120 In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me.

² Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.

³ What shall be given unto thee, or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?

⁴ Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper!

⁵ Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!

⁶ My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.

⁷ I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help!

² My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not permit thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber.

⁴ Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is thy keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

⁶ The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul.

⁸ The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

122 I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

² Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

³ Jerusalem is built as a city that is united together,

⁴ whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, according to the testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.

⁵ For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “They shall prosper that love thee.

⁷ Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces.”

⁸ For my brethren and companions’ sakes I will now say, “Peace be within thee.”

⁹ Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good.

9 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not you my work in the Lord?

² If I am not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you. For ye are the seal of mine apostleship in the Lord.

³ Mine answer to those who examine me is this:

⁴ Have we not power to eat and to drink?

⁵ Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as do other apostles and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

⁶ Or is it I only and Barnabas who have not power to forbear working?

⁷ Who goeth to war at any time at his own expense? Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

⁸ Say I these things as a man, or saith not the law the same also?

⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.” Doth God take care for oxen,

¹⁰ or doth He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope, and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

¹¹ If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it so great a thing if we should reap your worldly things?

¹² If others are partakers of this power over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this power, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the Gospel of Christ.

¹³ Do ye not know that those who minister concerning holy things live of the things of the temple, and those who wait upon the altar are partakers with the altar?

¹⁴ Even so hath the Lord ordained that those who preach the Gospel should live from the Gospel.

¹⁵ But I have used none of these things; neither have I written, that these things should be so done unto me. For it would be better for me to die than that any man should make my glorying void.

¹⁶ For though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory about, for necessity is laid upon me. Yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel!

¹⁷ For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, a dispensing of the Gospel is committed unto me.

¹⁸ What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the Gospel, I may make the Gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the Gospel.

¹⁹ For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

²⁰ And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;

²¹ to those who are outside the law, as outside the law (though not outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ), that I might gain those who are outside the law.

²² To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

²³ And this I do for the Gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

²⁴ Know ye not that those who run in a race all run, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain it.

²⁵ And every man that striveth for mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.

²⁶ I therefore so run, but not with uncertainty; I so fight, but not as one that beateth the air.

²⁷ But I keep control of my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.