Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope;
And not only so, but let us have joy in our troubles: in the knowledge that trouble gives us the power of waiting;And waiting gives experience; and experience, hope:And hope does not put to shame; because our hearts are full of the love of God through the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
You have cause for great joy in this, though it may have been necessary for you to be troubled for a little time, being tested in all sorts of ways,So that the true metal of your faith, being of much greater value than gold which, though it comes to an end, is tested by fire, may come to light in praise and glory and honour, at the revelation of Jesus Christ:
For his wrath is only for a minute; in his grace there is life; weeping may be for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Of David. When he made a change in his behaviour before Abimelech, who sent him away, and he went. I will be blessing the Lord at all times; his praise will be ever in my mouth.
And he said to me, My grace is enough for you, for my power is made complete in what is feeble. Most gladly, then, will I take pride in my feeble body, so that the power of Christ may be on me.So I take pleasure in being feeble, in unkind words, in needs, in cruel attacks, in troubles, on account of Christ: for when I am feeble, then am I strong.
And we are conscious that all things are working together for good to those who have love for God, and have been marked out by his purpose.
Have joy at all times.Keep on with your prayers.In everything give praise: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Those who put in seed with weeping will get in the grain with cries of joy.Though a man may go out weeping, taking his vessel of seed with him; he will come again in joy, with the corded stems of grain in his arms.
To give them a fair head-dress in place of dust, the oil of joy in place of the clothing of grief, praise in place of sorrow; so that they may be named trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, and so that he may have glory.
For this reason, as we are circled by so great a cloud of witnesses, putting off every weight, and the sin into which we come so readily, let us keep on running in the way which is marked out for us,Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power.
Happy are those who are attacked on account of righteousness: for the kingdom of heaven will be theirs.Happy are you when men give you a bad name, and are cruel to you, and say all evil things against you falsely, because of me.Be glad and full of joy; for great is your reward in heaven: for so were the prophets attacked who were before you.
Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy;
When you go through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not go over you: when you go through the fire, you will not be burned; and the flame will have no power over you.
The Lord will be a high tower for those who are crushed down, a high tower in times of trouble;And those who have knowledge of your name will put their faith in you; because you, Lord, have ever given your help to those who were waiting for you.
Only let your behaviour do credit to the good news of Christ, so that if I come and see you or if I am away from you, I may have news of you that you are strong in one spirit, working together with one soul for the faith of the good news;Having no fear of those who are against you; which is a clear sign of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God;
Why are you crushed down, O my soul? and why are you troubled in me? put your hope in God; for I will again give him praise who is my help and my God.
For which cause we do not give way to weariness; but though our outer man is getting feebler, our inner man is made new day by day.For our present trouble, which is only for a short time, is working out for us a much greater weight of glory;While our minds are not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are for a time; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke on you and become like me, for I am gentle and without pride, and you will have rest for your souls;For my yoke is good, and the weight I take up is not hard.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith,Gentle behaviour, control over desires: against such there is no law.
A glad heart makes a shining face, but by the sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
My flesh and my heart are wasting away: but God is the Rock of my heart and my eternal heritage.
In the time of my fear, I will have faith in you.In God will I give praise to his word; in God have I put my hope; I will have no fear of what flesh may do to me.
Dear brothers, do not be surprised, as if it was something strange, if your faith is tested as by fire:But be glad that you are given a part in the pains of Christ; so that at the revelation of his glory you may have great joy.
To the chief music-maker. Of David. A Psalm. When I was waiting quietly for the Lord, his heart was turned to me, and he gave ear to my cry.He took me up out of a deep waste place, out of the soft and sticky earth; he put my feet on a rock, and made my steps certain.And he put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God; numbers have seen it with fear, and put their faith in the Lord.
But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.
Is anyone among you in trouble? let him say prayers. Is anyone glad? let him make a song of praise.
To the chief music-maker on Muthlabben. A Psalm. Of David. I will give you praise, O Lord, with all my heart; I will make clear all the wonder of your works.I will be glad and have delight in you: I will make a song of praise to your name, O Most High.
