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Psalm 85

Prayer for the Restoration of God’s Favour

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
¹ Lord, you were favourable to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
² You forgave the iniquity of your people;
   you pardoned all their sin.
          Selah
³ You withdrew all your wrath;
   you turned from your hot anger.

⁴ Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
   and put away your indignation towards us.
⁵ Will you be angry with us for ever?
   Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
⁶ Will you not revive us again,
   so that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
   and grant us your salvation.

⁸ Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
   for he will speak peace to his people,
   to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.^*
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
   that his glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰ Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
   righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
   and righteousness will look down from the sky.
¹² The Lord will give what is good,
   and our land will yield its increase.
¹³ Righteousness will go before him,
   and will make a path for his steps.

Psalm 86

Supplication for Help against Enemies

A Prayer of David.
¹ Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
   for I am poor and needy.
² Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;
   save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; ³be gracious to me, O Lord,
   for to you do I cry all day long.
⁴ Gladden the soul of your servant,
   for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
⁵ For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
   abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
⁶ Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
   listen to my cry of supplication.
⁷ In the day of my trouble I call on you,
   for you will answer me.

⁸ There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
   nor are there any works like yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made shall come
   and bow down before you, O Lord,
   and shall glorify your name.
¹⁰ For you are great and do wondrous things;
   you alone are God.
¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord,
   that I may walk in your truth;
   give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
¹² I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
   and I will glorify your name for ever.
¹³ For great is your steadfast love towards me;
   you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

¹⁴ O God, the insolent rise up against me;
   a band of ruffians seeks my life,
   and they do not set you before them.
¹⁵ But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me;
   give your strength to your servant;
   save the child of your serving-maid.
¹⁷ Show me a sign of your favour,
   so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
   because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Hannah’s Prayer

2Hannah prayed and said,
‘My heart exults in the Lord;
   my strength is exalted in my God.^*
My mouth derides my enemies,
   because I rejoice in my^* victory.

² ‘There is no Holy One like the Lord,
   no one besides you;
   there is no Rock like our God.
³ Talk no more so very proudly,
   let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
   and by him actions are weighed.
⁴ The bows of the mighty are broken,
   but the feeble gird on strength.
⁵ Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
   but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
   but she who has many children is forlorn.
⁶ The Lord kills and brings to life;
   he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
   he brings low, he also exalts.
⁸ He raises up the poor from the dust;
   he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
   and inherit a seat of honour.^*
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
   and on them he has set the world.

⁹ ‘He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
   but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
   for not by might does one prevail.
¹⁰ The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered;
   the Most High^* will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
   he will give strength to his king,
   and exalt the power of his anointed.’

From Death to Life

2You were dead through the trespasses and sins ²in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. ³All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us ⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ^*—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ⁹not the result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

²²On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” ²³Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”

Hearers and Doers

24 ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. ²⁶And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!’