Psalms 123–136; 1 Corinthians 12–13

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Psalms 123–136

Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God

A Song of mAscents.

To you I qlift up my eyes,

O you who are renthroned in the heavens!

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.

sHave mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

for we have had more than enough of tcontempt.

Our soul has had more than enough

of uthe scorn of vthose who are at ease,

of the contempt of wthe proud.

Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

A Song of mAscents. Of David.

xIf it had not been the Lord who was on our side

ylet Israel now say

if it had not been the Lord who was on our side

when people rose up against us,

then they would have zswallowed us up alive,

when their anger was kindled against us;

then athe flood would have bswept us away,

the torrent would have gone cover us;

then over us would have gone

the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,

who has not given us

as prey to their teeth!

We have escaped like a bird

from dthe snare of the fowlers;

the snare is broken,

and we have escaped!

eOur help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

The Lord Surrounds His People

A Song of mAscents.

Those who ftrust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,

which gcannot be moved, but abides forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so hthe Lord surrounds his people,

from this time forth and forevermore.

For ithe scepter of wickedness shall not jrest

on kthe land allotted to the righteous,

lest the righteous lstretch out

their hands to do wrong.

mDo good, O Lord, to those who are good,

and to those who are nupright in their hearts!

But those who oturn aside to their pcrooked ways

the Lord will lead away with qevildoers!

rPeace be upon Israel!

Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

A Song of mAscents.

When the Lord srestored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who tdream.

Then our umouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations,

vThe Lord has done great things for them.

The Lord has done great things for us;

we are glad.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

like streams in the Negeb!

wThose who sow in tears

shall reap with shouts of joy!

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 mAscents. Of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord xwatches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

It is in vain that you rise up early

and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious ytoil;

for he gives to his zbeloved asleep.

Behold, bchildren are a heritage from the Lord,

cthe fruit of the womb a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of da warrior

are the children1 of one’s youth.

Blessed is the man

who fills his quiver with them!

He shall not be put to shame

when he speaks with his enemies ein the gate.2

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A Song of mAscents.

fBlessed is everyone who fears the Lord,

who gwalks in his ways!

You hshall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;

you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife will be like ia fruitful vine

within your house;

your children will be like jolive shoots

around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

who fears the Lord.

kThe Lord bless you lfrom Zion!

May you see mthe prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life!

May you see your nchildren’s children!

oPeace be upon Israel!

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of mAscents.

Greatly3 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.

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

A Song of mAscents.

Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,

all ythe hardships he endured,

how he swore to the Lord

and zvowed to athe Mighty One of Jacob,

I will not enter my house

or get into my bed,

I will not bgive sleep to my eyes

or slumber to my eyelids,

until I cfind a place for the Lord,

a dwelling place for athe Mighty One of Jacob.

Behold, we heard of it in dEphrathah;

we found it in ethe fields of Jaar.

Let us go to his dwelling place;

let us fworship at his gfootstool!

hArise, O Lord, and go to your iresting place,

you and the ark of your jmight.

Let your kpriests be lclothed with righteousness,

and let your msaints shout for joy.

10  For the sake of your servant David,

ndo not turn away the face of oyour anointed one.

11  pThe Lord swore to David a sure oath

qfrom which he will not turn back:

rOne of the sons of your body4

I will set on your throne.

12  If your sons keep my covenant

and my testimonies that I shall teach them,

their sons also forever

shall ssit on your throne.

13  For the Lord has tchosen Zion;

he has udesired it for his dwelling place:

14  This is my vresting place forever;

here I will wdwell, for I have desired it.

15  I will abundantly xbless her provisions;

I will ysatisfy her poor with bread.

16  Her zpriests I will clothe with salvation,

and her zsaints will shout for joy.

17  There I will make aa horn to sprout for David;

I have prepared ba lamp for cmy anointed.

18  His enemies I will dclothe with shame,

but on him his crown will shine.

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of mAscents. Of David.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is

when ebrothers dwell in unity!5

It is like the precious foil on gthe head,

running down on the beard,

on the beard of Aaron,

running down on hthe collar of his robes!

It is like ithe dew of jHermon,

which falls on kthe mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord lhas commanded the blessing,

life forevermore.

Come, Bless the Lord

A Song of mAscents.

Come, bless the Lord, all you mservants of the Lord,

who nstand oby night in the house of the Lord!

pLift up your hands to qthe holy place

and bless the Lord!

