Psalms 116; Psalms 117; Psalms 118; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19

1 I love the Lord because He has heard my appeal for mercy.

2 Because He has turned His ear to me, I will call [out to Him] as long as I live.

3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me; I encountered trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: "Lord, save me!"

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate.

6 The Lord guards the inexperienced; I was helpless, and He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

8 For You, [Lord,] rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10 I believed, even when I said, "I am severely afflicted."

11 In my alarm I said, "Everyone is a liar."

12 How can I repay the Lord all the good He has done for me?

13 I will take the cup of salvation and worship the Lord.

14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.

15 The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord's sight.

16 Lord, I am indeed Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant. You have loosened my bonds.

17 I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and will worship the Lord.

18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord, in the very presence of all His people,

19 in the courts of the Lord's house- within you, Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify Him, all peoples!

2 For great is His faithful love to us; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah!

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.

2 Let Israel say, "His faithful love endures forever."

3 Let the house of Aaron say, "His faithful love endures forever."

4 Let those who fear the Lord say, "His faithful love endures forever."

5 I called to the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me [and put me] in a spacious place.

6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

7 With the Lord for me as my helper, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in nobles.

10 All the nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.

11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.

12 They surrounded me like bees; they were extinguished like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.

13 You pushed me hard to make me fall, but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.

15 There are shouts of joy and victory in the tents of the righteous: "The Lord's right hand strikes with power!

16 The Lord's right hand is raised! The Lord's right hand strikes with power!"

17 I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done.

18 The Lord disciplined me severely but did not give me over to death.

19 Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter through it.

21 I will give thanks to You because You have answered me and have become my salvation.

22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

23 This came from the Lord; it is wonderful in our eyes.

24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Lord, save us! Lord, please grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.

27 The Lord is God and has given us light. Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will give You thanks. [You are] my God; I will exalt You.

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.

1 About the things you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman."

2 But because of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

3 A husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband.

4 A wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. Equally, a husband does not have authority over his own body, but his wife does.

5 Do not deprive one another-except when you agree, for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.

7 I wish that all people were just like me. But each has his own gift from God, one this and another that.

8 I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am.

9 But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with desire.

10 I command the married-not I, but the Lord-a wife is not to leave her husband.

11 But if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband-and a husband is not to leave his wife.

12 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is willing to live with him, he must not leave her.

13 Also, if any woman has an unbelieving husband, and he is willing to live with her, she must not leave her husband.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the Christian husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to peace.

16 For you, wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Or you, husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?

17 However, each one must live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches.

18 Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised.

19 Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter, but keeping God's commandments does.