Psalm 37:1-18
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 37
Exhortation to Patience and Trust
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,(A)
2 for they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.(B)
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
live in the land and enjoy security.(C)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.(D)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.(E)
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.(F)
7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.(G)
8 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.(H)
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.(I)
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.(J)
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.(K)
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them,(L)
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.(M)
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;(N)
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.(O)
16 Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.(P)
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.(Q)
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever;(R)
Acts 13:1-12
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Barnabas and Saul Commissioned
13 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a childhood friend of Herod the ruler,[a] and Saul.(A) 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”(B) 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.(C)
The Apostles Preach in Cyprus
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.(D) 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And they had John also to assist them.(E) 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus.(F) 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.(G) 8 But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.(H) 9 But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him(I) 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?(J) 11 And now listen—the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he fumbled about for someone to lead him by the hand.(K) 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 13.1 Gk tetrarch
Mark 2:23-3:6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Pronouncement about the Sabbath
23 One Sabbath he was going through the grain fields, and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.(A) 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food, 26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions?”(B) 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath,(C) 28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
The Man with a Withered Hand
3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.(D) 2 They were watching him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.(E) 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” 4 Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.(F)
Psalm 37:19-40
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.(A)
20 But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.(B)
21 The wicked borrow and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;(C)
22 surely those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.(D)
23 Our steps[a] are made firm by the Lord
when he delights in our[b] way;(E)
24 though we stumble, we[c] shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us[d] by the hand.(F)
25 I have been young and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.(G)
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.(H)
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.(I)
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.(J)
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and live in it forever.(K)
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.(L)
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.(M)
32 The wicked watch for the righteous
and seek to kill them.(N)
33 The Lord will not abandon them to their power
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.(O)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.(P)
35 I have seen the wicked oppressing
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.[e](Q)
36 Again I[f] passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.(R)
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.(S)
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.(T)
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.(U)
40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked and saves them
because they take refuge in him.(V)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.