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Book V

(Psalms 107–150)

Psalm 107

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.(A)
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
    those he redeemed from trouble(B)
and gathered in from the lands,
    from the east and from the west,
    from the north and from the south.[a](C)

Some wandered in desert wastes,
    finding no way to an inhabited town;(D)
hungry and thirsty,
    their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress;(E)
he led them by a straight way,
    until they reached an inhabited town.(F)
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.(G)
For he satisfies the thirsty,
    and the hungry he fills with good things.(H)

10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
    prisoners in misery and in irons,(I)
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God
    and spurned the counsel of the Most High.(J)
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor;
    they fell down, with no one to help.(K)
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress;(L)
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
    and broke their bonds apart.(M)
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.(N)
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
    and cuts in two the bars of iron.(O)

17 Some were sick[b] through their sinful ways
    and because of their iniquities endured affliction;(P)
18 they loathed any kind of food,
    and they drew near to the gates of death.(Q)
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them
    and delivered them from destruction.(R)
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices
    and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.(S)

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
    doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
    his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
    which lifted up the waves of the sea.(T)
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
    their courage melted away in their calamity;(U)
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards
    and were at their wits’ end.(V)
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.(W)
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wonderful works to humankind.(X)
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people
    and praise him in the assembly of the elders.(Y)

33 He turns rivers into a desert,
    springs of water into thirsty ground,(Z)
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
    because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.(AA)
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
    a parched land into springs of water.(AB)
36 And there he lets the hungry live,
    and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
    and get a fruitful yield.(AC)
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
    and he does not let their cattle decrease.(AD)

39 When they are diminished and brought low
    through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,(AE)
40 he pours contempt on princes
    and makes them wander in trackless wastes,(AF)
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress
    and makes their families like flocks.(AG)
42 The upright see it and are glad,
    and all wickedness stops its mouth.(AH)
43 Let those who are wise pay attention to these things
    and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.(AI)

Psalm 108

Praise and Prayer for Victory

A Song. A Psalm of David.

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;[c]
    I will sing and make melody.
    Awake, my soul![d](AJ)
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn.(AK)
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples,
    and I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
    and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.(AL)

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
    and let your glory be over all the earth.
Give victory with your right hand, and answer me,
    so that those whom you love may be rescued.(AM)

God has promised in his sanctuary:[e]
    “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
    and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet;
    Judah is my scepter.(AN)
Moab is my washbasin;
    on Edom I hurl my shoe;
    over 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.(AO)
12 O grant us help against the foe,
    for human help is worthless.
13 With God we shall do valiantly;
    it is he who will tread down our foes.

Psalm 109

Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.

Do not be silent, O God of my praise.(AP)
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
    speaking against me with lying tongues.
They surround me with words of hate
    and attack me without cause.(AQ)
In return for my love they accuse me,
    even while I make prayer for them.[f](AR)
So they reward me evil for good
    and hatred for my love.(AS)

They say,[g] “Appoint a wicked man against him;
    let an accuser stand on his right.(AT)
When he is tried, let him be found guilty;
    let his prayer be counted as sin.(AU)
May his days be few;
    may another seize his position.(AV)
May his children be orphans
    and his wife a widow.(AW)
10 May his children wander about and beg;
    may they be driven out of[h] the ruins they inhabit.
11 May the creditor seize all that he has;
    may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.(AX)
12 May there be no one to do him a kindness
    nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.(AY)
13 May his posterity be cut off;
    may his name be blotted out in the second generation.(AZ)
14 May the iniquity of his father[i] be remembered before the Lord,
    and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.(BA)
15 Let them be before the Lord continually,
    and may his[j] memory be cut off from the earth.(BB)
16 For he did not remember to show kindness
    but pursued the poor and needy
    and the brokenhearted to their death.(BC)
17 He loved to curse; let curses come on him.
    He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.(BD)
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
    may it soak into his body like water,
    like oil into his bones.(BE)
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself,
    like a belt that he wears every day.”

