Psalm 119:89-104

New International Version

ל Lamedh

⁸⁹Your word, Lord, is eternal;^(A)
    it stands firm in the heavens.
⁹⁰Your faithfulness^(B) continues through all generations;^(C)
    you established the earth, and it endures.^(D)
⁹¹Your laws endure^(E) to this day,
    for all things serve you.^(F)
⁹²If your law had not been my delight,^(G)
    I would have perished in my affliction.^(H)
⁹³I will never forget^(I) your precepts,
    for by them you have preserved my life.^(J)
⁹⁴Save me,^(K) for I am yours;
    I have sought out your precepts.^(L)
⁹⁵The wicked are waiting to destroy me,^(M)
    but I will ponder your statutes.^(N)
⁹⁶To all perfection I see a limit,
    but your commands are boundless.^(O)

מ Mem

⁹⁷Oh, how I love your law!^(P)
    I meditate^(Q) on it all day long.
⁹⁸Your commands are always with me
    and make me wiser^(R) than my enemies.
⁹⁹I have more insight than all my teachers,
    for I meditate on your statutes.^(S)
¹⁰⁰I have more understanding than the elders,
    for I obey your precepts.^(T)
¹⁰¹I have kept my feet^(U) from every evil path
    so that I might obey your word.^(V)
¹⁰²I have not departed from your laws,^(W)
    for you yourself have taught^(X) me.
¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey^(Y) to my mouth!^(Z)
¹⁰⁴I gain understanding^(AA) from your precepts;
    therefore I hate every wrong path.^(AB)

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Isaiah 55-56

New International Version

Invitation to the Thirsty

55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,^(A)
    come to the waters;^(B)
and you who have no money,
    come, buy^(C) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk^(D)
    without money and without cost.^(E)
²Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?^(F)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,^(G)
    and you will delight in the richest^(H) of fare.
³Give ear and come to me;
    listen,^(I) that you may live.^(J)
I will make an everlasting covenant^(K) with you,
    my faithful love^(L) promised to David.^(M)
⁴See, I have made him a witness^(N) to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander^(O) of the peoples.
⁵Surely you will summon nations^(P) you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,^(Q)
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One^(R) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”^(S)

⁶Seek^(T) the Lord while he may be found;^(U)
    call^(V) on him while he is near.
⁷Let the wicked forsake^(W) their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.^(X)
Let them turn^(Y) to the Lord, and he will have mercy^(Z) on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.^(AA)

⁸“For my thoughts^(AB) are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”^(AC)
declares the Lord.
⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth,^(AD)
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.^(AE)
¹⁰As the rain^(AF) and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,^(AG)
    so that it yields seed^(AH) for the sower and bread for the eater,^(AI)
¹¹so is my word^(AJ) that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,^(AK)
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose^(AL) for which I sent it.
¹²You will go out in joy^(AM)
    and be led forth in peace;^(AN)
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song^(AO) before you,
and all the trees^(AP) of the field
    will clap their hands.^(AQ)
¹³Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers^(AR) the myrtle^(AS) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,^(AT)
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”

Salvation for Others

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice^(AU)
    and do what is right,^(AV)
for my salvation^(AW) is close at hand
    and my righteousness^(AX) will soon be revealed.
²Blessed^(AY) is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath^(AZ) without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

³Let no foreigner^(BA) who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”^(BB)
And let no eunuch^(BC) complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”

⁴For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs^(BD) who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant^(BE)—
⁵to them I will give within my temple and its walls^(BF)
    a memorial^(BG) and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name^(BH)
    that will endure forever.^(BI)
⁶And foreigners^(BJ) who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister^(BK) to him,
to love the name^(BL) of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath^(BM) without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain^(BN)
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices^(BO)
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.^(BP)”^(BQ)
⁸The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather^(BR) still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

⁹Come, all you beasts of the field,^(BS)
    come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
¹⁰Israel’s watchmen^(BT) are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;^(BU)
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.^(BV)
¹¹They are dogs with mighty appetites;
    they never have enough.
They are shepherds^(BW) who lack understanding;^(BX)
    they all turn to their own way,^(BY)
    they seek their own gain.^(BZ)
¹²“Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!^(CA)
    Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
    or even far better.”^(CB)

James 2

New International Version

Favoritism Forbidden

2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious^(A) Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.^(B) ²Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. ³If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges^(C) with evil thoughts?

⁵Listen, my dear brothers and sisters:^(D) Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world^(E) to be rich in faith^(F) and to inherit the kingdom^(G) he promised those who love him?^(H) ⁶But you have dishonored the poor.^(I) Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?^(J) ⁷Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

⁸If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”^[a]^(K) you are doing right. ⁹But if you show favoritism,^(L) you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.^(M) ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles^(N) at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.^(O) ¹¹For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”^[b]^(P) also said, “You shall not murder.”^[c]^(Q) If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

¹²Speak and act as those who are going to be judged^(R) by the law that gives freedom,^(S) ¹³because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.^(T) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Deeds

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?^(U) Can such faith save them? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.^(V) ¹⁶If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?^(W) ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.^(X)

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds,^(Y) and I will show you my faith^(Z) by my deeds.^(AA) ¹⁹You believe that there is one God.^(AB) Good! Even the demons believe that^(AC)—and shudder.

²⁰You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[d]?^(AD) ²¹Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?^(AE) ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together,^(AF) and his faith was made complete by what he did.^(AG) ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[e]^(AH) and he was called God’s friend.^(AI) ²⁴You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

²⁵In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?^(AJ) ²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.^(AK)