How Long, O Lord?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 vHow long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you whide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
xlight up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have ytrusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The Fool Says, There Is No God
To the choirmaster. Of David.
1 zThe fool says in his heart, a“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
bthere is none who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,1
who seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
cthere is none who does good,
not even one.
4 dHave they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but2 the Lord is his refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord erestores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
You Keep Him in Perfect Peace
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
he sets up salvation
as walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates,
that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
4 jTrust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
5 For he has humbled
the inhabitants of the height,
the lofty city.
He klays it low, lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.
6 The foot tramples it,
the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.”
7 The path of the righteous is level;
you make level the way of the righteous.
8 In the path of your judgments,
O Lord, we wait for you;
your name and remembrance
are the desire of our soul.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
my spirit within me learnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 If favor is shown to the wicked,
he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
and does not see the majesty of the Lord.
11 O Lord, your hand is lifted up,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
Let the mfire for your adversaries consume them.
12 O Lord, you will ordain peace for us,
for nyou have indeed done for us all our works.
13 O Lord our God,
other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but your name alone we bring to remembrance.
Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners
12 aI thank him who has given me bstrength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, cappointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, dpersecutor, and insolent opponent. But I ereceived mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me fwith the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 gThe saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that hChrist Jesus came into the world to save sinners, iof whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received jmercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an kexample to those who were to lbelieve in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, mimmortal, ninvisible, the oonly God, be honor and glory forever and ever.1 Amen.
18 This charge I pentrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with qthe prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the rgood swarfare, 19 tholding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made ushipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are vHymenaeus and wAlexander, whom I have xhanded over to Satan that they may learn not to yblaspheme.
Pray for All People
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 zfor kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and aquiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is bpleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 cwho desires all people to be saved and to come to the dknowledge of the truth. 5 For ethere is one God, and fthere is one gmediator between God and men, the man2 Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a hransom for iall, which is the testimony given jat the proper time. 7 For this I was kappointed a preacher and an lapostle m(I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 I desire then that in every place the men should npray, lifting oholy hands without anger or pquarreling;
