1 Chronicles 17

New International Version

God’s Promise to David^(A)

17 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.^(B)”

²Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind,^(C) do it, for God is with you.”

³But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

⁴“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You^(D) are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. ⁵I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. ⁶Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders^[a] whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?^(E)”’

⁷“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler^(F) over my people Israel. ⁸I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. ⁹And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning ¹⁰and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders^(G) over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.

“‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you: ¹¹When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹²He is the one who will build^(H) a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.^(I) ¹³I will be his father,^(J) and he will be my son.^(K) I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. ¹⁴I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne^(L) will be established forever.^(M)’”

¹⁵Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

David’s Prayer^(N)

¹⁶Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁷And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.

¹⁸“What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, ¹⁹Lord. For the sake^(O) of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.^(P)

²⁰“There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you,^(Q) as we have heard with our own ears. ²¹And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem^(R) a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? ²²You made your people Israel your very own forever,^(S) and you, Lord, have become their God.

²³“And now, Lord, let the promise^(T) you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, ²⁴so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

²⁵“You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. ²⁶You, Lord, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. ²⁷Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight;^(U) for you, Lord, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”

Footnotes

1 Chronicles 17:6 Traditionally judges; also in verse 10

Lamentations 3

New International Version

3 ^[a]I am the man who has seen affliction^(A)
    by the rod of the Lord’s wrath.^(B)
²He has driven me away and made me walk
    in darkness^(C) rather than light;
³indeed, he has turned his hand against me^(D)
    again and again, all day long.

⁴He has made my skin and my flesh grow old^(E)
    and has broken my bones.^(F)
⁵He has besieged me and surrounded me
    with bitterness^(G) and hardship.^(H)
⁶He has made me dwell in darkness
    like those long dead.^(I)

⁷He has walled me in so I cannot escape;^(J)
    he has weighed me down with chains.^(K)
⁸Even when I call out or cry for help,^(L)
    he shuts out my prayer.^(M)
⁹He has barred^(N) my way with blocks of stone;
    he has made my paths crooked.^(O)

¹⁰Like a bear lying in wait,
    like a lion^(P) in hiding,^(Q)
¹¹he dragged me from the path and mangled^(R) me
    and left me without help.
¹²He drew his bow^(S)
    and made me the target^(T) for his arrows.^(U)

¹³He pierced^(V) my heart
    with arrows from his quiver.^(W)
¹⁴I became the laughingstock^(X) of all my people;^(Y)
    they mock me in song^(Z) all day long.
¹⁵He has filled me with bitter herbs
    and given me gall to drink.^(AA)

¹⁶He has broken my teeth with gravel;^(AB)
    he has trampled me in the dust.^(AC)
¹⁷I have been deprived of peace;
    I have forgotten what prosperity is.
¹⁸So I say, “My splendor is gone
    and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”^(AD)

¹⁹I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness^(AE) and the gall.^(AF)
²⁰I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast^(AG) within me.^(AH)
²¹Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²²Because of the Lord’s great love^(AI) we are not consumed,^(AJ)
    for his compassions never fail.^(AK)
²³They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.^(AL)
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;^(AM)
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;^(AN)
²⁶it is good to wait quietly^(AO)
    for the salvation of the Lord.^(AP)
²⁷It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.

²⁸Let him sit alone in silence,^(AQ)
    for the Lord has laid it on him.
²⁹Let him bury his face in the dust^(AR)—
    there may yet be hope.^(AS)
³⁰Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,^(AT)
    and let him be filled with disgrace.^(AU)

³¹For no one is cast off
    by the Lord forever.^(AV)
³²Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love.^(AW)
³³For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to anyone.^(AX)

³⁴To crush underfoot
    all prisoners in the land,
³⁵to deny people their rights
    before the Most High,^(AY)
³⁶to deprive them of justice—
    would not the Lord see such things?^(AZ)

³⁷Who can speak and have it happen
    if the Lord has not decreed it?^(BA)
³⁸Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that both calamities and good things come?^(BB)
³⁹Why should the living complain
    when punished for their sins?^(BC)

⁴⁰Let us examine our ways and test them,^(BD)
    and let us return to the Lord.^(BE)
⁴¹Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
    to God in heaven,^(BF) and say:
⁴²“We have sinned and rebelled^(BG)
    and you have not forgiven.^(BH)

⁴³“You have covered yourself with anger and pursued^(BI) us;
    you have slain without pity.^(BJ)
⁴⁴You have covered yourself with a cloud^(BK)
    so that no prayer^(BL) can get through.^(BM)
⁴⁵You have made us scum^(BN) and refuse
    among the nations.

