33 He (A)turns rivers into a desert,
    springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 (B)a fruitful land into a salty waste,
    because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He (C)turns a desert into pools of water,
    (D)a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
    and they establish (E)a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
    and get a fruitful yield.
38 (F)By his blessing they multiply greatly,
    and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39 When they are diminished and brought low
    through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 (G)he pours contempt on princes
    and (H)makes them wander (I)in trackless wastes;
41 but (J)he raises up the needy out of affliction
    and (K)makes their families like flocks.
42 (L)The upright see it and are glad,
    and (M)all wickedness shuts its mouth.

43 (N)Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
    let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

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With God We Shall Do Valiantly

A Song. A Psalm of David.

108 (A)My heart is steadfast, O God!
    I will sing and make melody with all my being![a]
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great (B)above the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!
(C)That your beloved ones may be delivered,
    give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

God has promised in his holiness:[b]
    “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
    and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah my scepter.
Moab is my washbasin;
    upon Edom I cast my shoe;
    (D)over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have you not rejected us, O God?
    You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
12 Oh grant us help against the foe,
    for vain is the salvation of man!
13 With God we shall do valiantly;
    it is he who will tread down our foes.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 108:1 Hebrew with my glory
  2. Psalm 108:7 Or sanctuary

Lying Prophets

Concerning the prophets:

(A)My heart is broken within me;
    (B)all my bones shake;
I am like a drunken man,
    like a man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
    and because of his holy words.
10 (C)For the land is full of adulterers;
    (D)because of the curse (E)the land mourns,
    and (F)the pastures of the wilderness are dried up.
(G)Their course is evil,
    and their might is not right.
11 (H)“Both prophet and priest are ungodly;
    even (I)in my house I have found their evil,
declares the Lord.
12 (J)Therefore their way shall be to them
    like slippery paths (K)in the darkness,
    into which they shall be driven and fall,
for I will bring disaster upon them
    (L)in the year of their punishment,
declares the Lord.
13 In the prophets of (M)Samaria
    (N)I saw an unsavory thing:
(O)they prophesied by Baal
    (P)and led my people Israel astray.
14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen a horrible thing:
(Q)they commit adultery and walk in lies;
    (R)they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
    so that no one turns from his evil;
(S)all of them have become like Sodom to me,
    (T)and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
(U)“Behold, I will feed them with bitter food
    (V)and give them (W)poisoned water to drink,
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness has gone out into all the land.”

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God's Sovereign Choice

(A)I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For (B)I could wish that I myself were (C)accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen (D)according to the flesh. They are (E)Israelites, and to them belong (F)the adoption, (G)the glory, (H)the covenants, (I)the giving of the law, (J)the worship, and (K)the promises. To them belong (L)the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, (M)who is God over all, (N)blessed forever. Amen.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham (O)because they are his offspring, but (P)“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but (Q)the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: (R)“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but (S)also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of (T)him who calls— 12 she was told, (U)“The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, (V)“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? (W)Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, (X)“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,[b] but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, (Y)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:3 Or brothers and sisters
  2. Romans 9:16 Greek not of him who wills or runs

The Words of Eternal Life

60 (A)When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, (B)knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see (C)the Son of Man (D)ascending to (E)where he was before? 63 (F)It is the Spirit who gives life; (G)the flesh is no help at all. (H)The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But (I)there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus (J)knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and (K)who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you (L)that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

66 (M)After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to (N)the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have (O)the words of eternal life, 69 and (P)we have believed, and have come to know, that (Q)you are (R)the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, (S)“Did I not choose you, (T)the twelve? And yet one of you is (U)a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas (V)the son of Simon Iscariot, for (W)he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

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