Psalm 74

New International Version

Psalm 74

A maskil^[a] of Asaph.

¹O God, why have you rejected^(A) us forever?^(B)
    Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?^(C)
²Remember the nation you purchased^(D) long ago,^(E)
    the people of your inheritance,^(F) whom you redeemed^(G)—
    Mount Zion,^(H) where you dwelt.^(I)
³Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,^(J)
    all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

⁴Your foes roared^(K) in the place where you met with us;
    they set up their standards^(L) as signs.
⁵They behaved like men wielding axes
    to cut through a thicket of trees.^(M)
⁶They smashed all the carved^(N) paneling
    with their axes and hatchets.
⁷They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
    they defiled^(O) the dwelling place^(P) of your Name.^(Q)
⁸They said in their hearts, “We will crush^(R) them completely!”
    They burned^(S) every place where God was worshiped in the land.

⁹We are given no signs from God;^(T)
    no prophets^(U) are left,
    and none of us knows how long this will be.
¹⁰How long^(V) will the enemy mock^(W) you, God?
    Will the foe revile^(X) your name forever?
¹¹Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?^(Y)
    Take it from the folds of your garment^(Z) and destroy them!

¹²But God is my King^(AA) from long ago;
he brings salvation^(AB) on the earth.

¹³It was you who split open the sea^(AC) by your power;
    you broke the heads of the monster^(AD) in the waters.
¹⁴It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan^(AE)
    and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.^(AF)
¹⁵It was you who opened up springs^(AG) and streams;
    you dried up^(AH) the ever-flowing rivers.
¹⁶The day is yours, and yours also the night;
    you established the sun and moon.^(AI)
¹⁷It was you who set all the boundaries^(AJ) of the earth;
    you made both summer and winter.^(AK)

¹⁸Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
    how foolish people^(AL) have reviled your name.
¹⁹Do not hand over the life of your dove^(AM) to wild beasts;
    do not forget the lives of your afflicted^(AN) people forever.
²⁰Have regard for your covenant,^(AO)
    because haunts of violence fill the dark places^(AP) of the land.
²¹Do not let the oppressed^(AQ) retreat in disgrace;
    may the poor and needy^(AR) praise your name.
²²Rise up,^(AS) O God, and defend your cause;
    remember how fools^(AT) mock you all day long.
²³Do not ignore the clamor^(AU) of your adversaries,^(AV)
    the uproar^(AW) of your enemies,^(AX) which rises continually.

Notas al pie

Psalm 74:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

Hosea 10

New International Version

10 Israel was a spreading vine;^(A)
    he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
    he built more altars;^(B)
as his land prospered,^(C)
    he adorned his sacred stones.^(D)
²Their heart is deceitful,^(E)
    and now they must bear their guilt.^(F)
The Lord will demolish their altars^(G)
    and destroy their sacred stones.^(H)

³Then they will say, “We have no king
    because we did not revere the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
    what could he do for us?”
⁴They make many promises,
    take false oaths^(I)
    and make agreements;^(J)
therefore lawsuits spring up
    like poisonous weeds^(K) in a plowed field.
⁵The people who live in Samaria fear
    for the calf-idol^(L) of Beth Aven.^[a]^(M)
Its people will mourn over it,
    and so will its idolatrous priests,^(N)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
    because it is taken from them into exile.^(O)
⁶It will be carried to Assyria^(P)
    as tribute^(Q) for the great king.^(R)
Ephraim will be disgraced;^(S)
    Israel will be ashamed^(T) of its foreign alliances.
⁷Samaria’s king will be destroyed,^(U)
    swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
⁸The high places^(V) of wickedness^[b]^(W) will be destroyed—
    it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns^(X) and thistles will grow up
    and cover their altars.^(Y)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”^(Z)
    and to the hills, “Fall on us!”^(AA)

⁹“Since the days of Gibeah,^(AB) you have sinned,^(AC) Israel,
    and there you have remained.^[c]
Will not war again overtake
    the evildoers in Gibeah?
¹⁰When I please, I will punish^(AD) them;
    nations will be gathered against them
    to put them in bonds for their double sin.
¹¹Ephraim is a trained heifer
    that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke^(AE)
    on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
    Judah must plow,
    and Jacob must break up the ground.
¹²Sow^(AF) righteousness^(AG) for yourselves,
    reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;^(AH)
    for it is time to seek^(AI) the Lord,
until he comes
    and showers his righteousness^(AJ) on you.
¹³But you have planted wickedness,
    you have reaped evil,^(AK)
    you have eaten the fruit of deception.^(AL)
Because you have depended on your own strength
    and on your many warriors,^(AM)
¹⁴the roar of battle will rise against your people,
    so that all your fortresses will be devastated^(AN)—
as Shalman^(AO) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
    when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.^(AP)
¹⁵So will it happen to you, Bethel,
    because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
    the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.^(AQ)

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Notas al pie

Hosea 10:5 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
Hosea 10:8 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see verse 5.
Hosea 10:9 Or there a stand was taken

Acts 21:37-22:16

New International Version

Paul Speaks to the Crowd^(A)

³⁷As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks,^(B) he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”

“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. ³⁸“Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness^(C) some time ago?”^(D)

³⁹Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus^(E) in Cilicia,^(F) a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”

⁴⁰After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned^(G) to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic^[a]:^(H) 22 ¹“Brothers and fathers,^(I) listen now to my defense.”

²When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,^(J) they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: ³“I am a Jew,^(K) born in Tarsus^(L) of Cilicia,^(M) but brought up in this city. I studied under^(N) Gamaliel^(O) and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.^(P) I was just as zealous^(Q) for God as any of you are today. ⁴I persecuted^(R) the followers of this Way^(S) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,^(T) ⁵as the high priest and all the Council^(U) can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates^(V) in Damascus,^(W) and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.^(X) ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸“‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,^(Y) whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ⁹My companions saw the light,^(Z) but they did not understand the voice^(AA) of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰“‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’^(AB) ¹¹My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.^(AC)

¹²“A man named Ananias came to see me.^(AD) He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.^(AE) ¹³He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

¹⁴“Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors^(AF) has chosen you to know his will and to see^(AG) the Righteous One^(AH) and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵You will be his witness^(AI) to all people of what you have seen^(AJ) and heard. ¹⁶And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized^(AK) and wash your sins away,^(AL) calling on his name.’^(AM)

Notas al pie

Acts 21:40 Or possibly Hebrew; also in 22:2

Luke 6:12-26

New International Version

The Twelve Apostles^(A)

¹²One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.^(B) ¹³When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:^(C) ¹⁴Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, ¹⁵Matthew,^(D) Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Blessings and Woes^(E)

¹⁷He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon,^(F) ¹⁸who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹and the people all tried to touch him,^(G) because power was coming from him and healing them all.^(H)

²⁰Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.^(I)
²¹Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.^(J)
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.^(K)
²²Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you^(L) and insult you^(M)
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.^(N)

²³“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,^(O) because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.^(P)

²⁴“But woe to you who are rich,^(Q)
    for you have already received your comfort.^(R)
²⁵Woe to you who are well fed now,
    for you will go hungry.^(S)
Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will mourn and weep.^(T)
²⁶Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.^(U)