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Psalm 116-118
Contemporary English Version
Psalm 116-118
Contemporary English Version
When the Lord Saves You from Death
1 I love you, Lord!
You answered my prayers.
2 You paid attention to me,
and so I will pray to you
as long as I live.
3 Death attacked from all sides,
and I was captured
by its painful chains.
But when I was really hurting,
4 I prayed and said, “Lord,
please don't let me die!”
5 You are kind, Lord,
so good and merciful.
6 You protect ordinary people,
and when I was helpless,
you saved me
7 and treated me so kindly
that I don't need
to worry anymore.
8 You, Lord, have saved
my life from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
9 Now I will walk at your side
in this land of the living.
10 (A) I was faithful to you
when I was suffering,
11 though in my confusion I said,
“I can't trust anyone!”
12 What must I give you, Lord,
for being so good to me?
13 I will pour out an offering
of wine to you,
and I will pray in your name
because you
have saved me.
14 I will keep my promise to you
when your people meet.
15 You are deeply concerned
when one of your loyal people
faces death.
16 I worship you, Lord,
just as my mother did,
and you have rescued me
from the chains of death.
17 I will offer you a sacrifice
to show how grateful I am,
and I will pray.
18 I will keep my promise to you
when your people
19 gather at your temple
in Jerusalem.
Shout praises to the Lord!
Come Praise the Lord
1 (B) All of you nations,
come praise the Lord!
Let everyone praise him.
2 God's love for us is wonderful;
his faithfulness never ends.
Shout praises to the Lord!
The Lord Is Always Merciful
1 (C) Tell the Lord
how thankful you are,
because he is kind
and always merciful.
2 Let Israel shout,
“God is always merciful!”
3 Let the family of Aaron
the priest shout,
“God is always merciful!”
4 Let every true worshiper
of the Lord shout,
“God is always merciful!”
5 When I was really hurting,
I prayed to the Lord.
He answered my prayer,
and took my worries away.
6 (D) The Lord is on my side,
and I am not afraid
of what others can do to me.
7 With the Lord on my side,
I will defeat
my hateful enemies.
8 It is better to trust the Lord
for protection
than to trust anyone else,
9 including strong leaders.
10 Nations surrounded me,
but I got rid of them
by the power of the Lord.
11 They attacked from all sides,
but I got rid of them
by the power of the Lord.
12 They swarmed around like bees,
but by the power of the Lord,
I got rid of them
and their fiery sting.
13 Their attacks were so fierce
that I nearly fell,
but the Lord helped me.
14 (E) My power and my strength
come from the Lord,
and he has saved me.
15 From the tents of God's people
come shouts of victory:
“The Lord is powerful!
16 With his mighty arm
the Lord wins victories!
The Lord is powerful!”
17 And so my life is safe,
and I will live to tell
what the Lord has done.
18 He punished me terribly,
but he did not let death
lay its hands on me.
19 Open the gates of justice!
I will enter and tell the Lord
how thankful I am.
20 Here is the gate of the Lord!
Everyone who does right
may enter this gate.
21 I praise the Lord
for answering my prayers
and saving me.
22 (F)(G) The stone that the builders
tossed aside
has now become
the most important stone.
23 The Lord has done this,
and it is amazing to us.
24 This day belongs to the Lord!
Let's celebrate
and be glad today.
25 (H) We'll ask the Lord to save us!
We'll sincerely ask the Lord
to let us win.
26 (I) God bless the one who comes
in the name of the Lord!
We praise you from here
in the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is our God,
and he has given us light!
Start the celebration!
March with palm branches
all the way to the altar.[a]
28 The Lord is my God!
I will praise him and tell him
how thankful I am.
29 Tell the Lord
how thankful you are,
because he is kind
and always merciful.
Footnotes
- 118.27 Start … altar: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Psalm 116-118
New International Version
Psalm 116-118
New International Version
Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord,(A) for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry(B) for mercy.(C)
2 Because he turned his ear(D) to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death(E) entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name(F) of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!(G)”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;(H)
our God is full of compassion.(I)
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low,(J) he saved me.(K)
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me(N) from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord(O)
in the land of the living.(P)
10 I trusted(Q) in the Lord when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;(R)
11 in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”(S)
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness(T) to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name(U) of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows(V) to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight(W) of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.(X)
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;(Y)
I serve you just as my mother did;(Z)
you have freed me from my chains.(AA)
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering(AB) to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows(AC) to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts(AD) of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.(AE)
Praise the Lord.[a]
Psalm 117
1 Praise the Lord,(AF) all you nations;(AG)
extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love(AH) toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord(AI) endures forever.
