Psalm 76:1-7

New International Version

Psalm 76^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.

¹God is renowned in Judah;
    in Israel his name is great.^(A)
²His tent is in Salem,^(B)
    his dwelling place in Zion.^(C)
³There he broke the flashing arrows,^(D)
    the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.^[b]^(E)

⁴You are radiant with light,^(F)
    more majestic than mountains rich with game.
⁵The valiant^(G) lie plundered,
    they sleep their last sleep;^(H)
not one of the warriors
    can lift his hands.
⁶At your rebuke,^(I) God of Jacob,
    both horse and chariot^(J) lie still.

⁷It is you alone who are to be feared.^(K)
Who can stand^(L) before you when you are angry?^(M)

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Footnotes

Psalm 76:1 In Hebrew texts 76:1-12 is numbered 76:2-13.
Psalm 76:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 9.

Proverbs 16:28-30

New International Version

²⁸A perverse person stirs up conflict,^(A)
and a gossip separates close friends.^(B)

²⁹A violent person entices their neighbor
and leads them down a path that is not good.^(C)

³⁰Whoever winks^(D) with their eye is plotting perversity;
whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

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Luke 2:1-7

New International Version

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days Caesar Augustus^(A) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.^(B) ²(This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)^(C) ³And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem^(D) the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him^(E) and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

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Footnotes

Luke 2:2 Or This census took place before

Galatians 4:21-31

New International Version

Hagar and Sarah

²¹Tell me, you who want to be under the law,^(A) are you not aware of what the law says? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman^(B) and the other by the free woman.^(C) ²³His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,^(D) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.^(E)

²⁴These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above^(F) is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For it is written:

“Be glad, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
    you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband.”^[a]^(G)

²⁸Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.^(H) ²⁹At that time the son born according to the flesh^(I) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.^(J) It is the same now. ³⁰But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”^[b]^(K) ³¹Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,^(L) but of the free woman.^(M)