Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

Clean Garments for the High Priest

3 Then he showed me Joshua^(A) the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan^[a](B) standing at his right side to accuse him. ² The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you,^(C) Satan! The Lord, who has chosen^(D) Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick^(E) snatched from the fire?”^(F)

³ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin,^(G) and I will put fine garments^(H) on you.”

⁵ Then I said, “Put a clean turban^(I) on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.

⁶ The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: ⁷ “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements,^(J) then you will govern my house^(K) and have charge^(L) of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.^(M)

⁸ “‘Listen, High Priest^(N) Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic^(O) of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.^{(P) 9} See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua!^(Q) There are seven eyes^[b](R) on that one stone,^(S) and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin^(T) of this land in a single day.

¹⁰ “‘In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit^(U) under your vine and fig tree,^(V)’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,^(A) but sent them to hell,^[a] putting them in chains of darkness^[b] to be held for judgment;^{(B) 5} if he did not spare the ancient world^(C) when he brought the flood on its ungodly people,^(D) but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;^{(E) 6} if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes,^(F) and made them an example^(G) of what is going to happen to the ungodly;^{(H) 7} and if he rescued Lot,^(I) a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless^{(J) 8} (for that righteous man,^(K) living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹ if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials^(L) and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.^{(M) 10} This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire^(N) of the flesh^[c] and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;^{(O) 11} yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from^[d] the Lord.^{(P) 12} But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.^(Q)

¹³ They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.^(R) They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.^{[e](S) 14} With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce^(T) the unstable;^(U) they are experts in greed^(V)—an accursed brood!^{(W) 15} They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam^(X) son of Bezer,^[f] who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶ But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.^(Y)

¹⁷ These people are springs without water^(Z) and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.^{(AA) 18} For they mouth empty, boastful words^(AB) and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping^(AC) from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”^{(AD) 20} If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing^(AE) our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ^(AF) and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.^{(AG) 21} It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.^(AH)