Psalm 128-131; 1 Corinthians 7

From today's Bible reading:

Psalm 128:

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!

Psalm 129:

The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!

Psalm 130:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,

O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.

And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Psalm 131:

O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.


1 Corinthians 7:

those who marry will have worldly troubles

the appointed time has grown very short.

the present form of this world is passing away.

I want you to be free from anxieties.

The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.

the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided.

the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit.

the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.

whoever is firmly established in his heart, ... having his desire under control, ... he will do well.

So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.