Psalms 123–125
A Song of Ascents.
1 To You I lift up my eyes,
O You who dwell in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
and as the eyes of a maiden to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look upon the Lord our God,
until He has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have been completely filled with contempt.
4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the ridicule of those who are at ease,
and with the contempt of the proud ones.
Psalm 124
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
now may Israel say,
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when men rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up,
when their wrath was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have overwhelmed us,
the torrent would have passed over our lives;
5 then the surging waters
would have gone over us.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us for a prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped
as a bird out of the snare of the hunters;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 125
A Song of Ascents.
1 Those who trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion,
which cannot be removed, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains are around Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds His people,
from now and forever.
3 For the scepter of the wicked shall not rest
upon the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous put forth
their hands to do iniquity.
4 Do good, O Lord, for those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5 As for those who turn aside to their twisted ways,
the Lord shall lead them away with the other workers of iniquity.
Peace be upon Israel!
1 Corinthians 10:1–18
1 I would not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased, and they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted. 7 Neither be idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel.” 8 Neither let us commit sexual immorality as some of them committed, when twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted and were destroyed by serpents. 10 Neither murmur, as some of them also murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened to them for examples. They are written as an admonition to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall. 13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted above what you can endure, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.
14 So, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise men. Judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, being many, are one bread and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18 Consider Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?