The Lord Will Not Forsake His People
1 O Lord, God of pvengeance,
O God of vengeance, qshine forth!
2 rRise up, O sjudge of the earth;
repay to the tproud what they deserve!
3 O Lord, uhow long shall the wicked,
how long shall vthe wicked exult?
4 They pour out their warrogant words;
all xthe evildoers boast.
5 They ycrush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill zthe widow and the sojourner,
and murder zthe fatherless;
7 aand they say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 bUnderstand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
9 cHe who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who ddisciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who eteaches man knowledge—
11 fthe Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
12 hBlessed is the man whom you idiscipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him jrest from kdays of trouble,
until la pit is dug for the wicked.
14 mFor the Lord will not forsake his npeople;
he will not abandon his nheritage;
15 for ojustice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will pfollow it.
16 qWho rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 rIf the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of ssilence.
18 When I thought, t“My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, uheld me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wwicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame2 injustice by xstatute?
21 They yband together against the life of the righteous
and condemn zthe innocent to death.3
22 But the Lord has become my astronghold,
and my God bthe rock of my crefuge.
23 He will bring back on them dtheir iniquity
and ewipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.
Taming the Tongue
1 cNot many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For dwe all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, ehe is a perfect man, fable also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put gbits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet hit boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And ithe tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, jstaining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,1 and set on fire by hell.2 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, kfull of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people lwho are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,3 these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? mBy his good conduct let him show his works nin the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter ojealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not pthe wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, qdemonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But rthe wisdom from above is first pure, then speaceable, gentle, open to reason, tfull of mercy and good fruits, uimpartial and vsincere. 18 And wa harvest of righteousness xis sown in peace by those who make peace.
