Psalms 139:1-24 NRSV-CI
[1] O Lord, you have searched me and known me. [2] You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. [3] You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. [4] Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. [5] You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. [6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. [7] Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? [8] If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. [9] If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, [10] even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. [11] If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” [12] even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. [13] For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. [14] I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. [16] Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. [17] How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! [18] I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end —I am still with you. [19] O that you would kill the wicked, O God, and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me— [20] those who speak of you maliciously, and lift themselves up against you for evil! [21] Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? [22] I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. [23] Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. [24] See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalms 6:1-10 NRSV-CI
[1] O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath. [2] Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. [3] My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O Lord—how long? [4] Turn, O Lord, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love. [5] For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise? [6] I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. [7] My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes. [8] Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. [9] The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer. [10] All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
Psalms 63:1-11 NRSV-CI
[1] O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. [2] So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. [3] Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. [4] So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. [5] My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips [6] when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; [7] for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. [8] My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. [9] But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; [10] they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals. [11] But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
1 Samuel 18:5-7 NRSV-CI
[5] David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved. [6] As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. [7] And the women sang to one another as they made merry, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
2 Samuel 3:1 NRSV-CI
[1] There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
1 Samuel 30:1-25 NRSV-CI
[1] Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negeb and on Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it down, [2] and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great; they killed none of them, but carried them off, and went their way. [3] When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. [4] Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep. [5] David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. [6] David was in great danger; for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in spirit for their sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. [7] David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. [8] David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue; for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” [9] So David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him. They came to the Wadi Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. [10] But David went on with the pursuit, he and four hundred men; two hundred stayed behind, too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor. [11] In the open country they found an Egyptian, and brought him to David. They gave him bread and he ate, they gave him water to drink; [12] they also gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit revived; for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. [13] Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. My master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. [14] We had made a raid on the Negeb of the Cherethites and on that which belongs to Judah and on the Negeb of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag down.” [15] David said to him, “Will you take me down to this raiding party?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me, or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.” [16] When he had taken him down, they were spread out all over the ground, eating and drinking and dancing, because of the great amount of spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. [17] David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not one of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. [18] David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. [19] Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought back everything. [20] David also captured all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other cattle; people said, “This is David’s spoil.” [21] Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. When David drew near to the people he saluted them. [22] Then all the corrupt and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may take his wife and children, and leave.” [23] But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us; he has preserved us and handed over to us the raiding party that attacked us. [24] Who would listen to you in this matter? For the share of the one who goes down into the battle shall be the same as the share of the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.” [25] From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel; it continues to the present day.
Psalms 3:1-8 NRSV-CI
[1] O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; [2] many are saying to me, “There is no help for you in God.” Selah [3] But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. [4] I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah [5] I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. [6] I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. [7] Rise up, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. [8] Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people! Selah
2 Corinthians 4:1-18 NRSV-CI
[1] Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. [2] We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. [3] And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. [4] In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. [5] For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. [6] For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. [8] We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [10] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. [11] For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. [12] So death is at work in us, but life in you. [13] But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and so we speak, [14] because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. [15] Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. [16] So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. [17] For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, [18] because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
1 Samuel 17:25-54 NRSV-CI
[25] The Israelites said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel.” [26] David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” [27] The people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.” [28] His eldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David. He said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for you have come down just to see the battle.” [29] David said, “What have I done now? It was only a question.” [30] He turned away from him toward another and spoke in the same way; and the people answered him again as before. [31] When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him. [32] David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” [33] Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” [34] But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, [35] I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. [36] Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” [37] David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!” [38] Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. [39] David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. [40] Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. [41] The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. [42] When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. [43] The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. [44] The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” [45] But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. [46] This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, [47] and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.” [48] When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. [49] David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. [50] So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David’s hand. [51] Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. [52] The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. [53] The Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. [54] David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.
2 Kings 2:1-12 NRSV-CI
[1] Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. [2] Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. [3] The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.” [4] Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. [5] The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.” [6] Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. [7] Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. [8] Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. [9] When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” [10] He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” [11] As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. [12] Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
2 Kings 6:8-23 NRSV-CI
[8] Once when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he took counsel with his officers. He said, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” [9] But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Take care not to pass this place, because the Arameans are going down there.” [10] The king of Israel sent word to the place of which the man of God spoke. More than once or twice he warned such a place so that it was on the alert. [11] The mind of the king of Aram was greatly perturbed because of this; he called his officers and said to them, “Now tell me who among us sides with the king of Israel?” [12] Then one of his officers said, “No one, my lord king. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber.” [13] He said, “Go and find where he is; I will send and seize him.” He was told, “He is in Dothan.” [14] So he sent horses and chariots there and a great army; they came by night, and surrounded the city. [15] When an attendant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. His servant said, “Alas, master! What shall we do?” [16] He replied, “Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them.” [17] Then Elisha prayed: “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. [18] When the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, please, with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. [19] Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria. [20] As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men so that they may see.” The Lord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria. [21] When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, “Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” [22] He answered, “No! Did you capture with your sword and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink; and let them go to their master.” [23] So he prepared for them a great feast; after they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. And the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel.
