Psalm 10

Need for God’s Justice

Lord,[a][b] why do you stand so far away?(A)
Why do you hide in times of trouble?(B)
In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue their victims;
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(C)

For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;(D)
the one who is greedy curses[c] and despises the Lord.(E)
In all his scheming,
the wicked person arrogantly thinks,[d]
“There’s no accountability,
since there’s no God.”(F)
His ways are always secure;[e]
your lofty judgments have no effect on him;[f]
he scoffs at all his adversaries.(G)
He says to himself, “I will never be moved—
from generation to generation I will be without calamity.”(H)
Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;
trouble and malice are under his tongue.(I)
He waits in ambush near settlements;(J)
he kills the innocent in secret places.
His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;(K)
he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.
He lurks in order to seize a victim;
he seizes a victim and drags him in his net.
10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;
helpless people fall because of the wicked one’s strength.(L)
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
he hides his face and will never see.”(M)

12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up your hand.(N)
Do not forget the oppressed.(O)
13 Why has the wicked person despised God?
He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”(P)
14 But you yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into your hands.(Q)
The helpless one entrusts himself to you;
you are a helper of the fatherless.(R)
15 Break the arm of the wicked, evil person,(S)
until you look for his wickedness,
but it can’t be found.(T)

16 The Lord is King forever and ever;(U)
the nations will perish from his land.(V)
17 Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble;
you will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,(W)
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that mere humans from the earth may terrify them no more.(X)

Footnotes

  1. 10:1 Some Hb mss, LXX connect Pss 9–10.
  2. 10:1 Together Pss 9–10 form a partial acrostic.
  3. 10:3 Or he blesses the greedy
  4. 10:4 Lit wicked according to the height of his nose
  5. 10:5 Or prosperous
  6. 10:5 Lit judgments are away from in front of him

The Parable of the Sower

13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.(A) Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.(B)

Then he told them many things in parables,(C) saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.(D) Let anyone who has ears[a] listen.”(E)

Why Jesus Used Parables

10 Then the disciples(F) came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” (G)

11 He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,(H) but it has not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.(I) 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see,(J) and hearing they do not listen or understand.(K) 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You will listen and listen,
but never understand;
you will look and look,
but never perceive.(L)
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and
understand with their hearts,
and turn back—
and I would heal them.[b](M)

16 “Blessed are your eyes(N) because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.(O) 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.(P)

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: (Q) 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.(R) 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.(S) 21 But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution(T) comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age(U) and the deceitfulness[c] of wealth(V) choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”

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Footnotes

  1. 13:9 Other mss add to hear
  2. 13:14–15 Is 6:9–10
  3. 13:22 Or pleasure

Transjordan Settlements

32 The Reubenites and Gadites had a very large number of livestock. When they surveyed the lands of Jazer(A) and Gilead, they saw that the region was a good one for livestock. So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the leaders of the community and said, “The territory of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam,[a] Nebo, and Beon,(B) which the Lord struck down(C) before the community of Israel,(D) is good land for livestock, and your servants own livestock.” They said, “If we have found favor with you, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Don’t make us cross the Jordan.”

But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your brothers go to war while you stay here? Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land the Lord has given them? That’s what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.(E) After they went up as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. 10 So the Lord’s anger burned that day, and he swore an oath:(F) 11 ‘Because they did not remain loyal to me,(G) none of the men twenty years old or more who came up from Egypt will see the land I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob(H) 12 none except Caleb(I) son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua(J) son of Nun, because they did remain loyal to the Lord.’ 13 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years until the whole generation that had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight was gone.(K) 14 And here you, a brood of sinners, stand in your ancestors’ place adding even more to the Lord’s burning anger against Israel. 15 If you turn back from following him,(L) he will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will destroy all of them.”

16 Then they approached him and said, “We want to build sheep pens here for our livestock and cities for our dependents. 17 But we will arm ourselves and be ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place.(M) Meanwhile, our dependents will remain in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has taken possession of his inheritance.(N) 19 Yet we will not have an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance will be across the Jordan to the east.”(O)

20 Moses replied to them, “If you do this—if you arm yourselves for battle before the Lord, 21 and every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies from his presence, 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord—afterward you may return and be free from obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the Lord. 23 But if you don’t do this, you will certainly sin against the Lord; be sure your sin will catch up with you. 24 Build cities for your dependents and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”(P)

25 The Gadites and Reubenites answered Moses, “Your servants will do just as my lord commands. 26 Our dependents, wives, livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants are equipped for war before the Lord and will go across to the battle as my lord orders.”

28 So Moses gave orders about them to the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes. 29 Moses told them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, every man in battle formation before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession.(Q) 30 But if they don’t go across with you in battle formation, they must accept land in Canaan with you.”

31 The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “What the Lord has spoken to your servants is what we will do. 32 We will cross over in battle formation before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but we will keep our hereditary possession across the Jordan.”

33 So Moses gave them—the Gadites, Reubenites, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph—the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites and the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, the land including its cities with the territories surrounding them.(R) 34 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran(S) as fortified cities, and built sheep pens. 37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.

39 The descendants of Machir(T) son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled in it.(U) 41 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages, which he renamed Jair’s Villages.[b](V) 42 Nobah went and captured Kenath with its surrounding villages and called it Nobah after his own name.

Footnotes

  1. 32:3 Sam, LXX read Sibmah (v. 38); Syr reads Sebah
  2. 32:41 Or renamed Havvoth-jair

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