Psalm 31

English Standard Version

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

31 ^(A)In you, O Lord, do I ^(B)take refuge;
    ^(C)let me never be put to shame;
    in your ^(D)righteousness deliver me!
²Incline your ear to me;
    rescue me speedily!
Be ^(E)a rock of ^(F)refuge for me,
    a strong fortress to save me!

³For you are my rock and my fortress;
    and for your ^(G)name's sake you lead me and guide me;
⁴you ^(H)take me out of ^(I)the net they have hidden for me,
    for you are my ^(J)refuge.
⁵^(K)Into your hand I commit my spirit;
    you have redeemed me, O Lord, ^(L)faithful God.

⁶I ^(M)hate^[a] those who pay ^(N)regard to worthless ^(O)idols,
    but I trust in the Lord.
⁷I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
    because you have seen my affliction;
    you have ^(P)known the distress of my soul,
⁸and you have not ^(Q)delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
    you have set my feet in ^(R)a broad place.

⁹Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am ^(S)in distress;
    ^(T)my eye is wasted from grief;
    my soul and my body also.
¹⁰For my life is spent with sorrow,
    and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
    and ^(U)my bones waste away.

¹¹Because of all my adversaries I have become ^(V)a reproach,
    especially to my ^(W)neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
    those who see me in the street ^(X)flee from me.
¹²I have been ^(Y)forgotten like one who is dead;
    I have become like ^(Z)a broken vessel.
¹³For I ^(AA)hear the whispering of many—
    terror on every side!—
^(AB)as they scheme together against me,
    as they plot to take my life.

¹⁴But I ^(AC)trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵My ^(AD)times are in your hand;
    ^(AE)rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
¹⁶^(AF)Make your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love!
¹⁷O Lord, ^(AG)let me not be put to shame,
    for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
    let them go ^(AH)silently to Sheol.
¹⁸Let the lying lips be mute,
    which ^(AI)speak ^(AJ)insolently against the righteous
    in pride and contempt.

¹⁹Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
    which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
    ^(AK)in the sight of the children of mankind!
²⁰In ^(AL)the cover of your presence you hide them
    from the plots of men;
you ^(AM)store them in your shelter
    from the strife of tongues.

²¹Blessed be the Lord,
    for he has wondrously ^(AN)shown his steadfast love to me
    when I was in ^(AO)a besieged city.
²²I had said in my ^(AP)alarm,^[b]
    “I am ^(AQ)cut off from ^(AR)your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
    when I cried to you for help.

²³Love the Lord, all you his ^(AS)saints!
    The Lord preserves the faithful
    but abundantly ^(AT)repays the one who acts in pride.
²⁴^(AU)Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord!

Footnotes

Psalm 31:6 Masoretic Text; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome You hate
Psalm 31:22 Or in my haste

Proverbs 11

English Standard Version

11 ^(A)A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
    ^(B)but a just weight is his delight.
²^(C)When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with ^(D)the humble is wisdom.
³^(E)The integrity of the upright guides them,
    ^(F)but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
⁴^(G)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
    ^(H)but righteousness delivers from death.
⁵The righteousness of the blameless ^(I)keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
⁶^(J)The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the treacherous ^(K)are taken captive by their lust.
⁷When the wicked dies, his ^(L)hope will perish,
    and ^(M)the expectation of wealth^[a] perishes too.
⁸^(N)The righteous is delivered from trouble,
    and the wicked walks into it instead.
⁹With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
    but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
¹⁰^(O)When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
    and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
    but ^(P)by the mouth of the wicked ^(Q)it is overthrown.
¹²Whoever ^(R)belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
    but a man of understanding remains silent.
¹³Whoever ^(S)goes about slandering reveals secrets,
    but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
¹⁴Where there is ^(T)no guidance, a people falls,
    ^(U)but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
¹⁵^(V)Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,
    but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.
¹⁶^(W)A gracious woman gets honor,
    and ^(X)violent men get riches.
¹⁷^(Y)A man who is kind benefits himself,
    but a cruel man hurts himself.
¹⁸The wicked earns deceptive wages,
    but one who ^(Z)sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
¹⁹Whoever is steadfast in righteousness ^(AA)will live,
    but ^(AB)he who pursues evil will die.
²⁰Those of ^(AC)crooked heart are ^(AD)an abomination to the Lord,
    but those of ^(AE)blameless ways are ^(AF)his delight.
²¹^(AG)Be assured, ^(AH)an evil person will not go unpunished,
    but ^(AI)the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
²²Like ^(AJ)a gold ring in a pig's snout
    is a beautiful woman without discretion.
²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
    ^(AK)the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
²⁴^(AL)One gives ^(AM)freely, yet grows all the richer;
    another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
²⁵^(AN)Whoever brings blessing ^(AO)will be enriched,
    and ^(AP)one who waters will himself be watered.
²⁶^(AQ)The people curse him who holds back grain,
    but ^(AR)a blessing is on the head of him who ^(AS)sells it.
²⁷Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,^[b]
    but evil comes to ^(AT)him who searches for it.
²⁸Whoever ^(AU)trusts in his riches will fall,
    but the righteous will ^(AV)flourish like a green leaf.
²⁹Whoever ^(AW)troubles his own household will ^(AX)inherit the wind,
    and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
³⁰The fruit of the righteous is ^(AY)a tree of life,
    and whoever ^(AZ)captures souls is wise.
³¹If ^(BA)the righteous is repaid on earth,
    how much more the wicked and the sinner!

Footnotes

Proverbs 11:7 Or of his strength, or of iniquity
Proverbs 11:27 Or acceptance

Colossians 1:21-29

English Standard Version

²¹^(A)And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, ^(B)doing evil deeds, ²²he has now reconciled ^(C)in his body of flesh by his death, ^(D)in order to present you holy and blameless and ^(E)above reproach before him, ²³^(F)if indeed you continue in the faith, ^(G)stable and steadfast, not shifting from ^(H)the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed ^(I)in all creation^[a] under heaven, ^(J)and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Paul's Ministry to the Church

²⁴Now ^(K)I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh ^(L)I am filling up ^(M)what is lacking in Christ's afflictions ^(N)for the sake of his body, that is, the church, ²⁵^(O)of which I became a minister according to ^(P)the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶^(Q)the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷^(R)To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are ^(S)the riches of the glory of ^(T)this mystery, which is Christ in you, ^(U)the hope of glory. ²⁸Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that ^(V)we may present everyone ^(W)mature in Christ. ²⁹For this ^(X)I toil, ^(Y)struggling ^(Z)with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

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Footnotes

Colossians 1:23 Or to every creature

Colossians 2:1-7

English Standard Version

2 For I want you to know ^(A)how great a ^(B)struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, ²that ^(C)their hearts may be encouraged, being ^(D)knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of ^(E)God's mystery, which is Christ, ³^(F)in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴I say this in order ^(G)that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. ⁵For ^(H)though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your ^(I)good order and ^(J)the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Alive in Christ

⁶^(K)Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷^(L)rooted and ^(M)built up in him and ^(N)established in the faith, just ^(O)as you were taught, abounding ^(P)in thanksgiving.