Jeremiah 48, 1 Corinthians 15 - 16, Psalm 121

Word Against Moab

48Concerning ^aMoab. Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Woe to ^bNebo, for it has been destroyed;^cKiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;The lofty stronghold has been put to shame and ¹shattered.

²“There is praise for Moab no longer;In ^aHeshbon they have devised calamity against her:‘Come and let us cut her off from being a nation!’You too, ¹Madmen, will be silenced;The sword will follow after you.³“The sound of an outcry from ^aHoronaim,‘¹Devastation and great destruction!’⁴“Moab is broken;Her little ones have made their cry of distress heard.⁵“For by the ascent of ^aLuhithThey will ascend with continual weeping;For at the descent of HoronaimThey have heard the distressed cry of destruction.⁶“^aFlee, escape with your lives,That you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.⁷“For because of your ^atrust in your own works and treasures,Even you yourself will be captured;And ^bChemosh will go off into exileTogether with his priests and his princes.⁸“A destroyer will come to every city,So that no city will escape;The valley also will perish,And the ^aplateau will be destroyed,As Yahweh has said.⁹“Give ¹^,^awings to Moab,For she will ²flee away;And her cities will become a ^bdesolation,Without inhabitants in them.¹⁰“^aCursed be the one who does the work of Yahweh ^bwith a slack hand,And cursed be the one who restrains his ^csword from blood.¹¹“Moab has been ^aat ease since his youth;He has also had ^bquiet, like wine on ¹its dregs,And he has not been ^cemptied from vessel to vessel,Nor has he gone into exile.Therefore ²he retains his flavor,And his aroma has not changed.

¹²“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter ¹his jars. ¹³“And Moab will be ^aashamed of ^bChemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of ^cBethel, their trust.

¹⁴“How can you say, ‘We are ^amighty warriors,And men valiant for battle’?¹⁵“Moab has been destroyed, and ¹men have gone up to ²his cities;His choicest ³^,^ayoung men have also gone down to the slaughter,”Declares the ^bKing, whose name is Yahweh of hosts.¹⁶“The disaster of Moab will ^asoon come,And his calamity has quickly hastened.¹⁷“Mourn for him, all you who live around him,Even all of you who know his name;Say, ‘How has the strong ¹^,^ascepter been broken,A staff of beauty!’¹⁸“^aCome down from your gloryAnd inhabit ¹the parched ground,O inhabitant of the ^bdaughter of ^cDibon;For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,He has ruined your strongholds.¹⁹“Stand by the road and keep watch,O inhabitant of ^aAroer;^bAsk him who flees and her who escapesAnd say, ‘What has happened?’²⁰“Moab has been put to shame, for it has been ¹shattered.Wail and cry out;Declare by the ^aArnonThat Moab has been destroyed.

²¹“Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, upon ^aJahzah, and against ^bMephaath, ²²and against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, ²³and against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and ^aBeth-meon, ²⁴and against ^aKerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. ²⁵“The ^ahorn of Moab has been cut in pieces and his ^barm broken,” declares Yahweh. ²⁶“^aMake him drunk, for he has ^bmagnified himself against Yahweh; so Moab will ¹wallow in his vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. ²⁷“Now was not Israel a ^alaughingstock to you? Or was he ¹^,^bcaught among thieves? For each time you speak about him you ^cshake your head in scorn.

²⁸“Leave the cities and dwell among the ^acrags,O inhabitants of Moab,And be like a ^bdove that nestsBeyond the mouth of the chasm.²⁹“^aWe have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—Of his haughtiness, his ^bpride, his arrogance, and the exaltedness of his heart.³⁰“I know his ^afury,” declares Yahweh,“But it is nothing;His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.³¹“Therefore I will ^awail for Moab,Even for all Moab will I cry out;¹I will moan for the men of ^bKir-heres.³²“More than the ^aweeping for ^bJazerI will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah!Your branches stretched across the sea,They reached to the sea of Jazer;Upon your summer fruits and your grape harvestThe destroyer has fallen.³³“So ^agladness and joy are gathered upFrom the fruitful orchard, even from the land of Moab.And I have made the wine to ^bcease from the wine presses;No one will tread them with shouting,The shouting will not be shouts of joy.

