Psalm 130 and James 1:16–25

PSALM 130

¹   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
²       Lord, hear my voice!
     Let your ears be attentive
          to the voice of my supplications!

³   If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
          Lord, who could stand?
⁴   But there is forgiveness with you,
          so that you may be revered.

⁵   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
          and in his word I hope;
⁶   my soul waits for the Lord
          more than those who watch for the morning,
          more than those who watch for the morning.

⁷   O Israel, hope in the LORD!
          For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
          and with him is great power to redeem.
⁸   It is he who will redeem Israel
          from all its iniquities.

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JAMES 1:16–27

¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved.

¹⁷Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹⁹You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. ²¹Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

²²But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. ²³For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; ²⁴for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. ²⁵But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act - they will be blessed in their doing.