Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord
A Song of Ascents.
1 When the Lord krestored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was lfilled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
m“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 nThose who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Unless the Lord Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. oOf Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of panxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children1 of one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall qnot be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.2
Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
1 rBlessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who swalks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and tit shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be ulike a fruitful vine
within your house;
vyour children will be wlike olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 xThe Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6 May you ysee your children’s children!
zPeace be upon Israel!
Moses Makes New Tablets
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and lI will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, mwhich you broke. 2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 3 nNo one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and owent up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 pThe Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and qproclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 rThe Lord passed before him and proclaimed, s“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 tkeeping steadfast love for thousands,1 uforgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will vby no means clear the guilty, wvisiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go xin the midst of us, for it is a ystiff-necked people, and zpardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your ainheritance.”
The Covenant Renewed
10 And he said, “Behold, bI am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
8 Finally, all of you, have wunity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a xtender heart, and a yhumble mind. 9 zDo not repay evil for evil or areviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that byou may obtain a blessing. 10 For
c“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
dlet him eseek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 Now fwho is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be gblessed. hHave no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ialways being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, jso that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than kfor doing evil.
18 For lChrist also suffered1 once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, mthat he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 nin which2 he went and proclaimed3 to the spirits in prison, 20 because4 they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, owhile the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 pBaptism, which corresponds to this, qnow saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the rright hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
