The Creation of the World

1 In the ^(A)beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

^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. ⁶ And ^(C)the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it ^(D)grieved him to his heart. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah ^(E)found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

¹⁶ Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. ¹⁷ The Lord said, ^(A)“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ¹⁸ seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be ^(B)blessed in him? ¹⁹ For I have ^(C)chosen^[a] him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” ²⁰ Then the Lord said, “Because ^(D)the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, ^21 (E)I will go down to see whether they have done altogether^[b] according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, ^(F)I will know.”

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

^22 (G)So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham ^(H)still stood before the Lord. ²³ Then Abraham drew near and said, ^(I)“Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, ^(J)so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! ^(K)Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” ²⁶ And the Lord said, ^(L)“If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

²⁷ Abraham answered and said, ^(M)“Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. ²⁸ Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” ²⁹ Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” ³¹ He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” ³² Then he said, ^(N)“Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” ³³ And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

^22 (A)So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham ^(B)still stood before the Lord.

¹³ So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall ^(A)three^[a] years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” ¹⁴ Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, ^(B)for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

David Prays in the Assembly

¹⁰ Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: ^(A)“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. ^11 (B)Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. ^12 (C)Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. ^(D)In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. ¹³ And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

¹⁴ “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. ^15 (E)For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are ^(F)like a shadow, and there is no abiding.^{[a] 16} O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. ¹⁷ I know, my God, ^(G)that you test the heart and ^(H)have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. ¹⁸ O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. ^19 (I)Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may ^(J)build the palace ^(K)for which I have made provision.”

²⁰ Then David said to all the assembly, ^(L)“Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, ^(M)and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.

¹⁴ if my people who are called by my name ^(A)humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

³² And it shall come to pass that ^(A)everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. ^(B)For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among ^(C)the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.