Psalm 55
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 55
Complaint about a Friend’s Treachery
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.(A)
2 Attend to me and answer me;
I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught(B) 3 by the noise of the enemy,
because of the clamor of the wicked.
For they bring[a] trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.(C)
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.(D)
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.(E)
6 And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;(F)
7 truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.”(G)
9 Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.(H)
10 Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.(I)
12 It is not enemies who taunt me—
I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—
I could hide from them.(J)
13 But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend,(K)
14 with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house of God with the throng.(L)
15 Let death come upon them;
let them go down alive to Sheol,
for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.(M)
16 But I call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.(N)
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.(O)
18 He will redeem me unharmed
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.(P)
19 God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah
will hear and will humble them,
because they do not change
and do not fear God.(Q)
20 My companion laid hands on a friend
and violated a covenant with me[b](R)
21 with speech smoother than butter
but with a heart set on war,
with words that were softer than oil
but in fact were drawn swords.(S)
22 Cast your burden[c] on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.(T)
23 But you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.(U)
Wisdom of Solomon 7:1-14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The King Is Like Other Mortals
7 I also am mortal like everyone else,
a descendant of the first-formed child of earth,
and in the womb of a mother I was molded into flesh,(A)
2 within the period of ten months, compacted with blood,
from the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.
3 And when I was born, I began to breathe the common air
and fell upon the kindred earth;
my first sound was a cry, as is true of all.(B)
4 I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths.(C)
5 For no king has had a different beginning of existence;
6 there is for all one entrance into life and one way out.(D)
Respect for Wisdom
7 Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me;
I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.(E)
8 I preferred her to scepters and thrones,
and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.(F)
9 Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,
because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.(G)
10 I loved her more than health and beauty,
and I chose to have her rather than light
because her radiance never ceases.(H)
11 All good things came to me along with her,
and in her hands uncounted wealth.(I)
12 I rejoiced in them all because wisdom leads them,
but I did not know that she was their mother.
13 I learned without guile, and I impart without grudging;
I do not hide her wealth,(J)
14 for it is an unfailing treasure for mortals;
those who get it obtain friendship with God,
commended for the gifts that come from instruction.(K)
Colossians 3:12-17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.(A) 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord[a] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ[b] rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.(B) 16 Let the word of Christ[c] dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.[d](C) 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(D)
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Colossians 3:12-17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.(A) 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord[a] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ[b] rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.(B) 16 Let the word of Christ[c] dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.[d](C) 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(D)
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Psalm 138
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 138
Thanksgiving and Praise
Of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord,[a] with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;(A)
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.[b](B)
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength of soul.[c](C)
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.(D)
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.(E)
Psalm 138
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 138
Thanksgiving and Praise
Of David.
1 I give you thanks, O Lord,[a] with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;(A)
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted your name and your word
above everything.[b](B)
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength of soul.[c](C)
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.(D)
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he perceives from far away.(E)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.