1 Samuel 7:3-4

New Living Translation

Samuel Leads Israel to Victory

³Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” ⁴So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord.

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Psalm 72

New Living Translation

Psalm 72

A psalm of Solomon.

¹Give your love of justice to the king, O God,
    and righteousness to the king’s son.
²Help him judge your people in the right way;
    let the poor always be treated fairly.
³May the mountains yield prosperity for all,
    and may the hills be fruitful.
⁴Help him to defend the poor,
    to rescue the children of the needy,
    and to crush their oppressors.
⁵May they fear you^[a] as long as the sun shines,
    as long as the moon remains in the sky.
    Yes, forever!

⁶May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass,
    like the showers that water the earth.
⁷May all the godly flourish during his reign.
    May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.
⁸May he reign from sea to sea,
    and from the Euphrates River^[b] to the ends of the earth.
⁹Desert nomads will bow before him;
    his enemies will fall before him in the dust.
¹⁰The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands
    will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba
    will bring him gifts.
¹¹All kings will bow before him,
    and all nations will serve him.

¹²He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
    he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
¹³He feels pity for the weak and the needy,
    and he will rescue them.
¹⁴He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
    for their lives are precious to him.

¹⁵Long live the king!
    May the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May the people always pray for him
    and bless him all day long.
¹⁶May there be abundant grain throughout the land,
    flourishing even on the hilltops.
May the fruit trees flourish like the trees of Lebanon,
    and may the people thrive like grass in a field.
¹⁷May the king’s name endure forever;
    may it continue as long as the sun shines.
May all nations be blessed through him
    and bring him praise.

¹⁸Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does such wonderful things.
¹⁹Praise his glorious name forever!
Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!

²⁰(This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.)

Notas al pie

72:5 Greek version reads May they endure.
72:8 Hebrew the river.

2 Corinthians 9

New Living Translation

The Collection for Christians in Jerusalem

9 I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem.^[a] ²For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece^[b] were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.

³But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected. I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you. ⁴We would be embarrassed—not to mention your own embarrassment—if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren’t ready after all I had told them! ⁵So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.

⁶Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. ⁷You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”^[c] ⁸And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. ⁹As the Scriptures say,

“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”^[d]

¹⁰For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity^[e] in you.

¹¹Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. ¹²So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem^[f] will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.

¹³As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. ¹⁴And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. ¹⁵Thank God for this gift^[g] too wonderful for words!

Notas al pie

9:1 Greek about the offering for God’s holy people.
9:2 Greek in Achaia, the southern region of the Greek peninsula. Macedonia was in the northern region of Greece.
9:7 See footnote on Prov 22:8.
9:9 Ps 112:9.
9:10 Greek righteousness.
9:12 Greek of God’s holy people.
9:15 Greek his gift.