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Psalm 101

A Sovereign’s Pledge of Integrity and Justice

Of David. A Psalm.
¹ I will sing of loyalty and of justice;
   to you, O Lord, I will sing.
² I will study the way that is blameless.
   When shall I attain it?

I will walk with integrity of heart
   within my house;
³ I will not set before my eyes
   anything that is base.

I hate the work of those who fall away;
   it shall not cling to me.
⁴ Perverseness of heart shall be far from me;
   I will know nothing of evil.

⁵ One who secretly slanders a neighbour
   I will destroy.
A haughty look and an arrogant heart
   I will not tolerate.

⁶ I will look with favour on the faithful in the land,
   so that they may live with me;
whoever walks in the way that is blameless
   shall minister to me.

⁷ No one who practises deceit
   shall remain in my house;
no one who utters lies
   shall continue in my presence.

⁸ Morning by morning I will destroy
   all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all evildoers
   from the city of the Lord.

The Restoration of David’s Kingdom

¹¹ On that day I will raise up
   the booth of David that is fallen,
and repair its^* breaches,
   and raise up its^* ruins,
   and rebuild it as in the days of old;
¹² in order that they may possess the remnant of Edom
   and all the nations who are called by my name,
   says the Lord who does this.

¹³ The time is surely coming, says the Lord,
   when the one who ploughs shall overtake the one who reaps,
   and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
   and all the hills shall flow with it.
¹⁴ I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
   and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
   and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
¹⁵ I will plant them upon their land,
   and they shall never again be plucked up
   out of the land that I have given them,

says the Lord your God.

²He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. ³Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. ⁴Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. ⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” ⁶And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. ⁸Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”^*

The Nature of Christian Freedom

2 Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. ³Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. ⁴You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working^* through love.

7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth? ⁸Such persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. ¹⁰I am confident about you in the Lord that you will not think otherwise. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty. ¹¹But my friends,^* why am I still being persecuted if I am still preaching circumcision? In that case the offence of the cross has been removed. ¹²I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!