³⁴“^aFrom the outcry at Heshbon even to ^bElealeh, even to Jahaz they have given forth their voice, from ^cZoar even to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. ³⁵“I will make Moab cease,” declares Yahweh, “the one who offers offerings on the ^ahigh place and the one who ^boffers offerings in smoke to his gods.

³⁶“Therefore My ^aheart moans for Moab like flutes; My heart also moans like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have ^blost the abundance it produced. ³⁷“For ^aevery head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and ^bsackcloth on the loins. ³⁸“On all the ^arooftops of Moab and in its open squares ¹there is lamentation everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable ^bvessel,” declares Yahweh. ³⁹“How ¹shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back—he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an ^aobject of terror to all around him.”

⁴⁰For thus says Yahweh: “Behold, one will ^aswoop like an eagleAnd ^bspread out his wings against Moab.

⁴¹“Kerioth has been captured,And the strongholds have been seized,So the ^ahearts of the mighty men of Moab in that dayWill be like the heart of a ^bwoman in labor.⁴²“Moab will be ^adestroyed from being a peopleBecause he has ^bmagnified himself against Yahweh.⁴³“^aPanic and pit and pitfall are coming upon you,O inhabitant of Moab,” declares Yahweh.⁴⁴“The one who ^aflees from the panicWill fall into the pit,And the one who climbs up out of the pitWill be caught in the pitfall;For I shall bring upon her, even upon Moab,The year of their ^bpunishment,” declares Yahweh.⁴⁵“In the shadow of HeshbonThose who flee stand without strength;For a fire has gone forth from HeshbonAnd a ^aflame from the midst of ^bSihon,And it has devoured the ^ctop of the head of MoabAnd the scalps of ¹those who rumble.⁴⁶“^aWoe to you, Moab!The people of ^bChemosh have perished;For your sons have been taken away captiveAnd your daughters into captivity.⁴⁷“Yet I will ¹^,^areturn the ²fortunes of MoabIn the last days,” declares Yahweh.Thus far the judgment on Moab.

The Resurrection of Christ

15Now ^aI make known to you, brothers, the ^bgospel which I proclaimed as good news to you, which also you received, ^cin which also you stand, ²by which also you are saved, ^aif you hold fast ¹the word which I proclaimed to you as good news, ^bunless you believed for nothing.

³For ^aI delivered to you ¹as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died ^bfor our sins ^caccording to the Scriptures, ⁴and that He was buried, and that He was ^araised on the third day ^baccording to the Scriptures, ⁵and that ^aHe appeared to ^bCephas, then ^cto the twelve. ⁶After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some ^ahave fallen asleep. ⁷After that, He appeared to ¹^,^aJames, then to ^ball the apostles, ⁸and last of all, as ¹to one untimely born, ^aHe appeared to me also. ⁹For I am ^athe least of the apostles, ¹and not worthy to be called an apostle, because I ^bpersecuted the church of God. ¹⁰But by ^athe grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I ^blabored even more than all of them, yet ^cnot I, but the grace of God with me. ¹¹Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹²Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there ^ais no resurrection of the dead? ¹³But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴And ^aif Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. ¹⁵Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we bore witness ¹against God that He ^araised ²Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; ^ayou are still in your sins. ¹⁸Then those also who ^ahave fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are ^aof all men most to be pitied.

²⁰But now Christ ^ahas been raised from the dead, the ^bfirst fruits of those who have ^cfallen asleep. ²¹For since ^aby a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²²For ^aas in Adam all die, so also in ¹Christ all will be made alive. ²³But each in his own order: Christ ^athe first fruits, after that ^bthose who are Christ’s at ^cHis coming. ²⁴Then comes the end, when He hands over ^athe kingdom to the ^bGod and Father, when He has abolished ^call rule and all authority and power. ²⁵For He must reign ^auntil He has put all His enemies under His feet. ²⁶The last enemy to be ^aabolished is death. ²⁷For ^aHe has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “^bAll things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. ²⁸And when ^aall things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that ^bGod may be all in all.

