Psalms 68

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.
 ¹  Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies.
  Let those who hate God run for their lives.
 ²  Blow them away like smoke.
  Melt them like wax in a fire.
  Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
 ³  But let the godly rejoice.
  Let them be glad in God's presence.
  Let them be filled with joy.
 ⁴  Sing praises to God and to his name!
  Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the LORD—
  rejoice in his presence!

 ⁵  Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
  this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
 ⁶  God places the lonely in families;
  he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

 ⁷  O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,
  when you marched through the dry wasteland,    Interlude
 ⁸  the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain
  before you, the God of Sinai,
  before God, the God of Israel.
 ⁹  You sent abundant rain, O God,
  to refresh the weary land.
 ¹⁰  There your people finally settled,
  and with a bountiful harvest, O God,
  you provided for your needy people.

 ¹¹  The Lord gives the word,
  and a great army [11]  brings the good news.
 ¹²  Enemy kings and their armies flee,
  while the women of Israel divide the plunder.
 ¹³  Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures—
  doves with wings of silver
  and feathers of gold.
 ¹⁴  The Almighty scattered the enemy kings
  like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.

 ¹⁵  The mountains of Bashan are majestic,
  with many peaks stretching high into the sky.
 ¹⁶  Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains,
  at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live,
  where the LORD himself will live forever?

 ¹⁷  Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots,
  the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
 ¹⁸  When you ascended to the heights,
  you led a crowd of captives.
You received gifts from the people,
  even from those who rebelled against you.
  Now the LORD God will live among us there.

 ¹⁹  Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.  ²⁰  Our God is a God who saves!
  The Sovereign LORD rescues us from death.

 ²¹  But God will smash the heads of his enemies,
  crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.
 ²²  The Lord says, "I will bring my enemies down from Bashan;
  I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.
 ²³  You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood,
  and even your dogs will get their share!"

 ²⁴  Your procession has come into view, O God—
  the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.
 ²⁵  Singers are in front, musicians behind;
  between them are young women playing tambourines.
 ²⁶  Praise God, all you people of Israel;
  praise the LORD, the source of Israel's life.
 ²⁷  Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way.
  Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah
  and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali.

 ²⁸  Summon your might, O God.
  Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.
 ²⁹  The kings of the earth are bringing tribute
  to your Temple in Jerusalem.
 ³⁰  Rebuke these enemy nations—
  these wild animals lurking in the reeds,
  this herd of bulls among the weaker calves.
Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute.
  Scatter the nations that delight in war.
 ³¹  Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals [31] ;
  let Ethiopia [31]  bow in submission to God.
 ³²  Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth.
  Sing praises to the Lord.    Interlude
 ³³  Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens,
  his mighty voice thundering from the sky.
 ³⁴  Tell everyone about God's power.
  His majesty shines down on Israel;
  his strength is mighty in the heavens.
 ³⁵  God is awesome in his sanctuary.
  The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

Psalms 69

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune "Lilies."
 ¹  Save me, O God,
  for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
 ²  Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
  I can't find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
  and the floods overwhelm me.
 ³  I am exhausted from crying for help;
  my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
  waiting for my God to help me.
 ⁴  Those who hate me without cause
  outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
  demanding that I give back what I didn't steal.

 ⁵  O God, you know how foolish I am;
  my sins cannot be hidden from you.
 ⁶  Don't let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
  O Sovereign LORD of Heaven's Armies.
Don't let me cause them to be humiliated,
  O God of Israel.
 ⁷  For I endure insults for your sake;
  humiliation is written all over my face.
 ⁸  Even my own brothers pretend they don't know me;
  they treat me like a stranger.

 ⁹  Passion for your house has consumed me,
  and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
 ¹⁰  When I weep and fast,
  they scoff at me.
 ¹¹  When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
  they make fun of me.
 ¹²  I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
  and all the drunks sing about me.

 ¹³  But I keep praying to you, LORD,
  hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
  answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
 ¹⁴  Rescue me from the mud;
  don't let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
  and pull me from these deep waters.
 ¹⁵  Don't let the floods overwhelm me,
  or the deep waters swallow me,
  or the pit of death devour me.

 ¹⁶  Answer my prayers, O LORD,
  for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
  for your mercy is so plentiful.
 ¹⁷  Don't hide from your servant;
  answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
 ¹⁸  Come and redeem me;
  free me from my enemies.

 ¹⁹  You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
  You see all that my enemies are doing.
 ²⁰  Their insults have broken my heart,
  and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
  if only one would turn and comfort me.
 ²¹  But instead, they give me poison [21]  for food;
  they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

 ²²  Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
  and their prosperity become a trap. [22] 
 ²³  Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
  and make their bodies shake continually. [23] 
 ²⁴  Pour out your fury on them;
  consume them with your burning anger.
 ²⁵  Let their homes become desolate
  and their tents be deserted.
 ²⁶  To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
  they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
 ²⁷  Pile their sins up high,
  and don't let them go free.
 ²⁸  Erase their names from the Book of Life;
  don't let them be counted among the righteous.

 ²⁹  I am suffering and in pain.
  Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

 ³⁰  Then I will praise God's name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.  ³¹  For this will please the LORD more than sacrificing cattle,
  more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
 ³²  The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
  Let all who seek God's help be encouraged.
 ³³  For the LORD hears the cries of the needy;
  he does not despise his imprisoned people.

 ³⁴  Praise him, O heaven and earth,
  the seas and all that move in them.
 ³⁵  For God will save Jerusalem [35] 
  and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
  and settle in their own land.
 ³⁶  The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
  and those who love him will live there in safety.

<<  68:11 Or a host of women.
<<  68:31a Or of rich cloth. 68:31b Hebrew Cush.
<<  69:21 Or gall.
<<  69:22 Greek version reads Let their bountiful table set before them become a snare, / a trap that makes them think all is well. / Let their blessings cause them to stumble, / and let them get what they deserve. Compare Rom 11:9.
<<  69:23 Greek version reads and let their backs be bent forever. Compare Rom 11:10.
<<  69:35 Hebrew Zion.

Romans 8 : 1-21

Life in the Spirit
 ¹  So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  ²  And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.  ³  The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. [3]  So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.  ⁴  He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
   ⁵  Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.  ⁶  So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.  ⁷  For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will.  ⁸  That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
   ⁹  But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)  ¹⁰  And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life [10]  because you have been made right with God.  ¹¹  The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.    ¹²  Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, [12]  you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  ¹³  For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, [13]  you will live.  ¹⁴  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children [14]  of God.
   ¹⁵  So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father."  ¹⁶  For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.  ¹⁷  And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

The Future Glory
 ¹⁸  "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later."  ¹⁹  For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.  ²⁰  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope,  ²¹  the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

<<  8:2a Greek the law; also in 8:2b. 8:2b Some manuscripts read me.
<<  8:3 Greek our flesh; similarly in 8:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12.
<<  8:10 Or your spirit is alive.
<<  8:12 Greek brothers; also in 8:29.
<<  8:13 Greek deeds of the body.
<<  8:14 Greek sons; also in 8:19.
<<  8:15a Greek you received a spirit of sonship. 8:15b Abba is an Aramaic term for "father."