Old/New Testament
Psalm 57[a]
Trust in God amid Suffering
1 For the director.[b] According to “Do not destroy.” A miktam of David. When he fled from Saul into the cave.
2 Have mercy on me, O God,
have mercy on me,
for in you my soul[c] takes refuge.
I will seek shelter in the shadow of your wings
until the time of danger has passed.
3 I call out to God Most High,
to God who takes care of me.[d]
4 May he send his help from heaven to deliver me
and put to shame those who trample upon me; Selah
may God send his kindness[e] and his faithfulness.
5 I lie prostrate in the midst of lions
who are hungrily seeking human prey.
Their teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongues are razor-sharp swords.
6 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory shine over all the earth.[f]
7 They set a trap for my feet,
and I was overcome with distress.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they themselves fell into it. Selah
8 [g]My heart[h] is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant your praise;
9 awake, my soul!
Awake, lyre and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.[i]
10 [j]I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O Lord;
I will sing your praises among the nations.
11 For your kindness extends to the heavens;
your faithfulness, to the skies.
12 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory radiate over all the earth.
Psalm 58[k]
The Judge of Unjust Rulers
1 For the director.[l] According to “Do not destroy.” A miktam of David.
2 O you rulers,[m] do you render justice?
Do you judge your people impartially?
3 No! You devise wickedness in your hearts,[n]
and your hands bring about violence on the earth.
4 The wicked have gone astray right from the womb;
from birth these liars have taken the wrong path.[o]
5 Their venom is like that of a serpent;
they are as deaf as an asp that stops its ears
6 so as not to hear the voice of the charmer
no matter how skillful the spells he casts.[p]
7 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of these lions, O Lord.[q]
8 [r]Cause them to vanish like water that drains off;
make them wither like grass that is trampled.[s]
9 Let them melt like a snail[t] that oozes into slime
or like a stillborn child that will never see the sun.
10 Before they sprout thorns[u] like brambles or thistles,
may your whirlwind sweep them away.
11 The righteous will rejoice
when he sees that justice has been done,
and he will bathe his feet
in the blood[v] of the wicked.
12 Then the people will say,
“There is truly a reward for the righteous;
there is a God who dispenses justice on the earth.”
Psalm 59[w]
Against Wicked Enemies
1 For the director.[x] According to “Do not destroy.” A miktam of David. When Saul sent people to watch David’s house in order to kill him.
2 Rescue me, O my God, from my enemies;
defend me[y] against those who rise up against me.
3 Deliver me from those who do evil;
save me from the violence of the bloodthirsty.
4 They are lying in wait to take my life;
the powerful gather together against me.
For no offense or sin of mine, O Lord,
5 for no guilt of mine,
they stand ready to attack me.
Rise up to help me, and look on my plight;
6 you, Lord, God of hosts,[z] are the God of Israel.
Rouse yourself and punish all the nations;
show no mercy to these wicked deceivers. Selah
7 They return each evening,
snarling like dogs
as they prowl through the city.
8 [aa]See what spews from their mouths—
they spew forth from their lips,
and they assert, “Who is there to hear us?”
9 However, you laugh at them, O Lord;
you show your disdain for all the nations.
10 [ab]O my strength, I will keep watch for you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
11 O God of mercy.
May God go before me
and allow me to have my way with my enemies.
12 Do not put them to death,
lest my people forget.[ac]
Scatter them in your power
and bring them to their knees,
O Lord, our shield.[ad]
13 For the sins of their mouths
and the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the curses and lies they speak,
14 put an end to them in your wrath;
put an end to them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God is the ruler over Jacob.[ae] Selah
15 [af]They return each evening,
snarling like dogs
as they prowl through the city.
16 They roam about searching for food,
and they growl if they do not have their fill.
17 But I will sing of your strength;
when morning dawns, I will proclaim your kindness.[ag]
For you have been my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
18 O my Strength, I will sing your praises,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me love.[ah]
Abraham Justified through Faith[a]
Chapter 4
Justified through Faith, Not Works.[b] 1 What then are we to say about Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 If Abraham was justified by the works he did, he has good reason to boast, but not in the eyes of God. 3 For what does Scripture say? “Abraham placed his faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[c]
4 Now when a man works, his wages are not regarded as a gift but as something that is due to him. 5 However, when someone who does not work places his faith in one who justifies the godless, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. 6 [d]In the same way, David speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God attributes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are blotted out.
8 Blessed is the man
to whom the Lord imputes no guilt.”
Justified before Being Circumcised.[e] 9 Is this blessedness granted only to the circumcised, or does it apply to the uncircumcised as well? We have asserted that Abraham’s faith “was credited to him as righteousness.” 10 How was it credited? Was it when he was circumcised or uncircumcised? Not when he was circumcised, but when he was uncircumcised.
11 Abraham received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. In this way, he was the father of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness credited to them. 12 Therefore, he is the father of the circumcised who have not only received circumcision but also follow that path of faith traversed by Abraham before he was circumcised.
13 Justified Apart from the Law.[f] It was not through the Law that Abraham and his descendants received the promise that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If those who live by the Law are the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the Law produces only wrath, and where no Law exists, there cannot be any violation.
16 Therefore, the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and the promise may be guaranteed to all descendants, not only to the adherents of the Law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham. For he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations,” in the sight of God in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist.
18 The Power of Faith.[g] Though he hoped against hope, he believed that he would become the father of many nations, in fulfillment of the promise, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 His faith was not shaken when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (for he was about one hundred years old), and the barren womb of Sarah. 20 Confident in the promise of God, he did not doubt in unbelief; rather, he was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 remaining fully convinced that he was able to fulfill his pledge. 22 Therefore, his faith “was credited to him as righteousness.”
23 “It was credited to him” was not written with Abraham alone in mind. 24 This was also meant for us as well, to whom it will be credited as righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord 25 who was handed over to death for our sins and who was raised to life for our justification.
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