Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 83
A song; a psalm by Asaph.
1 O Elohim, do not remain silent.
Do not turn a deaf ear to me.
Do not keep quiet, O El.
2 Look, your enemies are in an uproar.
Those who hate you hold their heads high.
3 They make plans in secret against your people
and plot together against those you treasure.
4 They say, “Let’s wipe out their nation
so that the name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
5 They agree completely on their plan.
They form an alliance against you:
6 the tents from Edom and Ishmael,
Moab and Hagar,
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia, along with those who live in Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them.
They helped the descendants of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them what you did to Midian,
to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.
10 They were destroyed at Endor.
They became manure to fertilize the ground.
11 Treat their influential people as you treated Oreb and Zeeb.
Treat all their leaders like Zebah and Zalmunna.
12 They said, “Let’s take Elohim’s pasturelands for ourselves.”
13 O my Elohim, blow them away like tumbleweeds,[a]
like husks in the wind.
14 Pursue them with your storms,
and terrify them with your windstorms
15 the way fire burns a forest
and flames set mountains on fire.[b]
16 Let their faces blush with shame, O Yahweh,
so that they must look to you for help.
17 Let them be put to shame and terrified forever.
Let them die in disgrace
18 so that they must acknowledge you.
Your name is Yahweh.
You alone are Elyon of the whole earth.
31 Barzillai, the man from Gilead, came from Rogelim with the king to the Jordan River to send him on his way. 32 Barzillai was an elderly man, 80 years old. Because he was a very rich man, he had provided the king with food while he was staying at Mahanaim.
33 The king told Barzillai, “Cross the river with me. I’ll provide for you in Jerusalem.”
34 Barzillai replied, “I don’t have much longer to live. I shouldn’t go with Your Majesty to Jerusalem. 35 I’m 80 years old now. How can I tell what is pleasant and what is not? Can I taste what I eat or drink? Can I still hear the singing of men and women? Why should I now become a burden to you, Your Majesty? 36 I’ll just cross the Jordan River with you. Why should you give me such a reward? 37 Please let me go back so that I can die in my city near the grave of my father and mother. But here is Chimham. Let him go across with you. And do for him what you think is right.”
38 “Chimham will go across with me,” the king said. “I will do for him whatever you want. Anything you wish I’ll do for you.”
39 All the troops crossed the Jordan River, and then the king crossed. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him. Then Barzillai went back home.
40 The king crossed the river to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him. All the troops from Judah and half of the troops from Israel brought the king across.
41 Then all the people of Israel kept coming to the king. They asked, “Why did our cousins, the people of Judah, kidnap you and bring Your Majesty and your family and men across the Jordan River?”
42 All the people of Judah answered the people of Israel, “Because the king is our relative. Why are you angry about this? Did we eat the king’s food, or did he give us any gifts?”[a]
43 The people of Israel answered the people of Judah, “We have ten times your interest in the king and a greater claim on David than you have. Why, then, do you despise us? Weren’t we the first to suggest bringing back our king?”
But the people of Judah spoke even more harshly than the people of Israel.
10 Certainly, there is a curse on all who rely on their own efforts because Scripture says, “Whoever doesn’t obey everything that is written in Moses’ Teachings is cursed.” 11 No one receives God’s approval by obeying the laws in Moses’ Teachings since, “The person who has God’s approval will live by faith.” 12 These laws have nothing to do with faith, but, “Whoever obeys laws will live because he obeys them.”
13 Christ paid the price to free us from the curse that the laws in Moses’ Teachings bring by becoming cursed instead of us. Scripture says, “Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.” 14 Christ paid the price so that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to all the people of the world through Yeshua Christ and we would receive the promised Spirit through faith.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.