Psalm 104

New International Version

Psalm 104

¹Praise the Lord, my soul.^(A)

Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.^(B)

²The Lord wraps^(C) himself in light^(D) as with a garment;
    he stretches^(E) out the heavens^(F) like a tent^(G)
³    and lays the beams^(H) of his upper chambers on their waters.^(I)
He makes the clouds^(J) his chariot^(K)
    and rides on the wings of the wind.^(L)
⁴He makes winds his messengers,^[a]^(M)
    flames of fire^(N) his servants.

⁵He set the earth^(O) on its foundations;^(P)
    it can never be moved.
⁶You covered it^(Q) with the watery depths^(R) as with a garment;
    the waters stood^(S) above the mountains.
⁷But at your rebuke^(T) the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder^(U) they took to flight;
⁸they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned^(V) for them.
⁹You set a boundary^(W) they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

¹⁰He makes springs^(X) pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
¹¹They give water^(Y) to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys^(Z) quench their thirst.
¹²The birds of the sky^(AA) nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.^(AB)
¹³He waters the mountains^(AC) from his upper chambers;^(AD)
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.^(AE)
¹⁴He makes grass grow^(AF) for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—
    bringing forth food^(AG) from the earth:
¹⁵wine^(AH) that gladdens human hearts,
    oil^(AI) to make their faces shine,
    and bread that sustains^(AJ) their hearts.
¹⁶The trees of the Lord^(AK) are well watered,
    the cedars of Lebanon^(AL) that he planted.
¹⁷There the birds^(AM) make their nests;
    the stork has its home in the junipers.
¹⁸The high mountains belong to the wild goats;^(AN)
    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.^(AO)

¹⁹He made the moon to mark the seasons,^(AP)
    and the sun^(AQ) knows when to go down.
²⁰You bring darkness,^(AR) it becomes night,^(AS)
    and all the beasts of the forest^(AT) prowl.
²¹The lions roar for their prey^(AU)
    and seek their food from God.^(AV)
²²The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.^(AW)
²³Then people go out to their work,^(AX)
    to their labor until evening.^(AY)

²⁴How many are your works,^(AZ) Lord!
    In wisdom you made^(BA) them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.^(BB)
²⁵There is the sea,^(BC) vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.^(BD)
²⁶There the ships^(BE) go to and fro,
    and Leviathan,^(BF) which you formed to frolic^(BG) there.^(BH)

²⁷All creatures look to you
    to give them their food^(BI) at the proper time.
²⁸When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied^(BJ) with good things.
²⁹When you hide your face,^(BK)
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.^(BL)
³⁰When you send your Spirit,^(BM)
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

³¹May the glory of the Lord^(BN) endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works^(BO)—
³²he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,^(BP)
who touches the mountains,^(BQ) and they smoke.^(BR)

³³I will sing^(BS) to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³⁴May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice^(BT) in the Lord.
³⁵But may sinners vanish^(BU) from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.^(BV)

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.^[b]^(BW)

Footnotes

Psalm 104:4 Or angels
Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.

Isaiah 25:1-9

New International Version

Praise to the Lord

25 Lord, you are my God;^(A)
    I will exalt you and praise your name,^(B)
for in perfect faithfulness^(C)
    you have done wonderful things,^(D)
    things planned^(E) long ago.
²You have made the city a heap of rubble,^(F)
    the fortified^(G) town a ruin,^(H)
the foreigners’ stronghold^(I) a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.^(J)
³Therefore strong peoples will honor you;^(K)
    cities of ruthless^(L) nations will revere you.
⁴You have been a refuge^(M) for the poor,^(N)
    a refuge for the needy^(O) in their distress,
a shelter from the storm^(P)
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless^(Q)
    is like a storm driving against a wall
⁵    and like the heat of the desert.
You silence^(R) the uproar of foreigners;^(S)
    as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless^(T) is stilled.

⁶On this mountain^(U) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast^(V) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.^(W)
⁷On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud^(X) that enfolds all peoples,^(Y)
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸    he will swallow up death^(Z) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears^(AA)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace^(AB)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.^(AC)

⁹In that day^(AD) they will say,

“Surely this is our God;^(AE)
we trusted^(AF) in him, and he saved^(AG) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice^(AH) and be glad in his salvation.”^(AI)

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Acts 4:13-31

New International Version

¹³When they saw the courage of Peter and John^(A) and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men,^(B) they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.^(C) ¹⁴But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin^(D) and then conferred together. ¹⁶“What are we going to do with these men?”^(E) they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign,^(F) and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.^(G) ¹⁹But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him?^(H) You be the judges! ²⁰As for us, we cannot help speaking^(I) about what we have seen and heard.”^(J)

²¹After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people^(K) were praising God^(L) for what had happened. ²²For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

The Believers Pray

²³On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.^(M) “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.^(N) ²⁵You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:^(O)

“‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.^[a]’^[b]^(P)

²⁷Indeed Herod^(Q) and Pontius Pilate^(R) met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus,^(S) whom you anointed. ²⁸They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.^(T) ²⁹Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.^(U) ³⁰Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders^(V) through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”^(W)

³¹After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.^(X) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit^(Y) and spoke the word of God^(Z) boldly.^(AA)

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Footnotes

Acts 4:26 That is, Messiah or Christ
Acts 4:26 Psalm 2:1,2

John 16:16-33

New International Version

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

¹⁶Jesus went on to say, “In a little while^(A) you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”^(B)

¹⁷At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’^(C) and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”^(D) ¹⁸They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

¹⁹Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? ²⁰Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn^(E) while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.^(F) ²¹A woman giving birth to a child has pain^(G) because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²²So with you: Now is your time of grief,^(H) but I will see you again^(I) and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.^(J) ²³In that day^(K) you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.^(L) ²⁴Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,^(M) and your joy will be complete.^(N)

²⁵“Though I have been speaking figuratively,^(O) a time is coming^(P) when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in my name.^(Q) I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me^(R) and have believed that I came from God.^(S) ²⁸I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”^(T)

²⁹Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.^(U) ³⁰Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe^(V) that you came from God.”^(W)

³¹“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. ³²“A time is coming^(X) and in fact has come when you will be scattered,^(Y) each to your own home. You will leave me all alone.^(Z) Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.^(AA)

³³“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.^(AB) In this world you will have trouble.^(AC) But take heart! I have overcome^(AD) the world.”

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