A Pronouncement against Babylon

13 A pronouncement(A) concerning Babylon(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

Lift up a banner on a barren mountain.(C)
Call out to them.
Signal with your hand, and they will go
through the gates of the nobles.
I have commanded my consecrated ones;
yes, I have called my warriors,
who celebrate my triumph,
to execute my wrath.(D)
Listen, a commotion on the mountains,
like that of a mighty people!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations being gathered together!
The Lord of Armies is mobilizing an army for war.
They are coming from a distant land,
from the farthest horizon—
the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country.[a]
Wail! For the day of the Lord is near.(E)
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.(F)
Therefore everyone’s hands will become weak,
and every man will lose heart.
They will be horrified;
pain and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.(G)
They will look at each other,
their faces flushed with fear.
Look, the day(H) of the Lord is coming—
cruel, with fury and burning anger—
to make the earth a desolation
and to destroy its sinners.(I)
10 Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations[b]
will not give their light.
The sun will be dark when it rises,
and the moon will not shine.(J)
11 I will punish the world for its evil,(K)
and wicked people for their iniquities.
I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant(L)
and humiliate the insolence of tyrants.
12 I will make a human more scarce than fine gold,
and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir.(M)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will shake from its foundations(N)
at the wrath of the Lord of Armies,
on the day of his burning anger.
14 Like wandering gazelles
and like sheep without a shepherd,(O)
each one will turn to his own people,
each one will flee to his own land.
15 Whoever is found will be stabbed,
and whoever is caught will die by the sword.
16 Their children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;(P)
their houses will be looted,
and their wives raped.
17 Look! I am stirring up the Medes against them,(Q)
who cannot be bought off with[c] silver
and who have no desire for gold.
18 Their bows will cut young men to pieces.
They will have no compassion on offspring;
they will not look with pity on children.

19 And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,
the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.(R)
20 It will never be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation;(S)
a nomad will not pitch his tent there,
and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.
21 But desert creatures will lie down there,
and owls will fill the houses.
Ostriches will dwell there,
and wild goats will leap about.(T)
22 Hyenas will howl in the fortresses,
and jackals, in the luxurious palaces.
Babylon’s time is almost up;
her days are almost over.

Israel’s Return

14 For the Lord will have compassion(U) on Jacob and will choose Israel again.(V) He will settle them on their own land.(W) The resident alien will join them and be united with the house of Jacob.(X) The nations will escort Israel and bring it to its homeland. Then the house of Israel will possess them as male and female slaves in the Lord’s land.(Y) They will make captives of their captors and will rule over their oppressors.

Downfall of the King of Babylon

When the Lord gives you rest from your pain,(Z) torment, and the hard labor(AA) you were forced to do, you will sing this song of contempt about the king of Babylon(AB) and say:

How the oppressor has quieted down,
and how the raging[d] has become quiet!
The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers.
It struck the peoples in anger
with unceasing blows.
It subdued the nations in rage
with relentless persecution.
The whole earth is calm and at rest;
people shout with a ringing cry.
Even the cypresses and the cedars of Lebanon
rejoice over you:(AC)
“Since you have been laid low,
no lumberjack has come against us.”

Sheol below is eager to greet your coming,
stirring up the spirits of the departed for you—
all the rulers[e] of the earth—
making all the kings of the nations
rise from their thrones.
10 They all respond to you, saying,
“You too have become as weak as we are;
you have become like us!
11 Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol,
along with the music of your harps.
Maggots are spread out under you,
and worms cover you.”

12 Shining morning star,[f](AD)
how you have fallen from the heavens!(AE)
You destroyer of nations,
you have been cut down to the ground.
13 You said to yourself,
“I will ascend to the heavens;(AF)
I will set up my throne
above the stars of God.(AG)
I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly,
in the remotest parts of the North.[g](AH)
14 I will ascend above the highest clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you will be brought down to Sheol
into the deepest regions of the Pit.(AI)

16 Those who see you will stare at you;
they will look closely at you:
“Is this the man who caused the earth to tremble,
who shook the kingdoms,
17 who turned the world into a wilderness,(AJ)
who destroyed its cities
and would not release the prisoners to return home?”
18 All the kings of the nations
lie in splendor, each in his own tomb.
19 But you are thrown out without a grave,
like a worthless branch,
covered by those slain with the sword
and dumped into a rocky pit like a trampled corpse.
20 You will not join them in burial,
because you destroyed your land
and slaughtered your own people.
The offspring of evildoers
will never be mentioned again.(AK)
21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons,
because of the iniquity(AL) of their ancestors.
They will never rise up to possess a land
or fill the surface of the earth with cities.