Praise the Lord.[b]
Psalm 118
2 Let Israel say:(AM)
“His love endures forever.”(AN)
3 Let the house of Aaron say:(AO)
“His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord(AP) say:
“His love endures forever.”
5 When hard pressed,(AQ) I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.(AR)
6 The Lord is with me;(AS) I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?(AT)
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.(AU)
I look in triumph on my enemies.(AV)
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord(AW)
than to trust in humans.(AX)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.(AY)
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.(AZ)
11 They surrounded me(BA) on every side,(BB)
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,(BC)
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;(BD)
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.(BE)
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.(BF)
14 The Lord is my strength(BG) and my defense[c];
he has become my salvation.(BH)
15 Shouts of joy(BI) and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand(BJ) has done mighty things!(BK)
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die(BL) but live,
and will proclaim(BM) what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened(BN) me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.(BO)
19 Open for me the gates(BP) of the righteous;
I will enter(BQ) and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord(BR)
through which the righteous may enter.(BS)
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;(BT)
you have become my salvation.(BU)
22 The stone(BV) the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;(BW)
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous(BX) in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.(BY)
25 Lord, save us!(BZ)
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes(CA) in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.[d](CB)
27 The Lord is God,(CC)
and he has made his light shine(CD) on us.
With boughs in hand,(CE) join in the festal procession
up[e] to the horns of the altar.(CF)
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 116:19 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
- Psalm 117:2 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
- Psalm 118:14 Or song
- Psalm 118:26 The Hebrew is plural.
- Psalm 118:27 Or Bind the festal sacrifice with ropes / and take it
1 Corinthians 7:1-19
Contemporary English Version
1 Corinthians 7:1-19
Contemporary English Version
Questions about Marriage
7 Now I will answer the questions you asked in your letter. You asked, “Is it best for people not to marry?”[a] 2 Well, having your own husband or wife should keep you from doing something immoral. 3 Husbands and wives should be fair with each other about having sex. 4 A wife belongs to her husband instead of to herself, and a husband belongs to his wife instead of to himself. 5 So don't refuse sex to each other, unless you agree not to have sex for a little while, in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 In my opinion that is what should be done, though I don't know of anything the Lord said about this matter. 7 I wish all of you were like me, but God has given different gifts to each of us.
8 My advice for the unmarried and for widows is that it is acceptable for them to remain single, just as I am. 9 But if you don't have enough self-control, then go ahead and get married. After all, it is better to marry than to burn with desire.[b]
10 (A) I instruct married couples to stay together, and this is exactly what the Lord himself taught. A wife who leaves her husband 11 should either stay single or go back to her husband. And a husband should not leave his wife.
12 I don't know of anything else the Lord said about marriage. All I can do is to give you my own advice. If your wife isn't a follower of the Lord, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce her. 13 If your husband isn't a follower, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce him. 14 Your husband or wife who isn't a follower is made holy by having you as a partner. This also makes your children holy and keeps them from being unclean in God's sight.
15 If your husband or wife isn't a follower of the Lord and decides to divorce you, then you should agree to it. You are no longer bound to that person. After all, God chose you and wants you to live at peace. 16 And besides, how do you know if you will be able to save your husband or wife who isn't a follower?
Obeying the Lord at All Times
17 In every church I tell the people to stay as they were when the Lord Jesus chose them and God called them to be his own. Now I say the same thing to you. 18 (B) If you are already circumcised, don't try to change it. If you are not circumcised, don't get circumcised. 19 Being circumcised or uncircumcised isn't really what matters. The important thing is to obey God's commands.
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1 Corinthians 7:1-19
New International Version
1 Corinthians 7:1-19
New International Version
Concerning Married Life
7 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”(A) 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife,(B) and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time,(C) so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan(D) will not tempt you(E) because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.(F) 7 I wish that all of you were as I am.(G) But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.(H)
8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.(I) 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry,(J) for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.(K) 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband.(L) And a husband must not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord):(M) If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.(N)
15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.(O) 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save(P) your husband?(Q) Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
Concerning Change of Status
17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.(R) This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.(S) 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.(T) 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing.(U) Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 7:8 Or widowers
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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