May the Lord rbless you sfrom Zion,

he who tmade heaven and earth!

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

uPraise the Lord!

Praise the name of the Lord,

give praise, O vservants of the Lord,

who nstand in the house of the Lord,

in wthe courts of the house of our God!

Praise the Lord, for xthe Lord is good;

sing to his name, yfor it is pleasant!6

For the Lord has zchosen Jacob for himself,

Israel as his aown possession.

For I know that bthe Lord is great,

and that our Lord is above all gods.

cWhatever the Lord pleases, he does,

in heaven and on earth,

in the seas and all deeps.

dHe it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,

who emakes lightnings for the rain

and brings forth the wind from his fstorehouses.

He it was who gstruck down the firstborn of Egypt,

both of man and of beast;

who in your midst, O Egypt,

sent hsigns and wonders

against Pharaoh and all his servants;

10  iwho struck down many nations

and killed mighty kings,

11  jSihon, king of the Amorites,

and kOg, king of Bashan,

and lall the kingdoms of Canaan,

12  and mgave their land as a heritage,

a heritage to his people Israel.

13  nYour name, O Lord, endures forever,

oyour renown,7 O Lord, throughout all ages.

14  pFor the Lord will vindicate his people

and qhave compassion on his servants.

15  rThe idols of the nations are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

16  They have mouths, but do not speak;

they have eyes, but do not see;

17  they have ears, but do not hear,

nor is there any breath in their mouths.

18  Those who make them become like them,

so do all who trust in them.

19  sO house of Israel, bless the Lord!

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!

20  O house of Levi, bless the Lord!

You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!

21  Blessed be the Lord tfrom Zion,

he who udwells in Jerusalem!

vPraise the Lord!

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

wGive thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

xfor his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to ythe God of gods,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to ythe Lord of lords,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who alone zdoes great wonders,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who aby understanding bmade the heavens,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who cspread out the earth dabove the waters,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who emade the great lights,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

the sun to rule over the day,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

the moon and stars to rule over the night,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

10  to him who fstruck down the firstborn of Egypt,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

11  and gbrought Israel out from among them,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

12  with ha strong hand and an outstretched arm,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

13  to him who idivided the Red Sea in two,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

14  jand made Israel pass through the midst of it,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

15  but koverthrew8 Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

16  to him who lled his people through the wilderness,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

17  to him mwho struck down great kings,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

18  and killed mighty kings,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

19  Sihon, king of the Amorites,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

20  and Og, king of Bashan,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

21  and gave their land as a heritage,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

22  a heritage to Israel his nservant,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

23  It is he who oremembered us in our low estate,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

24  and prescued us from our foes,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

25  he who qgives food to all flesh,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

26  Give thanks to rthe God of heaven,

for his steadfast love endures forever.


1 Corinthians 12–13

Spiritual Gifts

Now mconcerning1 spiritual gifts,2 brothers,3 I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that nwhen you were pagans oyou were led astray to pmute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that qno one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says Jesus is raccursed! and sno one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit.

Now tthere are varieties of gifts, but uthe same Spirit; and vthere are varieties of service, but uthe same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is uthe same God who empowers them all in everyone. wTo each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of xwisdom, and to another the utterance of yknowledge according to the same Spirit, to another zfaith by the same Spirit, to another agifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another bthe working of miracles, to another cprophecy, to another dthe ability to distinguish between spirits, to another evarious kinds of tongues, to another fthe interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, gwho apportions to each one individually has he wills.

One Body with Many Members

12 For just as ithe body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, jso it is with Christ. 13 For kin one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodylJews or Greeks, slaves4 or freeand mall were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, nGod arranged the members in the body, each one of them, oas he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts,5 yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, pall rejoice together.

27 Now qyou are the body of Christ and individually rmembers of it. 28 And sGod has appointed in the church first tapostles, second uprophets, third teachers, then vmiracles, then wgifts of healing, xhelping, yadministrating, and vvarious kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But zearnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

The Way of Love

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have aprophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, bso as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. cIf I give away all I have, and dif I deliver up my body to be burned,6 but have not love, I gain nothing.

eLove is patient and fkind; love gdoes not envy or boast; it his not arrogant or rude. It idoes not insist on its own way; it jis not irritable or resentful;7 it kdoes not rejoice at wrongdoing, but lrejoices with the truth. mLove bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, eendures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For nwe know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but owhen the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For pnow we see in a mirror dimly, but qthen face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as rI have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.