22 “I will rise up against them”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies—“and I will cut off from Babylon her reputation, remnant, offspring, and posterity”—this is the Lord’s declaration. 23 “I will make her a swampland and a region for herons,[h] and I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”

This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.

Assyria Will Be Destroyed

24 The Lord of Armies has sworn:

As I have purposed, so it will be;
as I have planned it, so it will happen.(AM)
25 I will break Assyria(AN) in my land;
I will tread him down on my mountain.
Then his yoke will be taken from them,
and his burden will be removed from their shoulders.
26 This is the plan(AO) prepared
for the whole earth,
and this is the hand stretched out
against all the nations.
27 The Lord of Armies himself has planned it;
therefore, who can stand in its way?
It is his hand that is outstretched,
so who can turn it back?

A Pronouncement against Philistia

28 In the year that King Ahaz died,(AP) this pronouncement came:(AQ)

29 Don’t rejoice, all of you in Philistia,
because the rod of the one who struck you(AR) is broken.
For a viper will come from the root[i] of a snake,
and from its egg comes a flying serpent.(AS)
30 Then the firstborn(AT) of the poor will be well fed,
and the impoverished will lie down in safety,
but I will kill your root with hunger,
and your remnant will be slain.
31 Wail, you gates!(AU) Cry out, city!
Tremble with fear,(AV) all Philistia!
For a cloud of dust is coming from the north,(AW)
and there is no one missing from the invader’s ranks.
32 What answer will be given to the messengers from that nation?
The Lord has founded Zion,(AX)
and his oppressed people find refuge in her.

Footnotes

  1. 13:5 Or earth
  2. 13:10 Or Orions
  3. 13:17 Lit who have no regard for
  4. 14:4 DSS; Hb uncertain
  5. 14:9 Lit rams
  6. 14:12 Or Day Star, son of the dawn
  7. 14:13 Or of Zaphon
  8. 14:23 Or hedgehogs; Hb obscure
  9. 14:29 Or stock

A Prophecy Against Babylon

13 A prophecy(A) against Babylon(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz(C) saw:(D)

Raise a banner(E) on a bare hilltop,
    shout to them;
beckon to them
    to enter the gates(F) of the nobles.
I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
    I have summoned my warriors(G) to carry out my wrath(H)
    those who rejoice(I) in my triumph.

Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!(J)
Listen, an uproar(K) among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty(L) is mustering(M)
    an army for war.
They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens(N)
the Lord and the weapons(O) of his wrath(P)
    to destroy(Q) the whole country.

Wail,(R) for the day(S) of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction(T) from the Almighty.[a](U)
Because of this, all hands will go limp,(V)
    every heart will melt with fear.(W)
Terror(X) will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip(Y) them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.(Z)
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.(AA)

See, the day(AB) of the Lord is coming
    —a cruel(AC) day, with wrath(AD) and fierce anger(AE)
to make the land desolate
    and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
    will not show their light.(AF)
The rising sun(AG) will be darkened(AH)
    and the moon will not give its light.(AI)
11 I will punish(AJ) the world for its evil,
    the wicked(AK) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty(AL)
    and will humble(AM) the pride of the ruthless.(AN)
12 I will make people(AO) scarcer than pure gold,
    more rare than the gold of Ophir.(AP)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;(AQ)
    and the earth will shake(AR) from its place
at the wrath(AS) of the Lord Almighty,
    in the day of his burning anger.(AT)

14 Like a hunted(AU) gazelle,
    like sheep without a shepherd,(AV)
they will all return to their own people,
    they will flee(AW) to their native land.(AX)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall(AY) by the sword.(AZ)
16 Their infants(BA) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.(BB)

