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Psalm 20

For the worship leader. A song of David.

May the Eternal’s answer find you, come to rescue you,
    when you desperately cling to the end of your rope.
May the name of the True God of Jacob be your shelter.
May He extend hope and help to you from His holy sanctuary
    and support you from His sacred city of Zion.
May He remember all that you have offered Him;
    may your burnt sacrifices serve as a prelude to His mercy.

[pause][a]

May He grant the dreams of your heart
    and see your plans through to the end.
When you win, we will not be silent! We will shout
    and raise high our banners in the great name of our God!
May the Eternal say yes to all your requests.

I don’t fear; I’m confident that help will come to the one anointed by the Eternal:
    heaven will respond to his plea;
    His mighty right hand will win the battle.
Many put their hope in chariots, others in horses,
    but we place our trust in the name of the Eternal One, our True God.
Soon our enemies will collapse and fall, never to return home;
    all the while, we will rise and stand firm.

Eternal One, grant victory to our king!
    Answer our plea for help.

Footnotes

  1. 20:3 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”

When Jotham was told what had happened, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim.

Jotham: Listen to me, all you who are the leaders in Shechem, so that God may listen to you.

    The trees once decided to go out
        and anoint a king to rule them all.
    They said to the olive tree,
        “Reign over us.”
    But the olive tree refused, saying,
        “Should I stop producing the rich oil used to honor both gods and mortals so I can stand and sway over the trees?”
10     Then the trees went to the fig tree, saying,
        “You come and reign over us.”
11     But the fig tree refused, saying,
        “Should I give up my sweetness and stop producing my delicious fruit so I can stand and sway over the trees?”
12     Then the trees said to the grapevine,
        “You come and reign over us.”
13     But the vine refused, saying,
        “Should I stop producing the wine that cheers both gods and mortals so I can stand and sway over the trees?”
14     At last the trees came to the worthless thornbush, saying,
        “You come and reign over us.”
15     And the thornbush said to the trees,
    “If in good faith you want to anoint me as your king,
        then come and take refuge in my shade (of which there was precious little).
    But if you haven’t come in good faith, then let fire come from my brambles
        and burn down the cedars of Lebanon.”

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18 My children, this is the final hour. You have heard that the antiChrist, the greatest enemy to His kingdom, is coming, but in fact, many antiChrists are already here. This development tells us how late it really is. 19 A group has left us, but they were not part of our family. If they were truly our brothers and sisters, they would have remained for the duration with us. When they left, they made it ever so obvious that they were not part of us.

20 You have been given an anointing, a special touch from the Holy One. You know the truth.[a] 21 I am not writing to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it. You know that no lie belongs to the truth. 22 The liar is the one who says, “Jesus is not really the Anointed One.” This is the antiChrist, the one denying both the Father and the Son. 23 Anyone who denies the Son does not know the Father. The one affirming the Son enjoys an intimate relationship with the Father as well.

24 Let the good news, the story you have heard from the beginning of your journey, live in and take hold of you. If that happens and you focus on the good news, then you will always remain in a relationship with the Son and the Father. 25 This is what He promised us: eternal life.

26 I also am writing to warn you about some who are attempting to deceive you. 27 You have an anointing. You received it from Him, and His anointing remains on you. You do not need any other teacher. But as His anointing instructs you in all the essentials (all the truth uncontaminated by darkness and lies), it teaches you this: “Remain connected to Him.”

28 So now, my little children, live in Him, so that whenever He is revealed, we will have confidence and not have to hang our heads in shame before Him when He comes.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:20 Other manuscripts read “all things.”

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