Psalm 5-6

English Standard Version

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my ^(A)groaning.
²Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my ^(B)King and my God,
    for ^(C)to you do I pray.
³O Lord, in ^(D)the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you^[a] and ^(E)watch.

⁴For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
⁵The ^(F)boastful shall not ^(G)stand before your eyes;
    you ^(H)hate all evildoers.
⁶You destroy those who speak ^(I)lies;
    the Lord abhors ^(J)the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house.
I will ^(K)bow down ^(L)toward your ^(M)holy temple
    in the fear of you.
⁸^(N)Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    ^(O)make your way straight before me.

⁹For there is no truth in their mouth;
    their inmost self is ^(P)destruction;
^(Q)their throat is ^(R)an open grave;
    they ^(S)flatter with their tongue.
¹⁰^(T)Make them bear their guilt, O God;
    let them ^(U)fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
    for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹But let all who ^(V)take refuge in you ^(W)rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may ^(X)exult in you.
¹²For you ^(Y)bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you ^(Z)cover him with favor as with ^(AA)a shield.

O Lord, Deliver My Life

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to ^(AB)The Sheminith.^[b] A Psalm of David.

6 O Lord, ^(AC)rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor ^(AD)discipline me in your wrath.
²Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
    ^(AE)heal me, O Lord, ^(AF)for my bones are troubled.
³My ^(AG)soul also is greatly troubled.
    But you, O Lord—^(AH)how long?

⁴Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
⁵For in ^(AI)death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?

⁶I am ^(AJ)weary with my ^(AK)moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
⁷My ^(AL)eye wastes away because of grief;
    it grows weak because of all my foes.

⁸^(AM)Depart from me, all you ^(AN)workers of evil,
    for the Lord ^(AO)has heard the sound of my weeping.
⁹The Lord has heard my ^(AP)plea;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
¹⁰All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
    they shall ^(AQ)turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Footnotes

Psalm 5:3 Or I direct my prayer to you
Psalm 6:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term

Psalm 10-11

English Standard Version

Why Do You Hide Yourself?

10 Why, O Lord, do you stand ^(A)far away?
Why ^(B)do you hide yourself in ^(C)times of trouble?

²In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
    let them ^(D)be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
³For the wicked ^(E)boasts of the desires of his soul,
    and the one greedy for gain ^(F)curses^[a] and ^(G)renounces the Lord.
⁴In the pride of his face^[b] the wicked does not ^(H)seek him;^[c]
    all his thoughts are, ^(I)“There is no God.”
⁵His ways prosper at all times;
    your judgments are on high, ^(J)out of his sight;
    as for all his foes, he ^(K)puffs at them.
⁶He ^(L)says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
    throughout all generations I ^(M)shall not meet adversity.”
⁷^(N)His mouth is filled with cursing and ^(O)deceit and ^(P)oppression;
    ^(Q)under his tongue are ^(R)mischief and ^(S)iniquity.
⁸He sits in ambush in the villages;
    in ^(T)hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
⁹    he lurks in ambush like ^(U)a lion in his ^(V)thicket;
he ^(W)lurks that he may seize the poor;
    he seizes the poor when he draws him into his ^(X)net.
¹⁰The helpless are crushed, sink down,
    and fall by his might.
¹¹He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
    he has ^(Y)hidden his face, he ^(Z)will never see it.”

¹²^(AA)Arise, O Lord; O God, ^(AB)lift up your hand;
    ^(AC)forget not the afflicted.
¹³Why does the wicked ^(AD)renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not ^(AE)call to account”?
¹⁴But you do see, for you ^(AF)note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless ^(AG)commits himself;
    you have been ^(AH)the helper of the fatherless.
¹⁵^(AI)Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    ^(AJ)call his wickedness to account till you find none.

¹⁶^(AK)The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the ^(AL)nations perish from his land.
¹⁷O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will ^(AM)strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
¹⁸to ^(AN)do justice to the fatherless and ^(AO)the oppressed,
    so that ^(AP)man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

The Lord Is in His Holy Temple

To the choirmaster. Of David.

