Psalm 135-137

New International Version

Psalm 135^(A)

¹Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants^(B) of the Lord,
²you who minister in the house^(C) of the Lord,
in the courts^(D) of the house of our God.

³Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;^(E)
sing praise to his name,^(F) for that is pleasant.^(G)
⁴For the Lord has chosen Jacob^(H) to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.^(I)

⁵I know that the Lord is great,^(J)
    that our Lord is greater than all gods.^(K)
⁶The Lord does whatever pleases him,^(L)
    in the heavens and on the earth,^(M)
    in the seas and all their depths.
⁷He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
    he sends lightning with the rain^(N)
    and brings out the wind^(O) from his storehouses.^(P)

⁸He struck down the firstborn^(Q) of Egypt,
    the firstborn of people and animals.
⁹He sent his signs^(R) and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
    against Pharaoh and all his servants.^(S)
¹⁰He struck down many^(T) nations
    and killed mighty kings—
¹¹Sihon^(U) king of the Amorites,^(V)
    Og king of Bashan,^(W)
    and all the kings of Canaan^(X)—
¹²and he gave their land as an inheritance,^(Y)
    an inheritance to his people Israel.

¹³Your name, Lord, endures forever,^(Z)
your renown,^(AA) Lord, through all generations.
¹⁴For the Lord will vindicate his people^(AB)
and have compassion on his servants.^(AC)

¹⁵The idols of the nations^(AD) are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.^(AE)
¹⁶They have mouths, but cannot speak,^(AF)
    eyes, but cannot see.
¹⁷They have ears, but cannot hear,
    nor is there breath^(AG) in their mouths.
¹⁸Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

¹⁹All you Israelites, praise the Lord;^(AH)
    house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
²⁰house of Levi, praise the Lord;
    you who fear him, praise the Lord.
²¹Praise be to the Lord from Zion,^(AI)
    to him who dwells in Jerusalem.^(AJ)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 136

¹Give thanks^(AK) to the Lord, for he is good.^(AL)
His love endures forever.^(AM)
²Give thanks^(AN) to the God of gods.^(AO)
His love endures forever.
³Give thanks^(AP) to the Lord of lords:^(AQ)
His love endures forever.

⁴to him who alone does great wonders,^(AR)
His love endures forever.
⁵who by his understanding^(AS) made the heavens,^(AT)
His love endures forever.
⁶who spread out the earth^(AU) upon the waters,^(AV)
His love endures forever.
⁷who made the great lights^(AW)—
His love endures forever.
⁸the sun to govern^(AX) the day,
His love endures forever.
⁹the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

¹⁰to him who struck down the firstborn^(AY) of Egypt
His love endures forever.
¹¹and brought Israel out^(AZ) from among them
His love endures forever.
¹²with a mighty hand^(BA) and outstretched arm;^(BB)
His love endures forever.

¹³to him who divided the Red Sea^[b]^(BC) asunder
His love endures forever.
¹⁴and brought Israel through^(BD) the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
¹⁵but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;^(BE)
His love endures forever.

¹⁶to him who led his people through the wilderness;^(BF)
His love endures forever.

¹⁷to him who struck down great kings,^(BG)
His love endures forever.
¹⁸and killed mighty kings^(BH)—
His love endures forever.
¹⁹Sihon king of the Amorites^(BI)
His love endures forever.
²⁰and Og king of Bashan^(BJ)—
His love endures forever.
²¹and gave their land^(BK) as an inheritance,^(BL)
His love endures forever.
²²an inheritance^(BM) to his servant Israel.^(BN)
His love endures forever.

²³He remembered us^(BO) in our low estate
His love endures forever.
²⁴and freed us^(BP) from our enemies.^(BQ)
His love endures forever.
²⁵He gives food^(BR) to every creature.
His love endures forever.

²⁶Give thanks^(BS) to the God of heaven.^(BT)
His love endures forever.^(BU)

Psalm 137

¹By the rivers of Babylon^(BV) we sat and wept^(BW)
    when we remembered Zion.^(BX)
²There on the poplars^(BY)
    we hung our harps,^(BZ)
³for there our captors^(CA) asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded^(CB) songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”^(CC)

⁴How can we sing the songs of the Lord^(CD)
    while in a foreign land?
⁵If I forget you,^(CE) Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
⁶May my tongue cling to the roof^(CF) of my mouth
    if I do not remember^(CG) you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem^(CH)
    my highest joy.

⁷Remember, Lord, what the Edomites^(CI) did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.^(CJ)
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”^(CK)
⁸Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,^(CL)
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
⁹Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them^(CM) against the rocks.

Footnotes

Psalm 135:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verses 3 and 21
Psalm 136:13 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 15

2 Corinthians 11

New International Version

Paul and the False Apostles

11 I hope you will put up with^(A) me in a little foolishness.^(B) Yes, please put up with me! ²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband,^(C) to Christ, so that I might present you^(D) as a pure virgin to him. ³But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,^(E) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,^(F) or if you receive a different spirit^(G) from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel^(H) from the one you accepted, you put up with it^(I) easily enough.

⁵I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”^[a]^(J) ⁶I may indeed be untrained as a speaker,^(K) but I do have knowledge.^(L) We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. ⁷Was it a sin^(M) for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God^(N) to you free of charge?^(O) ⁸I robbed other churches by receiving support from them^(P) so as to serve you. ⁹And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed.^(Q) I have kept myself from being a burden to you^(R) in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰As surely as the truth of Christ is in me,^(S) nobody in the regions of Achaia^(T) will stop this boasting^(U) of mine. ¹¹Why? Because I do not love you? God knows^(V) I do!^(W)

¹²And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. ¹³For such people are false apostles,^(X) deceitful^(Y) workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.^(Z) ¹⁴And no wonder, for Satan^(AA) himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.^(AB)

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings

¹⁶I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool.^(AC) But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,^(AD) but as a fool.^(AE) ¹⁸Since many are boasting in the way the world does,^(AF) I too will boast.^(AG) ¹⁹You gladly put up with^(AH) fools since you are so wise!^(AI) ²⁰In fact, you even put up with^(AJ) anyone who enslaves you^(AK) or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. ²¹To my shame I admit that we were too weak^(AL) for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.^(AM) ²²Are they Hebrews? So am I.^(AN) Are they Israelites? So am I.^(AO) Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.^(AP) ²³Are they servants of Christ?^(AQ) (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder,^(AR) been in prison more frequently,^(AS) been flogged more severely,^(AT) and been exposed to death again and again.^(AU) ²⁴Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes^(AV) minus one. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods,^(AW) once I was pelted with stones,^(AX) three times I was shipwrecked,^(AY) I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews,^(AZ) in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city,^(BA) in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.^(BB) ²⁷I have labored and toiled^(BC) and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food;^(BD) I have been cold and naked. ²⁸Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.^(BE) ²⁹Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?^(BF) Who is led into sin,^(BG) and I do not inwardly burn?

³⁰If I must boast, I will boast^(BH) of the things that show my weakness.^(BI) ³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever,^(BJ) knows^(BK) that I am not lying. ³²In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.^(BL) ³³But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.^(BM)