2 Samuel 11:1-12

English Standard Version

David and Bathsheba

11 ^(A)^(B)In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged ^(C)Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

²It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on ^(D)the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. ³And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this ^(E)Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of ^(F)Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (^(G)Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. ⁵And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

⁶So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. ⁸Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and ^(H)wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. ⁹But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹Uriah said to David, ^(I)“The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and ^(J)the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and ^(K)as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” ¹²Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.

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2 Samuel 11:25

English Standard Version

²⁵David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

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2 Samuel 11:25 in all English translations

Psalm 10

English Standard Version

Why Do You Hide Yourself?

10 Why, O Lord, do you stand ^(A)far away?
Why ^(B)do you hide yourself in ^(C)times of trouble?

²In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
    let them ^(D)be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
³For the wicked ^(E)boasts of the desires of his soul,
    and the one greedy for gain ^(F)curses^[a] and ^(G)renounces the Lord.
⁴In the pride of his face^[b] the wicked does not ^(H)seek him;^[c]
    all his thoughts are, ^(I)“There is no God.”
⁵His ways prosper at all times;
    your judgments are on high, ^(J)out of his sight;
    as for all his foes, he ^(K)puffs at them.
⁶He ^(L)says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
    throughout all generations I ^(M)shall not meet adversity.”
⁷^(N)His mouth is filled with cursing and ^(O)deceit and ^(P)oppression;
    ^(Q)under his tongue are ^(R)mischief and ^(S)iniquity.
⁸He sits in ambush in the villages;
    in ^(T)hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
⁹    he lurks in ambush like ^(U)a lion in his ^(V)thicket;
he ^(W)lurks that he may seize the poor;
    he seizes the poor when he draws him into his ^(X)net.
¹⁰The helpless are crushed, sink down,
    and fall by his might.
¹¹He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
    he has ^(Y)hidden his face, he ^(Z)will never see it.”

¹²^(AA)Arise, O Lord; O God, ^(AB)lift up your hand;
    ^(AC)forget not the afflicted.
¹³Why does the wicked ^(AD)renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not ^(AE)call to account”?
¹⁴But you do see, for you ^(AF)note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless ^(AG)commits himself;
    you have been ^(AH)the helper of the fatherless.
¹⁵^(AI)Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    ^(AJ)call his wickedness to account till you find none.

¹⁶^(AK)The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the ^(AL)nations perish from his land.
¹⁷O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will ^(AM)strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
¹⁸to ^(AN)do justice to the fatherless and ^(AO)the oppressed,
    so that ^(AP)man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Footnotes

Psalm 10:3 Or and he blesses the one greedy for gain
Psalm 10:4 Or of his anger
Psalm 10:4 Or the wicked says, “He will not call to account”

Psalm 113

English Standard Version

Who Is like the Lord Our God?

113 ^(A)Praise the Lord!
^(B)Praise, O ^(C)servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!

²^(D)Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
³^(E)From the rising of the sun to its setting,
^(F)the name of the Lord is ^(G)to be praised!

⁴The Lord is ^(H)high above all nations,
    and his ^(I)glory above the heavens!
⁵^(J)Who is like the Lord our God,
    who is seated on high,
⁶who ^(K)looks far down
    on the heavens and the earth?
⁷He ^(L)raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
⁸to make them ^(M)sit with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
⁹He ^(N)gives the barren woman a home,
    making her the joyous mother of children.
^(O)Praise the Lord!

Amos 5:10-24

English Standard Version

¹⁰^(A)They hate him who reproves ^(B)in the gate,
    and they ^(C)abhor him who speaks the truth.
¹¹Therefore because you ^(D)trample on^[a] the poor
    and you exact taxes of grain from him,
^(E)you have built houses of hewn stone,
    but you shall not dwell in them;
^(F)you have planted pleasant vineyards,
    but you shall not drink their wine.
¹²For I know how many are your transgressions
    and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who ^(G)take a bribe,
    and ^(H)turn aside the needy ^(I)in the gate.
¹³Therefore he who is prudent will ^(J)keep silent in such a time,
    ^(K)for it is an evil time.