Be free from the love of money and pleased with the things which you have; for he himself has said, I will be with you at all times.So that we say with a good heart, The Lord is my helper; I will have no fear: what is man able to do to me?
But praise be to God who gives us strength to overcome through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now may the God of hope make you full of joy and peace through faith, so that all hope may be yours in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Then have no care for tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Take the trouble of the day as it comes.
The hope of the upright man will give joy, but the waiting of the evil-doer will have its end in sorrow.
Why are you crushed down, O my soul? and why are you troubled in me? put your hope in God; for I will again give him praise who is my help and my God.
And let us not get tired of well-doing; for at the right time we will get in the grain, if we do not give way to weariness.
It is good for me to have been through trouble; so that I might come to the knowledge of your rules.
But I will not say anything about my needs, for I am able, wherever I am, to be dependent on myself.It is the same to me if I am looked down on or honoured; everywhere and in all things I have the secret of how to be full and how to go without food; how to have wealth and how to be in need.
But give thought to the days after you had seen the light, when you went through a great war of troubles;In part, in being attacked by angry words and cruel acts, before the eyes of everyone, and in part, in being united with those who were attacked in this way.For you had pity on those who were in prison, and had joy in the loss of your property, in the knowledge that you still had a better property and one which you would keep for ever.
The Lord is near all those who give honour to his name; even to all who give honour to him with true hearts.
Have no fear, for I am with you; do not be looking about in trouble, for I am your God; I will give you strength, yes, I will be your helper; yes, my true right hand will be your support.
As full of sorrow, but ever glad; as poor, but giving wealth to others; as having nothing, but still having all things.
That I may have knowledge of him, and of the power of his coming back from the dead, and a part with him in his pains, becoming like him in his death;
For which reason, because we have righteousness through faith, let us be at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;Through whom, in the same way, we have been able by faith to come to this grace in which we now are; and let us have joy in hope of the glory of God.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort;Who gives us comfort in all our troubles, so that we may be able to give comfort to others who are in trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
I will give you praise, for I am strangely and delicately formed; your works are great wonders, and of this my soul is fully conscious.
When I send up my cry to you, my haters will be turned back; I am certain of this, for God is with me.
And after you have undergone pain for a little time, the God of all grace who has given you a part in his eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will himself give you strength and support, and make you complete in every good thing;
You will make clear to me the way of life; where you are joy is complete; in your right hand there are pleasures for ever and ever.
Christ has made us free from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us: because it is said in the Writings, A curse on everyone who is put to death by hanging on a tree:So that on the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; in order that we through faith might have the Spirit which God had undertaken to give.
I am of the opinion that there is no comparison between the pain of this present time and the glory which we will see in the future.
And the Lord will be your guide at all times; in dry places he will give you water in full measure, and will make strong your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like an ever-flowing spring.
O Lord my God, great are the wonders which you have done in your thought for us; it is not possible to put them out in order before you; when I would give an account of them, their number is greater than I may say.
But we have this wealth in vessels of earth, so that it may be seen that the power comes not from us but from God;Troubles are round us on every side, but we are not shut in; things are hard for us, but we see a way out of them;We are cruelly attacked, but not without hope; we are made low, but we are not without help;
When his cry comes up to me, I will give him an answer: I will be with him in trouble; I will make him free from danger and give him honour.
Then let us come near to the seat of grace without fear, so that mercy may be given to us, and we may get grace for our help in time of need.
For I am certain of this very thing, that he by whom the good work was started in you will make it complete till the day of Jesus Christ:
But now, says the Lord your Maker, O Jacob, and your life-giver, O Israel: have no fear, for I have taken up your cause; naming you by your name, I have made you mine.
For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Anything which comes from God is able to overcome the world: and the power by which we have overcome the world is our faith.
Let the Lord be praised. Happy is the man who gives honour to the Lord, and has great delight in his laws.His seed will be strong on the earth; blessings will be on the generation of the upright.