²⁹Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized ¹for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them? ³⁰Why are we also ^ain danger every hour? ³¹I affirm, brothers, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^aI die daily. ³²If ¹from human motives I ^afought with wild beasts at ^bEphesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, ^clet us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. ³³^aDo not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” ³⁴^aBecome righteously sober-minded, and stop sinning; for some have ^bno knowledge of God. ^cI speak this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body

³⁵But ^asomeone will say, “How are ^bthe dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶^aYou fool! That which you ^bsow does not come to life unless it dies; ³⁷and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of ¹something else. ³⁸But God gives it a body just as He wished, and ^ato each of the seeds a body of its own. ³⁹All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. ⁴⁰There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. ⁴¹There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

⁴²^aSo also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown ¹^,^ba corruptible body, it is raised ²^,^can incorruptible body; ⁴³it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in ^aglory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴it is sown a ^anatural body, it is raised a ^bspiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵So also it is written, “The first ^aman, Adam, became a living soul.” The ^blast Adam became a ^clife-giving spirit. ⁴⁶However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. ⁴⁷The first man is ^afrom the earth, ¹^,^bearthy; the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, ^aso also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹And just as we have ^aborne the image of the earthy, ¹we ^bwill also bear the image of the heavenly.

⁵⁰Now I say this, brothers, that ^aflesh and blood cannot ^binherit the kingdom of God, nor does the corruptible inherit ^cthe incorruptible. ⁵¹Behold, I tell you a ^amystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be ^bchanged, ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For ^athe trumpet will sound, and ^bthe dead will be raised incorruptible, and ^cwe will be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on ^athe incorruptible, and this ^bmortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴But when this corruptible puts on the incorruptible, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the word that is written, “^aDeath is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵“^aO death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” ⁵⁶Now the sting of ^adeath is sin, and ^bthe power of sin is the law; ⁵⁷but ^athanks be to God, who gives us the ^bvictory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

⁵⁸^aTherefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in ^bthe work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

The Collection of Gifts

16Now concerning ^athe collection for ^bthe saints, as ^cI directed the churches of ^dGalatia, so do you also. ²On ^athe first day of every week each one of you is to ¹set something aside, saving whatever he has prospered, so that ^bno collections be made when I come. ³And when I arrive, ^awhomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem, ⁴and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.

⁵But I ^awill come to you after I go through ^bMacedonia, for I ^cam going through Macedonia; ⁶and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you may ^asend me on my way wherever I may go. ⁷For I do not wish to see you now ^ajust in passing, for I hope to remain with you for some time, ^bif the Lord permits. ⁸But I will remain in ^aEphesus until ^bPentecost, ⁹for a ^awide and effective door has opened to me, and ^bthere are many adversaries.

¹⁰Now if ^aTimothy comes, take care that he is with you without fear, for he is doing ^bthe Lord’s work, as I also am. ¹¹^aSo let no one despise him. But ^bsend him on his way ^cin peace, so that he may come to me, for I expect him with the brothers.

¹²Now concerning ^aApollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brothers, and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity.

Final Instructions and Greetings

¹³^aBe watchful, ^bstand firm in the faith, ^cact like men, ^dbe strong. ¹⁴Let all that you do be done ^ain love.

¹⁵Now I exhort you, brothers (you know the ^ahousehold of Stephanas, that ¹they were the ^bfirst fruits of ^cAchaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ^dservice to ^ethe saints), ¹⁶that ^ayou also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. ¹⁷And I rejoice over the ¹^,^acoming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have ²supplied ^bwhat was lacking on your part. ¹⁸For they ^ahave refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore ^brecognize such men.

¹⁹The churches of ^aAsia greet you. ^bAquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with ^cthe church that is in their house. ²⁰All the brothers greet you. ^aGreet one another with a holy kiss.

²¹The greeting is in ^amy own hand—¹Paul. ²²If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be ¹^,^aaccursed. ²^,^bMaranatha. ²³^aThe grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. ²⁴My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

My Help Comes from Yahweh

121

A Song of Ascents.

I will ^alift up my eyes to ^bthe mountains;From where shall my help come?²My ^ahelp comes from Yahweh,Who ^bmade heaven and earth.³¹He will not ^aallow your foot to stumble;²He who ^bkeeps you will not slumber.⁴Behold, He who keeps IsraelWill not slumber and will not sleep.⁵Yahweh is your ^akeeper;Yahweh is your ^bshade on your right hand.⁶The ^asun will not strike you by day,Nor the moon by night.⁷Yahweh will ^akeep you from all evil;He will keep your soul.⁸Yahweh will ^akeep your going out and your coming in^bFrom now until forever.