Taste and See That the Lord Is Good
1 Of David, when he bchanged his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall ccontinually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its dboast in the Lord;
elet the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
faround those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, gtaste and see that the Lord is good!
hBlessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him ihave no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack jno good thing.
11 kCome, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 lWhat man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 mKeep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 nTurn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and opursue it.
15 The peyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the qbrokenhearted
and saves the rcrushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord sdelivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
tnot one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Besides Me There Is No God
6 Thus says the Lord, the yKing of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the zfirst and I am the last;
abesides me there is no god.
7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.1
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
bLet them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
8 Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
And cyou are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no dRock; I know not any.”
The Folly of Idolatry
9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in edo not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be fput to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil.2 He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He gprays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
The Lord Redeems Israel
21 hRemember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
O Israel, iyou will not be forgotten by me.
22 I have jblotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
23 kSing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
shout, O depths of the earth;
lbreak forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord mhas redeemed Jacob,
and will be glorified3 in Israel.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
35 kAnd rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is llooking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 mAnd he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
40 nAnd a oleper1 came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 pAnd immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus2 sternly qcharged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, rshow yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing swhat Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 tBut he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
