Old/New Testament
A Prayer for the House of God
132 O Lord, remember David and all of his suffering. 2 Remember how he swore to the Lord, and how he made a promise to the Powerful One of Jacob: 3 “For sure I will not go into my house or lie on my bed, 4 or let sleep come and close my eyes, 5 until I find a place for the Lord, a house of worship for the Powerful One of Jacob.”
6 See, we heard about it in Ephrathah. We found it in the field of Jaar. 7 Let us go into the House of God. Let us worship at His feet. 8 Rise up, O Lord. Go to the place where You can rest, You and the special box of the Way of Worship which is Your strength. 9 Let Your religious leaders be dressed with what is right and good. And let those who belong to You sing for joy.
10 Because of David Your servant, do not turn away from Your chosen one. 11 The Lord has made a sure promise to David that He will never break: “I will set upon your throne your own children. 12 If your sons will keep My Law and My Word which I will teach them, then their sons will sit upon your throne forever.”
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion. He has wanted it for a place to live: 14 “This is the place where I can rest forever. Here I will live, for I have wanted it. 15 I will give her many good things. I will give her poor people much bread. 16 I will dress her religious leaders with saving power. And those in her that belong to Me will sing for joy. 17 There I will make the horn of David grow and will make a lamp ready for My chosen one. 18 I will dress those who hate him with shame. But the crown on him will shine.”
A Song of Praise
133 See, how good and how pleasing it is for brothers to live together as one! 2 It is like oil of great worth poured on the head, flowing down through the hair on the face, even the face of Aaron, and flowing down to his coat. 3 It is like the morning water of Hermon coming down upon the hills of Zion. For there the Lord has given the gift of life that lasts forever.
A Call to Praise
134 See, give honor and thanks to the Lord, all who work for the Lord, who stand during the night in the house of the Lord. 2 Lift up your hands to the holy place and give thanks to the Lord. 3 May the Lord bring good to you from Zion. He is the One Who made heaven and earth.
How the Lord’s Supper Should Be Eaten
17 While writing about these things, let me tell you what I think. Nothing good is coming from your meeting together. 18 First of all, I hear that when you meet together in the church you are divided into groups and you argue. I almost believe this is true. 19 For there must be different groups among you. In that way, those who are right will be seen from those who are wrong. 20 When you gather together for your meetings, it is not to eat the Lord’s supper. 21 Each one is in a hurry to eat his own food first. He does not wait for others. In this way, one does not get enough food and drink. Others get too much and get drunk. 22 You have your own homes to eat and drink in. Or do you hate the church of God and shame those who are poor? What am I to say to you? Am I to say you are right? No! I cannot say you are right in this.
The Meaning of the Lord’s Supper
23 I have given you the teaching I received from the Lord. The night Jesus was handed over to the soldiers, He took bread. 24 When He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take this bread and eat it. This is My body which is broken for you. Do this to remember Me.”
25 In the same way after supper, He took the cup. He said, “This cup is the New Way of Worship made between God and you by My blood. Whenever you drink it, do it to remember Me.”
26 Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you are telling of the Lord’s death until He comes again. 27 Anyone who eats the bread or drinks from the cup, if his spirit is not right with the Lord, will be guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 This is why a man should look into his own heart and life before eating the bread and drinking from the cup. 29 Anyone who eats the bread and drinks from the cup, if his spirit is not right with the Lord, will be guilty as he eats and drinks. He does not understand the meaning of the Lord’s body. 30 This is why some of you are sick and weak, and some have died. 31 But if we would look into our own lives and see if we are guilty, then God would not have to say we are guilty. 32 When we are guilty, we are punished by the Lord so we will not be told we are guilty with the rest of the world.
33 Christian brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home. Then he will not be guilty as you meet together. I will talk about the other things when I come.
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