How Great Are Your Works

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

The Lord Reigns

David Flees to the Philistines

27 Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” ² So David arose and went over, he and ^(A)the six hundred men who were with him, ^(B)to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³ And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with ^(C)his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. ⁴ And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If ^(D)I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” ⁶ So that day Achish gave him ^(E)Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. ^7 (F)And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

⁸ Now David ^(G)and his men went up and made raids against ^(H)the Geshurites, ^(I)the Girzites, and ^(J)the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, ^(K)as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. ⁹ And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. ¹⁰ When Achish asked, “Where have you ^(L)made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of ^(M)the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of ^(N)the Kenites.” ¹¹ And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. ¹² And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”

Future Glory

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time ^(A)are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager longing for ^(B)the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation ^(C)was subjected to futility, not willingly, but ^(D)because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that ^(E)the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²² For we know that ^(F)the whole creation ^(G)has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have ^(H)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ^(I)groan inwardly as ^(J)we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, ^(K)the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For ^(L)in this hope we were saved. Now ^(M)hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we ^(N)wait for it with patience.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For ^(O)we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but ^(P)the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And ^(Q)he who searches hearts knows what is ^(R)the mind of the Spirit, because^[a] the Spirit ^(S)intercedes for the saints ^(T)according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together ^(U)for good,^[b] for ^(V)those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he ^(W)foreknew he also ^(X)predestined ^(Y)to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be ^(Z)the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also ^(AA)justified, and those whom he justified he also ^(AB)glorified.

God's Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(AC)If God is for us, who can be^[c] against us? ^32 (AD)He who did not spare his own Son but ^(AE)gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? ^(AF)It is God who justifies. ^34 (AG)Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—^(AH)who is at the right hand of God, ^(AI)who indeed is interceding for us.^{[d] 35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than ^(AL)conquerors through ^(AM)him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.