1
How I love you, LORD! You are my defender.
2
The LORD is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.
3
I call to the LORD, and he saves me from my enemies. Praise the LORD!
4
The danger of death was all around me; the waves of destruction rolled over me.
5
The danger of death was around me, and the grave set its trap for me.
6
In my trouble I called to the LORD; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.
7
Then the earth trembled and shook; the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered, because God was angry.
8
Smoke poured out of his nostrils, a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.
9
He tore the sky open and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.
10
He flew swiftly on his winged creature; he traveled on the wings of the wind.
11
He covered himself with darkness; thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.
12
Hailstones and flashes of fire came from the lightning before him and broke through the dark clouds.
13
Then the LORD thundered from the sky; and the voice of the Most High was heard.
14
He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; with flashes of lightning he sent them running.
15
The floor of the ocean was laid bare, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered, when you rebuked your enemies, LORD, and roared at them in anger.
16
The LORD reached down from above and took hold of me; he pulled me out of the deep waters.
17
He rescued me from my powerful enemies and from all those who hate me--- they were too strong for me.
18
When I was in trouble, they attacked me, but the LORD protected me.
19
He helped me out of danger; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
20
The LORD rewards me because I do what is right; he blesses me because I am innocent.
21
I have obeyed the law of the LORD; I have not turned away from my God.
22
I have observed all his laws; I have not disobeyed his commands.
23
He knows that I am faultless, that I have kept myself from doing wrong.
24
And so he rewards me because I do what is right, because he knows that I am innocent.
25
O LORD, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you; completely good to those who are perfect.
26
You are pure to those who are pure, but hostile to those who are wicked.
27
You save those who are humble, but you humble those who are proud.
28
O LORD, you give me light; you dispel my darkness.
29
You give me strength to attack my enemies and power to overcome their defenses.
30
This God---how perfect are his deeds! How dependable his words! He is like a shield for all who seek his protection.
31
The LORD alone is God; God alone is our defense.
32
He is the God who makes me strong, who makes my pathway safe.
33
He makes me sure-footed as a deer; he keeps me safe on the mountains.
34
He trains me for battle, so that I can use the strongest bow.
35
O LORD, you protect me and save me; your care has made me great, and your power has kept me safe.
36
You have kept me from being captured, and I have never fallen.
37
I pursue my enemies and catch them; I do not stop until I destroy them.
38
I strike them down, and they cannot rise; they lie defeated before me.
39
You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies.
40
You make my enemies run from me; I destroy those who hate me.
41
They cry for help, but no one saves them; they call to the LORD, but he does not answer.
42
I crush them, so that they become like dust which the wind blows away. I trample on them like mud in the streets.
43
You saved me from a rebellious people and made me ruler over the nations; people I did not know have now become my subjects.
44
Foreigners bow before me; when they hear me, they obey.
45
They lose their courage and come trembling from their fortresses.
46
The LORD lives! Praise my defender! Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.
47
He gives me victory over my enemies; he subdues the nations under me
48
and saves me from my foes. O LORD, you give me victory over my enemies and protect me from violent people.
49
And so I praise you among the nations; I sing praises to you.
50
God gives great victories to his king; he shows constant love to the one he has chosen, to David and his descendants forever.
1
Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side.
2
I envy those who are dead and gone; they are better off than those who are still alive.
3
But better off than either are those who have never been born, who have never seen the injustice that goes on in this world.
4
I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind.
5
They say that we would be fools to fold our hands and let ourselves starve to death.
6
Maybe so, but it is better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind.
7
I have noticed something else in life that is useless.
8
Here is someone who lives alone. He has no son, no brother, yet he is always working, never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless, too---and a miserable way to live.
9
Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively.
10
If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, it's just too bad, because there is no one to help him.
11
If it is cold, two can sleep together and stay warm, but how can you keep warm by yourself ?
12
Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break.
13
Someone may rise from poverty to become king of his country, or go from prison to the throne, but if in his old age he is too foolish to take advice, he is not as well off as a young man who is poor but intelligent.
15
I thought about all the people who live in this world, and I realized that somewhere among them there is a young man who will take the king's place.
16
There may be no limit to the number of people a king rules; when he is gone, no one will be grateful for what he has done. It is useless. It is like chasing the wind.
1
Be careful about going to the Temple. It is better to go there to learn than to offer sacrifices like foolish people who don't know right from wrong.
2
Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have to.
3
The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish.
4
So when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no use for a fool. Do what you promise to do.
5
Better not to promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it.
6
Don't let your own words lead you into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it. Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for?
7
No matter how much you dream, how much useless work you do, or how much you talk, you must still stand in awe of God.
8
Don't be surprised when you see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are protected by still higher officials.
9
Even a king depends on the harvest.
10
If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless.
11
The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are rich.
12
Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.
13
Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world: people save up their money for a time when they may need it,
14
and then lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to their children.
15
We leave this world just as we entered it---with nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us.
16
It isn't right! We go just as we came. We labor, trying to catch the wind, and what do we get?
17
We get to live our lives in darkness and grief, worried, angry, and sick.
18
Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate.
19
If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God.
20
Since God has allowed us to be happy, we will not worry too much about how short life is.
1
I have noticed that in this world a serious injustice is done.
2
God will give us wealth, honor, and property, yes, everything we want, but then will not let us enjoy it. Some stranger will enjoy it instead. It is useless, and it just isn't right.
3
We may have a hundred children and live a long time, but no matter how long we live, if we do not get our share of happiness and do not receive a decent burial, then I say that a baby born dead is better off.
4
It does that baby no good to be born; it disappears into darkness, where it is forgotten.
5
It never sees the light of day or knows what life is like, but at least it has found rest---
6
more so than the man who never enjoys life, though he may live two thousand years. After all, both of them are going to the same place.
7
We do all our work just to get something to eat, but we never have enough.
8
How are the wise better off than fools? What good does it do the poor to know how to face life?
9
It is useless; it is like chasing the wind. It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.
10
Everything that happens was already determined long ago, and we all know that you cannot argue with someone who is stronger than you.
11
The longer you argue, the more useless it is, and you are no better off.
12
How can anyone know what is best for us in this short, useless life of ours---a life that passes like a shadow? How can we know what will happen in the world after we die?
1
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, pray to God.
2
Surely you have heard that God in his grace has given me this work to do for your good.
3
God revealed his secret plan and made it known to me. (I have written briefly about this,
4
and if you will read what I have written, you can learn about my understanding of the secret of Christ.)
5
In past times human beings were not told this secret, but God has revealed it now by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.
6
The secret is that by means of the gospel the Gentiles have a part with the Jews in God's blessings; they are members of the same body and share in the promise that God made through Christ Jesus.
7
I was made a servant of the gospel by God's special gift, which he gave me through the working of his power.
8
I am less than the least of all God's people; yet God gave me this privilege of taking to the Gentiles the Good News about the infinite riches of Christ,
9
and of making all people see how God's secret plan is to be put into effect. God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages,
10
in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms.
11
God did this according to his eternal purpose, which he achieved through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12
In union with Christ and through our faith in him we have the boldness to go into God's presence with all confidence.
13
I beg you, then, not to be discouraged because I am suffering for you; it is all for your benefit.
14
For this reason I fall on my knees before the Father,
15
from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name.
16
I ask God from the wealth of his glory to give you power through his Spirit to be strong in your inner selves,
17
and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love,
18
so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love.
19
Yes, may you come to know his love---although it can never be fully known---and so be completely filled with the very nature of God.
20
To him who by means of his power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of:
21
to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever! Amen.
