The Lord Will Not Forsake His People
1 O Lord, God of zvengeance,
O God of vengeance, ashine forth!
2 bRise up, O cjudge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!
3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the dwidow and the esojourner,
and murder the fatherless;
7 and they say, f“The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge—
11 gthe Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.1
12 hBlessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 iFor the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who jrises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 kIf the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot lslips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame2 injustice by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.3
22 But the Lord has become my mstronghold,
and my God the nrock of my refuge.
23 oHe will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.
Naboth’s Vineyard
1 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, u“Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 vBut Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4 And Ahab went into his house wvexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a xfast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set ytwo worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, z‘You have cursed1 God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
The Lord Condemns Ahab
17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the ablood of Naboth shall dogs lick byour own blood.”’”
20 Ahab said to Elijah, c“Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have dsold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord. 21 Behold, eI will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 22 And I will make your house flike the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and glike the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel the Lord also said, h‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.’ 24 iAnyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.”
Ahab’s Repentance
25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.)
27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. 28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “Have you seen how Ahab has jhumbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, kI will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”
Shepherd the Flock of God
1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a ywitness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the zflock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,1 anot under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;2 not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 bnot domineering over those in your charge, but being cexamples to the flock. 4 And dwhen the chief eShepherd appears, you will receive the unfading fcrown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. gClothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for h“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 icasting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 jBe sober-minded; kbe watchful. Your adversary the devil lprowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 mResist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your nbrotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have osuffered a little while, the God of all grace, pwho has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 qTo him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 rShe who is at sBabylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
