These things I remember,
    as I (A)pour out my soul:
(B)how I would go (C)with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    (D)a multitude keeping festival.

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These things I remember
    as I pour out my soul:(A)
how I used to go to the house of God(B)
    under the protection of the Mighty One[a]
with shouts of joy(C) and praise(D)
    among the festive throng.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 42:4 See Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.

29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, (A)as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to (B)the mountain of the Lord, to (C)the Rock of Israel.

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29 And you will sing
    as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;(A)
your hearts will rejoice(B)
    as when people playing pipes(C) go up
to the mountain(D) of the Lord,
    to the Rock(E) of Israel.

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Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

A Song of (A)Ascents. Of David.

122 I was glad when they said to me,
    (B)“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

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Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

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(A)Trust in him at all times, O people;
    (B)pour out your heart before him;
    God is (C)a refuge for us. Selah

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Trust in him at all times, you people;(A)
    pour out your hearts to him,(B)
    for God is our refuge.

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15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but (A)I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as (B)a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.”

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15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled.(A) I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring(B) out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”(C)

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15 [a] (A)Behold, upon the mountains, (B)the feet of him
    who brings good news,
    who publishes peace!
(C)Keep your feasts, O Judah;
    (D)fulfill your vows,
(E)for never again shall the worthless pass through you;
    he is utterly cut off.

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Footnotes

  1. Nahum 1:15 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew

15 Look, there on the mountains,
    the feet of one who brings good news,(A)
    who proclaims peace!(B)
Celebrate your festivals,(C) Judah,
    and fulfill your vows.
No more will the wicked invade you;(D)
    they will be completely destroyed.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Nahum 1:15 In Hebrew texts this verse (1:15) is numbered 2:1.

(A)Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his (B)courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; (C)bless his name!

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Enter his gates with thanksgiving(A)
    and his courts(B) with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.(C)

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14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in (A)the throng.

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14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship(A)
    at the house of God,(B)
as we walked about
    among the worshipers.

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25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that (A)you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

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25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,(A) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.(B)

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19 “Arise, (A)cry out in the night,
    at the beginning of the night watches!
(B)Pour out your heart like water
    before the presence of the Lord!
(C)Lift your hands to him
    for the lives of your children,
(D)who faint for hunger
    at the head of every street.”

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19 Arise, cry out in the night,
    as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart(A) like water
    in the presence of the Lord.(B)
Lift up your hands(C) to him
    for the lives of your children,
who faint(D) from hunger
    at every street corner.

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Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me

To the choirmaster: according to (A)The Gittith.[a] Of (B)Asaph.

81 (C)Sing aloud to God our strength;
    (D)shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
Raise a song; sound (E)the tambourine,
    (F)the sweet lyre with (G)the harp.
Blow the trumpet at (H)the new moon,
    at the full moon, on our feast day.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 81:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term

Psalm 81[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] Of Asaph.

Sing for joy to God our strength;
    shout aloud to the God of Jacob!(A)
Begin the music, strike the timbrel,(B)
    play the melodious harp(C) and lyre.(D)

Sound the ram’s horn(E) at the New Moon,(F)
    and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 81:1 In Hebrew texts 81:1-16 is numbered 81:2-17.
  2. Psalm 81:1 Title: Probably a musical term

“Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
    as in the days when God watched over me,
when his (A)lamp shone upon my head,
    and by his light I walked through darkness,
as I was in my prime,[a]
    when the (B)friendship of God was upon my tent,
when the Almighty was yet with me,
    when my (C)children were all around me,
when my steps were (D)washed with (E)butter,
    and (F)the rock poured out for me streams of (G)oil!
When I went out to (H)the gate of the city,
    when I prepared my seat in the square,
the young men saw me and withdrew,
    and the aged rose and stood;
the princes refrained from talking
    and (I)laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
    and their (J)tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
    and when the eye saw, it approved,
12 because I (K)delivered the poor who cried for help,
    and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 (L)The blessing of him who was (M)about to perish came upon me,
    and I caused (N)the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I (O)put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
    my justice was like a robe and (P)a turban.
15 I was (Q)eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
    and I searched out (R)the cause of him whom I did not know.
17 I (S)broke (T)the fangs of the unrighteous
    and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 (U)Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my (V)nest,
    and I shall multiply my days as (W)the sand,
19 my (X)roots spread out to (Y)the waters,
    with the dew all night on my (Z)branches,
20 my glory fresh with me,
    and my (AA)bow ever (AB)new in my hand.’

