Old/New Testament
Rescue Me, O Yahweh, from Evil Men
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Rescue me, O Yahweh, from evil men;
Guard me from (B)violent men
2 Who (C)think up evil things in their hearts;
They (D)continually stir up wars.
3 They (E)sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
(F)Poison of an asp is under their lips. [a]Selah.
4 (G)Keep me, O Yahweh, from the hands of the wicked;
(H)Guard me from violent men
Who [b]give thought to [c](I)trip up my steps.
5 The proud have (J)hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a (K)net by the [d]wayside;
They have set (L)snares for me. Selah.
6 I (M)said to Yahweh, “You are my God;
(N)Give ear, O Yahweh, to the (O)voice of my supplications.
7 O Yahweh, O Lord, (P)the strength of my salvation,
You have (Q)covered my head in the day of [e]battle.
8 Do not grant, O Yahweh, the (R)desires of the wicked;
Do not promote (S)his evil [f]scheme, that they not be exalted. Selah.
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (T)trouble from their lips cover them.
10 May (U)burning coals be shaken out upon them;
May He (V)cause them to fall into the fire,
Into [g]bottomless pits from which they (W)can never rise.
11 May a [h]slanderer not be established in the earth;
(X)May evil hunt the violent man [i]speedily.”
12 I know that Yahweh will (Y)maintain the cause for the afflicted
And (Z)judgment for the needy.
13 Surely the (AA)righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The (AB)upright will abide in Your presence.
My Prayer as Incense Before You
A Psalm of David.
141 O Yahweh, I call upon You; (AC)hasten to me!
(AD)Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be established as (AE)incense before You;
The (AF)lifting up of my hands as the (AG)evening offering.
3 Set a (AH)guard, O Yahweh, [j]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (AI)door of my lips.
4 (AJ)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds in wickedness
With men who are (AK)workers of iniquity;
And (AL)do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the (AM)righteous smite me in lovingkindness and reprove me;
It is (AN)oil upon the head;
Let not my head refuse it,
[k]For still my prayer (AO)is [l]against their evil deeds.
6 Their judges are (AP)thrown down by the sides of the cliff,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (AQ)plows and splits open the earth,
Our (AR)bones have been scattered at the (AS)mouth of Sheol.
8 For my (AT)eyes are toward You, O Yahweh, O Lord;
In You I (AU)take refuge; (AV)do not pour out my soul to death.
9 Keep me from the [m](AW)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the (AX)snares of workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked (AY)fall into their own nets,
As for myself—meanwhile, (AZ)I am passing by.
Give Heed to My Cry
A [n]Maskil of David. When he was [o]in the cave. A Prayer.
142 With my voice to Yahweh, I (BA)cry aloud;
With my voice to Yahweh, I (BB)make supplication.
2 I (BC)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (BD)distress before Him.
3 When (BE)my spirit [p]was faint within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (BF)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
That there is (BG)no one who regards me;
(BH)A way of escape has been destroyed from me;
(BI)No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, O Yahweh;
I said, “You are (BJ)my refuge,
My (BK)portion in the (BL)land of the living.
6 (BM)Give heed to my cry of lamentation,
For I am (BN)brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are too (BO)strong for me.
7 (BP)Bring my soul out of prison,
To give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will encircle me,
For You will (BQ)deal bountifully with me.”
Prophecy and Tongues
14 (A)Pursue love, yet (B)earnestly desire (C)spiritual gifts, but especially that you may (D)prophesy. 2 For one who (E)speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one [a]understands, but [b]in his spirit he speaks (F)mysteries. 3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for (G)edification and (H)exhortation and encouragement. 4 One who (I)speaks in a tongue (J)edifies himself; but one who (K)prophesies (L)edifies the church. 5 But I wish that you all (M)spoke in tongues, but (N)even more that you would prophesy. And greater is one who prophesies than one who (O)speaks in tongues, unless he [c]translates, so that the church may receive (P)edification.
6 But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of (Q)revelation or of (R)knowledge or of (S)prophecy or of (T)teaching? 7 Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? 8 For if (U)the trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? 9 So also you, unless you utter by the tongue a word that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be (V)speaking into the air. 10 There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of sounds in the world, and none is without meaning. 11 If then I do not know the meaning of the sound, I will be to the one who speaks a [d](W)barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a [e]barbarian [f]to me. 12 So also you, since you are zealous for [g]spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the (X)edification of the church.
13 Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may [h]translate. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 (Y)What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will (Z)sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. 16 Otherwise if you bless [i]in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the [j]uninformed say (AA)the “Amen” at your (AB)giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not (AC)edified. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all; 19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 (AD)Brothers, (AE)do not be children in your thinking; rather in evil (AF)be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
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