Psalm 148-150

New International Version

Psalm 148

¹Praise the Lord.^[a]^(A)

Praise the Lord from the heavens;^(B)
    praise him in the heights above.
²Praise him, all his angels;^(C)
    praise him, all his heavenly hosts.^(D)
³Praise him, sun^(E) and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars.
⁴Praise him, you highest heavens^(F)
    and you waters above the skies.^(G)

⁵Let them praise the name^(H) of the Lord,
for at his command^(I) they were created,
⁶and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree^(J) that will never pass away.

⁷Praise the Lord^(K) from the earth,
    you great sea creatures^(L) and all ocean depths,^(M)
⁸lightning and hail,^(N) snow and clouds,
    stormy winds that do his bidding,^(O)
⁹you mountains and all hills,^(P)
    fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰wild animals^(Q) and all cattle,
    small creatures and flying birds,
¹¹kings^(R) of the earth and all nations,
    you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹²young men and women,
    old men and children.

¹³Let them praise the name of the Lord,^(S)
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his splendor^(T) is above the earth and the heavens.^(U)
¹⁴And he has raised up for his people a horn,^[b]^(V)
    the praise^(W) of all his faithful servants,^(X)
    of Israel, the people close to his heart.^(Y)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 149

¹Praise the Lord.^[c]^(Z)

Sing to the Lord a new song,^(AA)
his praise in the assembly^(AB) of his faithful people.

²Let Israel rejoice^(AC) in their Maker;^(AD)
    let the people of Zion be glad in their King.^(AE)
³Let them praise his name with dancing^(AF)
    and make music to him with timbrel and harp.^(AG)
⁴For the Lord takes delight^(AH) in his people;
    he crowns the humble with victory.^(AI)
⁵Let his faithful people rejoice^(AJ) in this honor
    and sing for joy on their beds.^(AK)

⁶May the praise of God be in their mouths^(AL)
    and a double-edged^(AM) sword in their hands,^(AN)
⁷to inflict vengeance^(AO) on the nations
    and punishment^(AP) on the peoples,
⁸to bind their kings with fetters,^(AQ)
    their nobles with shackles of iron,^(AR)
⁹to carry out the sentence written against them—^(AS)
    this is the glory of all his faithful people.^(AT)

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 150

¹Praise the Lord.^[d]^(AU)

Praise God in his sanctuary;^(AV)
    praise him in his mighty heavens.^(AW)
²Praise him for his acts of power;^(AX)
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.^(AY)
³Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,^(AZ)
    praise him with the harp and lyre,^(BA)
⁴praise him with timbrel and dancing,^(BB)
    praise him with the strings^(BC) and pipe,^(BD)
⁵praise him with the clash of cymbals,^(BE)
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶Let everything^(BF) that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Footnotes

Psalm 148:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 14
Psalm 148:14 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Psalm 149:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9
Psalm 150:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 6

1 Corinthians 1

New International Version

1 Paul, called to be an apostle^(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,^(B) and our brother Sosthenes,^(C)

²To the church of God^(D) in Corinth,^(E) to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called^(F) to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name^(G) of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

³Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^(H)

Thanksgiving

⁴I always thank my God for you^(I) because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵For in him you have been enriched^(J) in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge^(K)— ⁶God thus confirming our testimony^(L) about Christ among you. ⁷Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift^(M) as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.^(N) ⁸He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless^(O) on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.^(P) ⁹God is faithful,^(Q) who has called you^(R) into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.^(S)

A Church Divided Over Leaders

¹⁰I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,^[a]^(T) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you,^(U) but that you be perfectly united^(V) in mind and thought. ¹¹My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household^(W) have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹²What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”;^(X) another, “I follow Apollos”;^(Y) another, “I follow Cephas^[b]”;^(Z) still another, “I follow Christ.”

¹³Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?^(AA) ¹⁴I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus^(AB) and Gaius,^(AC) ¹⁵so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶(Yes, I also baptized the household^(AD) of Stephanas;^(AE) beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize,^(AF) but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom^(AG) and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom

¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness^(AH) to those who are perishing,^(AI) but to us who are being saved^(AJ) it is the power of God.^(AK) ¹⁹For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”^[c]^(AL)

²⁰Where is the wise person?^(AM) Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?^(AN) Has not God made foolish^(AO) the wisdom of the world? ²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world^(AP) through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save^(AQ) those who believe.^(AR) ²²Jews demand signs^(AS) and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified:^(AT) a stumbling block^(AU) to Jews and foolishness^(AV) to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those whom God has called,^(AW) both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God^(AX) and the wisdom of God.^(AY) ²⁵For the foolishness^(AZ) of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness^(BA) of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called.^(BB) Not many of you were wise^(BC) by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose^(BD) the foolish^(BE) things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not^(BF)—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him.^(BG) ³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,^(BH) who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,^(BI) holiness^(BJ) and redemption.^(BK) ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[d]^(BL)

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verses 11 and 26; and in 2:1; 3:1; 4:6; 6:8; 7:24, 29; 10:1; 11:33; 12:1; 14:6, 20, 26, 39; 15:1, 6, 50, 58; 16:15, 20.
1 Corinthians 1:12 That is, Peter
1 Corinthians 1:19 Isaiah 29:14
1 Corinthians 1:31 Jer. 9:24