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Psalm 66

1  Be joyful in God, all the earth; ♦︎
   sing the glory of his name;
      sing the glory of his praise.
2  Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! ♦︎
   Because of your great strength
      your enemies shall bow before you.
3  ‘All the earth shall worship you, ♦︎
   sing to you, sing praise to your name.’
4  Come now and behold the works of God, ♦︎
   how wonderful he is in his dealings with humankind.
5  He turned the sea into dry land;
      the river they passed through on foot; ♦︎
   there we rejoiced in him.
6  In his might he rules for ever;
      his eyes keep watch over the nations; ♦︎
   let no rebel rise up against him.
7  Bless our God, O you peoples; ♦︎
   make the voice of his praise to be heard,
8  Who holds our souls in life ♦︎
   and suffers not our feet to slip.
9  For you, O God, have proved us; ♦︎
   you have tried us as silver is tried.
10  You brought us into the snare; ♦︎
   you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
11  You let enemies ride over our heads;
      we went through fire and water; ♦︎
   but you brought us out into a place of liberty.
12  I will come into your house with burnt offerings
      and will pay you my vows, ♦︎
   which my lips uttered
      and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
13  I will offer you fat burnt sacrifices
      with the smoke of rams; ♦︎
   I will sacrifice oxen and goats.
14  Come and listen, all you who fear God, ♦︎
   and I will tell you what he has done for my soul.
15  I called out to him with my mouth ♦︎
   and his praise was on my tongue.
16  If I had nursed evil in my heart, ♦︎
   the Lord would not have heard me,
17  But in truth God has heard me; ♦︎
   he has heeded the voice of my prayer.
18  Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer, ♦︎
   nor withheld his loving mercy from me.

Psalm 66

Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel

To the leader. A Song. A Psalm.
¹ Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
²   sing the glory of his name;
   give to him glorious praise.
³ Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!
   Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
⁴ All the earth worships you;
   they sing praises to you,
   sing praises to your name.’
          Selah

⁵ Come and see what God has done:
   he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;
   they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
⁷   who rules by his might for ever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
   let the rebellious not exalt themselves.
          Selah

⁸ Bless our God, O peoples,
   let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept us among the living,
   and has not let our feet slip.

Eliphaz Speaks: Job Has Sinned

4Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
⁶ For misery does not come from the earth,
   nor does trouble sprout from the ground;
⁷ but human beings are born to trouble
   just as sparks^* fly upward.

⁸ ‘As for me, I would seek God,
   and to God I would commit my cause.
⁹ He does great things and unsearchable,
   marvellous things without number.
¹⁰ He gives rain on the earth
   and sends waters on the fields;
¹¹ he sets on high those who are lowly,
   and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹² He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
   so that their hands achieve no success.
¹³ He takes the wise in their own craftiness;
   and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
¹⁴ They meet with darkness in the daytime,
   and grope at noonday as in the night.
¹⁵ But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth,
   from the hand of the mighty.
¹⁶ So the poor have hope,
   and injustice shuts its mouth.

¹⁷ ‘How happy is the one whom God reproves;
   therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.^*
18 For he wounds, but he binds up;
   he strikes, but his hands heal.
¹⁹ He will deliver you from six troubles;
   in seven no harm shall touch you.
²⁰ In famine he will redeem you from death,
   and in war from the power of the sword.
²¹ You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
   and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
²² At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
   and shall not fear the wild animals of the earth.
²³ For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
   and the wild animals shall be at peace with you.
²⁴ You shall know that your tent is safe,
   you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
²⁵ You shall know that your descendants will be many,
   and your offspring like the grass of the earth.
²⁶ You shall come to your grave in ripe old age,
   as a shock of grain comes up to the threshing-floor in its season.
²⁷ See, we have searched this out; it is true.
   Hear, and know it for yourself.’

The Rewards of Wisdom

¹¹ Wisdom teaches^* her children
   and gives help to those who seek her.
¹² Whoever loves her loves life,
   and those who seek her from early morning are filled with joy.
¹³ Whoever holds her fast inherits glory,
   and the Lord blesses the place she^* enters.
¹⁴ Those who serve her minister to the Holy One;
   the Lord loves those who love her.
¹⁵ Those who obey her will judge the nations,
   and all who listen to her will live secure.
¹⁶ If they remain faithful, they will inherit her;
   their descendants will also obtain her.
¹⁷ For at first she will walk with them on tortuous paths;
   she will bring fear and dread upon them,
and will torment them by her discipline
   until she trusts them,^*
and she will test them with her ordinances.
¹⁸ Then she will come straight back to them again and gladden them,
   and will reveal her secrets to them.
¹⁹ If they go astray she will forsake them,
   and hand them over to their ruin.

²⁰ Watch for the opportune time, and beware of evil,
   and do not be ashamed to be yourself.
²¹ For there is a shame that leads to sin,
   and there is a shame that is glory and favour.
²² Do not show partiality, to your own harm,
   or deference, to your downfall.
²³ Do not refrain from speaking at the proper moment,^*
   and do not hide your wisdom.^*
24 For wisdom becomes known through speech,
   and education through the words of the tongue.
²⁵ Never speak against the truth,
   but be ashamed of your ignorance.
²⁶ Do not be ashamed to confess your sins,
   and do not try to stop the current of a river.
²⁷ Do not subject yourself to a fool,
   or show partiality to a ruler.
²⁸ Fight to the death for truth,
   and the Lord God will fight for you.

²⁹ Do not be reckless in your speech,
   or sluggish and remiss in your deeds.
³⁰ Do not be like a lion in your home,
   or suspicious of your servants.
³¹ Do not let your hand be stretched out to receive
   and closed when it is time to give.

Paul’s Reason for Writing So Boldly

14 I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters,^* that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵Nevertheless, on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God ¹⁶to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. ¹⁸For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished^* through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, ¹⁹by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God,^* so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news^* of Christ. ²⁰Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news,^* not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, ²¹but as it is written,
‘Those who have never been told of him shall see,
   and those who have never heard of him shall understand.’

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

22 This is the reason that I have so often been hindered from coming to you. ²³But now, with no further place for me in these regions, I desire, as I have for many years, to come to you ²⁴when I go to Spain. For I do hope to see you on my journey and to be sent on by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a little while. ²⁵At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem in a ministry to the saints; ²⁶for Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to share their resources with the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. ²⁷They were pleased to do this, and indeed they owe it to them; for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material things. ²⁸So, when I have completed this, and have delivered to them what has been collected,^* I will set out by way of you to Spain; ²⁹and I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing^* of Christ.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.^* ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ²⁶He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ ²⁷He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ ²⁸And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ ³⁰Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii,^* gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ ³⁷He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’