Old/New Testament
135 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord!
Praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who serve in the Lord’s Temple,
in the courtyard of the Temple of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, because he is good.
Praise his name, because it brings such joy!
4 The Lord chose Jacob to be his own.
Yes, he chose Israel to be his own people.
5 I know the Lord is great!
Our Lord is greater than all the gods!
6 The Lord does whatever he wants,
in heaven and on earth, in the seas and the deep oceans.
7 He brings the clouds from the other side of the earth.
He sends the lightning and the rain,
and he opens the doors to release the winds.
8 He destroyed the firstborn males of the people in Egypt and their animals.
9 He did great wonders and miracles in Egypt.
He used them against Pharaoh and his officials.
10 He defeated many nations
and killed powerful kings.
11 He defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms in Canaan.
12 Then he gave their land to Israel, his people.
13 Lord, your name will be famous forever!
Lord, people will remember you forever and ever.
14 The Lord defends his people;
he is kind to his servants.
15 The gods of other nations are only gold and silver idols
that people have made.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak.
They have eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear.
They have mouths, but no breath.
18 Those who make idols and trust in them
will become just like the idols they have made.
19 Family of Israel, praise the Lord!
Aaron’s family, praise the Lord!
20 Levi’s family, praise the Lord!
All you who worship the Lord, praise the Lord!
21 The Lord should be praised from Zion,
from Jerusalem, his home.
Praise the Lord!
136 Praise the Lord because he is good.
His faithful love will last forever.
2 Praise the God of gods!
His faithful love will last forever.
3 Praise the Lord of lords!
His faithful love will last forever.
4 Praise him who alone does wonderful miracles!
His faithful love will last forever.
5 Praise the one who used wisdom to make the skies!
His faithful love will last forever.
6 He spread the land over the sea.
His faithful love will last forever.
7 He made the great lights.
His faithful love will last forever.
8 He made the sun to rule the day.
His faithful love will last forever.
9 He made the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love will last forever.
10 He killed the firstborn males in Egypt, both men and animals.
His faithful love will last forever.
11 He took Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love will last forever.
12 He used his powerful arms and strong hands.
His faithful love will last forever.
13 He split the Red Sea into two parts.
His faithful love will last forever.
14 He led Israel through the sea.
His faithful love will last forever.
15 He drowned Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea.
His faithful love will last forever.
16 He led his people through the desert.
His faithful love will last forever.
17 He defeated powerful kings.
His faithful love will last forever.
18 He defeated strong kings.
His faithful love will last forever.
19 He defeated Sihon king of the Amorites.
His faithful love will last forever.
20 He defeated Og king of Bashan.
His faithful love will last forever.
21 He gave their land to Israel.
His faithful love will last forever.
22 He gave it as a gift to Israel, his servant.
His faithful love will last forever.
23 He remembered us when we were defeated.
His faithful love will last forever.
24 He saved us from our enemies.
His faithful love will last forever.
25 He provides food for all living things.
His faithful love will last forever.
26 Praise the God of heaven!
His faithful love will last forever.
Gifts From the Holy Spirit
12 Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand about spiritual gifts. 2 You remember the lives you lived before you were believers. You let yourselves be influenced and led away to worship idols—things that have no life. 3 So I tell you that no one who is speaking with the help of God’s Spirit says, “Jesus be cursed.” And no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” without the help of the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. 5 There are different ways to serve, but we serve the same Lord. 6 And there are different ways that God works in people, but it is the same God who works in all of us to do everything.
7 Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person. The Spirit gives this to each one to help others. 8 The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom. And the same Spirit gives another person the ability to speak with knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives faith to one person and to another he gives gifts of healing. 10 The Spirit gives to one person the power to do miracles, to another the ability to prophesy, and to another the ability to judge what is from the Spirit and what is not. The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak in different kinds of languages, and to another the ability to interpret those languages. 11 One Spirit, the same Spirit, does all these things. The Spirit decides what to give each one.
The Body of Christ
12 A person has only one body, but it has many parts. Yes, there are many parts, but all those parts are still just one body. Christ is like that too. 13 Some of us are Jews and some of us are not; some of us are slaves and some of us are free. But we were all baptized to become one body through one Spirit. And we were all given[a] the one Spirit.
14 And a person’s body has more than one part. It has many parts. 15 The foot might say, “I am not a hand, so I don’t belong to the body.” But saying this would not stop the foot from being a part of the body. 16 The ear might say, “I am not an eye, so I don’t belong to the body.” But saying this would not make the ear stop being a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, it would not be able to hear. If the whole body were an ear, it would not be able to smell anything. 18-19 If each part of the body were the same part, there would be no body. But as it is, God put the parts in the body as he wanted them. He made a place for each one. 20 So there are many parts, but only one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you!” 22 No, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are actually very important. 23 And the parts that we think are not worth very much are the parts we give the most care to. And we give special care to the parts of the body that we don’t want to show. 24 The more beautiful parts don’t need this special care. But God put the body together and gave more honor to the parts that need it. 25 God did this so that our body would not be divided. God wanted the different parts to care the same for each other. 26 If one part of the body suffers, then all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part is honored, then all the other parts share its honor.
27 All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body. 28 And in the church God has given a place first to apostles, second to prophets, and third to teachers. Then God has given a place to those who do miracles, those who have gifts of healing, those who can help others, those who are able to lead, and those who can speak in different kinds of languages. 29 Not all are apostles. Not all are prophets. Not all are teachers. Not all do miracles. 30 Not all have gifts of healing. Not all speak in different kinds of languages. Not all interpret those languages. 31 Continue to give your attention to the spiritual gifts you consider to be the greatest. But now I want to point out a way of life that is even greater.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International