Psalms 107–109; 1 Corinthians 4

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Psalms 107–109

Book Five

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

gOh give thanks to the Lord, hfor he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Let ithe redeemed of the Lord say so,

whom he has jredeemed from trouble1

and kgathered in from the lands,

from the east and from the west,

from the north and from the south.

Some lwandered in desert wastes,

finding no way mto a city to dwell in;

hungry and thirsty,

their soul nfainted within them.

Then they ocried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

He led them by pa straight way

till they reached ma city to dwell in.

qLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

For he rsatisfies the longing soul,

sand the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10  tSome sat in darkness and in uthe shadow of death,

prisoners in vaffliction and in irons,

11  for they whad rebelled against the words of God,

and xspurned the counsel of the Most High.

12  So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;

they fell down, ywith none to help.

13  zThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

14  He brought them out of adarkness and the shadow of death,

and bburst their bonds apart.

15  cLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

16  For he dshatters the doors of bronze

and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17  Some were efools through their sinful ways,

and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;

18  fthey loathed any kind of food,

and they gdrew near to hthe gates of death.

19  iThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

20  He jsent out his word and khealed them,

and ldelivered them from their destruction.

21  mLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

22  And let them noffer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

and otell of his deeds in psongs of joy!

23  Some qwent down to the sea in ships,

doing business on the great waters;

24  they saw the deeds of the Lord,

his wondrous works in the deep.

25  For he rcommanded and sraised the stormy wind,

which lifted up the waves of the sea.

26  They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;

their courage tmelted away in their evil plight;

27  they reeled and ustaggered like drunken men

and vwere at their wits’ end.2

28  wThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

29  He xmade the storm be still,

and the waves of the sea were hushed.

30  Then they were glad that the waters3 were quiet,

and he brought them to their desired haven.

31  yLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

32  Let them zextol him in athe congregation of the people,

and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

33  He bturns rivers into a desert,

springs of water into thirsty ground,

34  ca fruitful land into a salty waste,

because of the evil of its inhabitants.

35  He dturns a desert into pools of water,

ea parched land into springs of water.

36  And there he lets the hungry dwell,

and they establish fa city to live in;

37  they sow fields and plant vineyards

and get a fruitful yield.

38  gBy his blessing they multiply greatly,

and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39  When they are diminished and brought low

through oppression, evil, and sorrow,

40  hhe pours contempt on princes

and imakes them wander jin trackless wastes;

41  but khe raises up the needy out of affliction

and lmakes their families like flocks.

42  mThe upright see it and are glad,

and nall wickedness shuts its mouth.

43  oWhoever is wise, let him attend to these things;

let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

With God We Shall Do Valiantly

A Song. A Psalm of David.

pMy heart is steadfast, O God!

I will sing and make melody with all my being!4

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your steadfast love is great qabove the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

rThat your beloved ones may be delivered,

give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

God has promised in his holiness:5

With exultation I will divide up Shechem

and portion out the Valley of Succoth.

Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judah my scepter.

Moab is my washbasin;

upon Edom I cast my shoe;

sover Philistia I shout in triumph.

10  Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

11  Have you not rejected us, O God?

You do not go out, O God, with our armies.

12  Oh grant us help against the foe,

for vain is the salvation of man!

13  With God we shall do valiantly;

it is he who will tread down our foes.

Help Me, O Lord My God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

tBe not silent, O uGod of my praise!

For wicked and vdeceitful mouths are opened against me,

speaking against me with lying tongues.

They encircle me with words of hate,

and attack me wwithout cause.

In return for my love they xaccuse me,

but I ygive myself to prayer.6

So they zreward me evil for good,

and hatred for my love.

aAppoint a wicked man bagainst him;

let an accuser stand cat his right hand.

When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;

let his dprayer be counted as sin!

May his edays be few;

may fanother take his goffice!

May his hchildren be fatherless

and his wife a widow!

10  May his children iwander about and beg,

jseeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!

11  May kthe creditor seize all that he has;

may kstrangers plunder the fruits of his toil!

12  Let there be none to lextend kindness to him,

nor any to mpity his fatherless children!

13  May his nposterity be cut off;

may his oname be blotted out in the second generation!

14  May pthe iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,

and let not the sin of his mother be qblotted out!

15  rLet them be before the Lord continually,

that he may scut off the memory of them from the earth!

16  For he did not remember to show kindness,

but pursued tthe poor and needy

and uthe brokenhearted, to put them to death.

17  vHe loved to curse; let curses come7 upon him!

He did not delight in blessing; may it be far8 from him!

18  He wclothed himself with cursing as his coat;

may it xsoak9 into his body like water,

like oil into his bones!

19  May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,

like a belt that he puts on every day!

20  May this be the reward of my yaccusers from the Lord,

of those who speak evil against my life!

21  But you, O God my Lord,

deal on my behalf zfor your name’s sake;

because your asteadfast love is good, deliver me!

22  For I am bpoor and needy,

and my heart is stricken within me.

23  I am gone like ca shadow at evening;

I am dshaken off like a locust.

24  My knees are weak ethrough fasting;

my fbody has become gaunt, with no fat.

25  I am gan object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they hwag their heads.

26  iHelp me, O Lord my God!

Save me according to your steadfast love!

27  Let them jknow that this is your hand;

you, O Lord, have done it!

28  kLet them curse, but you will bless!

They arise and are put to shame, but lyour servant will be glad!

29  May my accusers be mclothed with dishonor;

may they nbe wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!

30  With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;

I will opraise him in the midst of the throng.

31  For he stands pat the right hand of the needy one,

to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.


1 Corinthians 4

The Ministry of Apostles

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and nstewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. oFor I am not aware of anything against myself, pbut I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore qdo not pronounce judgment before the time, rbefore the Lord comes, swho will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. tThen each one will receive his commendation from God.

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers,1 that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may ube puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? vWhat do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, wlike men sentenced to death, because we xhave become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 yWe are fools for Christ’s sake, but zyou are wise in Christ. aWe are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour bwe hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and cbuffeted and dhomeless, 12 and we elabor, working with our own hands. fWhen reviled, we bless; gwhen persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. hWe have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, ithe refuse of all things.

14 I do not write these things jto make you ashamed, but to admonish you kas my beloved children. 15 For lthough you have countless2 guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For mI became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, nbe imitators of me. 17 That is why oI sent3 you Timothy, pmy beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ,4 qas I teach them everywhere in every church. 18 Some are rarrogant, sas though I were not coming to you. 19 But tI will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For uthe kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you wish? vShall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?