Psalm 9

New International Version

Psalm 9^[a]^[b]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

¹I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;^(A)
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.^(B)
²I will be glad and rejoice^(C) in you;
I will sing the praises^(D) of your name,^(E) O Most High.

³My enemies turn back;
    they stumble and perish before you.
⁴For you have upheld my right^(F) and my cause,^(G)
    sitting enthroned^(H) as the righteous judge.^(I)
⁵You have rebuked the nations^(J) and destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name^(K) for ever and ever.
⁶Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
    you have uprooted their cities;^(L)
    even the memory of them^(M) has perished.

⁷The Lord reigns forever;^(N)
    he has established his throne^(O) for judgment.
⁸He rules the world in righteousness^(P)
    and judges the peoples with equity.^(Q)
⁹The Lord is a refuge^(R) for the oppressed,^(S)
    a stronghold in times of trouble.^(T)
¹⁰Those who know your name^(U) trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken^(V) those who seek you.^(W)

¹¹Sing the praises^(X) of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;^(Y)
proclaim among the nations^(Z) what he has done.^(AA)
¹²For he who avenges blood^(AB) remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.^(AC)

¹³Lord, see how my enemies^(AD) persecute me!
    Have mercy^(AE) and lift me up from the gates of death,^(AF)
¹⁴that I may declare your praises^(AG)
    in the gates of Daughter Zion,^(AH)
    and there rejoice in your salvation.^(AI)

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;^(AJ)
    their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.^(AK)
¹⁶The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
    the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.^[c]^(AL)
¹⁷The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,^(AM)
    all the nations that forget God.^(AN)
¹⁸But God will never forget the needy;
    the hope^(AO) of the afflicted^(AP) will never perish.

¹⁹Arise,^(AQ) Lord, do not let mortals triumph;^(AR)
let the nations be judged^(AS) in your presence.
²⁰Strike them with terror,^(AT) Lord;
let the nations know they are only mortal.^(AU)

Footnotes

Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.
Psalm 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1-20 is numbered 9:2-21.
Psalm 9:16 The Hebrew has Higgaion and Selah (words of uncertain meaning) here; Selah occurs also at the end of verse 20.

Jeremiah 35

New International Version

The Rekabites

35 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim^(A) son of Josiah king of Judah: ²“Go to the Rekabite^(B) family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms^(C) of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.”

³So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites. ⁴I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God.^(D) It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum^(E) the doorkeeper.^(F) ⁵Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

⁶But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab^[a]^(G) son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.^(H) ⁷Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents.^(I) Then you will live a long time in the land^(J) where you are nomads.’ ⁸We have obeyed everything our forefather^(K) Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine ⁹or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.^(L) ¹⁰We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. ¹¹But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded^(M) this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem^(N) to escape the Babylonian^[b] and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”

¹²Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: ¹³“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell^(O) the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson^(P) and obey my words?’ declares the Lord. ¹⁴‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command.^(Q) But I have spoken to you again and again,^(R) yet you have not obeyed^(S) me. ¹⁵Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets^(T) to you. They said, “Each of you must turn^(U) from your wicked ways and reform^(V) your actions; do not follow other gods^(W) to serve them. Then you will live in the land^(X) I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened^(Y) to me. ¹⁶The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather^(Z) gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

¹⁷“Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster^(AA) I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen;^(AB) I called to them, but they did not answer.’”^(AC)

¹⁸Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather^(AD) Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ ¹⁹Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail^(AE) to have a descendant to serve^(AF) me.’”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 35:6 Hebrew Jonadab, a variant of Jehonadab; here and often in this chapter
Jeremiah 35:11 Or Chaldean

2 Corinthians 12

New International Version

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting.^(A) Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations^(B) from the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ^(C) who fourteen years ago was caught up^(D) to the third heaven.^(E) Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.^(F) ³And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴was caught up^(G) to paradise^(H) and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.^(I) ⁶Even if I should choose to boast,^(J) I would not be a fool,^(K) because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷or because of these surpassingly great revelations.^(L) Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,^(M) a messenger of Satan,^(N) to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.^(O) ⁹But he said to me, “My grace^(P) is sufficient for you, for my power^(Q) is made perfect in weakness.^(R)”^(S) Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight^(T) in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,^(U) in persecutions,^(V) in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.^(W)

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹I have made a fool of myself,^(X) but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,”^[a]^(Y) even though I am nothing.^(Z) ¹²I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.^(AA) ¹³How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you?^(AB) Forgive me this wrong!^(AC)

¹⁴Now I am ready to visit you for the third time,^(AD) and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents,^(AE) but parents for their children.^(AF) ¹⁵So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.^(AG) If I love you more,^(AH) will you love me less? ¹⁶Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you.^(AI) Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! ¹⁷Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? ¹⁸I urged^(AJ) Titus^(AK) to go to you and I sent our brother^(AL) with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

¹⁹Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God^(AM) as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends,^(AN) is for your strengthening.^(AO) ²⁰For I am afraid that when I come^(AP) I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be.^(AQ) I fear that there may be discord,^(AR) jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,^(AS) slander,^(AT) gossip,^(AU) arrogance^(AV) and disorder.^(AW) ²¹I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved^(AX) over many who have sinned earlier^(AY) and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery^(AZ) in which they have indulged.