⁵ And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,^(A) who is from everlasting to everlasting.^[a]”

Praise to God for a Living Hope

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!^(A) In his great mercy^(B) he has given us new birth^(C) into a living hope^(D) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,^(E)

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a](A) made his light shine in our hearts^(B) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.^(C)

Psalm 103

Of David.

The Father Revealed in the Son^(A)

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,^(B) Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.^(C)

¹⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.”^(A) Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,^(B) inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more ¹¹ the sounds of joy and gladness,^(C) the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings^(D) to the house of the Lord, saying,

For I will restore the fortunes^(G) of the land as they were before,^(H)’ says the Lord.

Psalm 117

¹¹ With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

And all the people gave a great shout^(B) of praise to the Lord, because the foundation^(C) of the house of the Lord was laid.