1071 O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. 2 Let those whose cause the Lord has taken up say so, his people whom he has taken out of the hands of their haters; 3 Making them come together out of all the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4 They were wandering in the waste places; they saw no way to a resting-place. 5 Their souls became feeble for need of food and drink. 6 Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles; 7 Guiding them in the right way, so that they might come into the town of their resting-place. 8 Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! 9 He gives its desire to the unresting soul, so that it is full of good things.
10 Those who were in the dark, in the black night, in chains of sorrow and iron; 11 Because they went against the words of God, and gave no thought to the laws of the Most High: 12 So that he made their hearts weighted down with grief; they were falling, and had no helper. 13 Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles. 14 He took them out of the dark and the black night, and all their chains were broken. 15 Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! 16 The doors of brass are broken by his arm, and the bands of iron are cut in two.
17 Foolish men, because of their sins, and because of their wrongdoing, are troubled; 18 They are disgusted by all food, and they come near to the doors of death. 19 Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles. 20 He sent his word and made them well, and kept them safe from the underworld. 21 Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! 22 Let them make offerings of praise, giving news of his works with cries of joy.
23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in the great waters; 24 They see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. 25 For at his word comes up the storm-wind, lifting high the waves. 26 The sailors go up to heaven, and down into the deep; their souls are wasted because of their trouble. 27 They are turned here and there, rolling like a man who is full of wine; and all their wisdom comes to nothing. 28 Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles. 29 He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace. 30 Then they are glad, because the sea is quiet, and he takes them to the harbour of their desire. 31 Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! 32 Let them give glory to him in the meeting of the people, and praise among the chiefs.
33 He makes rivers into waste places, and springs of water into a dry land; 34 He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there. 35 He makes a waste land into a place of water, and a dry land into water-springs. 36 And there he gives the poor a resting-place, so that they may make themselves a town; 37 And put seed in the fields and make vine-gardens, to give them fruit. 38 He gives them his blessing so that they are increased greatly, and their cattle do not become less. 39 And when they are made low, and crushed by trouble and sorrow, 40 He puts an end to the pride of kings, and sends them wandering in the waste lands where there is no way. 41 But he puts the poor man on high from his troubles, and gives him families like a flock. 42 The upright see it and are glad: the mouth of the sinner is stopped. 43 Let the wise give thought to these things, and see the mercies of the Lord.
1081 O God, my heart is fixed; I will make songs and melody, even with my glory. 2 Give out your sounds, O corded instruments: the dawn will be awaking with my song. 3 I will give you praise, O Lord, among the peoples; I will make melody to you among the nations. 4 For your mercy is higher than the heavens: and your unchanging faith than the clouds. 5 Be lifted up, O God, higher than the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
6 Let your right hand be stretched out for salvation, and give me an answer, so that your loved ones may be safe from danger. 7 This is the word of the holy God: I will be glad; I will make Shechem a heritage, measuring out the valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is the strength of my head; Judah is my law-giver; 9 Moab is my washpot; on Edom is the resting-place of my shoe; over Philistia will I send out a glad cry. 10 Who will take me into the strong town? who will be my guide into Edom? 11 Have you not sent us away from you, O God? and you go not out with our armies. 12 Give us help in our trouble; for there is no help in man. 13 With God we will do great things; for by him will our haters be crushed underfoot.
1091 God of my praise, let my prayer be answered; 2 For the mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things against me. 3 Words of hate are round about me; they have made war against me without cause. 4 For my love they give me back hate; but I have given myself to prayer. 5 They have put on me evil for good; hate in exchange for my love.
6 Put an evil man over him; and let one be placed at his right hand to say evil of him. 7 When he is judged, let the decision go against him; and may his prayer become sin. 8 Let his life be short; let another take his position of authority. 9 Let his children have no father, and his wife be made a widow. 10 Let his children be wanderers, looking to others for their food; let them be sent away from the company of their friends. 11 Let his creditor take all his goods; and let others have the profit of his work. 12 Let no man have pity on him, or give help to his children when he is dead. 13 Let his seed be cut off; in the coming generation let their name go out of memory. 14 Let the Lord keep in mind the wrongdoing of his fathers; and may the sin of his mother have no forgiveness. 15 Let them be ever before the eyes of the Lord, so that the memory of them may be cut off from the earth. 16 Because he had no mercy, but was cruel to the low and the poor, designing the death of the broken-hearted. 17 As he took pleasure in cursing, so let it come on him; and as he had no delight in blessing, let it be far from him. 18 He put on cursing like a robe, and it has come into his body like water, and into his bones like oil. 19 Let it be to him as a robe which he puts on, let it be like a band which is round him at all times. 20 Let this be the reward given to my haters from the Lord, and to those who say evil of my soul.
21 But, O Lord God, give me your help, because of your name; take me out of danger, because your mercy is good. 22 For I am poor and in need, and my heart is wounded in me. 23 I am gone like the shade when it is stretched out: I am forced out of my place like a locust. 24 My knees are feeble for need of food; there is no fat on my bones. 25 As for me, they make sport of me; shaking their heads when they see me. 26 Give me help, O Lord my God; in your mercy be my saviour; 27 So that they may see that it is the work of your hand; that you, Lord, have done it. 28 They may give curses but you give blessing; when they come up against me, put them to shame; but let your servant be glad. 29 Let my haters be clothed with shame, covering themselves with shame as with a robe. 30 I will give the Lord great praise with my mouth; yes, I will give praise to him among all the people. 31 For he is ever at the right hand of the poor, to take him out of the hands of those who go after his soul.
41 Let us be judged as servants of Christ, and as those who are responsible for the secret things of God. 2 And it is right for such servants to be safe persons. 3 But it is a small thing to me that I am judged by you or by man's judging; I am not even a judge of myself. 4 For I am not conscious of any wrong in myself; but this does not make me clear, for it is the Lord who is my judge. 5 For this reason let there be no judging before the time, till the Lord comes, who will make clear the secret things of the dark, and the designs of the heart; and then will every man have his praise from God. 6 My brothers, it is because of you that I have taken Apollos and myself as examples of these things, so that in us you might see that it is not wise to go farther than what is in the holy Writings, so that no one of you may be lifted up against his brother.
7 For who made you better than your brother? or what have you that has not been given to you? but if it has been given to you, what cause have you for pride, as if it had not been given to you? 8 For even now you are full, even now you have wealth, you have been made kings without us: truly, I would be glad if you were kings, so that we might be kings with you. 9 For it seems to me that God has put us the Apostles last of all, as men whose fate is death: for we are put on view to the world, and to angels, and to men. 10 We are made to seem foolish for Christ, but you are wise in Christ; we are feeble, but you are strong; you have glory, but we have shame. 11 Even to this hour we are without food, drink, and clothing, we are given blows and have no certain resting-place; 12 And with our hands we do the hardest work: when they give us curses we give blessings, when we undergo punishment we take it quietly; 13 When evil things are said about us we give gentle answers: we are made as the unclean things of the world, as that for which no one has any use, even till now.
14 I am not saying these things to put you to shame, but so that, as my dear children, you may see what is right. 15 For even if you had ten thousand teachers in Christ, you have not more than one father: for in Christ Jesus I have given birth to you through the good news. 16 So my desire is that you take me as your example.
17 For this cause I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and true child in the Lord; he will make clear to you my ways in Christ, even as I am teaching everywhere in every church. 18 Now some are full of pride, as if I was not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you in a short time, if it is pleasing to the Lord, and I will take note, not of the word of those who are full of pride, but of the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 21 What is your desire? is my coming to be with punishment, or is it to be in love and a gentle spirit?