2 Kings 13:14-19 NRSV-CI
[14] Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, King Joash of Israel went down to him, and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” [15] Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows”; so he took a bow and arrows. [16] Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow”; and he drew it. Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. [17] Then he said, “Open the window eastward”; and he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. Then he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! For you shall fight the Arameans in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” [18] He continued, “Take the arrows”; and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them”; he struck three times, and stopped. [19] Then the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Aram until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.”
Exodus 17:7-16 NRSV-CI
[7] He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” [8] Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. [9] Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men for us and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” [10] So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. [11] Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. [12] But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set. [13] And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword. [14] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” [15] And Moses built an altar and called it, The Lord is my banner. [16] He said, “A hand upon the banner of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Psalms 59:1-17 NRSV-CI
[1] Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me. [2] Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me. [3] Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, [4] for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see! [5] You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah [6] Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. [7] There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips— for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” [8] But you laugh at them, O Lord; you hold all the nations in derision. [9] O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress. [10] My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. [11] Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. [12] For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter, [13] consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah [14] Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. [15] They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill. [16] But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress. [17] O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
Joshua 5:11-15 NRSV-CI
[11] On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. [12] The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year. [13] Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?” [14] He replied, “Neither; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to him, “What do you command your servant, my lord?” [15] The commander of the army of the Lord said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Exodus 23:1-33 NRSV-CI
[1] You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. [2] You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; [3] nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit. [4] When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. [5] When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free. [6] You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits. [7] Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty. [8] You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. [9] You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. [10] For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; [11] but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. [12] Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed. [13] Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. [14] Three times in the year you shall hold a festival for me. [15] You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. No one shall appear before me empty-handed. [16] You shall observe the festival of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. [17] Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. [18] You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my festival remain until the morning. [19] The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk. [20] I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. [21] Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him. [22] But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. [23] When my angel goes in front of you, and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, [24] you shall not bow down to their gods, or worship them, or follow their practices, but you shall utterly demolish them and break their pillars in pieces. [25] You shall worship the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from among you. [26] No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. [27] I will send my terror in front of you, and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. [28] And I will send the pestilence in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. [29] I will not drive them out from before you in one year, or the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply against you. [30] Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. [31] I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates; for I will hand over to you the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive them out before you. [32] You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. [33] They shall not live in your land, or they will make you sin against me; for if you worship their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.
Psalms 109:1-31 NRSV-CI
[1] Do not be silent, O God of my praise. [2] For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. [3] They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. [4] In return for my love they accuse me, even while I make prayer for them. [5] So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love. [6] They say, “Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand on his right. [7] When he is tried, let him be found guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin. [8] May his days be few; may another seize his position. [9] May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow. [10] May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit. [11] May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil. [12] May there be no one to do him a kindness, nor anyone to pity his orphaned children. [13] May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation. [14] May the iniquity of his father be remembered before the Lord, and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. [15] Let them be before the Lord continually, and may his memory be cut off from the earth. [16] For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted to their death. [17] He loved to curse; let curses come on him. He did not like blessing; may it be far from him. [18] He clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones. [19] May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself, like a belt that he wears every day.” [20] May that be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my life. [21] But you, O Lord my Lord, act on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me. [22] For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me. [23] I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. [24] My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt. [25] I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. [26] Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love. [27] Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it. [28] Let them curse, but you will bless. Let my assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad. [29] May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle. [30] With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. [31] For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
Psalms 34:1-22 NRSV-CI
[1] I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. [2] My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. [3] O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. [4] I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. [5] Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. [6] This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. [7] The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. [8] O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. [9] O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want. [10] The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. [11] Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. [12] Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good? [13] Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. [14] Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. [15] The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. [16] The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. [17] When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. [18] The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. [19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all. [20] He keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken. [21] Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. [22] The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
John 3:16-21 NRSV-CI
[16] “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. [17] “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. [19] And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. [20] For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. [21] But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
John 5:19-29 NRSV-CI
[19] Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. [20] The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. [21] Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. [22] The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, [23] so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. [24] Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. [25] “Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. [26] For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; [27] and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. [28] Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice [29] and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
2 Kings 9:30-37 NRSV-CI
[30] When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; she painted her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked out of the window. [31] As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?” [32] He looked up to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. [33] He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down; some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, which trampled on her. [34] Then he went in and ate and drank; he said, “See to that cursed woman and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter.” [35] But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. [36] When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; [37] the corpse of Jezebel shall be like dung on the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’ ”
Psalms 69:1-36 NRSV-CI
[1] Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. [2] I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. [3] I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. [4] More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; many are those who would destroy me, my enemies who accuse me falsely. What I did not steal must I now restore? [5] O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. [6] Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me, O Lord God of hosts; do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me, O God of Israel. [7] It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face. [8] I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother’s children. [9] It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. [10] When I humbled my soul with fasting, they insulted me for doing so. [11] When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. [12] I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. [13] But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. With your faithful help [14] rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. [15] Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me. [16] Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. [17] Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress—make haste to answer me. [18] Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies. [19] You know the insults I receive, and my shame and dishonor; my foes are all known to you. [20] Insults have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. [21] They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. [22] Let their table be a trap for them, a snare for their allies. [23] Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. [24] Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. [25] May their camp be a desolation; let no one live in their tents. [26] For they persecute those whom you have struck down, and those whom you have wounded, they attack still more. [27] Add guilt to their guilt; may they have no acquittal from you. [28] Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous. [29] But I am lowly and in pain; let your salvation, O God, protect me. [30] I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. [31] This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. [32] Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. [33] For the Lord hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds. [34] Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them. [35] For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah; and his servants shall live there and possess it; [36] the children of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall live in it.
