The LORD Delivers from Trouble

1071 O give thanks unto Jehovah; For he is good; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of Jehovah say [so], Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary, 3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way; They found no city of habitation. 5 Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. 6 Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble, And he delivered them out of their distresses, 7 He led them also by a straight way, That they might go to a city of habitation. 8 Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, And the hungry soul he filleth with good.

10 Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Being bound in affliction and iron, 11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, And contemned the counsel of the Most High: 12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. 13 Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble, And he saved them out of their distresses. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And brake their bonds in sunder. 15 Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men! 16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, And cut the bars of iron in sunder.

17 Fools because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of food; And they draw near unto the gates of death. 19 Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, And he saveth them out of their distresses. 20 He sendeth his word, and healeth them, And delivereth [them] from their destructions. 21 Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men! 22 And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare his works with singing.

23 They that go down to the sea in ships, That do business in great waters; 24 These see the works of Jehovah, And his wonders in the deep. 25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, Which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26 They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths: Their soul melteth away because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end. 28 Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, And he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, So that the waves thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad because they are quiet; So he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 31 Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men! 32 Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, And praise him in the seat of the elders.

33 He turneth rivers into a wilderness, And watersprings into a thirsty ground; 34 A fruitful land into a salt desert, For the wickedness of them that dwell therein. 35 He turneth a wilderness into a pool of water, And a dry land into watersprings. 36 And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, That they may prepare a city of habitation, 37 And sow fields, and plant vineyards, And get them fruits of increase. 38 He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; And he suffereth not their cattle to decrease. 39 Again, they are diminished and bowed down Through oppression, trouble, and sorrow. 40 He poureth contempt upon princes, And causeth them to wander in the waste, where there is no way. 41 Yet setteth he the needy on high from affliction, And maketh [him] families like a flock. 42 The upright shall see it, and be glad; And all iniquity shall stop her mouth. 43 Whoso is wise will give heed to these things; And they will consider the lovingkindnesses of Jehovah.

A Prayer for Help against the Foe

1081 My heart is fixed, O God; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises, even with my glory. 2 Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake right early. 3 I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the peoples; And I will sing praises unto thee among the nations. 4 For thy lovingkindness is great above the heavens; And thy truth [reacheth] unto the skies. 5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, And thy glory above all the earth.

6 That thy beloved may be delivered, Save with thy right hand, and answer us. 7 God hath spoken in his holiness: I will exult; I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the defence of my head; Judah is my sceptre. 9 Moab is my washpot; Upon Edom will I cast my shoe; Over Philistia will I shout. 10 Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who hath led me unto Edom? 11 Hast not thou cast us off, O God? And thou goest not forth, O God, with our hosts. 12 Give us help against the adversary; For vain is the help of man. 13 Through God we shall do valiantly: For he it is that will tread down our adversaries.

A Cry for Vengeance

1091 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; 2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me: They have spoken unto me with a lying tongue. 3 They have compassed me about also with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause. 4 For my love they are my adversaries: But I [give myself unto] prayer. 5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.

6 Set thou a wicked man over him; And let an adversary stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer be turned into sin. 8 Let his days be few; [And] let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow. 10 Let his children be vagabonds, and beg; And let them seek [their bread] out of their desolate places. 11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let strangers make spoil of his labor. 12 Let there be none to extend kindness unto him; Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children. 13 Let his posterity be cut off; In the generation following let their name be blotted out. 14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be before Jehovah continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth; 16 Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay [them]. 17 Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; And he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him. 18 He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, And it came into his inward parts like water, And like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself, And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually. 20 This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, And of them that speak evil against my soul.

21 But deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name's sake: Because thy lovingkindness is good, deliver thou me; 22 For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me. 23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust. 24 My knees are weak through fasting; And my flesh faileth of fatness. 25 I am become also a reproach unto them: When they see me, they shake their head. 26 Help me, O Jehovah my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness: 27 That they may know that this is thy hand; [That] thou, Jehovah, hast done it. 28 Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, they shall be put to shame, But thy servant shall rejoice. 29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. 30 I will give great thanks unto Jehovah with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude. 31 For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, To save him from them that judge his soul.

The Ministry of the Apostles

41 Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God. 6 Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not [to go] beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.

7 For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? 8 Already are ye filled, already ye are become rich, ye have come to reign without us: yea and I would that ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. 9 For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, both to angels and men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dishonor. 11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; 12 and we toil, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.

14 I write not these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet [have ye] not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. 16 I beseech you therefore, be ye imitators of me.

17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will; and I will know, not the word of them that are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?