Psalm 123-125

New International Version

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

¹I lift up my eyes to you,
    to you who sit enthroned^(A) in heaven.
²As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
    as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord^(B) our God,
    till he shows us his mercy.

³Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
    for we have endured no end of contempt.
⁴We have endured no end
    of ridicule from the arrogant,
    of contempt from the proud.

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹If the Lord had not been on our side—
    let Israel say^(C)—
²if the Lord had not been on our side
    when people attacked us,
³they would have swallowed us alive
    when their anger flared against us;
⁴the flood^(D) would have engulfed us,
    the torrent^(E) would have swept over us,
⁵the raging waters
    would have swept us away.

⁶Praise be to the Lord,
    who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
⁷We have escaped like a bird
    from the fowler’s snare;^(F)
the snare has been broken,^(G)
    and we have escaped.
⁸Our help is in the name^(H) of the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven^(I) and earth.

Psalm 125

A song of ascents.

¹Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,^(J)
    which cannot be shaken^(K) but endures forever.
²As the mountains surround Jerusalem,^(L)
    so the Lord surrounds^(M) his people
    both now and forevermore.

³The scepter^(N) of the wicked will not remain^(O)
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.^(P)

⁴Lord, do good^(Q) to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.^(R)
⁵But those who turn^(S) to crooked ways^(T)
the Lord will banish^(U) with the evildoers.

Peace be on Israel.^(V)

2 Corinthians 7

New International Version

7 Therefore, since we have these promises,^(A) dear friends,^(B) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness^(C) out of reverence for God.

Paul’s Joy Over the Church’s Repentance

²Make room for us in your hearts.^(D) We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. ³I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts^(E) that we would live or die with you. ⁴I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you.^(F) I am greatly encouraged;^(G) in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.^(H)

⁵For when we came into Macedonia,^(I) we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn^(J)—conflicts on the outside, fears within.^(K) ⁶But God, who comforts the downcast,^(L) comforted us by the coming of Titus,^(M) ⁷and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

⁸Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,^(N) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation^(O) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,^(P) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹²So even though I wrote to you,^(Q) it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong^(R) nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. ¹³By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus^(S) was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴I had boasted to him about you,^(T) and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus^(U) has proved to be true as well. ¹⁵And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient,^(V) receiving him with fear and trembling.^(W) ¹⁶I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.^(X)