The Rejection at Nazareth

¹Jesus went on from there and came to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples.

²When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such miracles?

³Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses,Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.

⁴Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”

⁵So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them.

⁶And He was amazed at their unbelief.And He went around from village to village, teaching the people.

The Ministry of the Twelve

⁷Then Jesus called the Twelve to Him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits.

⁸He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no moneyin their belts—

⁹and to wear sandals, but not a second tunic.

¹⁰And He told them, “When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area.

¹¹If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”

¹²So they set out and preached that the people should repent.

¹³They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.

The Beheading of John

¹⁴Now King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known, and people were saying,“John the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

¹⁵Others were saying, “He is Elijah,” and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

¹⁶But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!”

¹⁷For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.

¹⁸For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”

¹⁹So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable,

²⁰because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.

²¹On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

²²When the daughter of Herodiascame and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”

²³And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”

²⁴Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?”And her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist.”

²⁵At once the girl hurried back to the king with her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.”

²⁶The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her.

²⁷So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison.

²⁸The man brought John’s head on a platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

²⁹When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

³⁰Meanwhile, the apostles gathered around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught.

³¹And He said to them, “Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

³²So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place.

³³But many people saw them leaving and recognized them. They ran together on foot from all the towns and arrived before them.

³⁴When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.

³⁵By now the hour was already late. So the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late.

³⁶Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.”They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend two hundred denariito give all of them bread to eat?”

³⁸“Go and see how many loaves you have,” He told them.And after checking, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

³⁹Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass.

⁴⁰So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.

⁴¹Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all.

⁴²They all ate and were satisfied,

⁴³and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

⁴⁴And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

Jesus Walks on Water

⁴⁵Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.

⁴⁶After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.

⁴⁷When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land.

⁴⁸He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night,Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them,

⁴⁹but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost—

⁵⁰for they all saw Him and were terrified.But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

⁵¹Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded,

⁵²for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.

Jesus Heals at Gennesaret

⁵³When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat.

⁵⁴As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus

⁵⁵and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was.

⁵⁶And wherever He went—villages and towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were healed.

The First Disciples

¹On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaretwith the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

²He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

³Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

⁴When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

⁵“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

⁶When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear.

⁷So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”

⁹For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

¹⁰and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee.“Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”

¹¹And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.

The Leper’s Prayer

¹²While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

¹³Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴“Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him. “But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

¹⁵But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

¹⁶Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

¹⁷One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.

¹⁸Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus,

¹⁹but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

²¹But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

²²Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

²³Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

²⁴But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

²⁵And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

²⁶Everyone was taken with amazement and glorified God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

²⁷After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him,

²⁸and Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him.

²⁹Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.

³⁰But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

³¹Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

³²I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Questions about Fasting

³³Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”

³⁴Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?

³⁵But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

The Patches and the Wineskins

³⁶He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will tear the new garment as well, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

³⁷And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined.

³⁸Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.

³⁹And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

A Call to Repentance

¹At that time some of those present told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

²To this He replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered this way?

³No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

⁴Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?

⁵No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.

⁷So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down!Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, you can cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman

¹⁰One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,

¹¹and a woman there had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was hunched over and could not stand up straight.

¹²When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your disability.”

¹³Then He placed His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and began to glorify God.

¹⁴But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵“You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water?

¹⁶Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”

¹⁷When Jesus said this, all His adversaries were humiliated. And the whole crowd rejoiced at all the glorious things He was doing.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

¹⁸Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?

¹⁹It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

The Parable of the Leaven

²⁰Again He asked, “To what can I compare the kingdom of God?

²¹It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

The Narrow Door

²²Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem.

²³“Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?”Jesus answered,

²⁴“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.

²⁵After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’

²⁶Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

²⁷And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’

²⁸There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out.

²⁹People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

³⁰And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”

Lament over Jerusalem

³¹At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.”

³²But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’

³³Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.

³⁴O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

³⁵Look, your house is left to you desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet

¹Blessedare those whose way is blameless,who walk in the Law of the LORD.

²Blessed are those who keep His testimoniesand seek Him with all their heart.

³They do no iniquity;they walk in His ways.

⁴You have ordained Your precepts,that we should keep them diligently.