I will be full of joy in the Lord, my soul will be glad in my God; for he has put on me the clothing of salvation, covering me with the robe of righteousness, as the husband puts on a fair head-dress, and the bride makes herself beautiful with jewels.
Yes, though I go through the valley of deep shade, I will have no fear of evil; for you are with me, your rod and your support are my comfort.
To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith,
Let us then make offerings of praise to God at all times through him, that is to say, the fruit of lips giving witness to his name.
What may we say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?He who did not keep back his only Son, but gave him up for us all, will he not with him freely give us all things?
Even when trouble is round me, you will give me life; your hand will be stretched out against the wrath of my haters, and your right hand will be my salvation.
All the days of the troubled are evil; but he whose heart is glad has an unending feast.
Or things on high, or things under the earth, or anything which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
See, God is my salvation; I will have faith in the Lord, without fear: for the Lord Jah is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation.
God is true, through whom you have been given a part with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.
For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control.
By you my sorrow is turned into dancing; you have taken away my clothing of grief, and given me robes of joy;So that my glory may make songs of praise to you and not be quiet. O Lord my God, I will give you praise for ever.
Do not give punishment for wrongs done to you, dear brothers, but give way to the wrath of God; for it is said in the holy Writings, Punishment is mine, I will give reward, says the Lord.
Of David. O Lord, be my judge, for my behaviour has been upright: I have put my faith in the Lord, I am not in danger of slipping.Put me in the scales, O Lord, so that I may be tested; let the fire make clean my thoughts and my heart.
Because you, brothers, were marked out to be free; only do not make use of your free condition to give the flesh its chance, but through love be servants one to another.
Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest.
Why are you crushed down, O my soul? and why are you troubled in me? put your hope in God, for I will again give him praise who is my help and my God.
You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it.
Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power.
And my God will give you all you have need of from the wealth of his glory in Christ Jesus.
You are of God, my little children, and you have overcome them because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
For he is the Yes to all the undertakings of God: and by him all the words of God are made certain and put into effect, to the glory of God through us.
See, the eye of the Lord is on those in whose hearts is the fear of him, on those whose hope is in his mercy;
And if you give your bread to those in need of it, so that the troubled one may have his desire; then you will have light in the dark, and your night will be as the full light of the sun:And the Lord will be your guide at all times; in dry places he will give you water in full measure, and will make strong your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like an ever-flowing spring.
In everything give praise: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you.
For the evil-doers will be cut off: but those who have faith in the Lord will have the earth for their heritage.For in a short time the evil-doer will be gone: you will go searching for his place, and it will not be there.But the gentle will have the earth for their heritage; they will take their delight in peace without measure.
But we are not of those who go back to destruction; but of those who have faith even to the salvation of the soul.
And not only so, but let us have joy in our troubles: in the knowledge that trouble gives us the power of waiting;
He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force.Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength;But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.
The Lord is on my side; I will have no fear: what is man able to do to me?The Lord is my great helper: I will see my desire against my haters.
And those who are Christ's have put to death on the cross the flesh with its passions and its evil desires.
Only let your behaviour do credit to the good news of Christ, so that if I come and see you or if I am away from you, I may have news of you that you are strong in one spirit, working together with one soul for the faith of the good news;
If I take the wings of the morning, and go to the farthest parts of the sea;Even there will I be guided by your hand, and your right hand will keep me.
So if any man is in Christ, he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end; they have truly become new.
To the chief music-maker. Of David. A Psalm. When I was waiting quietly for the Lord, his heart was turned to me, and he gave ear to my cry.He took me up out of a deep waste place, out of the soft and sticky earth; he put my feet on a rock, and made my steps certain.
Brothers, it is clear to me that I have not come to that knowledge; but one thing I do, letting go those things which are past, and stretching out to the things which are before,I go forward to the mark, even the reward of the high purpose of God in Christ Jesus.
Happy is the nation whose ways are so ordered: yes, happy is the nation whose God is the Lord.
Put all your hope in God, not looking to your reason for support.In all your ways give ear to him, and he will make straight your footsteps.
Let your hope be in the Lord: take heart and be strong; yes, let your hope be in the Lord.