Psalms 129–131; 2 Corinthians 9

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Psalms 129–131

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of mAscents.

Greatly1 have they pafflicted me qfrom my youth

rlet Israel now say

Greatly have they pafflicted me qfrom my youth,

syet they have not prevailed against me.

tThe plowers plowed uupon my back;

they made long their furrows.

The Lord is righteous;

he has cut vthe cords of the wicked.

May all who hate Zion

be wput to shame and turned backward!

Let them be like xthe grass on the housetops,

which ywithers before it grows up,

with which the reaper does not fill his hand

nor the binder of sheaves his arms,

nor do those who pass by say,

aThe blessing of the Lord be upon you!

We bbless you in the name of the Lord!

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of mAscents.

Out of cthe depths I cry to you, O Lord!

O Lord, hear my voice!

dLet your ears be attentive

to ethe voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O Lord, should fmark iniquities,

O Lord, who could gstand?

But with you there is hforgiveness,

ithat you may be feared.

I jwait for the Lord, kmy soul waits,

and lin his word I hope;

my soul mwaits for the Lord

more than nwatchmen for othe morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, phope in the Lord!

For qwith the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

And he will rredeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

A Song of mAscents. Of David.

O Lord, my heart is not slifted up;

my eyes are not traised too high;

I do not uoccupy myself with things

too great and vtoo marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned wchild with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

xO Israel, hope in the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.


2 Corinthians 9

The Collection for Christians in Jerusalem

Now lit is superfluous for me to write to you about mthe ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, nof which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready osince last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. But pI am sending1 the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, qas I said you would be. Otherwise, if some Macedonians rcome with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliatedto say nothing of youfor being so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the sgift2 you have promised, so that it may be ready tas a willing gift, unot as an exaction.3

The Cheerful Giver

The point is this: vwhoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully4 will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, wnot reluctantly or under compulsion, for xGod loves a cheerful giver. And yGod is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency5 in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,

zHe has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.

10 He who supplies aseed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and bincrease the harvest of your righteousness. 11 cYou will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which dthrough us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying ethe needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, fthey6 will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your gconfession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 hThanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!