Psalm 139
English Standard Version
Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, you have (A)searched me and known me!
2 You (B)know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you (C)discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, (D)you know it altogether.
5 You (E)hem me in, behind and before,
and (F)lay your hand upon me.
6 (G)Such knowledge is (H)too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 (I)Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where (J)shall I flee from your presence?
8 (K)If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
(L)If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall (M)lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, (N)“Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 (O)even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you (P)formed my inward parts;
you (Q)knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]
(R)Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 (S)My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in (T)the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your (U)book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your (V)thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 (W)If I would count them, they are more than (X)the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
19 Oh that you would (Y)slay the wicked, O God!
O (Z)men of blood, (AA)depart from me!
20 They (AB)speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies (AC)take your name in vain.[b]
21 (AD)Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not (AE)loathe those who (AF)rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
(AG)Try me and know my thoughts![c]
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and (AH)lead me in (AI)the way everlasting![d]
Footnotes
- Psalm 139:14 Or for I am fearfully set apart
- Psalm 139:20 Hebrew lacks your name
- Psalm 139:23 Or cares
- Psalm 139:24 Or in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16)
Jeremiah 29:11
English Standard Version
11 (A)For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, (B)to give you a future and a hope.
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- Jeremiah 29:11 Or peace
Genesis 1:21
English Standard Version
21 So (A)God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
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Genesis 3:17
English Standard Version
17 And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
(A)of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
(B)cursed is the ground because of you;
(C)in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
Romans 3:23
English Standard Version
23 for (A)all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
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Genesis 6:5
English Standard Version
5 (A)The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every (B)intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
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Genesis 6:17
English Standard Version
17 (A)For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
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Genesis 9:13-15
English Standard Version
13 I have set (A)my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 (B)I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
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Genesis 26:4
English Standard Version
4 (A)I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And (B)in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
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Romans 4:1-13
English Standard Version
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, (A)our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but (B)not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? (C)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now (D)to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but (E)believes in[a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 (F)“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not (G)count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for (H)the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? (I)For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 (J)He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was (K)to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
The Promise Realized Through Faith
13 For (L)the promise to Abraham and his offspring (M)that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
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- Romans 4:5 Or but trusts; compare verse 24
2 Peter 3:9
English Standard Version
9 (A)The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise (B)as some count slowness, but (C)is patient toward you,[a] (D)not wishing that any should perish, but (E)that all should reach repentance.
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- 2 Peter 3:9 Some manuscripts on your account
John 14:6
English Standard Version
6 Jesus said to him, “I am (A)the way, and (B)the truth, and (C)the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
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Romans 10:9-10
English Standard Version
9 because, if (A)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and (B)believe in your heart (C)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
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Romans 11:22
English Standard Version
22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, (A)provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise (B)you too will be cut off.
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John 1:1-19
English Standard Version
The Word Became Flesh
1 (A)In the beginning was (B)the Word, and (C)the Word was with God, and (D)the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 (E)All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 (F)In him was life,[a] and (G)the life was the light of men. 5 (H)The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man (I)sent from God, whose name was (J)John. 7 He came as a (K)witness, to bear witness about the light, (L)that all might believe through him. 8 (M)He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 (N)The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet (O)the world did not know him. 11 He came to (P)his own,[b] and (Q)his own people[c] (R)did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, (S)who believed in his name, (T)he gave the right (U)to become (V)children of God, 13 who (W)were born, (X)not of blood (Y)nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And (Z)the Word (AA)became flesh and (AB)dwelt among us, (AC)and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[d] from the Father, full of (AD)grace and (AE)truth. 15 ((AF)John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, (AG)‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from (AH)his fullness we have all received, (AI)grace upon grace.[e] 17 For (AJ)the law was given through Moses; (AK)grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 (AL)No one has ever seen God; (AM)the only God,[f] who is at the Father's side,[g] (AN)he has made him known.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19 And this is the (AO)testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, (AP)“Who are you?”
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- John 1:4 Or was not any thing made. That which has been made was life in him
- John 1:11 Greek to his own things; that is, to his own domain, or to his own people
- John 1:11 People is implied in Greek
- John 1:14 Or only One, or unique One
- John 1:16 Or grace in place of grace
- John 1:18 Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son
- John 1:18 Greek in the bosom of the Father
John 1:29-34
English Standard Version
Behold, the Lamb of God
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, (A)the Lamb of God, who (B)takes away the sin (C)of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, (D)‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but (E)for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John (F)bore witness: (G)“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and (H)it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but (I)he who sent me to baptize (J)with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, (K)this is he who baptizes (L)with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son[a] of God.”
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- John 1:34 Some manuscripts the Chosen One
John 3:3-21
English Standard Version
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is (A)born (B)again[a] he cannot (C)see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born (D)of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 (E)That which is born of the flesh is (F)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[b] 7 (G)Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You[c] must be born (H)again.’ 8 (I)The wind[d] blows (J)where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, (K)“How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel (L)and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, (M)we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but (N)you[e] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 (O)No one has (P)ascended into heaven except (Q)he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[f] 14 And (R)as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man (S)be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes (T)in him (U)may have eternal life.[g]
For God So Loved the World
16 “For (V)God so loved (W)the world,[h] (X)that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not (Y)perish but have eternal life. 17 For (Z)God did not send his Son into the world (AA)to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 (AB)Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (AC)believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 (AD)And this is the judgment: (AE)the light has come into the world, and (AF)people loved the darkness rather than the light because (AG)their works were evil. 20 (AH)For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, (AI)lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever (AJ)does what is true (AK)comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
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- John 3:3 Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7
- John 3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
- John 3:7 The Greek for you is plural here
- John 3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
- John 3:11 The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12
- John 3:13 Some manuscripts add who is in heaven
- John 3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15
- John 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world
Romans 10:5-17
English Standard Version
The Message of Salvation to All
5 For (A)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that (B)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But (C)the righteousness based on faith says, (D)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the (E)abyss?’” (that is, (F)to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? (G)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if (H)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and (I)believe in your heart (J)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, (K)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 (L)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; (M)for the same Lord is Lord of all, (N)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For (O)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him (P)of whom they have never heard?[a] And how are they to hear (Q)without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, (R)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But (S)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, (T)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So (U)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
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- Romans 10:14 Or him whom they have never heard
2 Corinthians 6:2
English Standard Version
2 For he says,
(A)“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, (B)now is the (C)favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Read full chapterThe Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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