⁵Oh, that my ways were committedto keeping Your statutes!

⁶Then I would not be ashamedwhen I consider all Your commandments.

⁷I will praise You with an upright heartwhen I learn Your righteous judgments.

⁸I will keep Your statutes;do not utterly forsake me.

⁹How can a young man keep his way pure?By guarding it according to Your word.

¹⁰With all my heart I have sought You;do not let me stray from Your commandments.

¹¹I have hidden Your word in my heartthat I might not sin against You.

¹²Blessed are You, O LORD;teach me Your statutes.

¹³With my lips I proclaimall the judgments of Your mouth.

¹⁴I rejoice in the way of Your testimoniesas much as in all riches.

¹⁵I will meditate on Your preceptsand regard Your ways.

¹⁶I will delight in Your statutes;I will not forget Your word.

¹⁷Deal bountifully with Your servant,that I may live and keep Your word.

¹⁸Open my eyes that I may seewondrous things from Your law.

¹⁹I am a stranger on the earth;do not hide Your commandments from me.

²⁰My soul is consumed with longingfor Your judgments at all times.

²¹You rebuke the arrogant—the cursed who stray from Your commandments.

²²Remove my scorn and contempt,for I have kept Your testimonies.

²³Though rulers sit and slander me,Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

²⁴Your testimonies are indeed my delight;they are my counselors.

²⁵My soul cleaves to the dust;revive me according to Your word.

²⁶I recounted my ways, and You answered me;teach me Your statutes.

²⁷Make clear to me the way of Your precepts;then I will meditate on Your wonders.

²⁸My soul melts with sorrow;strengthen me according to Your word.

²⁹Remove me from the path of deceitand graciously grant me Your law.

³⁰I have chosen the way of truth;I have set Your ordinances before me.

³¹I cling to Your testimonies, O LORD;let me not be put to shame.

³²I run in the path of Your commandments,for You will enlarge my heart.

³³Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,and I will keep them to the end.

³⁴Give me understanding that I may obey Your law,and follow it with all my heart.

³⁵Direct me in the path of Your commandments,for there I find delight.

³⁶Turn my heart to Your testimoniesand not to covetous gain.

³⁷Turn my eyes away from worthless things;revive me with Your word.

³⁸Establish Your word to Your servant,to produce reverence for You.

³⁹Turn away the disgrace I dread,for Your judgments are good.

⁴⁰How I long for Your precepts!Revive me in Your righteousness.

⁴¹May Your loving devotion come to me, O LORD,Your salvation, according to Your promise.

⁴²Then I can answer him who taunts,for I trust in Your word.

⁴³Never take Your word of truth from my mouth,for I hope in Your judgments.

⁴⁴I will always obey Your law,forever and ever.

⁴⁵And I will walk in freedom,for I have sought Your precepts.

⁴⁶I will speak of Your testimonies before kings,and I will not be ashamed.

⁴⁷I delight in Your commandmentsbecause I love them.

⁴⁸I lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love,and I meditate on Your statutes.

⁴⁹Remember Your word to Your servant,upon which You have given me hope.

⁵⁰This is my comfort in affliction,that Your promise has given me life.

⁵¹The arrogant utterly deride me,but I do not turn from Your law.

⁵²I remember Your judgments of old, O LORD,and in them I find comfort.

⁵³Rage has taken hold of mebecause of the wicked who reject Your law.

⁵⁴Your statutes are songs to mein the house of my pilgrimage.

⁵⁵In the night, O LORD, I remember Your name,that I may keep Your law.

⁵⁶This is my practice,for I obey Your precepts.

⁵⁷The LORD is my portion;I have promised to keep Your words.

⁵⁸I have sought Your face with all my heart;be gracious to me according to Your promise.

⁵⁹I considered my waysand turned my steps to Your testimonies.

⁶⁰I hurried without hesitatingto keep Your commandments.

⁶¹Though the ropes of the wicked bind me,I do not forget Your law.

⁶²At midnight I rise to give You thanksfor Your righteous judgments.

⁶³I am a friend to all who fear You,and to those who keep Your precepts.

⁶⁴The earth is filled with Your loving devotion, O LORD;teach me Your statutes.

