Psalm 132-135

English Standard Version

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

132 Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,
    all ^(B)the hardships he endured,
²how he swore to the Lord
    and ^(C)vowed to ^(D)the Mighty One of Jacob,
³“I will not enter my house
    or get into my bed,
⁴I will not ^(E)give sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids,
⁵until I ^(F)find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling place for ^(G)the Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶Behold, we heard of it in ^(H)Ephrathah;
we found it in ^(I)the fields of Jaar.
⁷“Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us ^(J)worship at his ^(K)footstool!”

⁸^(L)Arise, O Lord, and go to your ^(M)resting place,
    you and the ark of your ^(N)might.
⁹Let your ^(O)priests be ^(P)clothed with righteousness,
    and let your ^(Q)saints shout for joy.
¹⁰For the sake of your servant David,
    ^(R)do not turn away the face of ^(S)your anointed one.

¹¹^(T)The Lord swore to David a sure oath
    ^(U)from which he will not turn back:
^(V)“One of the sons of your body^[a]
    I will set on your throne.
¹²If your sons keep my covenant
    and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
    shall ^(W)sit on your throne.”

¹³For the Lord has ^(X)chosen Zion;
    he has ^(Y)desired it for his dwelling place:
¹⁴“This is my ^(Z)resting place forever;
    here I will ^(AA)dwell, for I have desired it.
¹⁵I will abundantly ^(AB)bless her provisions;
    I will ^(AC)satisfy her poor with bread.
¹⁶Her ^(AD)priests I will clothe with salvation,
    and her ^(AE)saints will shout for joy.
¹⁷There I will make ^(AF)a horn to sprout for David;
    I have prepared ^(AG)a lamp for ^(AH)my anointed.
¹⁸His enemies I will ^(AI)clothe with shame,
    but on him his crown will shine.”

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of ^(AJ)Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when ^(AK)brothers dwell in unity!^[b]
²It is like the precious ^(AL)oil on ^(AM)the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on ^(AN)the collar of his robes!
³It is like ^(AO)the dew of ^(AP)Hermon,
    which falls on ^(AQ)the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord ^(AR)has commanded the blessing,
    life forevermore.

Come, Bless the Lord

A Song of ^(AS)Ascents.

134 Come, bless the Lord, all you ^(AT)servants of the Lord,
who ^(AU)stand ^(AV)by night in the house of the Lord!
²^(AW)Lift up your hands to ^(AX)the holy place
and bless the Lord!

³May the Lord ^(AY)bless you ^(AZ)from Zion,
he who ^(BA)made heaven and earth!

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

135 ^(BB)Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
    give praise, O ^(BC)servants of the Lord,
²who ^(BD)stand in the house of the Lord,
    in ^(BE)the courts of the house of our God!
³Praise the Lord, for ^(BF)the Lord is good;
    sing to his name, ^(BG)for it is pleasant!^[c]
⁴For the Lord has ^(BH)chosen Jacob for himself,
    Israel as his ^(BI)own possession.

⁵For I know that ^(BJ)the Lord is great,
    and that our Lord is above all gods.
⁶^(BK)Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
    in heaven and on earth,
    in the seas and all deeps.
⁷^(BL)He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
    who ^(BM)makes lightnings for the rain
    and brings forth the wind from his ^(BN)storehouses.

⁸He it was who ^(BO)struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    both of man and of beast;
⁹who in your midst, O Egypt,
    sent ^(BP)signs and wonders
    against Pharaoh and all his servants;
¹⁰^(BQ)who struck down many nations
    and killed mighty kings,
¹¹^(BR)Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    and ^(BS)Og, king of Bashan,
    and ^(BT)all the kingdoms of Canaan,
¹²and ^(BU)gave their land as a heritage,
    a heritage to his people Israel.

¹³^(BV)Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
^(BW)your renown,^[d] O Lord, throughout all ages.
¹⁴^(BX)For the Lord will vindicate his people
and ^(BY)have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵^(BZ)The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    the work of human hands.
¹⁶They have mouths, but do not speak;
    they have eyes, but do not see;
¹⁷they have ears, but do not hear,
    nor is there any breath in their mouths.
¹⁸Those who make them become like them,
    so do all who trust in them.

¹⁹^(CA)O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
    O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
²⁰O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
    You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
²¹Blessed be the Lord ^(CB)from Zion,
    he who ^(CC)dwells in Jerusalem!
^(CD)Praise the Lord!

Footnotes

Psalm 132:11 Hebrew of your fruit of the womb
Psalm 133:1 Or dwell together
Psalm 135:3 Or for he is beautiful
Psalm 135:13 Or remembrance

1 Corinthians 8

English Standard Version

Food Offered to Idols

8 Now concerning^[a] ^(A)food offered to idols: we know that ^(B)“all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” ^(C)puffs up, ^(D)but love builds up. ²^(E)If anyone imagines that he knows something, ^(F)he does not yet know as he ought to know. ³But if anyone loves God, ^(G)he is known by God.^[b]

⁴Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ^(H)“an idol has no real existence,” and that ^(I)“there is no God but one.” ⁵For although there may be ^(J)so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— ⁶yet ^(K)for us there is one God, the Father, ^(L)from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and ^(M)one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and ^(N)through whom we exist.

⁷However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, ^(O)through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and ^(P)their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁸^(Q)Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ⁹But take care ^(R)that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block ^(S)to the weak. ¹⁰For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating^[c] in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged,^[d] if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? ¹¹And so by your knowledge this weak person is ^(T)destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. ¹²Thus, sinning against your brothers^[e] and ^(U)wounding their conscience when it is weak, ^(V)you sin against Christ. ¹³Therefore, ^(W)if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 8:1 The expression Now concerning introduces a reply to a question in the Corinthians' letter; see 7:1
1 Corinthians 8:3 Greek him
1 Corinthians 8:10 Greek reclining at table
1 Corinthians 8:10 Or fortified; Greek built up
1 Corinthians 8:12 Or brothers and sisters