Psalm 141

English Standard Version

Give Ear to My Voice

A Psalm of David.

141 O Lord, I call upon you; ^(A)hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
²Let ^(B)my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and ^(C)the lifting up of my hands as ^(D)the evening sacrifice!

³^(E)Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
    ^(F)keep watch over the door of my lips!
⁴^(G)Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
    to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who ^(H)work iniquity,
    and ^(I)let me not eat of their delicacies!

⁵^(J)Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
    let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
    let my head not refuse it.
Yet ^(K)my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
⁶When their judges are ^(L)thrown over the cliff,^[a]
    then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
⁷As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
    so shall our bones ^(M)be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.^[b]

⁸But ^(N)my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;
    ^(O)in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!^[c]
⁹Keep me from ^(P)the trap that they have laid for me
    and from the snares of evildoers!
¹⁰Let the wicked ^(Q)fall into their own nets,
    while I pass by safely.

Footnotes

Psalm 141:6 Or When their judges fall into the hands of the Rock
Psalm 141:7 The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 6, 7 is uncertain
Psalm 141:8 Hebrew refuge; do not pour out my life!

Psalm 142

English Standard Version

You Are My Refuge

A Maskil^[a] of David, when he was in ^(A)the cave. A Prayer.

142 With my voice I ^(B)cry out to the Lord;
with my voice I ^(C)plead for mercy to the Lord.
²I ^(D)pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.

³When my spirit ^(E)faints within me,
    you know my way!
In the path where I walk
    they have ^(F)hidden a trap for me.
⁴^(G)Look to the ^(H)right and see:
    ^(I)there is none who takes notice of me;
^(J)no refuge remains to me;
    no one cares for my soul.

⁵I cry to you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my ^(K)refuge,
    my ^(L)portion in ^(M)the land of the living.”
⁶^(N)Attend to my cry,
    for ^(O)I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
    ^(P)for they are too strong for me!
⁷^(Q)Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
    for you will ^(R)deal bountifully with me.

Footnotes

Psalm 142:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term

Proverbs 4

English Standard Version

A Father's Wise Instruction

4 ^(A)Hear, O sons, a father's instruction,
    and be attentive, that you may ^(B)gain^[a] insight,
²for I give you good ^(C)precepts;
    do not forsake my teaching.
³When I was a son with my father,
    ^(D)tender, ^(E)the only one in the sight of my mother,
⁴he ^(F)taught me and said to me,
^(G)“Let your heart hold fast my words;
    ^(H)keep my commandments, and live.
⁵^(I)Get wisdom; get ^(J)insight;
    do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
⁶Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
    ^(K)love her, and she will guard you.
⁷^(L)The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
    and whatever you get, get ^(M)insight.
⁸Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
    she will ^(N)honor you ^(O)if you embrace her.
⁹She will place on your head ^(P)a graceful garland;
    she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

¹⁰^(Q)Hear, ^(R)my son, and accept my words,
    that ^(S)the years of your life may be many.
¹¹I have ^(T)taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
¹²When you walk, ^(U)your step will not be hampered,
    and ^(V)if you run, you will not stumble.
¹³^(W)Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your ^(X)life.
¹⁴^(Y)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
¹⁵Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
¹⁶For they ^(Z)cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness
    ^(AA)and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸But ^(AB)the path of the righteous is like ^(AC)the light of dawn,
    which shines ^(AD)brighter and brighter until ^(AE)full day.
¹⁹^(AF)The way of the wicked is like deep ^(AG)darkness;
    they do not know over what they ^(AH)stumble.

²⁰^(AI)My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹^(AJ)Let them not escape from your sight;
    ^(AK)keep them within your heart.
²²For they are ^(AL)life to those who find them,
    and healing to all their^[b] flesh.
²³Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for ^(AM)from it flow ^(AN)the springs of life.
²⁴Put away from you ^(AO)crooked speech,
    and put ^(AP)devious talk far from you.
²⁵^(AQ)Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶^(AR)Ponder^[c] the path of your feet;
    ^(AS)then all your ways will be sure.
²⁷^(AT)Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.

Footnotes

Proverbs 4:1 Hebrew know
Proverbs 4:22 Hebrew his
Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level

Philippians 1:1-11

English Standard Version

Greeting

1 Paul and Timothy, servants^[a] of Christ Jesus,

To all the ^(A)saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the ^(B)overseers^[b] and ^(C)deacons:^[c]

²^(D)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³^(E)I thank my God ^(F)in all my remembrance of you, ⁴always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵^(G)because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶And I am sure of this, that he who began ^(H)a good work in you ^(I)will bring it to completion at ^(J)the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you ^(K)in my heart, for you are all ^(L)partakers with me of grace,^[d] both ^(M)in my imprisonment and in ^(N)the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸For ^(O)God is my witness, ^(P)how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹And it is my prayer that ^(Q)your love may abound more and more, ^(R)with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, ^(S)and so be pure and blameless ^(T)for the day of Christ, ¹¹filled ^(U)with the fruit of righteousness that comes ^(V)through Jesus Christ, ^(W)to the glory and praise of God.

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Footnotes

Philippians 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
Philippians 1:1 Or bishops; Greek episkopoi
Philippians 1:1 Or servants, or ministers; Greek diakonoi
Philippians 1:7 Or you all have fellowship with me in grace