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Psalm 136

1  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever.
2  Give thanks to the God of gods, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever.
3  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
4  Who alone does great wonders, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
5  Who by wisdom made the heavens, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
6  Who laid out the earth upon the waters, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
7  Who made the great lights, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
8  The sun to rule the day, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
9  The moon and the stars to govern the night, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
10  Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
11  And brought out Israel from among them, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
12  With a mighty hand and outstretched arm, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
13  Who divided the Red Sea in two, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
14  And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
15  But Pharaoh and his host he overthrew in the Red Sea, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
16  Who led his people through the wilderness, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
17  Who smote great kings, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
18  And slew mighty kings, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
19  Sihon, king of the Amorites, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
20  And Og, the king of Bashan, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
21  And gave away their land for a heritage, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
22  A heritage for Israel his servant, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
23  Who remembered us when we were in trouble, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
24  And delivered us from our enemies, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
25  Who gives food to all creatures, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever.
26  Give thanks to the God of heaven, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever.

Psalm 136

God’s Work in Creation and in History

¹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
² O give thanks to the God of gods,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
³ O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;

⁴ who alone does great wonders,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁵ who by understanding made the heavens,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁶ who spread out the earth on the waters,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁷ who made the great lights,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁸ the sun to rule over the day,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁹ the moon and stars to rule over the night,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;

The Value of Wisdom

2My child, if you accept my words
   and treasure up my commandments within you,
² making your ear attentive to wisdom
   and inclining your heart to understanding;
³ if you indeed cry out for insight,
   and raise your voice for understanding;
⁴ if you seek it like silver,
   and search for it as for hidden treasures—
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
   and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷ he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
   he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,
⁸ guarding the paths of justice
   and preserving the way of his faithful ones.
⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice
   and equity, every good path;
¹⁰ for wisdom will come into your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹ prudence will watch over you;
   and understanding will guard you.

Christ Our Advocate

2My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ²and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

3 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. ⁴Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him’, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; ⁵but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him: ⁶whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked.

A New Commandment

7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. ⁸Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because^* the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. ⁹Whoever says, ‘I am in the light’, while hating a brother or sister,^* is still in the darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves a brother or sister^* lives in the light, and in such a person^* there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹But whoever hates another believer^* is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.
¹² I am writing to you, little children,
   because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.
¹³ I am writing to you, fathers,
   because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
   because you have conquered the evil one.
¹⁴ I write to you, children,
   because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
   because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young people,
   because you are strong
   and the word of God abides in you,
     and you have overcome the evil one.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; ¹⁶for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷And the world and its desire^* are passing away, but those who do the will of God live for ever.

2 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ ³He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ ⁴They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ ⁵But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. ⁶But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” ⁷“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,^{* 8}and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’

10 Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; ¹²and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’

Jesus Blesses Little Children

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ ¹⁶And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.