Psalm 3

English Standard Version

Save Me, O My God

A Psalm of David, ^(A)when he fled from Absalom his son.

3 O Lord, ^(B)how many are my foes!
Many are ^(C)rising against me;
²many are saying of my soul,
^(D)“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah^[a]

³But you, O Lord, are ^(E)a shield ^(F)about me,
my glory, and ^(G)the lifter of my head.
⁴I ^(H)cried aloud to the Lord,
and he ^(I)answered me from his ^(J)holy hill. Selah

⁵I ^(K)lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
⁶I ^(L)will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have ^(M)set themselves against me all around.

⁷^(N)Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you ^(O)strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you ^(P)break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸^(Q)Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah

Footnotes

Psalm 3:2 The meaning of the Hebrew word Selah, used frequently in the Psalms, is uncertain. It may be a musical or liturgical direction

Psalm 4

English Standard Version

Answer Me When I Call

To the ^(A)choirmaster: with ^(B)stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

4 Answer me when I call, O God of my ^(C)righteousness!
You have ^(D)given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

²O men,^[a] how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after ^(E)lies? Selah
³But know that the Lord has ^(F)set apart ^(G)the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴^(H)Be angry,^[b] and do not sin;
^(I)ponder in your own hearts ^(J)on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵Offer ^(K)right sacrifices,
and put your ^(L)trust in the Lord.

⁶There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
^(M)Lift up ^(N)the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
⁷You have put ^(O)more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸In peace I will both ^(P)lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me ^(Q)dwell in safety.

Footnotes

Psalm 4:2 Or O men of rank
Psalm 4:4 Or Be agitated

Galatians 1

English Standard Version

Greeting

1 Paul, an ^(A)apostle—^(B)not from men nor through man, but ^(C)through Jesus Christ and God the Father, ^(D)who raised him from the dead— ²and all ^(E)the brothers^[a] who are with me,

To ^(F)the churches of Galatia:

³^(G)Grace to you and peace ^(H)from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴^(I)who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present ^(J)evil age, according to the will of ^(K)our God and Father, ⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

⁶I am astonished that you are ^(L)so quickly deserting ^(M)him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to ^(N)a different gospel— ⁷^(O)not that there is another one, but ^(P)there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or ^(Q)an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, ^(R)let him be accursed. ⁹As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, ^(S)let him be accursed.

¹⁰For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying ^(T)to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a ^(U)servant^[b] of Christ.

Paul Called by God

¹¹For ^(V)I would have you know, brothers, that ^(W)the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.^[c] ¹²^(X)For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it ^(Y)through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³For you have heard of ^(Z)my former life in Judaism, how ^(AA)I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely ^(AB)zealous was I for ^(AC)the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵But when he ^(AD)who had set me apart ^(AE)before I was born,^[d] and who ^(AF)called me by his grace, ¹⁶was pleased to reveal his Son to^[e] me, in order ^(AG)that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;^[f] ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

¹⁸Then ^(AH)after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹But I saw none of the other apostles except James ^(AI)the Lord's brother. ²⁰(In what I am writing to you, ^(AJ)before God, I do not lie!) ²¹^(AK)Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²²And I was still unknown in person to ^(AL)the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

Footnotes

Galatians 1:2 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verse 11
Galatians 1:10 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
Galatians 1:11 Greek not according to man
Galatians 1:15 Greek set me apart from my mother's womb
Galatians 1:16 Greek in
Galatians 1:16 Greek with flesh and blood

Luke 2:8-21

English Standard Version

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord ^(A)appeared to them, and ^(B)the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all ^(C)the people. ¹¹For ^(D)unto you is born this day in ^(E)the city of David ^(F)a Savior, who is ^(G)Christ ^(H)the Lord. ¹²And ^(I)this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby ^(J)wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel ^(K)a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴^(L)“Glory to God ^(M)in the highest,
^(N)and on earth ^(O)peace ^(P)among those with whom he is pleased!”^[a]

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby ^(Q)lying in a manger. ¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But ^(R)Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned, ^(S)glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹And ^(T)at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, ^(U)he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

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