¹⁴^(L)Seek good, and not evil,
    that you may live;
and so the Lord, ^(M)the God of hosts, will be with you,
    as you have said.
¹⁵^(N)Hate evil, and love good,
    and establish justice ^(O)in the gate;
^(P)it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
    will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶Therefore thus says the Lord, ^(Q)the God of hosts, the Lord:

“In all the squares ^(R)there shall be wailing,
    and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
    and ^(S)to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
¹⁷and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
    for ^(T)I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.

Let Justice Roll Down

¹⁸Woe to you who desire ^(U)the day of the Lord!
    Why would you have the day of the Lord?
^(V)It is darkness, and not light,
¹⁹    ^(W)as if a man fled from a lion,
    and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
    and a serpent bit him.
²⁰^(X)Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

²¹^(Y)“I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
²²^(Z)Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
    I will not look upon them.
²³Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to ^(AA)the melody of your harps I will not listen.
²⁴But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

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Footnotes

Amos 5:11 Or you tax

Matthew 23:1-36

English Standard Version

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus ^(A)said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²^(B)“The scribes and the Pharisees ^(C)sit on Moses' seat, ³so do and observe whatever they tell you, ^(D)but not the works they do. ^(E)For they preach, but do not practice. ⁴^(F)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ⁵^(G)They do all their deeds ^(H)to be seen by others. For they make ^(I)their phylacteries broad and ^(J)their fringes long, ⁶and they ^(K)love the place of honor at feasts and ^(L)the best seats in the synagogues ⁷and ^(M)greetings in ^(N)the marketplaces and being called ^(O)rabbi^[b] by others. ⁸^(P)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are ^(Q)all brothers.^[c] ⁹^(R)And call no man your father on earth, for ^(S)you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, ^(T)the Christ. ¹¹^(U)The greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹²^(V)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³“But woe ^(W)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(X)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(Y)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^[d] ¹⁵Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(Z)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(AA)child of ^(AB)hell^[e] as yourselves.

¹⁶“Woe to ^(AC)you, ^(AD)blind guides, who say, ^(AE)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(AF)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(AG)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(AH)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(AI)him who dwells in it. ²²And whoever swears by ^(AJ)heaven swears by ^(AK)the throne of God and by ^(AL)him who sits upon it.

²³^(AM)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(AN)you tithe mint and dill and ^(AO)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^(AP)justice and mercy and faithfulness. ^(AQ)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^(AR)a camel!

²⁵^(AS)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(AT)you clean the outside of ^(AU)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^(AV)greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^(AW)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

²⁷^(AX)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(AY)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(AZ)all uncleanness. ²⁸So you also ^(BA)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^(BB)hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹^(BC)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^(BD)sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³²^(BE)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³You serpents, ^(BF)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^(BG)hell? ³⁴^(BH)Therefore ^(BI)I send you ^(BJ)prophets and wise men and ^(BK)scribes, ^(BL)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(BM)some you will ^(BN)flog in your synagogues and ^(BO)persecute from town to town, ³⁵so that on you may come all ^(BP)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(BQ)Abel to the blood of ^(BR)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[f] whom you murdered between ^(BS)the sanctuary and ^(BT)the altar. ³⁶Truly, I say to you, ^(BU)all these things will come upon this generation.

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Footnotes

Matthew 23:4 Some manuscripts omit hard to bear
Matthew 23:7 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master; also verse 8
Matthew 23:8 Or brothers and sisters
Matthew 23:13 Some manuscripts add here (or after verse 12) verse 14: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation
Matthew 23:15 Greek Gehenna; also verse 33
Matthew 23:35 Some manuscripts omit the son of Barachiah

Luke 18:1-17

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^(A)always to pray and not ^(B)lose heart. ²He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^(C)neither feared God nor respected man. ³And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ^(D)‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷And ^(E)will not God give justice to ^(F)his elect, ^(G)who cry to him day and night? ^(H)^(I)Will he delay long over them? ⁸I tell you, he will give justice to them ^(J)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^(K)will he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹He also told this parable to some ^(L)who trusted ^(M)in themselves that they were righteous, ^(N)and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men ^(O)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, ^(P)standing by himself, prayed^[a] ^(Q)thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²^(R)I fast twice a week; ^(S)I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³But the tax collector, ^(T)standing far off, ^(U)would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^(V)beat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^(W)be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ^(X)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

¹⁵^(Y)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^(Z)rebuked them. ¹⁶But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^(AA)“Let the children come to me, and ^(AB)do not hinder them, ^(AC)for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁷^(AD)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(AE)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”