2 Corinthians 4

English Standard Version

The Light of the Gospel

4 Therefore, having ^(A)this ministry ^(B)by the mercy of God,^[a] we do not lose heart. ²But we have renounced ^(C)disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice^[b] cunning or ^(D)to tamper with God's word, but ^(E)by the open statement of the truth ^(F)we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. ³And even ^(G)if our gospel is veiled, ^(H)it is veiled to ^(I)those who are perishing. ⁴In their case ^(J)the god of this world ^(K)has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing ^(L)the light of ^(M)the gospel of the glory of Christ, ^(N)who is the image of God. ⁵For what ^(O)we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ^(P)ourselves as your servants^[c] for Jesus' sake. ⁶For God, who said, ^(Q)“Let light shine out of darkness,” ^(R)has shone in our hearts to give ^(S)the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Treasure in Jars of Clay

⁷But we have this treasure in ^(T)jars of clay, ^(U)to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸We are ^(V)afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but ^(W)not forsaken; ^(X)struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰^(Y)always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, ^(Z)so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹²So ^(AA)death is at work in us, but life in you.

¹³Since we have ^(AB)the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ^(AC)“I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, ¹⁴knowing that ^(AD)he who raised the Lord Jesus ^(AE)will raise us also with Jesus and ^(AF)bring us with you into his presence. ¹⁵For ^(AG)it is all for your sake, so that as ^(AH)grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, ^(AI)to the glory of God.

¹⁶So we do not lose heart. ^(AJ)Though our outer self^[d] is wasting away, ^(AK)our inner self ^(AL)is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For ^(AM)this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸^(AN)as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 4:1 Greek having this ministry as we have received mercy
2 Corinthians 4:2 Greek to walk in
2 Corinthians 4:5 Or slaves (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)
2 Corinthians 4:16 Greek man

Psalm 30

English Standard Version

Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of ^(A)the temple.

30 I will ^(B)extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes ^(C)rejoice over me.
²O Lord my God, I ^(D)cried to you for help,
    and you have ^(E)healed me.
³O Lord, you have brought up my soul from ^(F)Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who ^(G)go down to the pit.^[a]

⁴Sing praises to the Lord, O you ^(H)his saints,
    and ^(I)give thanks to his holy name.^[b]
⁵^(J)For his anger is but for a moment,
    and ^(K)his favor is for a lifetime.^[c]
^(L)Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but ^(M)joy comes with the morning.

⁶As for me, I said in my ^(N)prosperity,
    “I shall never be ^(O)moved.”
⁷By your favor, O Lord,
    you made my ^(P)mountain stand strong;
you ^(Q)hid your face;
    I was ^(R)dismayed.

⁸To you, O Lord, I cry,
    and ^(S)to the Lord I plead for mercy:
⁹“What profit is there in my death,^[d]
    if I go down to the pit?^[e]
Will ^(T)the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
¹⁰^(U)Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

¹¹You have turned for me my mourning into ^(V)dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
¹²that my ^(W)glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Footnotes

Psalm 30:3 Or to life, that I should not go down to the pit
Psalm 30:4 Hebrew to the memorial of his holiness (see Exodus 3:15)
Psalm 30:5 Or and in his favor is life
Psalm 30:9 Hebrew in my blood
Psalm 30:9 Or to corruption

Psalm 37

English Standard Version

He Will Not Forsake His Saints

^[a] Of David.

37 ^(A)Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not ^(B)envious of wrongdoers!
²For they will soon ^(C)fade like ^(D)the grass
and wither ^(E)like the green herb.

³^(F)Trust in the Lord, and do good;
^(G)dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.^[b]
⁴^(H)Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will ^(I)give you the desires of your heart.

⁵^(J)Commit your way to the Lord;
^(K)trust in him, and he will act.
⁶^(L)He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as ^(M)the noonday.

⁷^(N)Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
^(O)fret not yourself over the one who ^(P)prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

⁸^(Q)Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
^(R)Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹^(S)For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall ^(T)inherit the land.

