Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God
A Song of Ascents.
1 To you xI lift up my eyes,
O you who are yenthroned in the heavens!
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
3 zHave mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough
of the scorn of athose who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 bIf it had not been the Lord who was con our side—
dlet Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the eflood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
8 fOur help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
The Lord Surrounds His People
A Song of Ascents.
1 Those who gtrust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord hsurrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
4 iDo good, O Lord, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the Lord will lead away with evildoers!
jPeace be upon Israel!
Warning Against Idolatry
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,1 that our fathers were all under the xcloud, and yall passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and zall ate the same spiritual food, 4 and aall drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for bthey were overthrown2 in the wilderness.
6 Now these things took place as examples cfor us, that we might not desire evil das they did. 7 Do not be idolaters eas some of them were; as it is written, f“The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality gas some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not hput Christ3 to the test, ias some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 jnor kgrumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the lDestroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore mlet anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 nThe cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? oThe bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, pwe who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel:4 are not those who qeat the sacrifices participants in the altar?