21 “Men listened to me and waited
    and kept silence for my counsel.
22 After I spoke they did not speak again,
    and my word (AC)dropped upon them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
    and they (AD)opened their mouths as for the (AE)spring rain.
24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
    and (AF)the light of my (AG)face they did not cast down.
25 I chose their way and sat as chief,
    and I lived like (AH)a king among his troops,
    like one who comforts mourners.

30 “But now they (AI)laugh at me,
    men who are (AJ)younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
    to set with the dogs of my flock.
What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
    (AK)men whose (AL)vigor is gone?
Through want and hard hunger
    they (AM)gnaw (AN)the dry ground by night in (AO)waste and desolation;
they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes,
    and the roots of the broom tree for their food.[b]
(AP)They are driven out from human company;
    they shout after them as after a thief.
In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell,
    in holes of the earth and of (AQ)the rocks.
Among the bushes they (AR)bray;
    under (AS)the nettles they huddle together.
A senseless, a nameless brood,
    they have been whipped out of the land.

“And now I have become their (AT)song;
    I am (AU)a byword to them.
10 They (AV)abhor me; they keep aloof from me;
    they do not hesitate to (AW)spit at the sight of me.
11 Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me,
    they have cast off restraint[c] in my presence.
12 On my (AX)right hand the rabble rise;
    they push away my feet;
    they (AY)cast up against me their ways of destruction.
13 They break up my path;
    they promote my (AZ)calamity;
    they need no one to help them.
14 As through a wide (BA)breach they come;
    amid the crash they roll on.
15 (BB)Terrors are turned upon me;
    my honor is pursued as by the wind,
    and my prosperity has passed away like (BC)a cloud.

16 “And now my soul is (BD)poured out within me;
    days of affliction have taken hold of me.
17 (BE)The night (BF)racks my bones,
    and the pain that (BG)gnaws me takes no rest.
18 With great force my garment is (BH)disfigured;
    it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
19 God[d] has cast me into the mire,
    and I have become like (BI)dust and ashes.
20 I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
    I stand, and you only look at me.
21 You have (BJ)turned cruel to me;
    with the might of your hand you (BK)persecute me.
22 (BL)You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it,
    and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.
23 (BM)For I know that you will bring me to death
    and to the house appointed for (BN)all living.

24 “Yet does not one in a (BO)heap of ruins stretch out his hand,
    and in his disaster cry for help?[e]
25 Did not I (BP)weep for him whose day was hard?
    Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
26 But (BQ)when I hoped for good, evil came,
    and when I waited for light, (BR)darkness came.
27 My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;
    days of affliction (BS)come to meet me.
28 I (BT)go about darkened, but not by the sun;
    I stand up in (BU)the assembly and cry for help.
29 I am a brother of (BV)jackals
    and a companion of (BW)ostriches.
30 My (BX)skin turns black and falls from me,
    and my (BY)bones burn with heat.
31 My (BZ)lyre is (CA)turned to mourning,
    and my (CB)pipe to the voice of those who weep.

Footnotes

  1. Job 29:4 Hebrew my autumn days
  2. Job 30:4 Or warmth
  3. Job 30:11 Hebrew the bridle
  4. Job 30:19 Hebrew He
  5. Job 30:24 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

“How I long for the months gone by,(A)
    for the days when God watched over me,(B)
when his lamp shone on my head
    and by his light I walked through darkness!(C)
Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,
    when God’s intimate friendship(D) blessed my house,(E)
when the Almighty was still with me
    and my children(F) were around me,(G)
when my path was drenched with cream(H)
    and the rock(I) poured out for me streams of olive oil.(J)

“When I went to the gate(K) of the city
    and took my seat in the public square,
the young men saw me and stepped aside(L)
    and the old men rose to their feet;(M)
the chief men refrained from speaking(N)
    and covered their mouths with their hands;(O)
10 the voices of the nobles were hushed,(P)
    and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.(Q)
11 Whoever heard me spoke well of me,
    and those who saw me commended me,(R)
12 because I rescued the poor(S) who cried for help,
    and the fatherless(T) who had none to assist them.(U)
13 The one who was dying blessed me;(V)
    I made the widow’s(W) heart sing.
14 I put on righteousness(X) as my clothing;
    justice was my robe and my turban.(Y)
15 I was eyes(Z) to the blind
    and feet to the lame.(AA)
16 I was a father to the needy;(AB)
    I took up the case(AC) of the stranger.(AD)
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
    and snatched the victims(AE) from their teeth.(AF)