⁴⁶“All our enemies have opened their mouths
    wide^(BO) against us.^(BP)
⁴⁷We have suffered terror and pitfalls,^(BQ)
    ruin and destruction.^(BR)”
⁴⁸Streams of tears^(BS) flow from my eyes^(BT)
    because my people are destroyed.^(BU)

⁴⁹My eyes will flow unceasingly,
    without relief,^(BV)
⁵⁰until the Lord looks down
    from heaven and sees.^(BW)
⁵¹What I see brings grief to my soul
    because of all the women of my city.

⁵²Those who were my enemies without cause
    hunted me like a bird.^(BX)
⁵³They tried to end my life in a pit^(BY)
    and threw stones at me;
⁵⁴the waters closed over my head,^(BZ)
    and I thought I was about to perish.^(CA)

⁵⁵I called on your name, Lord,
    from the depths^(CB) of the pit.^(CC)
⁵⁶You heard my plea:^(CD) “Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.”
⁵⁷You came near^(CE) when I called you,
    and you said, “Do not fear.”^(CF)

⁵⁸You, Lord, took up my case;^(CG)
    you redeemed my life.^(CH)
⁵⁹Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me.^(CI)
    Uphold my cause!^(CJ)
⁶⁰You have seen the depth of their vengeance,
    all their plots against me.^(CK)

⁶¹Lord, you have heard their insults,^(CL)
    all their plots against me—
⁶²what my enemies whisper and mutter
    against me all day long.^(CM)
⁶³Look at them! Sitting or standing,
    they mock me in their songs.^(CN)

⁶⁴Pay them back what they deserve, Lord,
    for what their hands have done.^(CO)
⁶⁵Put a veil over their hearts,^(CP)
    and may your curse be on them!
⁶⁶Pursue^(CQ) them in anger and destroy them
    from under the heavens of the Lord.

Footnotes

Lamentations 3:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and the verses within each stanza begin with the same letter.

2 Timothy 3-4

New International Version

3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.^(A) ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,^(B) boastful, proud,^(C) abusive,^(D) disobedient to their parents,^(E) ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous,^(F) rash, conceited,^(G) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵having a form of godliness^(H) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.^(I)

⁶They are the kind who worm their way^(J) into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.^(K) ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses,^(L) so also these teachers oppose^(M) the truth. They are men of depraved minds,^(N) who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. ⁹But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men,^(O) their folly will be clear to everyone.

A Final Charge to Timothy

¹⁰You, however, know all about my teaching,^(P) my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch,^(Q) Iconium^(R) and Lystra,^(S) the persecutions I endured.^(T) Yet the Lord rescued^(U) me from all of them.^(V) ¹²In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,^(W) ¹³while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse,^(X) deceiving and being deceived.^(Y) ¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,^(Z) ¹⁵and how from infancy^(AA) you have known the Holy Scriptures,^(AB) which are able to make you wise^(AC) for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed^(AD) and is useful for teaching,^(AE) rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,^(AF) ¹⁷so that the servant of God^[a]^(AG) may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.^(AH)

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead,^(AI) and in view of his appearing^(AJ) and his kingdom, I give you this charge:^(AK) ²Preach^(AL) the word;^(AM) be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke^(AN) and encourage^(AO)—with great patience and careful instruction. ³For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.^(AP) Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.^(AQ) ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.^(AR) ⁵But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship,^(AS) do the work of an evangelist,^(AT) discharge all the duties of your ministry.

⁶For I am already being poured out like a drink offering,^(AU) and the time for my departure is near.^(AV) ⁷I have fought the good fight,^(AW) I have finished the race,^(AX) I have kept the faith. ⁸Now there is in store for me^(AY) the crown of righteousness,^(AZ) which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day^(BA)—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.^(BB)

Personal Remarks

⁹Do your best to come to me quickly,^(BC) ¹⁰for Demas,^(BD) because he loved this world,^(BE) has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.^(BF) Crescens has gone to Galatia,^(BG) and Titus^(BH) to Dalmatia. ¹¹Only Luke^(BI) is with me.^(BJ) Get Mark^(BK) and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. ¹²I sent Tychicus^(BL) to Ephesus.^(BM) ¹³When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas,^(BN) and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

¹⁴Alexander^(BO) the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.^(BP) ¹⁵You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.

¹⁶At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.^(BQ) ¹⁷But the Lord stood at my side^(BR) and gave me strength,^(BS) so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.^(BT) And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.^(BU) ¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack^(BV) and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.^(BW) To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.^(BX)

Final Greetings

¹⁹Greet Priscilla^[b] and Aquila^(BY) and the household of Onesiphorus.^(BZ) ²⁰Erastus^(CA) stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus^(CB) sick in Miletus.^(CC) ²¹Do your best to get here before winter.^(CD) Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.^[c]

²²The Lord be with your spirit.^(CE) Grace be with you all.^(CF)

Footnotes

2 Timothy 3:17 Or that you, a man of God,
2 Timothy 4:19 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla
2 Timothy 4:21 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.