Psalms 49; Psalms 50; Romans 1

1 Listen to this, all you people. Open your ears, all who live in the world--

2 common people and important ones, rich people and poor ones.

3 My mouth will speak wise sayings, the insights I have carefully considered.

4 I will turn my attention to a proverb. I will explain my riddle with the [music of] a lyre.

5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, when slanderers surround me with evil?

6 They trust their riches and brag about their abundant wealth.

7 No one can ever buy back another person or pay God a ransom for his life.

8 The price to be paid for his soul is too costly. He must always give up

9 in order to live forever and never see the pit.

10 Indeed, one can see that wise people die, that foolish and stupid people meet the same end. They leave their riches to others.

11 Although they named their lands after themselves, their graves have become their homes for ages to come, their dwelling places throughout every generation.

12 But mortals will not continue here with what they treasure. They are like animals that die.

13 This is the final outcome for fools and their followers who are delighted by what they say: Selah

14 Like sheep, they are driven to hell with death as their shepherd. (Decent people will rule them in the morning.) Their forms will decay in the grave, far away from their comfortable homes.

15 But God will buy me back from the power of hell because he will take me. Selah

16 Do not be afraid when someone becomes rich, when the greatness of his house increases.

17 He will not take anything with him when he dies. His greatness cannot follow him.

18 Even though he blesses himself while he is alive (and they praise you when you do well for yourself),

19 he must join the generation of his ancestors, who will never see light [again].

20 Mortals, with what they treasure, still don't have understanding. They are like animals that die.

1 The LORD, the only true God, has spoken. He has summoned the earth from where the sun rises to where it sets.

2 God shines from Zion, the perfection of beauty.

3 Our God will come and will not remain silent. A devouring fire is in front of him and a raging storm around him.

4 He summons heaven and earth to judge his people:

5 "Gather around me, my godly people who have made a pledge to me through sacrifices."

6 The heavens announce his righteousness because God is the judge. Selah

7 "Listen, my people, and I will speak. Listen, Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God!

8 I am not criticizing you for your sacrifices or burnt offerings, which are always in front of me.

9 [But] I will not accept [another] young bull from your household or a single male goat from your pens.

10 Every creature in the forest, [even] the cattle on a thousand hills, is mine.

11 I know every bird in the mountains. Everything that moves in the fields is mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you, because the world and all that it contains are mine.

13 Do I eat the meat of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

14 Bring [your] thanks to God as a sacrifice, and keep your vows to the Most High.

15 Call on me in times of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor me."

16 But God says to wicked people, "How dare you quote my decrees and mouth my promises!

17 You hate discipline. You toss my words behind you.

18 When you see a thief, you want to make friends with him. You keep company with people who commit adultery.

19 You let your mouth say anything evil. Your tongue plans deceit.

20 You sit and talk against your own brother. You slander your own mother's son.

21 When you did these things, I remained silent. [That] made you think I was like you. I will argue my point with you and lay it all out for you to see.

22 Consider this, you people who forget God. Otherwise, I will tear you to pieces, and there will be no one left to rescue you.

23 Whoever offers thanks as a sacrifice honors me. I will let everyone who continues in my way see the salvation that comes from God."

1 From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and appointed to spread the Good News of God.

2 (God had already promised this Good News through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.

3 This Good News is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In his human nature he was a descendant of David.

4 In his spiritual, holy nature he was declared the Son of God. This was shown in a powerful way when he came back to life.

5 Through him we have received God's kindness and the privilege of being apostles who bring people from every nation to the obedience that is associated with faith. This is for the honor of his name.

6 You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.)

7 To everyone in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people. Good will and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for every one of you because the news of your faith is spreading throughout the whole world.

9 I serve God by spreading the Good News about his Son. God is my witness that I always mention you

10 every time I pray. I ask that somehow God will now at last make it possible for me to visit you.

11 I long to see you to share a spiritual blessing with you so that you will be strengthened.

12 What I mean is that we may be encouraged by each other's faith.

13 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to visit you. However, until now I have been kept from doing so. What I want is to enjoy some of the results of working among you as I have also enjoyed the results of working among the rest of the nations.

14 I have an obligation to those who are civilized and those who aren't, to those who are wise and those who aren't.

15 That's why I'm eager to tell you who live in Rome the Good News also.

16 I'm not ashamed of the Good News. It is God's power to save everyone who believes, Jews first and Greeks as well.

17 God's approval is revealed in this Good News. This approval begins and ends with faith as Scripture says, "The person who has God's approval will live by faith."

18 God's anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living.

19 What can be known about God is clear to them because he has made it clear to them.

20 From the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what he made. As a result, people have no excuse.

21 They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God. Instead, their thoughts were pointless, and their misguided minds were plunged into darkness.

22 While claiming to be wise, they became fools.

23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for statues that looked like mortal humans, birds, animals, and snakes.

24 For this reason God allowed their lusts to control them. As a result, they dishonor their bodies by sexual perversion with each other.

25 These people have exchanged God's truth for a lie. So they have become ungodly and serve what is created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!

26 For this reason God allowed their shameful passions to control them. Their women have exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.

27 Likewise, their men have given up natural sexual relations with women and burn with lust for each other. Men commit indecent acts with men, so they experience among themselves the punishment they deserve for their perversion.

28 And because they thought it was worthless to acknowledge God, God allowed their own immoral minds to control them. So they do these indecent things.

29 Their lives are filled with all kinds of sexual sins, wickedness, and greed. They are mean. They are filled with envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips,

30 slanderers, haters of God, haughty, arrogant, and boastful. They think up new ways to be cruel. They don't obey their parents,

31 don't have any sense, don't keep promises, and don't show love to their own families or mercy to others.

32 Although they know God's judgment that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do these things but also approve of others who do them.