Psalms 123; Psalms 124; Psalms 125; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18

1 I look up to you, to the one who sits enthroned in heaven.

2 As servants depend on their masters, as a maid depends on her mistress, so we depend on the LORD our God until he has pity on us.

3 Have pity on us, O LORD. Have pity on us because we have suffered more than our share of contempt.

4 We have suffered more than our share of ridicule from those who are carefree. We have suffered more than our share of contempt from those who are arrogant.

1 "If the LORD had not been on our side..." (Israel should repeat this.)

2 "If the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us,

3 then they would have swallowed us alive when their anger exploded against us.

4 Then the floodwaters would have swept us away. An [overflowing] stream would have washed us away.

5 Then raging water would have washed us away."

6 Thank the LORD, who did not let them sink their teeth into us.

7 We escaped like a bird caught in a hunter's trap. The trap was broken, and we escaped.

8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.

1 Those who trust the LORD are like Mount Zion, which can never be shaken. It remains firm forever.

2 [As] the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people now and forever.

3 A wicked ruler will not be allowed to govern the land set aside for righteous people. That is why righteous people do not use their power to do wrong.

4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, to those whose motives are decent.

5 But when people become crooked, the LORD will lead them away with troublemakers. Let there be peace in Israel!

1 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that all our ancestors [who left Egypt] were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea.

2 They were all united with Moses by baptism in the cloud and in the sea.

3 All of them ate the same spiritual food,

4 and all of them drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them, and that rock was Christ.

5 Yet, God was not pleased with most of them, so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.

6 These things have become examples for us so that we won't desire what is evil, as they did.

7 So don't worship false gods as some of them did, as Scripture says, "The people sat down to a feast which turned into an orgy."

8 We shouldn't sin sexually as some of them did. Twenty-three thousand of them died on one day.

9 We shouldn't put the Lord to the test as some of them did. They were killed by snakes.

10 Don't complain as some of them did. The angel of death destroyed them.

11 These things happened to make them an example for others. These things were written down as a warning for us who are living in the closing days of history.

12 So, people who think they are standing firmly should be careful that they don't fall.

13 There isn't any temptation that you have experienced which is unusual for humans. God, who faithfully keeps his promises, will not allow you to be tempted beyond your power to resist. But when you are tempted, he will also give you the ability to endure the temptation as your way of escape.

14 Therefore, my dear friends, get as far away from the worship of false gods as you can.

15 I'm talking to intelligent people. Judge for yourselves what I'm saying.

16 When we bless the cup of blessing aren't we sharing in the blood of Christ? When we break the bread aren't we sharing in the body of Christ?

17 Because there is one loaf, we are one body, although we are many individuals. All of us share one loaf.

18 Look at the people of Israel from a human point of view. Don't those who eat the sacrifices share what is on the altar?