Psalm 143-145

New International Version

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

¹Lord, hear my prayer,^(A)
    listen to my cry for mercy;^(B)
in your faithfulness^(C) and righteousness^(D)
    come to my relief.
²Do not bring your servant into judgment,
    for no one living is righteous^(E) before you.
³The enemy pursues me,
    he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness^(F)
    like those long dead.^(G)
⁴So my spirit grows faint within me;
    my heart within me is dismayed.^(H)
⁵I remember^(I) the days of long ago;
    I meditate^(J) on all your works
    and consider what your hands have done.
⁶I spread out my hands^(K) to you;
    I thirst for you like a parched land.^[a]

⁷Answer me quickly,^(L) Lord;
    my spirit fails.^(M)
Do not hide your face^(N) from me
    or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
⁸Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,^(O)
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way^(P) I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.^(Q)
⁹Rescue me^(R) from my enemies,^(S) Lord,
    for I hide myself in you.
¹⁰Teach me^(T) to do your will,
    for you are my God;^(U)
may your good Spirit
    lead^(V) me on level ground.^(W)

¹¹For your name’s sake,^(X) Lord, preserve my life;^(Y)
    in your righteousness,^(Z) bring me out of trouble.
¹²In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;^(AA)
    destroy all my foes,^(AB)
    for I am your servant.^(AC)

Psalm 144

Of David.

¹Praise be to the Lord my Rock,^(AD)
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
²He is my loving God and my fortress,^(AE)
    my stronghold^(AF) and my deliverer,
my shield,^(AG) in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples^[b]^(AH) under me.

³Lord, what are human beings^(AI) that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
⁴They are like a breath;^(AJ)
their days are like a fleeting shadow.^(AK)

⁵Part your heavens,^(AL) Lord, and come down;^(AM)
    touch the mountains, so that they smoke.^(AN)
⁶Send forth lightning^(AO) and scatter^(AP) the enemy;
    shoot your arrows^(AQ) and rout them.
⁷Reach down your hand from on high;^(AR)
    deliver me and rescue me^(AS)
from the mighty waters,^(AT)
    from the hands of foreigners^(AU)
⁸whose mouths are full of lies,^(AV)
    whose right hands^(AW) are deceitful.^(AX)

⁹I will sing a new song^(AY) to you, my God;
on the ten-stringed lyre^(AZ) I will make music to you,
¹⁰to the One who gives victory to kings,^(BA)
who delivers his servant David.^(BB)

From the deadly sword^(BC) ¹¹deliver me;
rescue me^(BD) from the hands of foreigners^(BE)
whose mouths are full of lies,^(BF)
whose right hands are deceitful.^(BG)

¹²Then our sons in their youth
    will be like well-nurtured plants,^(BH)
and our daughters will be like pillars^(BI)
    carved to adorn a palace.
¹³Our barns will be filled^(BJ)
    with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
    by tens of thousands in our fields;
¹⁴    our oxen^(BK) will draw heavy loads.^[c]
There will be no breaching of walls,^(BL)
    no going into captivity,
    no cry of distress in our streets.^(BM)
¹⁵Blessed is the people^(BN) of whom this is true;
    blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

Psalm 145^[d]

A psalm of praise. Of David.

¹I will exalt you,^(BO) my God the King;^(BP)
I will praise your name^(BQ) for ever and ever.
²Every day I will praise^(BR) you
and extol your name^(BS) for ever and ever.

³Great^(BT) is the Lord and most worthy of praise;^(BU)
    his greatness no one can fathom.^(BV)
⁴One generation^(BW) commends your works to another;
    they tell^(BX) of your mighty acts.^(BY)
⁵They speak of the glorious splendor^(BZ) of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.^[e]^(CA)
⁶They tell^(CB) of the power of your awesome works—^(CC)
    and I will proclaim^(CD) your great deeds.^(CE)
⁷They celebrate your abundant goodness^(CF)
    and joyfully sing^(CG) of your righteousness.^(CH)

⁸The Lord is gracious and compassionate,^(CI)
slow to anger and rich in love.^(CJ)

⁹The Lord is good^(CK) to all;
    he has compassion^(CL) on all he has made.
¹⁰All your works praise you,^(CM) Lord;
    your faithful people extol^(CN) you.^(CO)
¹¹They tell of the glory of your kingdom^(CP)
    and speak of your might,^(CQ)
¹²so that all people may know of your mighty acts^(CR)
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.^(CS)
¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,^(CT)
    and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy^(CU) in all he promises^(CV)
    and faithful in all he does.^[f]
¹⁴The Lord upholds^(CW) all who fall
    and lifts up all^(CX) who are bowed down.^(CY)
¹⁵The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food^(CZ) at the proper time.
¹⁶You open your hand
    and satisfy the desires^(DA) of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is righteous^(DB) in all his ways
    and faithful in all he does.^(DC)
¹⁸The Lord is near^(DD) to all who call on him,^(DE)
    to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹He fulfills the desires^(DF) of those who fear him;^(DG)
    he hears their cry^(DH) and saves them.^(DI)
²⁰The Lord watches over^(DJ) all who love him,^(DK)
    but all the wicked he will destroy.^(DL)

²¹My mouth will speak^(DM) in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature^(DN) praise his holy name^(DO)
for ever and ever.

Footnotes

Psalm 143:6 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Psalm 144:2 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Jerome and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text subdues my people
Psalm 144:14 Or our chieftains will be firmly established
Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which (including verse 13b) begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Psalm 145:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text On the glorious splendor of your majesty / and on your wonderful works I will meditate
Psalm 145:13 One manuscript of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text do not have the last two lines of verse 13.

2 Corinthians 13

New International Version

Final Warnings

13 This will be my third visit to you.^(A) “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”^[a]^(B) ²I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent:^(C) On my return I will not spare^(D) those who sinned earlier^(E) or any of the others, ³since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.^(F) He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. ⁴For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness,^(G) yet he lives by God’s power.^(H) Likewise, we are weak^(I) in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him^(J) in our dealing with you.

⁵Examine yourselves^(K) to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.^(L) Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you^(M)—unless, of course, you fail the test? ⁶And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. ⁷Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹We are glad whenever we are weak^(N) but you are strong;^(O) and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.^(P) ¹⁰This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh^(Q) in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.^(R)

Final Greetings

¹¹Finally, brothers and sisters,^(S) rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace.^(T) And the God of love^(U) and peace^(V) will be with you.

¹²Greet one another with a holy kiss.^(W) ¹³All God’s people here send their greetings.^(X)

¹⁴May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,^(Y) and the love of God,^(Z) and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit^(AA) be with you all.