)

¹²Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;^(X)
you surround them^(Y) with your favor as with a shield.^(Z)

Footnotes

Psalm 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-12 is numbered 5:2-13.

Isaiah 41:14-29

New International Version

¹⁴Do not be afraid,^(A) you worm^(B) Jacob,
    little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help^(C) you,” declares the Lord,
    your Redeemer,^(D) the Holy One^(E) of Israel.
¹⁵“See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,^(F)
    new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains^(G) and crush them,
    and reduce the hills to chaff.^(H)
¹⁶You will winnow^(I) them, the wind will pick them up,
    and a gale^(J) will blow them away.^(K)
But you will rejoice^(L) in the Lord
    and glory^(M) in the Holy One^(N) of Israel.

¹⁷“The poor and needy search for water,^(O)
    but there is none;
    their tongues are parched with thirst.^(P)
But I the Lord will answer^(Q) them;
    I, the God of Israel, will not forsake^(R) them.
¹⁸I will make rivers flow^(S) on barren heights,
    and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert^(T) into pools of water,^(U)
    and the parched ground into springs.^(V)
¹⁹I will put in the desert^(W)
    the cedar and the acacia,^(X) the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers^(Y) in the wasteland,
    the fir and the cypress^(Z) together,^(AA)
²⁰so that people may see and know,^(AB)
    may consider and understand,^(AC)
that the hand^(AD) of the Lord has done this,
    that the Holy One^(AE) of Israel has created^(AF) it.

²¹“Present your case,^(AG)” says the Lord.
    “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.^(AH)
²²“Tell us, you idols,
    what is going to happen.^(AI)
Tell us what the former things^(AJ) were,
    so that we may consider them
    and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,^(AK)
²³    tell us what the future holds,
    so we may know^(AL) that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,^(AM)
    so that we will be dismayed^(AN) and filled with fear.
²⁴But you are less than nothing^(AO)
    and your works are utterly worthless;^(AP)
    whoever chooses you is detestable.^(AQ)

²⁵“I have stirred^(AR) up one from the north,^(AS) and he comes—
    one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads^(AT) on rulers as if they were mortar,
    as if he were a potter treading the clay.
²⁶Who told of this from the beginning,^(AU) so we could know,
    or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
    no one foretold^(AV) it,
    no one heard any words^(AW) from you.
²⁷I was the first to tell^(AX) Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
    I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.^(AY)
²⁸I look but there is no one^(AZ)—
    no one among the gods to give counsel,^(BA)
    no one to give answer^(BB) when I ask them.
²⁹See, they are all false!
    Their deeds amount to nothing;^(BC)
    their images^(BD) are but wind^(BE) and confusion.

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Ephesians 2:11-22

New International Version

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

¹¹Therefore, remember that formerly^(A) you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)^(B)— ¹²remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners^(C) to the covenants of the promise,^(D) without hope^(E) and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once^(F) were far away have been brought near^(G) by the blood of Christ.^(H)

¹⁴For he himself is our peace,^(I) who has made the two groups one^(J) and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵by setting aside in his flesh^(K) the law with its commands and regulations.^(L) His purpose was to create in himself one^(M) new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross,^(N) by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷He came and preached peace^(O) to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.^(P) ¹⁸For through him we both have access^(Q) to the Father^(R) by one Spirit.^(S)

¹⁹Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,^(T) but fellow citizens^(U) with God’s people and also members of his household,^(V) ²⁰built^(W) on the foundation^(X) of the apostles and prophets,^(Y) with Christ Jesus himself^(Z) as the chief cornerstone.^(AA) ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple^(AB) in the Lord. ²²And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.^(AC)

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Mark 2:1-12

New International Version

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man^(A)

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ²They gathered in such large numbers^(B) that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man,^(C) carried by four of them. ⁴Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”^(D)

⁶Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”^(E)

⁸Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰But I want you to know that the Son of Man^(F) has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹²He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God,^(G) saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”^(H)