Old/New Testament
Psalm 146
The God of Compassion
1 Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.(A)
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.(B)
3 Do not trust in nobles,
in man, who cannot save.(C)
4 When his breath[a] leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.(D)
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,(E)
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.(F)
He remains faithful forever,(G)
7 executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.(H)
The Lord frees prisoners.(I)
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.(J)
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.[b](K)
The Lord loves the righteous.(L)
9 The Lord protects foreigners
and helps the fatherless and the widow,(M)
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.(N)
10 The Lord reigns forever;
Zion, your God reigns for all generations.(O)
Hallelujah!
Psalm 147
God Restores Jerusalem
1 Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.(P)
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;(Q)
He gathers Israel’s exiled people.(R)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.(S)
4 He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.(T)
5 Our Lord is great, vast in power;
His understanding is infinite.[c](U)
6 The Lord helps the afflicted
but brings the wicked to the ground.(V)
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,(W)
8 who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.(X)
9 He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens, what they cry for.(Y)
10 He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
He does not value the power[d] of a man.(Z)
11 The Lord values those who fear Him,
those who put their hope in His faithful love.(AA)
12 Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion!(AB)
13 For He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your children within you.(AC)
14 He endows your territory with prosperity;[e](AD)
He satisfies you with the finest wheat.(AE)
Resurrection Essential to the Gospel
15 Now brothers, I want to clarify[a] for you the gospel I proclaimed to you; you received it and have taken your stand(A) on it. 2 You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you—unless you believed for no purpose.[b](B) 3 For I passed on to you(C) as most important what I also received:
that Christ died(D) for our sins
according to the Scriptures,(E)
4 that He was buried,(F)
that He was raised on the third day(G)
according to the Scriptures,(H)
5 and that He appeared to Cephas,(I)
then to the Twelve.(J)
6 Then He appeared to over 500 brothers at one time;(K)
most of them are still alive,
but some have fallen asleep.
7 Then He appeared to James,(L)
then to all the apostles.(M)
8 Last of all, as to one abnormally born,[c](N)
He also appeared to me.(O)
9 For I am the least of the apostles,(P) unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted(Q) the church of God. 10 But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me.(R) 11 Therefore, whether it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.
Resurrection Essential to the Faith
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,(S) how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”?(T) 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith.[d] 15 In addition, we are found to be false witnesses(U) about God, because we have testified(V) about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Therefore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ(W) have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
Christ’s Resurrection Guarantees Ours
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits(X) of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death(Y) came through a man,(Z) the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.(AA) 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.(AB) 23 But each in his own order:(AC) Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end,(AD) when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father,(AE) when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power.(AF) 25 For He must reign(AG) until He puts all His enemies under His feet.(AH) 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death.(AI) 27 For God has put everything under His feet.(AJ)[e] But when it says “everything” is put under Him, it is obvious that He who puts everything under Him is the exception. 28 And when everything is subject to Christ, then the Son(AK) Himself will also be subject to the One who subjected everything to Him, so that God may be all in all.(AL)
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