Old/New Testament
A psalm of Solomon.
72 God, give the king the ability to judge fairly.
He is your royal son. Help him to do what is right.
2 May he rule your people in the right way.
May he be fair to those among your people who are hurting.
3 May the mountains and the hills produce rich crops,
because the people will do what is right.
4 May the king stand up for those who are hurting.
May he save the children of those who are in need.
May he crush those who treat others badly.
5 May the king rule as long as the sun shines
and the moon gives its light.
May he rule for all time to come.
6 May he be like rain falling on the fields.
May he be like showers watering the earth.
7 May godly people do well as long as he rules.
May they have more than they need as long as the moon lasts.
8 May the king rule from sea to sea.
May his kingdom reach from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow down to him.
May his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of places far away
bring him gifts.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
give him presents.
11 May all kings bow down to him.
May all nations serve him.
12 The king will save needy people who cry out to him.
He will save those who are hurting and have no one else to help.
13 He will take pity on those who are weak and in need.
He will save them from death.
14 He will save them from people who treat others badly.
He will save them from people who do mean things to them.
Their lives are very special to him.
15 May the king live a long time!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May people always pray for him.
May they ask the Lord to bless him all day long.
16 May there be plenty of grain everywhere in the land.
May it sway in the wind on the tops of the hills.
May the crops grow well, like those in Lebanon.
May they grow like the grass of the field.
17 May the king’s name be remembered forever.
May his fame last as long as the sun shines.
Then all nations will be blessed because of him.
They will call him blessed.
18 Give praise to the Lord God, the God of Israel.
Only he can do wonderful things.
19 Give praise to his glorious name forever.
May his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, end here.
Book III
Psalms 73–89
A psalm of Asaph.
73 God is truly good to Israel.
He is good to those who have pure hearts.
2 But my feet had almost slipped.
I had almost tripped and fallen.
3 I saw that proud and sinful people were doing well.
And I began to long for what they had.
4 They don’t have any troubles.
Their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They don’t have the problems most people have.
They don’t suffer as other people do.
6 Their pride is like a necklace.
They put on meanness as if it were their clothes.
7 Many sins come out of their hard and stubborn hearts.
There is no limit to the evil things they can think up.
8 They laugh at others and speak words of hatred.
They are proud. They warn others about the harm they can do to them.
9 They brag as if they owned heaven itself.
They talk as if they controlled the earth.
10 So people listen to them.
They lap up their words like water.
11 They say, “How would God know what we’re doing?
Does the Most High God know anything?”
12 Here is what sinful people are like.
They don’t have a care in the world.
They keep getting richer and richer.
13 It seems as if I have kept my heart pure for no reason.
It didn’t do me any good to wash my hands
to show that I wasn’t guilty of doing anything wrong.
14 Day after day I’ve been in pain.
God has punished me in a new way every morning.
15 What if I had talked like that?
Then I wouldn’t have been faithful to God’s children.
16 I tried to understand it all.
But it was more than I could handle.
17 It troubled me until I entered God’s temple.
Then I understood what will finally happen to bad people.
18 God, I’m sure you will make them slip and fall.
You will throw them down and destroy them.
19 It will happen very suddenly.
A terrible death will take them away completely.
20 A dream goes away when a person wakes up.
Lord, it will be like that when you rise up.
It will be as if those people were only a dream.
21 At one time my heart was sad
and my spirit was bitter.
22 I didn’t have any sense. I didn’t know anything.
I acted like a wild animal toward you.
23 But I am always with you.
You hold me by my right hand.
24 You give me wise advice to guide me.
And when I die, you will take me away
into the glory of heaven.
25 I don’t have anyone in heaven but you.
I don’t want anything on earth besides you.
26 My body and my heart may grow weak.
God, you give strength to my heart.
You are everything I will ever need.
27 Those who don’t want anything to do with you will die.
You destroy all those who aren’t faithful to you.
28 But I am close to you. And that’s good.
Lord and King, I have made you my place of safety.
I will talk about everything you have done.
Paul Mourns for Israel
9 I speak the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My mind tells me that what I say is true. It is guided by the Holy Spirit. 2 My heart is full of sorrow. My sadness never ends. 3 I am so concerned about my people, who are members of my own race. I am ready to be cursed, if that would help them. I am even willing to be separated from Christ. 4 They are the people of Israel. They have been adopted as God’s children. God’s glory belongs to them. So do the covenants. They received the law. They were taught to worship in the temple. They were given the promises. 5 The founders of our nation belong to them. The Messiah comes from their family line. He is God over all. May he always be praised! Amen.
God’s Free Choice
6 I do not mean that God’s word has failed. Not everyone in the family line of Israel really belongs to Israel. 7 Not everyone in Abraham’s family line is really his child. Not at all! Scripture says, “Your family line will continue through Isaac.” (Genesis 21:12) 8 In other words, God’s children are not just in the family line of Abraham. Instead, they are the children God promised to him. They are the ones considered to be Abraham’s children. 9 God promised, “I will return at the appointed time. Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:10,14)
10 And that’s not all. Rebekah’s children were born at the same time by the same father. He was our father Isaac. 11 Here is what happened. Rebekah’s twins had not even been born. They hadn’t done anything good or bad yet. So they show that God’s purpose is based firmly on his free choice. 12 It was not because of anything they did but because of God’s choice. So Rebekah was told, “The older son will serve the younger one.” (Genesis 25:23) 13 It is written, “I chose Jacob instead of Esau.” (Malachi 1:2,3)
14 What should we say then? Is God unfair? Not at all! 15 He said to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.
I will show love to those I love.” (Exodus 33:19)
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