Bible Browser

Psalm 51

1  Have mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness; ♦︎
   according to the abundance of your compassion
      blot out my offences.
2  Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness ♦︎
   and cleanse me from my sin.
3  For I acknowledge my faults ♦︎
   and my sin is ever before me.
4  Against you only have I sinned ♦︎
   and done what is evil in your sight,
5  So that you are justified in your sentence ♦︎
   and righteous in your judgement.
6  I have been wicked even from my birth, ♦︎
   a sinner when my mother conceived me.
7  Behold, you desire truth deep within me ♦︎
   and shall make me understand wisdom
      in the depths of my heart.
8  Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; ♦︎
   wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
9  Make me hear of joy and gladness, ♦︎
   that the bones you have broken may rejoice.
10  Turn your face from my sins ♦︎
   and blot out all my misdeeds.
11  Make me a clean heart, O God, ♦︎
   and renew a right spirit within me.
12  Cast me not away from your presence ♦︎
   and take not your holy spirit from me.
13  Give me again the joy of your salvation ♦︎
   and sustain me with your gracious spirit;
14  Then shall I teach your ways to the wicked ♦︎
   and sinners shall return to you.
15  Deliver me from my guilt, O God,
      the God of my salvation, ♦︎
   and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness.
16  O Lord, open my lips ♦︎
   and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
17  For you desire no sacrifice, else I would give it; ♦︎
   you take no delight in burnt offerings.
18  The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit; ♦︎
   a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
19  O be favourable and gracious to Zion; ♦︎
   build up the walls of Jerusalem.
20  Then you will accept sacrifices offered in righteousness,
      the burnt offerings and oblations; ♦︎
   then shall they offer up bulls on your altar.

Saul Chosen to Be King

9There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son of Abiel son of Zeror son of Becorath son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. ²He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else.

3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, had strayed. So Kish said to his son Saul, ‘Take one of the boys with you; go and look for the donkeys.’ ⁴He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the boy who was with him, ‘Let us turn back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and worry about us.’ ⁶But he said to him, ‘There is a man of God in this town; he is a man held in honour. Whatever he says always comes true. Let us go there now; perhaps he will tell us about the journey on which we have set out.’ ⁷Then Saul replied to the boy, ‘But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What have we?’ ⁸The boy answered Saul again, ‘Here, I have with me a quarter-shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God, to tell us our way.’ ⁹(Formerly in Israel, anyone who went to inquire of God would say, ‘Come, let us go to the seer’; for the one who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.) ¹⁰Saul said to the boy, ‘Good; come, let us go.’ So they went to the town where the man of God was.

11 As they went up the hill to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water, and said to them, ‘Is the seer here?’ ¹²They answered, ‘Yes, there he is just ahead of you. Hurry; he has come just now to the town, because the people have a sacrifice today at the shrine. ¹³As soon as you enter the town, you will find him, before he goes up to the shrine to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterwards those eat who are invited. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.’ ¹⁴So they went up to the town. As they were entering the town, they saw Samuel coming out towards them on his way up to the shrine.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

31 ‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded^* to sift all of you like wheat, ³²but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ ³³And he said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!’ ³⁴Jesus^* said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.’

Purse, Bag, and Sword

35 He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘No, not a thing.’ ³⁶He said to them, ‘But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. ³⁷For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, “And he was counted among the lawless”; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.’ ³⁸They said, ‘Lord, look, here are two swords.’ He replied, ‘It is enough.’