Psalms 87; Psalms 88; Romans 13

1 His foundation is on the holy mountains.

2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3 Glorious things are said about you, city of God. Selah

4 "I will mention those who know Me: Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush- each one was born there."

5 And it will be said of Zion, "This one and that one were born in her." The Most High Himself will establish her.

6 When He registers the peoples, the Lord will record, "This one was born there." Selah

7 Singers and dancers alike [will say], "All my springs are in you."

1 Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out before You day and night.

2 May my prayer reach Your presence; listen to my cry.

3 For I have had enough troubles, and my life is near Sheol.

4 I am counted among those going down to the Pit. I am like a man without strength,

5 abandoned among the dead. I am like the slain lying in the grave, whom You no longer remember, and who are cut off from Your care.

6 You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit, in the darkest places, in the depths.

7 Your wrath weighs heavily on me; You have overwhelmed me with all Your waves. Selah

8 You have distanced my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them. I am shut in and cannot go out.

9 My eyes are worn out from crying. Lord, I cry out to You all day long; I spread out my hands to You.

10 Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise You? Selah

11 Will Your faithful love be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

13 But I call to You for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer meets You.

14 Lord, why do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?

15 From my youth, I have been afflicted and near death. I suffer Your horrors; I am desperate.

16 Your wrath sweeps over me; Your terrors destroy me.

17 They surround me like water all day long; they close in on me from every side.

18 You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me; darkness is my [only] friend.

1 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.

2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God's command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do good and you will have its approval.

4 For government is God's servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God's servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience.

6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the [authorities] are God's public servants, continually attending to these tasks.

7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.

8 Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

9 The commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet, and if there is any other commandment-all are summed up by this: Love your neighbor as yourself.

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.

11 Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

12 The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

13 Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy.

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.