Old/New Testament
Psalm 54[a]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song[b] by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.”[c]
54 O God, deliver me by your name.[d]
Vindicate me[e] by your power.
2 O God, listen to my prayer.
Pay attention to what I say.[f]
3 For foreigners[g] attack me;[h]
ruthless men, who do not respect God, seek my life.[i] (Selah)
4 Look, God is my deliverer.[j]
The Lord is among those who support me.[k]
5 May those who wait to ambush me[l] be repaid for their evil.[m]
As a demonstration of your faithfulness,[n] destroy them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice[o] to you.
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 Surely[p] he rescues me from all trouble,[q]
and I triumph over my enemies.[r]
Psalm 55[s]
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song[t] by David.
55 Listen, O God, to my prayer.
Do not ignore[u] my appeal for mercy.
2 Pay attention to me and answer me.
I am so upset[v] and distressed,[w] I am beside myself,[x]
3 because of what the enemy says,[y]
and because of how the wicked[z] pressure me,[aa]
for they hurl trouble[ab] down upon me[ac]
and angrily attack me.
4 My heart beats violently[ad] within me;
the horrors of death overcome me.[ae]
5 Fear and panic overpower me;[af]
terror overwhelms[ag] me.
6 I say,[ah] “I wish I had wings like a dove.
I would fly away and settle in a safe place.
7 Look, I will escape to a distant place;
I will stay in the wilderness. (Selah)
8 I will hurry off to a place that is safe
from the strong wind[ai] and the gale.”
9 Confuse them,[aj] O Lord.
Frustrate their plans.[ak]
For I see violence and conflict in the city.
10 Day and night they walk around on its walls,[al]
while wickedness and destruction[am] are within it.
11 Disaster is within it;
violence[an] and deceit do not depart from its public square.
12 Indeed,[ao] it is not an enemy who insults me,
or else I could bear it;
it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me,[ap]
or else I could hide from him.
13 But it is you,[aq] a man like me,[ar]
my close friend in whom I confided.[as]
14 We would share personal thoughts with each other;[at]
in God’s temple we would walk together among the crowd.
15 May death destroy them.[au]
May they go down alive into Sheol.[av]
For evil is in their dwelling place and in their midst.
16 As for me, I will call out to God,
and the Lord will deliver me.
17 During the evening, morning, and noontime
I will lament and moan,[aw]
and he will hear[ax] me.[ay]
18 He will rescue[az] me and protect me from those who attack me,[ba]
even though[bb] they greatly outnumber me.[bc]
19 God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago,
will hear and humiliate them.[bd] (Selah)
They refuse to change,
and do not fear God.[be]
20 He[bf] attacks[bg] his friends;[bh]
he breaks his solemn promises to them.[bi]
21 His words are as smooth as butter,[bj]
but he harbors animosity in his heart.[bk]
His words seem softer than oil,
but they are really like sharp swords.[bl]
22 Throw your burden[bm] upon the Lord,
and he will sustain you.[bn]
He will never allow the godly to be shaken.[bo]
23 But you, O God, will bring them[bp] down to the deep Pit.[bq]
Violent and deceitful people[br] will not live even half a normal lifespan.[bs]
But as for me, I trust in you.
Psalm 56[bt]
For the music director, according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style;[bu] a prayer[bv] of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.[bw]
56 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me.[bx]
All day long hostile enemies[by] are tormenting me.[bz]
2 Those who anticipate my defeat[ca] attack me all day long.
Indeed,[cb] many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.[cc]
3 When[cd] I am afraid,
I trust in you.
4 In God—I boast in his promise[ce]—
in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can mere men[cf] do to me?[cg]
5 All day long they cause me trouble;[ch]
they make a habit of plotting my demise.[ci]
6 They stalk[cj] and lurk;[ck]
they watch my every step,[cl]
as[cm] they prepare to take my life.[cn]
7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape.[co]
In your anger[cp] bring down the nations,[cq] O God.
8 You keep track of my misery.[cr]
Put my tears in your leather container.[cs]
Are they not recorded in your scroll?[ct]
9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help;[cu]
I know that God is on my side.[cv]
10 In God—I boast in his promise[cw]—
in the Lord—I boast in his promise[cx]—
11 in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can mere men[cy] do to me?[cz]
12 I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God;[da]
I will give you the thank offerings you deserve,[db]
13 when you deliver[dc] my life from death.
You keep my feet from stumbling,[dd]
so that I might serve[de] God as I enjoy life.[df]
3 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Actually, there are many advantages.[a] First of all,[b] the Jews[c] were entrusted with the oracles of God.[d] 3 What then? If some were unfaithful, their unfaithfulness will not nullify God’s faithfulness, will it? 4 Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being[e] shown up as a liar,[f] just as it is written: “so that you will be justified[g] in your words and will prevail when you are judged.”[h]
5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates[i] the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.)[j] 6 Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world? 7 For if by my lie the truth of God enhances[k] his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil so that good may come of it”?—as some who slander us allege that we say.[l] (Their[m] condemnation is deserved!)
The Condemnation of the World
9 What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, 10 just as it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one,
11 there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”[n]
13 “Their throats are open graves,[o]
they deceive with their tongues,
the poison of asps is under their lips.”[p]
14 “Their mouths are[q] full of cursing and bitterness.”[r]
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 ruin and misery are in their paths,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”[s]
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[t]
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under[u] the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For no one is declared righteous before him[v] by the works of the law,[w] for through the law comes[x] the knowledge of sin. 21 But now[y] apart from the law the righteousness of God (although it is attested by the law and the prophets)[z] has been disclosed— 22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ[aa] for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 But they are justified[ab] freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God publicly displayed[ac] him[ad] at his death[ae] as the mercy seat[af] accessible through faith.[ag] This was to demonstrate[ah] his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.[ai] 26 This was[aj] also to demonstrate[ak] his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just[al] and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.[am]
27 Where, then, is boasting?[an] It is excluded! By what principle?[ao] Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! 28 For we consider that a person[ap] is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.[aq] 29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! 30 Since God is one,[ar] he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then nullify[as] the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead[at] we uphold the law.
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