¹To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

²Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

³Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

⁴For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

⁵This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

⁶I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.

⁷Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

⁸Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

⁹There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

¹⁰I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

¹¹But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

¹²So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

¹³Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

¹⁴I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

¹⁵The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.

¹⁶He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

¹A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.

²How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.

³Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

⁴Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

⁵They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

⁶I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

⁷But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

⁸Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

¹A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

²For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

³They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

⁴They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

⁵For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

⁶The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

⁷Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

⁸Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

⁹Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

¹⁰Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

¹²Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

¹³O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

¹⁴As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

¹⁵So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

¹⁶Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.

¹⁷Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

¹⁸That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

¹But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

²For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

³For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

⁴But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

⁵Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

⁷For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

⁸But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

⁹For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁰Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

¹¹Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

¹²And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

¹³And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

¹⁵See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

¹⁶Rejoice evermore.

¹⁷Pray without ceasing.

¹⁸In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

¹⁹Quench not the Spirit.

²⁰Despise not prophesyings.

²¹Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

²²Abstain from all appearance of evil.

²³And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

²⁵Brethren, pray for us.

²⁶Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

²⁷I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.