¹⁰In ^(U)just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at ^(V)his place, he will not be there.
¹¹But ^(W)the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in ^(X)abundant peace.

¹²The wicked ^(Y)plots against the righteous
and ^(Z)gnashes his teeth at him,
¹³but the Lord ^(AA)laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his ^(AB)day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and ^(AC)bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ^(AD)way is upright;
¹⁵their sword shall enter their own heart,
    and their ^(AE)bows shall be broken.

¹⁶^(AF)Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
¹⁷For ^(AG)the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord ^(AH)upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The Lord ^(AI)knows the days of the blameless,
and their ^(AJ)heritage will remain forever;
¹⁹they are not put to shame in evil times;
in ^(AK)the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like ^(AL)the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like ^(AM)smoke they vanish away.

²¹The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous ^(AN)is generous and gives;
²²for those blessed by the Lord^[c] shall ^(AO)inherit the land,
but those cursed by him ^(AP)shall be cut off.

²³The ^(AQ)steps of a man are ^(AR)established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
²⁴^(AS)though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord ^(AT)upholds his hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or his children ^(AU)begging for bread.
²⁶He is ever ^(AV)lending generously,
    and his children become a blessing.

²⁷^(AW)Turn away from evil and do good;
    so shall you ^(AX)dwell forever.
²⁸For the Lord ^(AY)loves justice;
    he will not forsake his ^(AZ)saints.
They are preserved forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be ^(BA)cut off.
²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land
    and ^(BB)dwell upon it forever.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
³¹^(BC)The law of his God is in his heart;
his ^(BD)steps do not slip.

³²The wicked ^(BE)watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
³³The Lord will not ^(BF)abandon him to his power
or let him ^(BG)be condemned when he is brought to trial.

³⁴^(BH)Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on ^(BI)when the wicked are cut off.

³⁵^(BJ)I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like ^(BK)a green laurel tree.^[d]
³⁶But he passed away,^[e] and behold, ^(BL)he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

³⁷Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of ^(BM)peace.
³⁸But ^(BN)transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked ^(BO)shall be cut off.

³⁹^(BP)The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in ^(BQ)the time of trouble.
⁴⁰The Lord helps them and ^(BR)delivers them;
    ^(BS)he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they ^(BT)take refuge in him.

Footnotes

Psalm 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Psalm 37:3 Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture
Psalm 37:22 Hebrew by him
Psalm 37:35 The identity of this tree is uncertain
Psalm 37:36 Or But one passed by

Psalm 116

English Standard Version

I Love the Lord

116 I ^(A)love the Lord, because he has ^(B)heard
    my voice and my pleas for mercy.
²Because he ^(C)inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
³^(D)The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.
⁴Then ^(E)I called on the name of the Lord:
    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

⁵^(F)Gracious is the Lord, and ^(G)righteous;
    our God is ^(H)merciful.
⁶The Lord preserves ^(I)the simple;
    when ^(J)I was brought low, he saved me.
⁷Return, O my soul, to your ^(K)rest;
    for the Lord has ^(L)dealt bountifully with you.

⁸For ^(M)you have delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling;
⁹I will walk before the Lord
    ^(N)in the land of the living.

¹⁰^(O)I believed, ^(P)even when^[a] I spoke:
“I am greatly afflicted”;
¹¹^(Q)I said in my alarm,
^(R)“All mankind are liars.”

¹²What shall I ^(S)render to the Lord
    for all his benefits to me?
¹³I will lift up ^(T)the cup of salvation
    and ^(U)call on the name of the Lord,
¹⁴I will ^(V)pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵^(W)Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his ^(X)saints.
¹⁶O Lord, I am your ^(Y)servant;
    I am your servant, ^(Z)the son of your maidservant.
    You have ^(AA)loosed my bonds.
¹⁷I will ^(AB)offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
    and ^(AC)call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸I will ^(AD)pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹in ^(AE)the courts of the house of the Lord,
    in your midst, O Jerusalem.
^(AF)Praise the Lord!