Psalm 50

New International Version

Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

¹The Mighty One, God, the Lord,^(A)
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.^(B)
²From Zion,^(C) perfect in beauty,^(D)
    God shines forth.^(E)
³Our God comes^(F)
    and will not be silent;^(G)
a fire devours^(H) before him,^(I)
    and around him a tempest^(J) rages.
⁴He summons the heavens above,
    and the earth,^(K) that he may judge his people:^(L)
⁵“Gather to me this consecrated people,^(M)
    who made a covenant^(N) with me by sacrifice.”
⁶And the heavens proclaim^(O) his righteousness,
    for he is a God of justice.^[a]^[b]^(P)

⁷“Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify^(Q) against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.^(R)
⁸I bring no charges^(S) against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings,^(T) which are ever before me.
⁹I have no need of a bull^(U) from your stall
    or of goats^(V) from your pens,^(W)
¹⁰for every animal of the forest^(X) is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.^(Y)
¹¹I know every bird^(Z) in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields^(AA) are mine.
¹²If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world^(AB) is mine, and all that is in it.^(AC)
¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴“Sacrifice thank offerings^(AD) to God,
fulfill your vows^(AE) to the Most High,^(AF)
¹⁵and call^(AG) on me in the day of trouble;^(AH)
I will deliver^(AI) you, and you will honor^(AJ) me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked person, God says:

“What right have you to recite my laws
    or take my covenant^(AK) on your lips?^(AL)
¹⁷You hate^(AM) my instruction
    and cast my words behind^(AN) you.
¹⁸When you see a thief, you join^(AO) with him;
    you throw in your lot with adulterers.^(AP)
¹⁹You use your mouth for evil
    and harness your tongue to deceit.^(AQ)
²⁰You sit and testify against your brother^(AR)
    and slander your own mother’s son.
²¹When you did these things and I kept silent,^(AS)
    you thought I was exactly^[c] like you.
But I now arraign^(AT) you
    and set my accusations^(AU) before you.

²²“Consider this, you who forget God,^(AV)
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:^(AW)
²³Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless^[d] I will show my salvation.^(AX)”

Footnotes

Psalm 50:6 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text for God himself is judge
Psalm 50:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 50:21 Or thought the ‘I am’ was
Psalm 50:23 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text for this phrase is uncertain.

Isaiah 9:18-10:4

New International Version

¹⁸Surely wickedness burns like a fire;^(A)
    it consumes briers and thorns,^(B)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,^(C)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹By the wrath^(D) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched^(E)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;^(F)
    they will not spare one another.^(G)
²⁰On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;^(H)
on the left they will eat,^(I)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring^[a]:
²¹    Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;^(J)
    together they will turn against Judah.^(K)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(L)

10 Woe^(M) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,^(N)
²to deprive^(O) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,^(P)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.^(Q)
³What will you do on the day of reckoning,^(R)
    when disaster^(S) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?^(T)
    Where will you leave your riches?
⁴Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives^(U)
    or fall among the slain.^(V)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,^(W)
his hand is still upraised.

Footnotes

Isaiah 9:20 Or arm

2 Peter 2:10-16

New International Version

¹⁰This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire^(A) of the flesh^[a] and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;^(B) ¹¹yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from^[b] the Lord.^(C) ¹²But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.^(D)

¹³They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.^(E) They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.^[c]^(F) ¹⁴With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce^(G) the unstable;^(H) they are experts in greed^(I)—an accursed brood!^(J) ¹⁵They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam^(K) son of Bezer,^[d] who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.^(L)

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Footnotes

2 Peter 2:10 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 18.
2 Peter 2:11 Many manuscripts beings in the presence of
2 Peter 2:13 Some manuscripts in their love feasts
2 Peter 2:15 Greek Bosor

Matthew 3:1-12

New International Version

John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

3 In those days John the Baptist^(B) came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ²and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven^(C) has come near.” ³This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”^[a]^(D)

⁴John’s^(E) clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.^(F) His food was locusts^(G) and wild honey. ⁵People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶Confessing their sins, they were baptized^(H) by him in the Jordan River.

⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!^(I) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?^(J) ⁸Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.^(K) ⁹And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’^(L) I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.^(M)

¹¹“I baptize you with^[b] water for repentance.^(N) But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with^[c] the Holy Spirit^(O) and fire.^(P) ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”^(Q)