Psalm 15

New American Standard Bible

Description of a Citizen of Zion.

A Psalm of David.

15 Lord, who may reside ^(A)in Your tent?
Who may settle on Your ^(B)holy hill?
²One who ^(C)walks with integrity, practices righteousness,
And ^(D)speaks truth in his heart.
³He ^(E)does not slander ^[a]with his tongue,
Nor ^(F)do evil to his neighbor,
Nor ^(G)bring shame on his friend;
⁴A despicable person is despised in his eyes,
But he ^(H)honors those who fear the Lord;
He ^(I)takes an oath to his own detriment, and does not change;
⁵He ^(J)does not ^[b]lend his money ^[c]at interest,
Nor ^(K)does he take a bribe against the innocent.
^(L)One who does these things will never be shaken.

Footnotes

Psalm 15:3 Lit according to
Psalm 15:5 Lit give
Psalm 15:5 I.e., to a fellow Israelite

Psalm 147:1-11

New American Standard Bible

Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.

147 ^[a]Praise ^[b]the Lord!
For ^(A)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For ^[c]it is pleasant and praise is ^[d]^(B)beautiful.
²The Lord ^(C)builds up Jerusalem;
He ^(D)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³He heals the ^(E)brokenhearted
And ^(F)binds up their ^[e]wounds.
⁴He ^(G)counts the number of the stars;
He ^[f]^(H)gives names to all of them.
⁵^(I)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His ^(J)understanding is ^[g]infinite.
⁶The Lord ^[h]^(K)supports the afflicted;
He brings the wicked down to the ground.

⁷^(L)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre;
⁸It is He who ^(M)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who ^(N)provides rain for the earth,
Who ^(O)makes grass sprout on the mountains.
⁹It is He who ^(P)gives an animal its food,
And feeds ^(Q)young ravens that cry.
¹⁰He does not delight in ^[i]the strength of the ^(R)horse;
He ^(S)does not take pleasure in the ^[j]legs of a man.
¹¹The Lord ^(T)favors those who fear Him,
^(U)Those who wait for His ^[k]faithfulness.

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Footnotes

Psalm 147:1 Or Hallelujah!
Psalm 147:1 Heb Yah
Psalm 147:1 Or He is delightful
Psalm 147:1 Or fitting
Psalm 147:3 Lit pains
Psalm 147:4 Or calls them all by their names
Psalm 147:5 Lit innumerable
Psalm 147:6 Or relieves
Psalm 147:10 I.e., as a military asset
Psalm 147:10 I.e., as a military asset
Psalm 147:11 Or mercy

Proverbs 17:1-20

New American Standard Bible

Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked

17 ^(A)Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of ^[a]feasting with strife.
²A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
³The ^(B)refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But ^(C)the Lord tests hearts.
⁴An ^(D)evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A ^[b]liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
⁵One who mocks the ^(E)poor taunts his Maker;
One who ^(F)rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.
⁶^(G)Grandchildren are the crown of the old,
And the ^(H)glory of sons is their fathers.
⁷^[c]^(I)Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are ^(J)lying lips to a prince.
⁸A ^(K)bribe is a ^[d]charm in the sight of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
⁹One who ^(L)conceals an offense seeks love,
But one who repeats a matter ^(M)separates close friends.
¹⁰A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
¹¹A rebellious person seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
¹²Let a ^(N)person meet a ^(O)bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his foolishness.
¹³One who ^(P)returns evil for good,
^(Q)Evil will not depart from his house.
¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So ^(R)abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
¹⁵One who ^(S)justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
¹⁶Why is there money in the hand of a fool to ^(T)buy wisdom,
When ^[e]he has no sense?
¹⁷A ^(U)friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸A person lacking in ^[f]sense ^(V)shakes hands
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
¹⁹One who ^(W)loves wrongdoing loves strife;
One who ^(X)makes his doorway high seeks destruction.
²⁰One who has a crooked ^[g]mind ^(Y)finds nothing good,
And one who is ^[h]^(Z)corrupted in his language falls into evil.

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Footnotes

Proverbs 17:1 Lit sacrifices of strife
Proverbs 17:4 Lit falsehood
Proverbs 17:7 Lit A lip of abundance
Proverbs 17:8 Lit stone of favor
Proverbs 17:16 Lit there is no heart
Proverbs 17:18 Lit heart
Proverbs 17:20 Lit heart
Proverbs 17:20 Lit altered in his tongue

1 Timothy 3

New American Standard Bible

Overseers and Deacons

3 ^(A)It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the ^(B)office of ^[a]overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. ²^[b]^(C)An overseer, then, must be above reproach, ^(D)the husband of one wife, ^[c]^(E)temperate, self-controlled, respectable, ^(F)hospitable, ^(G)skillful in teaching, ³^(H)not overindulging in wine, not ^[d]a bully, but gentle, not contentious, ^(I)free from the love of money. ⁴He must be one who ^(J)manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of ^(K)the church of God?), ⁶and not a new convert, so that he will not become ^(L)conceited and fall into ^(M)condemnation ^[e]incurred by the devil. ⁷And he must ^(N)have a good reputation with ^(O)those outside the church, so that he will not fall into ^[f]disgrace and ^(P)the snare of the devil.

⁸^(Q)Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not ^[g]insincere, ^(R)not prone to drink much wine, ^(S)not greedy for money, ⁹^(T)but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰^(U)These men must also first be tested; then have them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. ¹¹^[h]Women must likewise be dignified, ^(V)not malicious gossips, but ^[i]^(W)temperate, faithful in all things. ¹²^(X)Deacons must be ^(Y)husbands of one wife, and ^[j]^(Z)good managers of their children and their own households. ¹³For those who have served well as deacons ^(AA)obtain for themselves a ^[k]high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; ¹⁵but ^[l]in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in ^(AB)the household of God, which is the ^(AC)church of ^(AD)the living God, the ^(AE)pillar and support of the truth. ¹⁶Beyond question, great is ^(AF)the mystery of godliness:

He who was ^(AG)revealed in the flesh,
Was ^[m]^(AH)vindicated ^[n]in the Spirit,
^(AI)Seen by angels,
^(AJ)Proclaimed among the nations,
^(AK)Believed on in the world,
^(AL)Taken up in glory.

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Footnotes

1 Timothy 3:1 Or bishop
1 Timothy 3:2 Lit The
1 Timothy 3:2 Or level-headed
1 Timothy 3:3 Or combative
1 Timothy 3:6 Lit of the devil
1 Timothy 3:7 Or reproach
1 Timothy 3:8 Or given to double-talk
1 Timothy 3:11 I.e., either deacons’ wives or deaconesses
1 Timothy 3:11 Or level-headed
1 Timothy 3:12 Lit managing well
1 Timothy 3:13 Lit good
1 Timothy 3:15 Lit if I delay
1 Timothy 3:16 Or justified
1 Timothy 3:16 Or by

Matthew 12:43-50

New American Standard Bible

⁴³“^(A)Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. ⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and live there; and ^(B)the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

Changed Relationships

⁴⁶^(C)While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His ^(D)mother and ^(E)brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. ⁴⁷[^[a]Someone said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.”] ⁴⁸But ^[b]Jesus replied to the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹And extending His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold: My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.”