August 24, 2026

Psalms58

God Who Judges the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David.

1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?

Do you judge the children of man uprightly?

2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;

your hands deal out violence on earth.

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,

like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers

or of the cunning enchanter.

6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;

tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!

7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;

when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.

8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,

like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.

9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,

whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!

10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;

he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;

surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Psalms59

Deliver Me from My Enemies

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

protect me from those who rise up against me;

2 deliver me from those who work evil,

and save me from bloodthirsty men.

3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life;

fierce men stir up strife against me.

For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,

4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

Awake, come to meet me, and see!

5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.

Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;

spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

6 Each evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths

with swords in their lips—

for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”

8 But you, O Lord, laugh at them;

you hold all the nations in derision.

9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,

for you, O God, are my fortress.

10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;

God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;

make them totter by your power and bring them down,

O Lord, our shield!

12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,

let them be trapped in their pride.

For the cursing and lies that they utter,

13 consume them in wrath;

consume them till they are no more,

that they may know that God rules over Jacob

to the ends of the earth. Selah

14 Each evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

15 They wander about for food

and growl if they do not get their fill.

16 But I will sing of your strength;

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.

For you have been to me a fortress

and a refuge in the day of my distress.

17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,

for you, O God, are my fortress,

the God who shows me steadfast love.

Psalms60

He Will Tread Down Our Foes

To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;

you have been angry; oh, restore us.

2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;

repair its breaches, for it totters.

3 You have made your people see hard things;

you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,

that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah

5 That your beloved ones may be delivered,

give salvation by your right hand and answer us!

6 God has spoken in his holiness:

“With exultation I will divide up Shechem

and portion out the Vale of Succoth.

7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet;

Judah is my scepter.

8 Moab is my washbasin;

upon Edom I cast my shoe;

over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10 Have you not rejected us, O God?

You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.

11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,

for vain is the salvation of man!

12 With God we shall do valiantly;

it is he who will tread down our foes.

Psalms61

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

1 Hear my cry, O God,

listen to my prayer;

2 from the end of the earth I call to you

when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

that is higher than I,

3 for you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the enemy.

4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!

Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6 Prolong the life of the king;

may his years endure to all generations!

7 May he be enthroned forever before God;

appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,

as I perform my vows day after day.

Psalms62

My Soul Waits for God Alone

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;

from him comes my salvation.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

3 How long will all of you attack a man

to batter him,

like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths,

but inwardly they curse. Selah

5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

for my hope is from him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;

my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

8 Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

9 Those of low estate are but a breath;

those of high estate are a delusion;

in the balances they go up;

they are together lighter than a breath.

10 Put no trust in extortion;

set no vain hopes on robbery;

if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

11 Once God has spoken;

twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man

according to his work.

Psalms63

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

4 So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

6 when I remember you upon my bed,

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

7 for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

8 My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek to destroy my life

shall go down into the depths of the earth;

10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;

they shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;

all who swear by him shall exult,

for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

Psalms64

Hide Me from the Wicked

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;

preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,

from the throng of evildoers,

3 who whet their tongues like swords,

who aim bitter words like arrows,

4 shooting from ambush at the blameless,

shooting at him suddenly and without fear.

5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;

they talk of laying snares secretly,

thinking, “Who can see them?”

6 They search out injustice,

saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”

For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.

7 But God shoots his arrow at them;

they are wounded suddenly.

8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;

all who see them will wag their heads.

9 Then all mankind fears;

they tell what God has brought about

and ponder what he has done.

10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord

and take refuge in him!

Let all the upright in heart exult!

1 Corinthians1

Greeting

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”