Psalms 132; Psalms 133; Psalms 134; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Psalms 132

1 Lord, do not forget David and all the hardships he endured.

2 Remember, Lord, what he promised, the vow he made to you, the Mighty God of Jacob:

3 "I will not go home or go to bed;

4 I will not rest or sleep,

5 until I provide a place for the Lord, a home for the Mighty God of Jacob."

6 In Bethlehem we heard about the Covenant Box, and we found it in the fields of Jearim.

7 We said, "Let us go to the Lord's house; let us worship before his throne."

8 Come to the Temple, Lord, with the Covenant Box, the symbol of your power, and stay here forever.

9 May your priests do always what is right; may your people shout for joy!

10 You made a promise to your servant David; do not reject your chosen king, Lord.

11 You made a solemn promise to David - a promise you will not take back: "I will make one of your sons king, and he will rule after you.

12 If your sons are true to my covenant and to the commands I give them, their sons, also, will succeed you for all time as kings."

13 The Lord has chosen Zion; he wants to make it his home:

14 "This is where I will live forever; this is where I want to rule.

15 I will richly provide Zion with all she needs; I will satisfy her poor with food.

16 I will bless her priests in all they do, and her people will sing and shout for joy.

17 Here I will make one of David's descendants a great king; here I will preserve the rule of my chosen king.

18 I will cover his enemies with shame, but his kingdom will prosper and flourish."

Psalms 133

1 How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God's people to live together in harmony!

2 It is like the precious anointing oil running down from Aaron's head and beard, down to the collar of his robes.

3 It is like the dew on Mount Hermon, falling on the hills of Zion. That is where the Lord has promised his blessing - life that never ends.

Psalms 134

1 Come, praise the Lord, all his servants, all who serve in his Temple at night.

2 Raise your hands in prayer in the Temple, and praise the Lord!

3 May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Zion!

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

17 In the following instructions, however, I do not praise you, because your meetings for worship actually do more harm than good.

18 In the first place, I have been told that there are opposing groups in your meetings; and this I believe is partly true

19 (No doubt there must be divisions among you so that the ones who are in the right may be clearly seen.)

20 When you meet together as a group, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat.

21 For as you eat, you each go ahead with your own meal, so that some are hungry while others get drunk.

22 Don't you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or would you rather despise the church of God and put to shame the people who are in need? What do you expect me to say to you about this? Shall I praise you? Of course I don't!

23 For I received from the Lord the teaching that I passed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a piece of bread,

24 gave thanks to God, broke it, and said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in memory of me."

25 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup and said, "This cup is God's new covenant, sealed with my blood. Whenever you drink it, do so in memory of me."

26 This means that every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

27 It follows that if one of you eats the Lord's bread or drinks from his cup in a way that dishonors him, you are guilty of sin against the Lord's body and blood.

28 So then, you should each examine yourself first, and then eat the bread and drink from the cup.

29 For if you do not recognize the meaning of the Lord's body when you eat the bread and drink from the cup, you bring judgment on yourself as you eat and drink.

30 That is why many of you are sick and weak, and several have died.

31 If we would examine ourselves first, we would not come under God's judgment.

32 But we are judged and punished by the Lord, so that we shall not be condemned together with the world.

33 So then, my friends, when you gather together to eat the Lord's Supper, wait for one another.

34 And if any of you are hungry, you should eat at home, so that you will not come under God's judgment as you meet together. As for the other matters, I will settle them when I come.