20 May that be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
    of those who speak evil against my life.(BF)
21 But you, O Lord my Lord,
    act on my behalf for your name’s sake;
    because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.(BG)
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is pierced within me.(BH)
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening;
    I am shaken off like a locust.(BI)
24 My knees are weak through fasting;
    my body has become gaunt.(BJ)
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.(BK)

26 Help me, O Lord my God!
    Save me according to your steadfast love.
27 Let them know that this is your hand;
    you, O Lord, have done it.(BL)
28 Let them curse, but you will bless.
    Let my assailants be put to shame;[k] may your servant be glad.(BM)
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
    may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.(BN)
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
    I will praise him in the midst of the throng.(BO)
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
    to save them from those who would condemn them to death.(BP)

Footnotes

  1. 107.3 Cn: Heb sea
  2. 107.17 Cn: Heb fools
  3. 108.1 Heb mss Gk Syr: MT lacks my heart is steadfast
  4. 108.1 Cn Compare 57.8: Heb also my soul
  5. 108.7 Or by his holiness
  6. 109.4 Syr: Heb I prayer
  7. 109.6 Heb lacks They say
  8. 109.10 Gk: Heb may they seek
  9. 109.14 Cn: Heb fathers
  10. 109.15 Gk: Heb their
  11. 109.28 Gk: Heb They have risen up and have been put to shame

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

Give thanks to the Lord,(A) for he is good;(B)
    his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed(C) of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered(D) from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south.[a]

Some wandered in desert(E) wastelands,
    finding no way to a city(F) where they could settle.
They were hungry(G) and thirsty,(H)
    and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out(I) to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way(J)
    to a city(K) where they could settle.
Let them give thanks(L) to the Lord for his unfailing love(M)
    and his wonderful deeds(N) for mankind,
for he satisfies(O) the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.(P)

10 Some sat in darkness,(Q) in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering(R) in iron chains,(S)
11 because they rebelled(T) against God’s commands
    and despised(U) the plans(V) of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.(W)
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them(X) from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness,(Y) the utter darkness,(Z)
    and broke away their chains.(AA)
15 Let them give thanks(AB) to the Lord for his unfailing love(AC)
    and his wonderful deeds(AD) for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron.

17 Some became fools(AE) through their rebellious ways(AF)
    and suffered affliction(AG) because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food(AH)
    and drew near the gates of death.(AI)
19 Then they cried(AJ) to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them(AK) from their distress.
20 He sent out his word(AL) and healed them;(AM)
    he rescued(AN) them from the grave.(AO)
21 Let them give thanks(AP) to the Lord for his unfailing love(AQ)
    and his wonderful deeds(AR) for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings(AS)
    and tell of his works(AT) with songs of joy.(AU)

23 Some went out on the sea(AV) in ships;(AW)
    they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,(AX)
    his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke(AY) and stirred up a tempest(AZ)
    that lifted high the waves.(BA)
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
    in their peril(BB) their courage melted(BC) away.
27 They reeled(BD) and staggered like drunkards;
    they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried(BE) out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he brought them out of their distress.(BF)
29 He stilled the storm(BG) to a whisper;
    the waves(BH) of the sea[b] were hushed.(BI)
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
    and he guided them(BJ) to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks(BK) to the Lord for his unfailing love(BL)
    and his wonderful deeds(BM) for mankind.
32 Let them exalt(BN) him in the assembly(BO) of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders.

33 He turned rivers into a desert,(BP)
    flowing springs(BQ) into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,(BR)
    because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water(BS)
    and the parched ground into flowing springs;(BT)
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
    and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards(BU)
    that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,(BV)
    and he did not let their herds diminish.(BW)

39 Then their numbers decreased,(BX) and they were humbled(BY)
    by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles(BZ)
    made them wander in a trackless waste.(CA)
41 But he lifted the needy(CB) out of their affliction
    and increased their families like flocks.(CC)
42 The upright see and rejoice,(CD)
    but all the wicked shut their mouths.(CE)

43 Let the one who is wise(CF) heed these things
    and ponder the loving deeds(CG) of the Lord.

Psalm 108[c](CH)(CI)

A song. A psalm of David.

My heart, O God, is steadfast;(CJ)
    I will sing(CK) and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!(CL)
    I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love,(CM) higher than the heavens;
    your faithfulness(CN) reaches to the skies.(CO)
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;(CP)
    let your glory be over all the earth.(CQ)

Save us and help us with your right hand,(CR)
    that those you love may be delivered.
God has spoken(CS) from his sanctuary:(CT)
    “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem(CU)
    and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.(CV)
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah(CW) is my scepter.
Moab(CX) is my washbasin,
    on Edom(CY) I toss my sandal;
    over Philistia(CZ) I shout in triumph.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
    and no longer go out with our armies?(DA)
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.(DB)
13 With God we will gain the victory,
    and he will trample down(DC) our enemies.