⁶⁵You are good to Your servant, O LORD,according to Your word.

⁶⁶Teach me good judgment and knowledge,for I believe in Your commandments.

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted, I went astray;but now I keep Your word.

⁶⁸You are good, and You do what is good;teach me Your statutes.

⁶⁹Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,I keep Your precepts with all my heart.

⁷⁰Their hearts are callous and insensitive,but I delight in Your law.

⁷¹It was good for me to be afflicted,that I might learn Your statutes.

⁷²The law from Your mouth is more precious to methan thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

⁷³Your hands have made me and fashioned me;give me understanding to learn Your commandments.

⁷⁴May those who fear You see me and rejoice,for I have hoped in Your word.

⁷⁵I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous,and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

⁷⁶May Your loving devotion comfort me, I pray,according to Your promise to Your servant.

⁷⁷May Your compassion come to me, that I may live,for Your law is my delight.

⁷⁸May the arrogant be put to shame for subverting me with a lie;I will meditate on Your precepts.

⁷⁹May those who fear You turn to me,those who know Your testimonies.

⁸⁰May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,that I may not be put to shame.

⁸¹My soul faints for Your salvation;I wait for Your word.

⁸²My eyes fail, looking for Your promise;I ask, “When will You comfort me?”

⁸³Though I am like a wineskin dried up by smoke,I do not forget Your statutes.

⁸⁴How many days must Your servant wait?When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?

⁸⁵The arrogant have dug pits for mein violation of Your law.

⁸⁶All Your commandments are faithful;I am persecuted without cause—help me!

⁸⁷They almost wiped me from the earth,but I have not forsaken Your precepts.

⁸⁸Revive me according to Your loving devotion,that I may obey the testimony of Your mouth.

⁸⁹Your word, O LORD, is everlasting;it is firmly fixed in the heavens.

⁹⁰Your faithfulness continues through all generations;You established the earth, and it endures.

⁹¹Your ordinances stand to this day,for all things are servants to You.

⁹²If Your law had not been my delight,then I would have perished in my affliction.

⁹³I will never forget Your precepts,for by them You have revived me.

⁹⁴I am Yours; save me,for I have sought Your precepts.

⁹⁵The wicked wait to destroy me,but I will ponder Your testimonies.

⁹⁶I have seen a limit to all perfection,but Your commandment is without limit.

⁹⁷Oh, how I love Your law!All day long it is my meditation.

⁹⁸Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,for they are always with me.

⁹⁹I have more insight than all my teachers,for Your testimonies are my meditation.

¹⁰⁰I discern more than the elders,for I obey Your precepts.

¹⁰¹I have kept my feet from every evil path,that I may keep Your word.

¹⁰²I have not departed from Your ordinances,for You Yourself have taught me.

¹⁰³How sweet are Your words to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!

¹⁰⁴I gain understanding from Your precepts;therefore I hate every false way.

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp to my feetand a light to my path.

¹⁰⁶I have sworn and confirmedthat I will keep Your righteous judgments.

¹⁰⁷I am severely afflicted, O LORD;revive me through Your word.

¹⁰⁸Accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,and teach me Your judgments.

¹⁰⁹I constantly take my life in my hands,yet I do not forget Your law.

¹¹⁰The wicked have set a snare for me,but I have not strayed from Your precepts.

¹¹¹Your testimonies are my heritage forever,for they are the joy of my heart.

¹¹²I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes,even to the very end.

¹¹³The double-minded I despise,but Your law I love.

¹¹⁴You are my hiding place and my shield;I put my hope in Your word.

¹¹⁵Depart from me, you evildoers,that I may obey the commandments of my God.

¹¹⁶Sustain me as You promised, that I may live;let me not be ashamed of my hope.

¹¹⁷Uphold me, and I will be saved,that I may always regard Your statutes.

¹¹⁸You reject all who stray from Your statutes,for their deceitfulness is in vain.

¹¹⁹All the wicked on earth You discard like dross;therefore I love Your testimonies.

¹²⁰My flesh trembles in awe of You;I stand in fear of Your judgments.

¹²¹I have done what is just and right;do not leave me to my oppressors.