18 “I thought, ‘I will die in my own house,
    my days as numerous as the grains of sand.(AG)
19 My roots will reach to the water,(AH)
    and the dew will lie all night on my branches.(AI)
20 My glory will not fade;(AJ)
    the bow(AK) will be ever new in my hand.’(AL)

21 “People listened to me expectantly,
    waiting in silence for my counsel.(AM)
22 After I had spoken, they spoke no more;(AN)
    my words fell gently on their ears.(AO)
23 They waited for me as for showers
    and drank in my words as the spring rain.(AP)
24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
    the light of my face(AQ) was precious to them.[a](AR)
25 I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;(AS)
    I dwelt as a king(AT) among his troops;
    I was like one who comforts mourners.(AU)

30 “But now they mock me,(AV)
    men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
    to put with my sheep dogs.(AW)
Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
    since their vigor had gone from them?
Haggard from want and hunger,
    they roamed[b] the parched land(AX)
    in desolate wastelands(AY) at night.(AZ)
In the brush they gathered salt herbs,(BA)
    and their food[c] was the root of the broom bush.(BB)
They were banished from human society,
    shouted at as if they were thieves.
They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
    among the rocks and in holes in the ground.(BC)
They brayed(BD) among the bushes(BE)
    and huddled in the undergrowth.
A base and nameless brood,(BF)
    they were driven out of the land.(BG)

“And now those young men mock me(BH) in song;(BI)
    I have become a byword(BJ) among them.
10 They detest me(BK) and keep their distance;
    they do not hesitate to spit in my face.(BL)
11 Now that God has unstrung my bow(BM) and afflicted me,(BN)
    they throw off restraint(BO) in my presence.
12 On my right(BP) the tribe[d] attacks;
    they lay snares(BQ) for my feet,(BR)
    they build their siege ramps against me.(BS)
13 They break up my road;(BT)
    they succeed in destroying me.(BU)
    ‘No one can help him,’ they say.
14 They advance as through a gaping breach;(BV)
    amid the ruins they come rolling in.
15 Terrors(BW) overwhelm me;(BX)
    my dignity is driven away as by the wind,
    my safety vanishes like a cloud.(BY)

16 “And now my life ebbs away;(BZ)
    days of suffering grip me.(CA)
17 Night pierces my bones;
    my gnawing pains never rest.(CB)
18 In his great power(CC) God becomes like clothing to me[e];
    he binds me like the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud,(CD)
    and I am reduced to dust and ashes.(CE)

20 “I cry out to you,(CF) God, but you do not answer;(CG)
    I stand up, but you merely look at me.
21 You turn on me ruthlessly;(CH)
    with the might of your hand(CI) you attack me.(CJ)
22 You snatch me up and drive me before the wind;(CK)
    you toss me about in the storm.(CL)
23 I know you will bring me down to death,(CM)
    to the place appointed for all the living.(CN)

24 “Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man(CO)
    when he cries for help in his distress.(CP)
25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?(CQ)
    Has not my soul grieved for the poor?(CR)
26 Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;
    when I looked for light, then came darkness.(CS)
27 The churning inside me never stops;(CT)
    days of suffering confront me.(CU)
28 I go about blackened,(CV) but not by the sun;
    I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.(CW)
29 I have become a brother of jackals,(CX)
    a companion of owls.(CY)
30 My skin grows black(CZ) and peels;(DA)
    my body burns with fever.(DB)
31 My lyre is tuned to mourning,(DC)
    and my pipe(DD) to the sound of wailing.

Footnotes

  1. Job 29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  2. Job 30:3 Or gnawed
  3. Job 30:4 Or fuel
  4. Job 30:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Job 30:18 Hebrew; Septuagint power he grasps my clothing

23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast (A)for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah (B)gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests (C)consecrated themselves in great numbers. 25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, (D)and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for (E)since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.

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23 The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate(A) the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. 24 Hezekiah king of Judah provided(B) a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats for the assembly, and the officials provided them with a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep and goats. A great number of priests consecrated themselves. 25 The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, along with the priests and Levites and all who had assembled from Israel(C), including the foreigners who had come from Israel and also those who resided in Judah. 26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon(D) son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.

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