Psalms 24:1-10 NRSV-CI
[1] The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; [2] for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. [3] Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? [4] Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. [5] They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. [6] Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah [7] Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. [8] Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. [9] Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. [10] Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah
Isaiah 42:21-25 NRSV-CI
[21] The Lord was pleased, for the sake of his righteousness, to magnify his teaching and make it glorious. [22] But this is a people robbed and plundered, all of them are trapped in holes and hidden in prisons; they have become a prey with no one to rescue, a spoil with no one to say, “Restore!” [23] Who among you will give heed to this, who will attend and listen for the time to come? [24] Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey? [25] So he poured upon him the heat of his anger and the fury of war; it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand; it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.
Psalms 71:1-24 NRSV-CI
[1] In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. [2] In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me. [3] Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. [4] Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. [5] For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. [6] Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. [7] I have been like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. [8] My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all day long. [9] Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent. [10] For my enemies speak concerning me, and those who watch for my life consult together. [11] They say, “Pursue and seize that person whom God has forsaken, for there is no one to deliver.” [12] O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! [13] Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed; let those who seek to hurt me be covered with scorn and disgrace. [14] But I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more. [15] My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all day long, though their number is past my knowledge. [16] I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord God, I will praise your righteousness, yours alone. [17] O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. [18] So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Your power [19] and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? [20] You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. [21] You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again. [22] I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. [23] My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued. [24] All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help, for those who tried to do me harm have been put to shame, and disgraced.
Psalms 83:1-18 NRSV-CI
[1] O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! [2] Even now your enemies are in tumult; those who hate you have raised their heads. [3] They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against those you protect. [4] They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more.” [5] They conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant— [6] the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, [7] Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; [8] Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah [9] Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi Kishon, [10] who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground. [11] Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, [12] who said, “Let us take the pastures of God for our own possession.” [13] O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. [14] As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, [15] so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane. [16] Fill their faces with shame, so that they may seek your name, O Lord. [17] Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace. [18] Let them know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.
Isaiah 11:1-16 NRSV-CI
[1] A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. [2] The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. [3] His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; [4] but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. [5] Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. [6] The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. [7] The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8] The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. [9] They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. [10] On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. [11] On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. [12] He will raise a signal for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. [13] The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, the hostility of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not be hostile towards Ephraim. [14] But they shall swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west, together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put forth their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them. [15] And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt; and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching wind; and will split it into seven channels, and make a way to cross on foot; [16] so there shall be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that is left of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.
John 18:1-9 NRSV-CI
[1] After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. [2] Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. [3] So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. [4] Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” [5] They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. [6] When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. [7] Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” [8] Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” [9] This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.”
John 20:1-18 NRSV-CI
[1] Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. [2] So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” [3] Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. [4] The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. [5] He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. [6] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, [7] and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. [8] Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; [9] for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. [10] Then the disciples returned to their homes. [11] But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; [12] and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. [13] They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” [14] When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. [15] Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). [17] Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” [18] Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Acts 1:1-5 NRSV-CI
[1] In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning [2] until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. [3] After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. [4] While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; [5] for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Psalms 1:1-6 NRSV-CI
[1] Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; [2] but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. [3] They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. [4] The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; [6] for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalms 23:1-6 NRSV-CI
[1] The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; [3] he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. [4] Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. [5] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. [6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Psalms 91:1-16 NRSV-CI
[1] You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, [2] will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” [3] For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; [4] he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. [5] You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, [6] or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. [7] A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. [8] You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. [9] Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, [10] no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. [11] For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. [12] On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. [13] You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. [14] Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. [15] When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. [16] With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
Hosea 1:10-11 NRSV-CI
[10] Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” [11] The people of Judah and the people of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head; and they shall take possession of the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
Hosea 2:14-23 NRSV-CI
[14] Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. [15] From there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. [16] On that day, says the Lord, you will call me, “My husband,” and no longer will you call me, “My Baal.” [17] For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be mentioned by name no more. [18] I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. [19] And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. [20] I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord. [21] On that day I will answer, says the Lord, I will answer the heavens and they shall answer the earth; [22] and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel; [23] and I will sow him for myself in the land. And I will have pity on Lo-ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-ammi, “You are my people”; and he shall say, “You are my God.”