17 See, I will stir up(BC) against them the Medes,(BD)
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.(BE)
18 Their bows(BF) will strike down the young men;(BG)
    they will have no mercy(BH) on infants,
    nor will they look with compassion on children.(BI)
19 Babylon,(BJ) the jewel of kingdoms,(BK)
    the pride and glory(BL) of the Babylonians,[b]
will be overthrown(BM) by God
    like Sodom and Gomorrah.(BN)
20 She will never be inhabited(BO)
    or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads(BP) will pitch their tents,
    there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21 But desert creatures(BQ) will lie there,
    jackals(BR) will fill her houses;
there the owls(BS) will dwell,
    and there the wild goats(BT) will leap about.
22 Hyenas(BU) will inhabit her strongholds,(BV)
    jackals(BW) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,(BX)
    and her days will not be prolonged.(BY)

14 The Lord will have compassion(BZ) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose(CA) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.(CB)
Foreigners(CC) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
Nations will take them
    and bring(CD) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations(CE)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives(CF) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.(CG)

On the day the Lord gives you relief(CH) from your suffering and turmoil(CI) and from the harsh labor forced on you,(CJ) you will take up this taunt(CK) against the king of Babylon:(CL)

How the oppressor(CM) has come to an end!
    How his fury[c] has ended!
The Lord has broken the rod(CN) of the wicked,(CO)
    the scepter(CP) of the rulers,
which in anger struck down peoples(CQ)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(CR) nations
    with relentless aggression.(CS)
All the lands are at rest and at peace;(CT)
    they break into singing.(CU)
Even the junipers(CV) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”(CW)

The realm of the dead(CX) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(CY) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders(CZ) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.(DA)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”(DB)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(DC)
    along with the noise of your harps;(DD)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms(DE) cover you.(DF)

12 How you have fallen(DG) from heaven,
    morning star,(DH) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!(DI)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend(DJ) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(DK)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(DL)
    on the utmost heights(DM) of Mount Zaphon.[d]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(DN)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”(DO)
15 But you are brought down(DP) to the realm of the dead,(DQ)
    to the depths(DR) of the pit.(DS)

16 Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:(DT)
“Is this the man who shook(DU) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(DV)
    who overthrew(DW) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”(DX)

18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.(DY)
19 But you are cast out(DZ) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(EA)
    with those pierced by the sword,(EB)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.(EC)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20     you will not join them in burial,(ED)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring(EE) of the wicked(EF)
    never be mentioned(EG) again.
21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children(EH)
    for the sins of their ancestors;(EI)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

22 “I will rise up(EJ) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name(EK) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,(EL)
declares the Lord.
23 “I will turn her into a place for owls(EM)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,(EN)
    declares the Lord Almighty.(EO)

24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,(EP)

“Surely, as I have planned,(EQ) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.(ER)
25 I will crush the Assyrian(ES) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke(ET) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.(EU)

26 This is the plan(EV) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand(EW) stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed,(EX) and who can thwart him?
    His hand(EY) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?(EZ)

A Prophecy Against the Philistines

28 This prophecy(FA) came in the year(FB) King Ahaz(FC) died:

29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,(FD)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,(FE)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.(FF)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy(FG) will lie down in safety.(FH)
But your root I will destroy by famine;(FI)
    it will slay(FJ) your survivors.(FK)

31 Wail,(FL) you gate!(FM) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!(FN)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,(FO)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.(FP)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys(FQ) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,(FR)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.(FS)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
  2. Isaiah 13:19 Or Chaldeans
  3. Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
  4. Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.

The Faithful Manager

A person should think of us in this way: as servants(A) of Christ and managers(B) of the mysteries of God.(C) In this regard, it is required that managers be found faithful.(D) It is of little(E) importance to me that I should be judged(F) by you or by any human court.[a] In fact, I don’t even judge myself. For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified(G) by this. It is the Lord who judges me. So don’t judge(H) anything prematurely, before the Lord comes,(I) who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.(J)

The Apostles’ Example of Humility

Now, brothers and sisters,(K) I have applied these things to myself and Apollos(L) for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another. For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it? You are already full! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us—and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you! For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: We have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ!(M) We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; 12 we labor, working(N) with our own hands.(O) When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the scum of the earth, like everyone’s garbage.(P)

Paul’s Fatherly Care

14 I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.(Q) 15 For you may have countless instructors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers. For I became your father(R) in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 This is why I have sent(S) Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful(T) child in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

18 Now some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon,(U) if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk, but the power of those who are arrogant. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod,(V) or in love and a spirit of gentleness?(W)