11 In the Lord I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
    ^(AQ)“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
²for behold, the wicked ^(AR)bend the bow;
    ^(AS)they have fitted their arrow to the string
    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
³if ^(AT)the foundations are destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”^[d]

⁴^(AU)The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord's ^(AV)throne is in heaven;
    his eyes see, his eyelids ^(AW)test the children of man.
⁵The Lord ^(AX)tests the righteous,
    but ^(AY)his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
⁶Let him rain coals on the wicked;
    ^(AZ)fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be ^(BA)the portion of their cup.
⁷For the Lord is righteous;
he ^(BB)loves righteous deeds;
    ^(BC)the upright shall behold his face.

Footnotes

Psalm 10:3 Or and he blesses the one greedy for gain
Psalm 10:4 Or of his anger
Psalm 10:4 Or the wicked says, “He will not call to account”
Psalm 11:3 Or for the foundations will be destroyed; what has the righteous done?

Isaiah 1:21-31

English Standard Version

The Unfaithful City

²¹How the faithful city
    ^(A)has become a whore,^[a]
    ^(B)she who was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her,
    but now murderers.
²²^(C)Your silver has become dross,
    your best wine mixed with water.
²³Your princes are rebels
    and companions of thieves.
Everyone ^(D)loves a bribe
    and runs after gifts.
^(E)They do not bring justice to the fatherless,
    and the widow's cause does not come to them.

²⁴Therefore the ^(F)Lord declares,
    the Lord of hosts,
    the ^(G)Mighty One of Israel:
“Ah, I will get relief from my enemies
    ^(H)and avenge myself on my foes.
²⁵^(I)I will turn my hand against you
    and will smelt away your ^(J)dross as with lye
    and remove all your alloy.
²⁶And I will restore your judges ^(K)as at the first,
    and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward ^(L)you shall be called the city of righteousness,
    the faithful city.”

²⁷^(M)Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
    and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
²⁸^(N)But rebels and sinners shall be broken together,
    and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
²⁹^(O)For they^[b] shall be ashamed of ^(P)the oaks
    that you desired;
and you shall blush for ^(Q)the gardens
    that you have chosen.
³⁰For you shall be ^(R)like an oak
    whose leaf withers,
    and like a garden without water.
³¹And the strong shall become ^(S)tinder,
    and his work a spark,
and both of them shall burn together,
    with ^(T)none to quench them.

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Footnotes

Isaiah 1:21 Or become unchaste
Isaiah 1:29 Some Hebrew manuscripts you

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

English Standard Version

Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians

2 For you yourselves know, brothers,^[a] that our ^(A)coming to you ^(B)was not in vain. ²But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated ^(C)at Philippi, as you know, ^(D)we had boldness in our God ^(E)to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much ^(F)conflict. ³For ^(G)our appeal does not spring from ^(H)error or ^(I)impurity or ^(J)any attempt to deceive, ⁴but just as we have been approved by God ^(K)to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not ^(L)to please man, but to please God ^(M)who tests our hearts. ⁵^(N)For we never came with words of flattery,^[b] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—^(O)God is witness. ⁶^(P)Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, ^(Q)though we could have made ^(R)demands as ^(S)apostles of Christ. ⁷But we were ^(T)gentle^[c] among you, ^(U)like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. ⁸So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God ^(V)but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

⁹For you remember, brothers, ^(W)our labor and toil: we ^(X)worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and ^(Y)God also, ^(Z)how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. ¹¹For you know how, ^(AA)like a father with his children, ¹²we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and ^(AB)charged ^(AC)you to walk in a manner worthy of God, ^(AD)who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

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Footnotes

1 Thessalonians 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 14, 17
1 Thessalonians 2:5 Or with a flattering speech
1 Thessalonians 2:7 Some manuscripts infants

Luke 20:9-18

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

⁹^(A)And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted ^(B)a vineyard and ^(C)let it out to tenants and ^(D)went into another country for a long while. ¹⁰When the time came, he sent a servant^[a] to the tenants, so that ^(E)they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^(F)But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹^(G)And ^(H)he sent another servant. But they also beat and ^(I)treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²^(J)And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my ^(K)beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ ¹⁴But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ^(L)‘This is the heir. ^(M)Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵And they ^(N)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶^(O)He will ^(P)come and destroy those tenants and ^(Q)give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” ¹⁷But he ^(R)looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: