Psalm 131

English Standard Version

I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of David.

131 O Lord, my heart is not ^(B)lifted up;
    my eyes are not ^(C)raised too high;
I do not ^(D)occupy myself with things
    too great and ^(E)too marvelous for me.
²But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned ^(F)child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

³^(G)O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 138-139

English Standard Version

Give Thanks to the Lord

Of David.

138 ^(A)I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
    before ^(B)the gods I sing your praise;
²I bow down ^(C)toward your ^(D)holy temple
    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
    for you have exalted above all things
    your name and your word.^[a]
³On the day I called, you answered me;
    my strength of soul you increased.^[b]

⁴^(E)All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
    for they have heard the words of your mouth,
⁵and they shall sing of ^(F)the ways of the Lord,
    for great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶^(G)For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
    but the haughty he knows from afar.

⁷^(H)Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you ^(I)preserve my life;
you ^(J)stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
    and your ^(K)right hand delivers me.
⁸The Lord will ^(L)fulfill his purpose for me;
    ^(M)your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
    Do not forsake ^(N)the work of your hands.

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you have ^(O)searched me and known me!
²You ^(P)know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you ^(Q)discern my thoughts from afar.
³You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, ^(R)you know it altogether.
⁵You ^(S)hem me in, behind and before,
    and ^(T)lay your hand upon me.
⁶^(U)Such knowledge is ^(V)too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

⁷^(W)Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where ^(X)shall I flee from your presence?
⁸^(Y)If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    ^(Z)If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand shall ^(AA)lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹If I say, ^(AB)“Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
¹²^(AC)even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

¹³For you ^(AD)formed my inward parts;
    you ^(AE)knitted me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^[c]
^(AF)Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵^(AG)My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in ^(AH)the depths of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your ^(AI)book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷How precious to me are your ^(AJ)thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸^(AK)If I would count them, they are more than ^(AL)the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

¹⁹Oh that you would ^(AM)slay the wicked, O God!
    O ^(AN)men of blood, ^(AO)depart from me!
²⁰They ^(AP)speak against you with malicious intent;
    your enemies ^(AQ)take your name in vain.^[d]
²¹^(AR)Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not ^(AS)loathe those who ^(AT)rise up against you?
²²I hate them with complete hatred;
    I count them my enemies.

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart!
^(AU)Try me and know my thoughts!^[e]
²⁴And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and ^(AV)lead me in ^(AW)the way everlasting!^[f]

Footnotes

Psalm 138:2 Or you have exalted your word above all your name
Psalm 138:3 Hebrew you made me bold in my soul with strength
Psalm 139:14 Or for I am fearfully set apart
Psalm 139:20 Hebrew lacks your name
Psalm 139:23 Or cares
Psalm 139:24 Or in the ancient way (compare Jeremiah 6:16)

Psalm 143-145

English Standard Version

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
    ^(A)give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your ^(B)faithfulness answer me, in your ^(C)righteousness!
²^(D)Enter not into judgment with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous ^(E)before you.

³For the enemy has pursued my soul;
    ^(F)he has crushed my life to the ground;
    ^(G)he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
⁴Therefore my spirit ^(H)faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.

⁵^(I)I remember the days of old;
    ^(J)I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
⁶^(K)I stretch out my hands to you;
    ^(L)my soul thirsts for you like ^(M)a parched land. Selah

⁷^(N)Answer me quickly, O Lord!
    ^(O)My spirit fails!
^(P)Hide not your face from me,
    ^(Q)lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
⁸^(R)Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I ^(S)trust.
^(T)Make me know the way I should go,
    ^(U)for to you I lift up my soul.

⁹^(V)Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
    I have fled to you for refuge.^[a]
¹⁰^(W)Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
^(X)Let your good Spirit ^(Y)lead me
    on ^(Z)level ground!

¹¹^(AA)For your name's sake, O Lord, ^(AB)preserve my life!
    In your righteousness ^(AC)bring my soul out of trouble!
¹²And in your steadfast love you will ^(AD)cut off my enemies,
    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
    for I am your ^(AE)servant.

My Rock and My Fortress

Of David.

144 Blessed be the Lord, my ^(AF)rock,
    ^(AG)who trains my hands for war,
    and my fingers for battle;
²he is my ^(AH)steadfast love and my ^(AI)fortress,
    my ^(AJ)stronghold and my deliverer,
my ^(AK)shield and he in whom I take refuge,
    who ^(AL)subdues peoples^[b] under me.

³O Lord, ^(AM)what is man that you ^(AN)regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
⁴^(AO)Man is like a breath;
his days are like ^(AP)a passing ^(AQ)shadow.

⁵^(AR)Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
    ^(AS)Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
⁶^(AT)Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
    ^(AU)send out your arrows and rout them!
⁷^(AV)Stretch out your hand from on high;
    ^(AW)rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
    from the hand ^(AX)of foreigners,
⁸whose mouths speak ^(AY)lies
    and whose right hand is ^(AZ)a right hand of falsehood.

