Psalm 54

English Standard Version

The Lord Upholds My Life

To the choirmaster: with ^(A)stringed instruments. A Maskil^[a] of David, ^(B)when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

54 O God, save me by your ^(C)name,
and vindicate me by your might.
²O God, ^(D)hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.

³^(E)For ^(F)strangers^[b] have risen against me;
ruthless men ^(G)seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah

⁴Behold, ^(H)God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
⁵He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your ^(I)faithfulness ^(J)put an end to them.

⁶With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, ^(K)for it is good.
⁷For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has ^(L)looked in triumph on my enemies.

Footnotes

Psalm 54:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 54:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Targum insolent men (compare Psalm 86:14)

Jeremiah 11:18-20

English Standard Version

¹⁸The Lord made it known to me and I knew;
    then you showed me their deeds.
¹⁹But I was ^(A)like a gentle lamb
    led to the slaughter.
I did not know ^(B)it was against me
    they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
    ^(C)let us cut him off from ^(D)the land of the living,
    that his name be remembered no more.”
²⁰But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously,
    who ^(E)tests ^(F)the heart and the mind,
^(G)let me see your vengeance upon them,
    for to you have I committed my cause.

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James 3:13-4:10

English Standard Version

Wisdom from Above

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? ^(A)By his good conduct let him show his works ^(B)in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter ^(C)jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵This is not ^(D)the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, ^(E)demonic. ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷But ^(F)the wisdom from above is first pure, then ^(G)peaceable, gentle, open to reason, ^(H)full of mercy and good fruits, ^(I)impartial and ^(J)sincere. ¹⁸And ^(K)a harvest of righteousness ^(L)is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Warning Against Worldliness

4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions^[a] are ^(M)at war within you?^[b] ²You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³You ask and do not receive, because you ask ^(N)wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴^(O)You adulterous people!^[c] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? ^(P)Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit ^(Q)that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶But ^(R)he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ^(S)“God opposes the proud but ^(T)gives grace to the humble.” ⁷Submit yourselves therefore to God. ^(U)Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸^(V)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. ^(W)Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and ^(X)purify your hearts, ^(Y)you double-minded. ⁹^(Z)Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰^(AA)Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.