Immoral Church Members

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality(X) among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated[b] among the Gentiles(Y)—a man is sleeping with his father’s wife.(Z) And you are arrogant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief(AA) and remove from your congregation the one who did this? Even though I am absent in the body, I am present in spirit.(AB) As one who is present with you in this way, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who has been doing such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, hand that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,(AC) so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.(AD)

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven[c](AE) leavens the whole batch of dough?(AF) Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb(AG) has been sacrificed.[d] Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil,(AH) but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Church Discipline

I wrote to you in a letter not to associate(AI) with sexually immoral people.(AJ) 10 I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy(AK) and swindlers(AL) or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world.(AM) 11 But actually, I wrote[e] you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister(AN) and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard(AO) or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 For what business is it of mine to judge(AP) outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? 13 God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.[f](AQ)

Footnotes

  1. 4:3 Lit a human day
  2. 5:1 Other mss read named
  3. 5:6 Or yeast, also in vv. 7,8
  4. 5:7 Other mss add for us
  5. 5:11 Or But now I am writing
  6. 5:13 Dt 17:7

The Nature of True Apostleship

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants(A) of Christ and as those entrusted(B) with the mysteries(C) God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience(D) is clear, but that does not make me innocent.(E) It is the Lord who judges me.(F) Therefore judge nothing(G) before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.(H) He will bring to light(I) what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.(J)

Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.”(K) Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.(L) For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?(M) And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich!(N) You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die(O) in the arena. We have been made a spectacle(P) to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ,(Q) but you are so wise in Christ!(R) We are weak, but you are strong!(S) You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.(T) 12 We work hard with our own hands.(U) When we are cursed, we bless;(V) when we are persecuted,(W) we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage(X) of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

14 I am writing this not to shame you(Y) but to warn you as my dear children.(Z) 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father(AA) through the gospel.(AB) 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.(AC) 17 For this reason I have sent to you(AD) Timothy,(AE) my son(AF) whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.(AG)

18 Some of you have become arrogant,(AH) as if I were not coming to you.(AI) 19 But I will come to you very soon,(AJ) if the Lord is willing,(AK) and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of(AL) talk but of power.(AM) 21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,(AN) or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

Dealing With a Case of Incest

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.(AO) And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning(AP) and have put out of your fellowship(AQ) the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.(AR) As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus(AS) on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over(AT) to Satan(AU) for the destruction of the flesh,[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.(AV)

Your boasting is not good.(AW) Don’t you know that a little yeast(AX) leavens the whole batch of dough?(AY) Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.(AZ) Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread(BA) of sincerity and truth.

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate(BB) with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world(BC) who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[c](BD) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater(BE) or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.(BF)

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside(BG) the church? Are you not to judge those inside?(BH) 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”[d](BI)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 5:5 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
  2. 1 Corinthians 5:5 Or of his body
  3. 1 Corinthians 5:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in 8:11, 13.
  4. 1 Corinthians 5:13 Deut. 13:5; 17:7; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21,24; 24:7

17 But from eternity to eternity
the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him,
and his righteousness toward the grandchildren(A)
18 of those who keep his covenant,
who remember to observe his precepts.(B)
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.(C)

20 Bless the Lord,
all his angels of great strength,
who do his word,
obedient to his command.(D)
21 Bless the Lord, all his armies,
his servants who do his will.(E)
22 Bless the Lord, all his works
in all the places where he rules.(F)
My soul, bless the Lord!

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17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children(A)
18 with those who keep his covenant(B)
    and remember(C) to obey his precepts.(D)

19 The Lord has established his throne(E) in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules(F) over all.

20 Praise the Lord,(G) you his angels,(H)
    you mighty ones(I) who do his bidding,(J)
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,(K)
    you his servants(L) who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works(M)
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.(N)

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26 He is filled with craving[a] all day long,
but the righteous give and don’t hold back.(A)

27 The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable—
how much more so
when he brings it with ulterior motives!(B)

28 A lying witness will perish,(C)
but the one who listens will speak successfully.

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Footnotes

  1. 21:26 Lit He craves a craving

26 All day long he craves for more,
    but the righteous(A) give without sparing.(B)

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable(C)
    how much more so when brought with evil intent!(D)

28 A false witness(E) will perish,(F)
    but a careful listener will testify successfully.

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