⁹I will sing ^(BA)a new song to you, O God;
    upon ^(BB)a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
¹⁰who gives victory to kings,
    who ^(BC)rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
¹¹Rescue me and deliver me
    from the hand ^(BD)of foreigners,
whose mouths speak ^(BE)lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

¹²May our sons in their youth
    be like ^(BF)plants full grown,
our daughters like ^(BG)corner pillars
    cut for the structure of a palace;
¹³^(BH)may our granaries be full,
    ^(BI)providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
    and ten thousands in our fields;
¹⁴may our cattle be heavy with young,
    suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;^[c]
may there be no ^(BJ)cry of distress in our streets!
¹⁵^(BK)Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
    ^(BL)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Great Is the Lord

^[d] A Song of Praise. Of David.

145 ^(BM)I will extol you, my God and ^(BN)King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
²Every day I will bless you
    ^(BO)and praise your name forever and ever.
³^(BP)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his ^(BQ)greatness is unsearchable.

⁴^(BR)One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵On ^(BS)the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶They shall speak of ^(BT)the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
⁷They shall pour forth the fame of your ^(BU)abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is ^(BV)gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹The Lord is ^(BW)good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

¹⁰^(BX)All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your ^(BY)saints shall bless you!
¹¹They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
¹²to ^(BZ)make known to the children of man your^[e] ^(CA)mighty deeds,
    and ^(CB)the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³^(CC)Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.^[f]]
¹⁴The Lord ^(CD)upholds all who are falling
    and ^(CE)raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all ^(CF)look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶You ^(CG)open your hand;
    you ^(CH)satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷The Lord is ^(CI)righteous in all his ways
    and ^(CJ)kind in all his works.
¹⁸The Lord is ^(CK)near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him ^(CL)in truth.
¹⁹He ^(CM)fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also ^(CN)hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰The Lord ^(CO)preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and ^(CP)let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Footnotes

Psalm 143:9 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered
Psalm 144:2 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Dead Sea Scroll, Jerome, Syriac, Aquila; most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people
Psalm 144:14 Hebrew with no breaking in or going out
Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Psalm 145:12 Hebrew his; also next line
Psalm 145:13 These two lines are supplied by one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac (compare Dead Sea Scroll)

1 Corinthians 7

English Standard Version

Principles for Marriage

7 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ^(A)“It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” ²But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. ³^(B)The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. ⁵^(C)Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, ^(D)so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶Now as a concession, ^(E)not a command, I say this.^[a] ⁷^(F)I wish that all were ^(G)as I myself am. But ^(H)each has his own gift from God, ^(I)one of one kind and one of another.

⁸To the unmarried and the widows I say that ^(J)it is good for them to remain single, ^(K)as I am. ⁹But if they cannot exercise self-control, ^(L)they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰To the married ^(M)I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): ^(N)the wife should not separate from her husband ¹¹(but if she does, ^(O)she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and ^(P)the husband should not divorce his wife.

¹²To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. ^(Q)Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you^[b] ^(R)to peace. ¹⁶For how do you know, wife, ^(S)whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Live as You Are Called

¹⁷Only let each person lead the life^[c] ^(T)that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. ^(U)This is my rule in ^(V)all the churches. ¹⁸Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? ^(W)Let him not seek circumcision. ¹⁹^(X)For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but ^(Y)keeping the commandments of God. ²⁰^(Z)Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. ²¹Were you a bondservant^[d] when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) ²²For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is ^(AA)a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is ^(AB)a bondservant of Christ. ²³^(AC)You were bought with a price; ^(AD)do not become bondservants of men. ²⁴So, brothers,^[e] ^(AE)in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

The Unmarried and the Widowed

²⁵Now concerning^[f] the betrothed,^[g] ^(AF)I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as ^(AG)one who by the Lord's mercy is ^(AH)trustworthy. ²⁶I think that in view of the present^[h] distress ^(AI)it is good for a person to remain as he is. ²⁷Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. ²⁸But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman^[i] marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. ²⁹This is what I mean, brothers: ^(AJ)the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, ³⁰and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy ^(AK)as though they had no goods, ³¹and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For ^(AL)the present form of this world is passing away.

³²I want you to be ^(AM)free from anxieties. ^(AN)The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. ³³But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, ³⁴and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. ³⁵I say this for your own benefit, ^(AO)not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

³⁶If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed,^[j] if his^[k] passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. ³⁷But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. ³⁸So then he who marries his betrothed ^(AP)does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

³⁹^(AQ)A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only ^(AR)in the Lord. ⁴⁰Yet ^(AS)in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think ^(AT)that I too have the Spirit of God.

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 7:6 Or I say this:
1 Corinthians 7:15 Some manuscripts us
1 Corinthians 7:17 Or each person walk in the way
1 Corinthians 7:21 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verses 22 (twice), 23
1 Corinthians 7:24 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 29
1 Corinthians 7:25 The expression Now concerning introduces a reply to a question in the Corinthians' letter; see 7:1
1 Corinthians 7:25 Greek virgins
1 Corinthians 7:26 Or impending
1 Corinthians 7:28 Greek virgin; also verse 34
1 Corinthians 7:36 Greek virgin; also verses 37, 38
1 Corinthians 7:36 Or her