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Book II

(Psalms 42–72)

Psalm 42

Longing for God and His Help in Distress

To the leader. A Maskil of the Korahites.

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
    so my soul longs for you, O God.(A)
My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
    the face of God?(B)
My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while people say to me continually,
    “Where is your God?”(C)

These things I remember,
    as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng[a]
    and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
    a multitude keeping festival.(D)
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,
my help(E)     and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
    at the thunder of your torrents;
all your waves and your billows
    have gone over me.(F)
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.(G)

I say to God, my rock,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
    because the enemy oppresses me?”(H)
10 As with a deadly wound in my body,
    my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
    “Where is your God?”(I)

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,
    my help and my God.(J)

Footnotes

  1. 42.4 Meaning of Heb uncertain

Psalm 43

Prayer to God in Time of Trouble

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
    against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust,
    deliver me!(A)
For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
    why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
    because of the oppression of the enemy?(B)

O send out your light and your truth;
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
    and to your dwelling.(C)
Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the harp,
    O God, my God.(D)

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,
    my help and my God.(E)

True Disciples

31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”(A) 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?”(B)

34 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.(C) 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever.(D) 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

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in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: “Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say: Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?(A) Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts,(B) according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.(C) For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land,(D) and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.(E) The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.”(F)

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Psalm 48

The Glory and Strength of Zion

A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
    in the city of our God.
His holy mountain,(A) beautiful in elevation,
    is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
    the city of the great King.(B)
Within its citadels God
    has shown himself a sure defense.(C)

Then the kings assembled;
    they came on together.(D)
As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
    they were in panic; they took to flight;(E)
trembling took hold of them there,
    pains as of a woman in labor,
as when an east wind shatters
    the ships of Tarshish.(F)
As we have heard, so have we seen
    in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
    which God establishes forever. Selah

We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
    in the midst of your temple.
10 Your name, O God, like your praise,
    reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.(G)
11     Let Mount Zion be glad;
let the towns[a] of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments.(H)

12 Walk about Zion; go all around it;
    count its towers;
13 consider well its ramparts;
    go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation(I)
14     that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
    He will be our guide forever.(J)

Footnotes

  1. 48.11 Heb daughters

Psalm 87

The Joy of Living in Zion

Of the Korahites. A Psalm. A Song.

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
    the Lord loves the gates of Zion
    more than all the dwellings of Jacob.(A)
Glorious things are spoken of you,
    O city of God. Selah(B)

Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
    Philistia, too, and Tyre, with Cush—
    “This one was born there,” they say.

And of Zion it shall be said,
    “This one and that one were born in it,”
    for the Most High himself will establish it.(C)
The Lord records, as he registers the peoples,
    “This one was born there.” Selah(D)

Singers and dancers alike say,
    “All my springs are in you.”(E)