You, Lord, reign forever;
your throne endures from generation to generation. He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out! By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. And, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? An honest witness does not deceive,
but a false witness pours out lies. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. “And with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. “Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry.