Psalm 129

New King James Version

Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies

A Song of Ascents.

129 “Many a time they have ^(A)afflicted^[a] me from ^(B)my youth,”
^(C)Let Israel now say—
²“Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth;
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
³The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.”
⁴The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.

⁵Let all those who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned back.
⁶Let them be as the ^(D)grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
⁷With which the reaper does not fill his hand,
Nor he who binds sheaves, his ^[b]arms.
⁸Neither let those who pass by them say,
^(E)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”

Footnotes

Psalm 129:1 persecuted
Psalm 129:7 armsful, lit. bosom

3 John

New King James Version

Greeting to Gaius

¹The Elder,

To the beloved Gaius, ^(A)whom I love in truth:

²Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. ³For I ^(B)rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. ⁴I have no greater ^(C)joy than to hear that ^(D)my children walk in ^[a]truth.

Gaius Commended for Generosity

⁵Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren ^[b]and for strangers, ⁶who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, ⁷because they went forth for His name’s sake, ^(E)taking nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸We therefore ought to ^(F)receive^[c] such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.

Diotrephes and Demetrius

⁹I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. ¹⁰Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, ^(G)prating^[d] against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.

¹¹Beloved, ^(H)do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. ^(I)He who does good is of God, ^[e]but he who does evil has not seen ^(J)God.

¹²Demetrius ^(K)has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also ^[f]bear witness, ^(L)and you know that our testimony is true.

Farewell Greeting

¹³^(M)I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; ¹⁴but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face.

Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.