Psalm 17

English Standard Version

In the Shadow of Your Wings

A ^(A)Prayer of David.

17 Hear a just cause, O Lord; ^(B)attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
²From your presence ^(C)let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!

³You have ^(D)tried my heart, you have ^(E)visited me by ^(F)night,
    you have ^(G)tested me, and you will find nothing;
    I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
⁴With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
    I have avoided the ways of the violent.
⁵My steps have ^(H)held fast to your paths;
    my feet have not slipped.

⁶I ^(I)call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    ^(J)incline your ear to me; hear my words.
⁷^(K)Wondrously show^[a] your steadfast love,
    O Savior of those who seek refuge
    from ^(L)their adversaries at your right hand.

⁸Keep me as ^(M)the apple of your eye;
hide me in ^(N)the shadow of your wings,
⁹from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who ^(O)surround me.

¹⁰^(P)They close their hearts to pity;
    with their mouths they ^(Q)speak arrogantly.
¹¹They have now surrounded our ^(R)steps;
    they set their eyes to ^(S)cast us to the ground.
¹²He is like a lion eager to tear,
    as a young lion ^(T)lurking in ambush.

¹³Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
    Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
¹⁴from men by your hand, O Lord,
    from ^(U)men of the world whose ^(V)portion is in this life.^[b]
You fill their womb with treasure;^[c]
    they are satisfied with ^(W)children,
    and they leave their abundance to their infants.

¹⁵As for me, I shall ^(X)behold your face in righteousness;
when I ^(Y)awake, I shall be ^(Z)satisfied with your likeness.

Footnotes

Psalm 17:7 Or Distinguish me by
Psalm 17:14 Or from men whose portion in life is of the world
Psalm 17:14 Or As for your treasured ones, you fill their womb

1 Chronicles 21:1-17

English Standard Version

David's Census Brings Pestilence

21 ^(A)Then ^(B)Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. ²So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” ³But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord's servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” ⁴But the king's word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. ⁵And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were ^(C)1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and in Judah ^(D)470,000 who drew the sword. ⁶^(E)But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab.

⁷But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. ⁸And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please ^(F)take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” ⁹And the Lord spoke to Gad, David's ^(G)seer, saying, ¹⁰“Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” ¹¹So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Choose what you will: ¹²either ^(H)three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” ¹³Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁴So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. ¹⁵And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he ^(I)relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, ^(J)clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. ¹⁷And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father's house. But do not let the plague be on your people.”

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1 John 2:1-6

English Standard Version

Christ Our Advocate

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, ^(A)we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ²^(B)He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but ^(C)also for the sins of the whole world. ³And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we ^(D)keep his commandments. ⁴Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments ^(E)is a liar, and ^(F)the truth is not in him, ⁵but whoever ^(G)keeps his word, in him truly ^(H)the love of God is perfected. ^(I)By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶whoever says he ^(J)abides in him ^(K)ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.