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

My God, whom I praise,(DD)
    do not remain silent,(DE)
for people who are wicked and deceitful(DF)
    have opened their mouths against me;
    they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(DG)
With words of hatred(DH) they surround me;
    they attack me without cause.(DI)
In return for my friendship they accuse me,
    but I am a man of prayer.(DJ)
They repay me evil for good,(DK)
    and hatred for my friendship.

Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
    let an accuser(DL) stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(DM)
    and may his prayers condemn(DN) him.
May his days be few;(DO)
    may another take his place(DP) of leadership.
May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow.(DQ)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(DR)
    may they be driven[d] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(DS) seize all he has;
    may strangers plunder(DT) the fruits of his labor.(DU)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
    or take pity(DV) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(DW)
    their names blotted out(DX) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(DY) be remembered before the Lord;
    may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(DZ) the Lord,
    that he may blot out their name(EA) from the earth.

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
    but hounded to death the poor
    and the needy(EB) and the brokenhearted.(EC)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
    may it come back on him.(ED)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
    may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(EE) as his garment;
    it entered into his body like water,(EF)
    into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(EG) about him,
    like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(EH) to my accusers,
    to those who speak evil(EI) of me.

21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
    help me for your name’s sake;(EJ)
    out of the goodness of your love,(EK) deliver me.(EL)
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(EM)
    I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(EN) way from fasting;(EO)
    my body is thin and gaunt.(EP)
25 I am an object of scorn(EQ) to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.(ER)

26 Help me,(ES) Lord my God;
    save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(ET) that it is your hand,
    that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(EU) may you bless;
    may those who attack me be put to shame,
    but may your servant rejoice.(EV)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
    and wrapped in shame(EW) as in a cloak.

30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
    in the great throng(EX) of worshipers I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand(EY) of the needy,
    to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 107:3 Hebrew north and the sea
  2. Psalm 107:29 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / their waves
  3. Psalm 108:1 In Hebrew texts 108:1-13 is numbered 108:2-14.
  4. Psalm 109:10 Septuagint; Hebrew sought

The Ministry of the Apostles

Think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.(A) Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.(B)

I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, brothers and sisters, so that you may learn through us what “Not beyond what is written” means, so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you?[a] What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive?(C)

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Quite apart from us you have become kings! If only you had become kings, so that we might be kings with you! For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to humans.(D) 10 We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are sensible people in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.(E) 11 To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are naked and beaten and homeless,(F) 12 and we grow weary from the work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;(G) 13 when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very day.

Fatherly Admonition

14 I am not writing this to make you ashamed but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I fathered you through the gospel.(H) 16 I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.(I) 17 For this reason I sent[b] you Timothy, who is my beloved and trustworthy child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18 But some of you, thinking that I am not coming to you, have become arrogant. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.(J) 20 For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power. 21 What would you prefer? Am I to come to you with a stick or with love in a spirit of gentleness?(K)

Footnotes

  1. 4.7 Or Who makes you different from another?
  2. 4.17 Or am sending

The Nature of True Apostleship

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants(A) of Christ and as those entrusted(B) with the mysteries(C) God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience(D) is clear, but that does not make me innocent.(E) It is the Lord who judges me.(F) Therefore judge nothing(G) before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.(H) He will bring to light(I) what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.(J)

Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.”(K) Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.(L) For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?(M) And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich!(N) You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die(O) in the arena. We have been made a spectacle(P) to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ,(Q) but you are so wise in Christ!(R) We are weak, but you are strong!(S) You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.(T) 12 We work hard with our own hands.(U) When we are cursed, we bless;(V) when we are persecuted,(W) we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage(X) of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

14 I am writing this not to shame you(Y) but to warn you as my dear children.(Z) 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father(AA) through the gospel.(AB) 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.(AC) 17 For this reason I have sent to you(AD) Timothy,(AE) my son(AF) whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.(AG)

18 Some of you have become arrogant,(AH) as if I were not coming to you.(AI) 19 But I will come to you very soon,(AJ) if the Lord is willing,(AK) and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of(AL) talk but of power.(AM) 21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,(AN) or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?