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A Song of Salvation

12 In that day you will say:
    I will give thanks to you, Lord,
    for though you were angry with me,
    your anger has turned away,
    and you comfort me.
    Surely God is my salvation.
    I will trust him and will not be afraid,
    because Yah, the Lord,[a] is my strength and song,
    and he has become my salvation.
Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
In that day you will say:
Give thanks to the Lord! Proclaim[b] his name.
Declare among the peoples what he has done.
Proclaim that his name is exalted!
Sing to the Lord, for he has done amazing things!
Let this be known in all the earth!
Shout aloud and sing for joy, daughter[c] of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel is great among you!

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 12:2 The Hebrew uses both forms of the divine name, the short form Yah and the full form Yahweh, which EHV usually translates Lord.
  2. Isaiah 12:4 Or call on
  3. Isaiah 12:6 The word daughter has been added to reflect the feminine form of the phrase those who live in Zion.

Book III
Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

Why Do the Wicked Prosper?

Heading

A psalm by Asaph.[a]

The Problem

Surely God is good to Israel, to the pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet almost slipped out from under me.
I almost lost my footing.[b]
I even envied the arrogant when I observed the peace of the wicked.

The Prosperity of the Wicked

For there are no struggles at their death.
Their bodies are sturdy.
They do not have the trouble common to people.
They are not plagued along with the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace.
They wear violence like clothing.
Their eyes bulge out of their fat.[c]
The schemes of their hearts step over boundaries.
They mock. They speak maliciously.
From a high perch they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens.
Their tongues strut around on earth.
10 Therefore God’s people turn to them,
and they drink it all in.[d]
11 They say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?”
12 See, this is what the wicked are like—
secure forever, they increase in strength.

The Turning Point

13 Have I really kept my heart pure for nothing?
Have I kept my hands clean in vain?
14 I have been plagued all day.
My punishment comes every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak like this,”
I would certainly have betrayed the circle of your children.
16 When I tried to understand this, it was very troubling to me,
17 until I went to the sanctuary of God.
Then I understood their end.

The Solution

18 Surely you place them on slippery places.
You cause them to fall into destruction.
19 How quickly they come to ruin,
completely destroyed by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when someone wakes up.
So when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them like an illusion.
21 Yes, my heart was bitter,
and I was torn up inside.
22 I was unthinking and ignorant.
I was a dumb animal before you.
23 Yet I am always with you.
You hold me by my right hand.
24 With your guidance you lead me,
and afterward, you will take me to glory.
25 Who else is there for me in heaven?
And besides you, I desire no one else on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart fail,
but God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.
27 No doubt about it!
Those who are far from you will perish.
You destroy all who commit adultery against you.
28 As for me, God’s nearness is good for me.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so that I can tell about all your works.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 73:1 Asaph was a temple musician associated with David. Psalms 73–83 are a collection by Asaph.
  2. Psalm 73:2 Literally the verse reads I, almost my feet were stretched out, my steps were nearly poured out.
  3. Psalm 73:7 The translation is a literal rendering of the Hebrew. The Greek reads guilt flows from their fat hearts.
  4. Psalm 73:10 The meaning of this verse is not certain. Literally the Hebrew reads therefore his people turn to them, and they guzzle down waters in abundance.

The Resurrection

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she left and ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she told them, “and we don’t know where they put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. Bending over, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter, who was following him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there. The cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not lying with the linen cloths, but was folded up in a separate place by itself. Then the other disciple, who arrived at the tomb first, also entered. He saw and believed. (They still did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead.)

10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

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Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, weeping. As she wept, she bent over, looking into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white clothes sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She told them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.”

14 After she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.

15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you carried him off, tell me where you laid him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and replied in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means, “Teacher”).

17 Jesus told her, “Do not continue to cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father—to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” She also told them the things he said to her.

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