Psalm 74; Proverbs 3

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Psalm 74

Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause

A Maskil1 of rAsaph.

O God, why do you scast us off forever?

Why does your anger tsmoke against uthe sheep of your pasture?

vRemember your congregation, which you have wpurchased of old,

which you have xredeemed to be ythe tribe of your heritage!

Remember Mount Zion, zwhere you have dwelt.

Direct your steps to athe perpetual ruins;

the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

Your foes have broared in the midst of your meeting place;

cthey set up their down signs for esigns.

They were like those who swing faxes

in a forest of trees.2

And all its gcarved wood

they broke down with hatchets and hammers.

They hset your sanctuary on fire;

they iprofaned jthe dwelling place of your name,

bringing it down to the ground.

They ksaid to themselves, We will utterly subdue them;

they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

We do not see our lsigns;

mthere is no longer any prophet,

and there is none among us who knows how long.

10  How long, O God, nis the foe to scoff?

Is the enemy to revile your name forever?

11  Why odo you hold back your hand, your right hand?

Take it from the fold of your garment3 and destroy them!

12  Yet pGod my King is from of old,

working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13  You qdivided the sea by your might;

you rbroke the heads of sthe sea monsters4 on the waters.

14  You crushed the heads of tLeviathan;

you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

15  You usplit open springs and brooks;

you vdried up ever-flowing streams.

16  Yours is the day, yours also the night;

you have established wthe heavenly lights and the sun.

17  You have xfixed all the boundaries of the earth;

you have made ysummer and winter.

18  zRemember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,

and aa foolish people reviles your name.

19  Do not deliver the soul of your bdove to the wild beasts;

cdo not forget the life of your poor forever.

20  Have regard for dthe covenant,

for ethe dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

21  Let not fthe downtrodden gturn back in shame;

let hthe poor and needy praise your name.

22  Arise, O God, idefend your cause;

jremember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!

23  Do not forget the clamor of your foes,

kthe uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!


Proverbs 3

Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

yMy son, do not forget my teaching,

zbut let your heart keep my commandments,

for alength of days and years of life

and bpeace they will add to you.

Let not csteadfast love and dfaithfulness forsake you;

ebind them around your neck;

fwrite them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will gfind favor and hgood success1

in the sight of God and man.

iTrust in the Lord with all your heart,

and jdo not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways kacknowledge him,

and he lwill make straight your paths.

mBe not wise in your own eyes;

nfear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be ohealing to your flesh2

and prefreshment3 to your bones.

Honor the Lord with your wealth

and with qthe firstfruits of all your produce;

10  then your rbarns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

11  sMy son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

12  for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as ta father the son in whom he delights.

Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

13  uBlessed is the one who finds wisdom,

and the one who gets understanding,

14  vfor the gain from her is better than gain from silver

and her profit better than wgold.

15  She is more precious than xjewels,

and ynothing you desire can compare with her.

16  zLong life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are ariches and honor.

17  Her bways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

18  She is ca tree of life to those who dlay hold of her;

those who hold her fast are called blessed.

19  eThe Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

by understanding ehe established the heavens;

20  by his knowledge fthe deeps broke open,

and gthe clouds drop down the dew.

21  My son, hdo not lose sight of these

keep sound wisdom and discretion,

22  and they will be ilife for your soul

and jadornment for your neck.

23  kThen you will walk on your way securely,

land your foot will not stumble.

24  mIf you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, nyour sleep will be sweet.

25  oDo not be afraid of sudden terror

or of pthe ruin4 of the wicked, when it comes,

26  for the Lord will be your confidence

and will qkeep your foot from being caught.

27  rDo not withhold good from those to whom it is due,5

when it is in your power to do it.

28  sDo not say to your neighbor, Go, and come again,

tomorrow I will give itwhen you have it with you.

29  tDo not plan evil against your neighbor,

who udwells trustingly beside you.

30  vDo not contend with a man for no reason,

when he has done you no harm.

31  wDo not envy xa man of violence

and do not choose any of his ways,

32  for ythe devious person is an abomination to the Lord,

but the upright are zin his confidence.

33  aThe Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,

but he bblesses the dwelling of the righteous.

34  Toward the cscorners he dis scornful,

ebut to the humble he gives favor.6

35  The wise will inherit honor,

but fools get7 disgrace.