Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause

A Maskil[a] of (A)Asaph.

74 O God, why do you (B)cast us off forever?
    Why does your anger (C)smoke against (D)the sheep of your pasture?
(E)Remember your congregation, which you have (F)purchased of old,
    which you have (G)redeemed to be (H)the tribe of your heritage!
    Remember Mount Zion, (I)where you have dwelt.
Direct your steps to (J)the perpetual ruins;
    the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

Your foes have (K)roared in the midst of your meeting place;
    (L)they set up their (M)own signs for (N)signs.
They were like those who swing (O)axes
    in a forest of trees.[b]
And all its (P)carved wood
    they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
They (Q)set your sanctuary on fire;
    they (R)profaned (S)the dwelling place of your name,
    bringing it down to the ground.
They (T)said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
    they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

We do not see our (U)signs;
    (V)there is no longer any prophet,
    and there is none among us who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, (W)is the foe to scoff?
    Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
11 Why (X)do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
    Take it from the fold of your garment[c] and destroy them!

12 Yet (Y)God my King is from of old,
    working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You (Z)divided the sea by your might;
    you (AA)broke the heads of (AB)the sea monsters[d] on the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of (AC)Leviathan;
    you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You (AD)split open springs and brooks;
    you (AE)dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;
    you have established (AF)the heavenly lights and the sun.
17 You have (AG)fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
    you have made (AH)summer and winter.

18 (AI)Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,
    and (AJ)a foolish people reviles your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of your (AK)dove to the wild beasts;
    (AL)do not forget the life of your poor forever.

20 Have regard for (AM)the covenant,
    for (AN)the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21 Let not (AO)the downtrodden (AP)turn back in shame;
    let (AQ)the poor and needy praise your name.

22 Arise, O God, (AR)defend your cause;
    (AS)remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
    (AT)the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 74:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 74:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  3. Psalm 74:11 Hebrew from your bosom
  4. Psalm 74:13 Or the great sea creatures

Abimelech's Conspiracy

Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to (A)his mother's relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family, “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all (B)seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that (C)I am (D)your bone and your flesh.”

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The River of Life

22 Then the angel[a] showed me (A)the river of (B)the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of (C)the street of the city; (D)also, on either side of the river, (E)the tree of life[b] with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were (F)for the healing of the nations. (G)No longer will there be anything accursed, but (H)the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and (I)his servants will worship him. (J)They will see his face, and (K)his name will be on their foreheads. And (L)night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp (M)or sun, for (N)the Lord God will be their light, and (O)they will reign forever and ever.

Jesus Is Coming

And he said to me, (P)“These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of (Q)the spirits of the prophets, (R)has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

“And behold, (S)I am coming soon. (T)Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

I, (U)John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, (V)I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, (W)but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those (X)who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

10 And he said to me, (Y)“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 (Z)Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

12 “Behold, (AA)I am coming soon, (AB)bringing my recompense with me, (AC)to repay each one for what he has done. 13 (AD)I am the Alpha and the Omega, (AE)the first and the last, (AF)the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who (AG)wash their robes,[c] so that they may have the right to (AH)the tree of life and that (AI)they may enter the city by the gates. 15 (AJ)Outside are (AK)the dogs (AL)and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 (AM)“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things (AN)for the churches. I am (AO)the root and (AP)the descendant of David, (AQ)the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and (AR)the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And (AS)let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the (AT)water of life without price.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: (AU)if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in (AV)the tree of life and in (AW)the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely (AX)I am coming soon.” Amen. (AY)Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.[d] Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 22:1 Greek he
  2. Revelation 22:2 Or the Lamb. In the midst of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life
  3. Revelation 22:14 Some manuscripts do his commandments
  4. Revelation 22:21 Some manuscripts all the saints

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