Psalm 37:23-40

New International Version

²³The Lord makes firm the steps^(A)
of the one who delights^(B) in him;
²⁴though he may stumble, he will not fall,^(C)
for the Lord upholds^(D) him with his hand.

²⁵I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken^(E)
    or their children begging^(F) bread.
²⁶They are always generous and lend freely;^(G)
    their children will be a blessing.^[a]^(H)

²⁷Turn from evil and do good;^(I)
then you will dwell in the land forever.^(J)
²⁸For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.^(K)

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed^[b];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.^(L)
²⁹The righteous will inherit the land^(M)
and dwell in it forever.^(N)

³⁰The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,^(O)
and their tongues speak what is just.
³¹The law of their God is in their hearts;^(P)
their feet do not slip.^(Q)

³²The wicked lie in wait^(R) for the righteous,^(S)
intent on putting them to death;
³³but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned^(T) when brought to trial.^(U)

³⁴Hope in the Lord^(V)
and keep his way.^(W)
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed,^(X) you will see^(Y) it.

³⁵I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing^(Z) like a luxuriant native tree,
³⁶but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.^(AA)

³⁷Consider the blameless,^(AB) observe the upright;^(AC)
a future awaits those who seek peace.^[c]^(AD)
³⁸But all sinners^(AE) will be destroyed;^(AF)
there will be no future^[d] for the wicked.^(AG)

³⁹The salvation^(AH) of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.^(AI)
⁴⁰The Lord helps^(AJ) them and delivers^(AK) them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves^(AL) them,
    because they take refuge^(AM) in him.

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Footnotes

Psalm 37:26 Or freely; / the names of their children will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or freely; / others will see that their children are blessed
Psalm 37:28 See Septuagint; Hebrew They will be protected forever
Psalm 37:37 Or upright; / those who seek peace will have posterity
Psalm 37:38 Or posterity

1 Samuel 10:17-25

New International Version

¹⁷Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah^(A) ¹⁸and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed^(B) you.’ ¹⁹But you have now rejected^(C) your God, who saves^(D) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king^(E) over us.’^(F) So now present^(G) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

²⁰When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.^(H) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. ²²So they inquired^(I) further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

²³They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller^(J) than any of the others. ²⁴Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?^(K) There is no one like^(L) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live^(M) the king!”

²⁵Samuel explained^(N) to the people the rights and duties^(O) of kingship.^(P) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

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Hebrews 6:13-20

New International Version

The Certainty of God’s Promise

¹³When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,^(A) ¹⁴saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”^[a]^(B) ¹⁵And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.^(C)

¹⁶People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.^(D) ¹⁷Because God wanted to make the unchanging^(E) nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised,^(F) he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,^(G) we who have fled to take hold of the hope^(H) set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,^(I) ²⁰where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.^(J) He has become a high priest^(K) forever, in the order of Melchizedek.^(L)