¹²²Ensure Your servant’s well-being;do not let the arrogant oppress me.

¹²³My eyes fail, looking for Your salvation,and for Your righteous promise.

¹²⁴Deal with Your servant according to Your loving devotion,and teach me Your statutes.

¹²⁵I am Your servant; give me understanding,that I may know Your testimonies.

¹²⁶It is time for the LORD to act,for they have broken Your law.

¹²⁷Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold,even the purest gold.

¹²⁸Therefore I admire all Your preceptsand hate every false way.

¹²⁹Wonderful are Your testimonies;therefore I obey them.

¹³⁰The unfolding of Your words gives light;it informs the simple.

¹³¹I open my mouth and pant,longing for Your commandments.

¹³²Turn to me and show me mercy,as You do to those who love Your name.

¹³³Order my steps in Your word;let no sin rule over me.

¹³⁴Redeem me from the oppression of man,that I may keep Your precepts.

¹³⁵Make Your face shine upon Your servant,and teach me Your statutes.

¹³⁶My eyes shed streams of tearsbecause Your law is not obeyed.

¹³⁷Righteous are You, O LORD,and upright are Your judgments.

¹³⁸The testimonies You have laid down are righteousand altogether faithful.

¹³⁹My zeal has consumed mebecause my foes forget Your words.

¹⁴⁰Your promise is completely pure;therefore Your servant loves it.

¹⁴¹I am lowly and despised,but I do not forget Your precepts.

¹⁴²Your righteousness is everlastingand Your law is true.

¹⁴³Trouble and distress have found me,but Your commandments are my delight.

¹⁴⁴Your testimonies are righteous forever.Give me understanding, that I may live.

¹⁴⁵I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD!I will obey Your statutes.

¹⁴⁶I call to You; save me,that I may keep Your testimonies.

¹⁴⁷I rise before dawn and cry for help;in Your word I have put my hope.

¹⁴⁸My eyes anticipate the watches of night,that I may meditate on Your word.

¹⁴⁹Hear my voice, O LORD, according to Your loving devotion;give me life according to Your justice.

¹⁵⁰Those who follow after wickedness draw near;they are far from Your law.

¹⁵¹You are near, O LORD,and all Your commandments are true.

¹⁵²Long ago I learned from Your testimoniesthat You have established them forever.

¹⁵³Look upon my affliction and rescue me,for I have not forgotten Your law.

¹⁵⁴Defend my cause and redeem me;revive me according to Your word.

¹⁵⁵Salvation is far from the wickedbecause they do not seek Your statutes.

¹⁵⁶Great are Your mercies, O LORD;revive me according to Your ordinances.

¹⁵⁷Though my persecutors and foes are many,I have not turned from Your testimonies.

¹⁵⁸I look on the faithless with loathingbecause they do not keep Your word.

¹⁵⁹Consider how I love Your precepts, O LORD;give me life according to Your loving devotion.

¹⁶⁰The entirety of Your word is truth,and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.

¹⁶¹Rulers persecute me without cause,but my heart fears only Your word.

¹⁶²I rejoice in Your promiselike one who finds great spoil.

¹⁶³I hate and abhor falsehood,but Your law I love.

¹⁶⁴Seven times a day I praise Youfor Your righteous judgments.

¹⁶⁵Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your law;nothing can make them stumble.

¹⁶⁶I wait for Your salvation, O LORD,and I carry out Your commandments.

¹⁶⁷I obey Your testimoniesand love them greatly.

¹⁶⁸I obey Your precepts and Your testimonies,for all my ways are before You.

¹⁶⁹May my cry come before You, O LORD;give me understanding according to Your word.

¹⁷⁰May my plea come before You;rescue me according to Your promise.

¹⁷¹My lips pour forth praise,for You teach me Your statutes.

¹⁷²My tongue sings of Your word,for all Your commandments are righteous.

¹⁷³May Your hand be ready to help me,for I have chosen Your precepts.

¹⁷⁴I long for Your salvation, O LORD,and Your law is my delight.

¹⁷⁵Let me live to praise You;may Your judgments sustain me.

¹⁷⁶I have strayed like a lost sheep;seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.