Psalm 34

New International Version

Psalm 34^[a]^[b]

Of David. When he pretended to be insane^(A) before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.

¹I will extol the Lord at all times;^(B)
    his praise will always be on my lips.
²I will glory^(C) in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.^(D)
³Glorify the Lord^(E) with me;
    let us exalt^(F) his name together.

⁴I sought the Lord,^(G) and he answered me;
    he delivered^(H) me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to him are radiant;^(I)
    their faces are never covered with shame.^(J)
⁶This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.^(K)
⁷The angel of the Lord^(L) encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers^(M) them.

⁸Taste and see that the Lord is good;^(N)
    blessed is the one who takes refuge^(O) in him.
⁹Fear the Lord,^(P) you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.^(Q)
¹⁰The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.^(R)
¹¹Come, my children, listen^(S) to me;
    I will teach you^(T) the fear of the Lord.^(U)
¹²Whoever of you loves life^(V)
    and desires to see many good days,
¹³keep your tongue^(W) from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.^(X)
¹⁴Turn from evil and do good;^(Y)
    seek peace^(Z) and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord^(AA) are on the righteous,^(AB)
and his ears are attentive^(AC) to their cry;
¹⁶but the face of the Lord is against^(AD) those who do evil,^(AE)
to blot out their name^(AF) from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears^(AG) them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is close^(AH) to the brokenhearted^(AI)
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹The righteous person may have many troubles,^(AJ)
but the Lord delivers him from them all;^(AK)
²⁰he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.^(AL)

²¹Evil will slay the wicked;^(AM)
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²²The Lord will rescue^(AN) his servants;
no one who takes refuge^(AO) in him will be condemned.

Footnotes

Psalm 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Psalm 34:1 In Hebrew texts 34:1-22 is numbered 34:2-23.

Jeremiah 16:14-21

New International Version

¹⁴“However, the days are coming,”^(A) declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’^(B) ¹⁵but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north^(C) and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’^(D) For I will restore^(E) them to the land I gave their ancestors.^(F)

¹⁶“But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.^(G) After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt^(H) them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.^(I) ¹⁷My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden^(J) from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.^(K) ¹⁸I will repay^(L) them double^(M) for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land^(N) with the lifeless forms of their vile images^(O) and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.^(P)”^(Q)

¹⁹Lord, my strength and my fortress,
    my refuge^(R) in time of distress,
to you the nations will come^(S)
    from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,^(T)
    worthless idols^(U) that did them no good.^(V)
²⁰Do people make their own gods?
    Yes, but they are not gods!”^(W)

²¹“Therefore I will teach them—
    this time I will teach them
    my power and might.
Then they will know
    that my name^(X) is the Lord.

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Mark 1:14-20

New International Version

Jesus Announces the Good News^(A)

¹⁴After John^(B) was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,^(C) proclaiming the good news of God.^(D) ¹⁵“The time has come,”^(E) he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe^(F) the good news!”^(G)

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

¹⁶As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ¹⁸At once they left their nets and followed him.^(H)

¹⁹When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

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