Psalm 53

New International Version

Psalm 53^[a]^(A)

For the director of music. According to mahalath.^[b] A maskil^[c] of David.

¹The fool^(B) says in his heart,
“There is no God.”^(C)
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.

²God looks down from heaven^(D)
    on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,^(E)
    any who seek God.^(F)
³Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.^(G)

⁴Do all these evildoers know nothing?

They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on God.
⁵But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    where there was nothing to dread.^(H)
God scattered the bones^(I) of those who attacked you;^(J)
    you put them to shame,^(K) for God despised them.^(L)

⁶Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Footnotes

Psalm 53:1 In Hebrew texts 53:1-6 is numbered 53:2-7.
Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 53:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

1 Samuel 15:10-23

New International Version

¹⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ¹¹“I regret^(A) that I have made Saul king, because he has turned^(B) away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”^(C) Samuel was angry,^(D) and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

¹²Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel.^(E) There he has set up a monument^(F) in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”

¹³When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

¹⁴But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

¹⁵Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

¹⁶“Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

¹⁷Samuel said, “Although you were once small^(G) in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. ¹⁸And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ ¹⁹Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder^(H) and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

²⁰“But I did obey^(I) the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. ²¹The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

²²But Samuel replied:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
    as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,^(J)
    and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
²³For rebellion is like the sin of divination,^(K)
    and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected^(L) the word of the Lord,
    he has rejected you as king.”

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Revelation 21:22-22:5

New International Version

²²I did not see a temple^(A) in the city, because the Lord God Almighty^(B) and the Lamb^(C) are its temple. ²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God^(D) gives it light,^(E) and the Lamb^(F) is its lamp. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.^(G) ²⁵On no day will its gates^(H) ever be shut,^(I) for there will be no night there.^(J) ²⁶The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.^(K) ²⁷Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful,^(L) but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.^(M)

Eden Restored

22 Then the angel showed me the river^(N) of the water of life,^(O) as clear as crystal,^(P) flowing^(Q) from the throne of God and of the Lamb ²down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life,^(R) bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.^(S) ³No longer will there be any curse.^(T) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.^(U) ⁴They will see his face,^(V) and his name will be on their foreheads.^(W) ⁵There will be no more night.^(X) They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.^(Y) And they will reign for ever and ever.^(Z)