Psalm 111

Praise for the Lord’s Works

New Stone Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.^{(A) 2} Be prepared by morning. Come up Mount Sinai in the morning and stand before me on the mountaintop. ³ No one may go up with you; in fact, no one should be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.”^(B)

⁴ Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hand, he climbed Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him.

⁵ The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed his name, “the Lord.” ⁶ The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:

The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,^{(C) 7} maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin.^(D) But he will not leave the guilty^(E) unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

⁸ Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshiped. ⁹ Then he said, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor with you, my Lord, please go with us (even though this is a stiff-necked people), forgive our iniquity and our sin, and accept us as your own possession.”^(F)

Covenant Obligations

¹⁰ And the Lord responded, “Look, I am making a covenant. In the presence of all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done^[a] in the whole earth or in any nation. All the people you live among will see the Lord’s work, for what I am doing with you is awe-inspiring.^{(G) 11} Observe what I command you today. I am going to drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hethites, Perizzites, Hivites,^[b] and Jebusites. ¹² Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land that you are going to enter; otherwise, they will become a snare among you.^{(H) 13} Instead, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and chop down their Asherah poles.^{(I) 14} Because the Lord is jealous^(J) for his reputation, you are never to bow down to another god.^[c] He is a jealous God.

¹⁵ “Do not make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land, or else when they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices.^{(K) 16} Then you will take some of their daughters as brides for your sons. Their daughters will prostitute themselves with their gods and cause your sons to prostitute themselves with their gods.^(L)

¹⁷ “Do not make cast images^(M) of gods for yourselves.

¹⁸ “Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. You are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib,^[d] as I commanded you, for you came out of Egypt in the month of Abib.^(N)

¹⁹ “The firstborn^(O) male from every womb belongs to me, including all your male^[e][f] livestock, the firstborn of cattle or sheep. ²⁰ You may redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a sheep, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.^(P) You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.

²¹ “You are to labor six days but you must rest^(Q) on the seventh day; you must even rest during plowing and harvesting times.

²² “Observe the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering^[g] at the turn of the agricultural year. ²³ Three times a year^(R) all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. ²⁴ For I will drive out nations^(S) before you and enlarge your territory.^(T) No one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord your God.

²⁵ “Do not present^[h] the blood for my sacrifice with anything leavened. The sacrifice of the Passover Festival must not remain until morning.^(U)

²⁶ “Bring the best firstfruits^(V) of your land to the house of the Lord your God.

“You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

²⁷ The Lord also said to Moses, “Write^(W) down these words, for I have made a covenant with you and with Israel based on these words.”

²⁸ Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat food or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments,^(X) the words of the covenant, on the tablets.

Moses’s Radiant Face

²⁹ As Moses descended from Mount Sinai—with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain—he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord.^{[i](Y) 30} When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone!^(Z) They were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them to do everything the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. ³³ When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded,^{(AA) 35} and the Israelites would see that Moses’s face^[j] was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the Lord.

Destruction of the Temple Predicted

⁵ As^(A) some were talking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ⁶ “These things that you see—the days will come^(B) when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”^(C)

Signs of the End of the Age

⁷ “Teacher,” they asked him, “so when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” ^(D)

⁸ Then he said, “Watch out that you are not deceived.^(E) For many will come in my name,^(F) saying, ‘I am he,’^(G) and, ‘The time is near.’ Don’t follow them.^{(H) 9} When you hear of wars and rebellions,^[a] don’t be alarmed. Indeed, it is necessary that these things take place first, but the end won’t come right away.”

¹⁰ Then he told them, “Nation will be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^{(I) 11} There will be violent earthquakes,^(J) and famines and plagues^(K) in various places, and there will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven.^{(L) 12} But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you^(M) and persecute^(N) you. They will hand you over to the synagogues^(O) and prisons,^(P) and you will be brought before kings and governors^(Q) because of my name. ¹³ This will give you an opportunity to bear witness.^{(R) 14} Therefore make up your minds^[b] not to prepare your defense ahead of time,^{(S) 15} for I will give you such words^(T) and a wisdom^(U) that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.^{(V) 16} You will even be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends.^(W) They will kill some of you. ¹⁷ You will be hated by everyone because of my name,^{(X) 18} but not a hair of your head will be lost.^{(Y) 19} By your endurance, gain^[c] your lives.^(Z)

The Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰ “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,^(AA) then recognize that its desolation^(AB) has come near. ²¹ Then those in Judea must flee^(AC) to the mountains.^(AD) Those inside the city must leave it, and those who are in the country must not enter it, ²² because these are days of vengeance^(AE) to fulfill all the things that are written. ²³ Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,^(AF) for there will be great distress in the land^[d] and wrath against this people. ²⁴ They will be killed by the sword^[e](AG) and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles^[f](AH) until the times of the Gentiles^(AI) are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵ “Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; ^(AJ) and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the waves.^{(AK) 26} People will faint from fear and expectation of the things that are coming on the world, because the powers of the heavens will be shaken.^{(AL) 27} Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud^(AM) with power and great glory.^{(AN) 28} But when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is near.”^(AO)

The Parable of the Fig Tree

²⁹ Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ As soon as they put out leaves you can see for yourselves and recognize that summer is already near. ³¹ In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize^[g] that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all things take place.^{(AP) 33} Heaven and earth will pass away,^(AQ) but my words will never pass away.^(AR)

The Need for Watchfulness

³⁴ “Be on your guard,^(AS) so that your minds are not dulled^[h] from carousing,^[i] drunkenness,^(AT) and worries of life,^(AU) or that day will come on you unexpectedly^{(AV) 35} like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But be alert at all times,^(AW) praying that you may have strength^[j] to escape^(AX) all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ During^(AY) the day, he was teaching in the temple,^(AZ) but in the evening he would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives.^{(BA) 38} Then all the people would come early in the morning to hear him in the temple.^(BB)