Psalm 46

English Standard Version

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of ^(A)the Sons of Korah. According to ^(B)Alamoth.^[a] A Song.

46 God is our ^(C)refuge and strength,
    a very ^(D)present^[b] help in ^(E)trouble.
²Therefore we will not fear ^(F)though the earth give way,
    though the mountains be moved into ^(G)the heart of the sea,
³though ^(H)its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

⁴There is ^(I)a river whose streams make glad ^(J)the city of God,
    the holy ^(K)habitation of the Most High.
⁵^(L)God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶^(M)The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he ^(N)utters his voice, the earth ^(O)melts.
⁷^(P)The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

⁸^(Q)Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹^(R)He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he ^(S)breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    ^(T)he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰^(U)“Be still, and know that I am God.
    ^(V)I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
¹¹^(W)The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Footnotes

Psalm 46:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 46:1 Or well proved

Psalm 48

English Standard Version

Zion, the City of Our God

A Song. A Psalm of ^(A)the Sons of Korah.

48 ^(B)Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
    in ^(C)the city of our God!
His ^(D)holy mountain, ²^(E)beautiful in elevation,
    is ^(F)the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
    ^(G)the city of the great King.
³Within her citadels God
    has made himself known as a fortress.

⁴For behold, ^(H)the kings assembled;
    they came on together.
⁵As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
    they were in panic; they took to flight.
⁶^(I)Trembling took hold of them there,
    anguish ^(J)as of a woman in labor.
⁷By ^(K)the east wind you ^(L)shattered
    the ships of ^(M)Tarshish.
⁸As we have heard, so have we seen
    in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in ^(N)the city of our God,
    which God will ^(O)establish forever. Selah

⁹We have thought on your ^(P)steadfast love, O God,
    in the midst of your temple.
¹⁰As your ^(Q)name, O God,
    so your praise reaches to ^(R)the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
¹¹    Let Mount ^(S)Zion be glad!
Let ^(T)the daughters of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments!

¹²Walk about Zion, go around her,
    number her towers,
¹³consider well her ^(U)ramparts,
    go through her citadels,
^(V)that you may tell the next generation
¹⁴    that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
    He will ^(W)guide us forever.^[a]

Footnotes

Psalm 48:14 Septuagint; another reading is (compare Jerome, Syriac) He will guide us beyond death

Isaiah 26:1-9

English Standard Version

You Keep Him in Perfect Peace

26 In that day ^(A)this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city;
    he sets up ^(B)salvation
    as walls and bulwarks.
²^(C)Open the gates,
    that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
³^(D)You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.
⁴Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
⁵^(E)For he has humbled
    the inhabitants of the height,
    the lofty city.
He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,
    casts it to the dust.
⁶The foot tramples it,
    the feet of ^(F)the poor,
    the steps of ^(G)the needy.”

⁷The path of the righteous is level;
    ^(H)you make level the way of the righteous.
⁸In the path of your judgments,
    O Lord, we wait for you;
^(I)your name and ^(J)remembrance
    are the desire of our soul.
⁹My soul yearns for you in the night;
    my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
^(K)For when your judgments are in the earth,
    the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

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2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2

English Standard Version

¹⁶From now on, therefore, ^(A)we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is ^(B)in Christ, he is ^(C)a new creation.^[a] ^(D)The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸All this is from God, ^(E)who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us ^(F)the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling^[b] the world to himself, ^(G)not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us ^(H)the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, ^(I)we are ambassadors for Christ, ^(J)God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹^(K)For our sake he made him to be sin ^(L)who knew no sin, so that in him we might become ^(M)the righteousness of God.

6 ^(N)Working together with him, then, ^(O)we appeal to you ^(P)not to receive the grace of God in vain. ²For he says,

^(Q)“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, ^(R)now is the ^(S)favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 5:17 Or creature
2 Corinthians 5:19 Or God was in Christ, reconciling

John 8:12-19

English Standard Version

I Am the Light of the World

¹²^(A)Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ^(B)“I am the light of the world. Whoever ^(C)follows me will not ^(D)walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ¹³So the Pharisees said to him, ^(E)“You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” ¹⁴Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, ^(F)my testimony is true, for I know ^(G)where I came from and ^(H)where I am going, but ^(I)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵^(J)You judge according to the flesh; ^(K)I judge no one. ¹⁶Yet even if I do judge, ^(L)my judgment is true, for ^(M)it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father^[a] who sent me. ¹⁷^(N)In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. ¹⁸I am the one who bears witness about myself, and ^(O)the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” ¹⁹They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, ^(P)“You know neither me nor my Father. ^(Q)If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”