Psalm 57

English Standard Version

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Do Not Destroy. A ^(B)Miktam^[a] of David, when he fled from Saul, in ^(C)the cave.

57 ^(D)Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul ^(E)takes refuge;
in ^(F)the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    ^(G)till the storms of destruction pass by.
²I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who ^(H)fulfills his purpose for me.
³^(I)He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame ^(J)him who tramples on me. Selah
^(K)God will send out ^(L)his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

⁴My soul is in the midst of ^(M)lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose ^(N)teeth are spears and arrows,
whose ^(O)tongues are sharp swords.

⁵^(P)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶They set ^(Q)a net for my steps;
    my soul was ^(R)bowed down.
They ^(S)dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
⁷^(T)My heart is ^(U)steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
⁸    ^(V)Awake, ^(W)my glory!^[b]
Awake, ^(X)O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
⁹I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰For your ^(Y)steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

¹¹^(Z)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

Footnotes

Psalm 57:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 57:8 Or my whole being

Psalm 95

English Standard Version

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

95 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us ^(A)make a joyful noise to ^(B)the rock of our salvation!
²Let us ^(C)come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us ^(D)make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³For the Lord is ^(E)a great God,
    and a great King ^(F)above all gods.
⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵The sea is his, for ^(G)he made it,
    and his hands formed ^(H)the dry land.

⁶Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us ^(I)kneel before the Lord, our ^(J)Maker!
⁷For he is our ^(K)God,
    and we are the people of his ^(L)pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
^(M)Today, if you ^(N)hear his voice,
⁸    ^(O)do not harden your hearts, as at ^(P)Meribah,
    as on the day at ^(Q)Massah in the wilderness,
⁹when your fathers put me to the ^(R)test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my ^(S)work.
¹⁰^(T)For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known ^(U)my ways.”
¹¹Therefore I ^(V)swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter ^(W)my rest.”

Psalm 97-99

English Standard Version

The Lord Reigns

97 ^(A)The Lord reigns, ^(B)let the earth rejoice;
    let the many ^(C)coastlands be glad!
²^(D)Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    ^(E)righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³^(F)Fire goes before him
    and burns up his adversaries all around.
⁴His ^(G)lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and ^(H)trembles.
⁵The mountains ^(I)melt like ^(J)wax before the Lord,
    before ^(K)the Lord of all the earth.

⁶^(L)The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all ^(M)the peoples see his glory.
⁷All worshipers of images are ^(N)put to shame,
    who make their boast in ^(O)worthless idols;
    ^(P)worship him, all you gods!

⁸Zion hears and ^(Q)is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O Lord.
⁹For you, O Lord, are ^(R)most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above ^(S)all gods.

¹⁰O you who love the Lord, ^(T)hate evil!
    He ^(U)preserves the lives of his ^(V)saints;
    he ^(W)delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹^(X)Light ^(Y)is sown^[a] for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
¹²^(Z)Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and ^(AA)give thanks to his holy name!

Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord

A Psalm.

98 Oh sing to the Lord ^(AB)a new song,
    for he has done ^(AC)marvelous things!
His ^(AD)right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
²The Lord has ^(AE)made known his salvation;
    he has ^(AF)revealed his righteousness in ^(AG)the sight of the nations.
³He has ^(AH)remembered his ^(AI)steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All ^(AJ)the ends of the earth have seen
    ^(AK)the salvation of our God.

⁴^(AL)Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    ^(AM)break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
⁵Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the ^(AN)sound of melody!
⁶With ^(AO)trumpets and the sound of ^(AP)the horn
    ^(AQ)make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

⁷^(AR)Let the sea roar, and ^(AS)all that fills it;
    ^(AT)the world and those who dwell in it!
⁸Let the rivers ^(AU)clap their hands;
    let ^(AV)the hills sing for joy together
⁹before the Lord, for he comes
    to ^(AW)judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity.

The Lord Our God Is Holy

99 ^(AX)The Lord reigns; ^(AY)let the peoples tremble!
    He ^(AZ)sits enthroned upon the cherubim; ^(BA)let the earth quake!
²The Lord is ^(BB)great in Zion;
    he is ^(BC)exalted over all the peoples.
³Let them praise your ^(BD)great and awesome name!
    ^(BE)Holy is he!
⁴^(BF)The King in his might ^(BG)loves justice.^[b]
    You have established equity;
you have executed justice
    and righteousness in Jacob.
⁵^(BH)Exalt the Lord our God;
    ^(BI)worship at his ^(BJ)footstool!
    ^(BK)Holy is he!

⁶^(BL)Moses and Aaron were among his ^(BM)priests,
    Samuel also was among those who ^(BN)called upon his name.
    They ^(BO)called to the Lord, and he answered them.
⁷In ^(BP)the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
    they ^(BQ)kept his testimonies
    and the statute that he gave them.

⁸O Lord our God, you answered them;
    you were ^(BR)a forgiving God to them,
    but ^(BS)an avenger of their wrongdoings.
⁹Exalt the Lord our God,
    and worship at his ^(BT)holy mountain;
    for the Lord our God is holy!

Footnotes

Psalm 97:11 Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac, Jerome Light dawns
Psalm 99:4 Or The might of the King loves justice

2 Samuel 24

English Standard Version

David's Census

24 ^(A)^(B)Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, ^(C)“Go, number Israel and Judah.” ²So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army,^[a] who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, ^(D)from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” ³But Joab said to the king, ^(E)“May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” ⁴But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. ⁵They crossed the Jordan and began from ^(F)Aroer,^[b] and from the city that is in the middle of the ^(G)valley, toward Gad and on to ^(H)Jazer. ⁶Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites;^[c] and they came to Dan, and from Dan^[d] they went around to ^(I)Sidon, ⁷and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the ^(J)Hivites and ^(K)Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. ⁸So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ⁹And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men ^(L)who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.

The Lord's Judgment of David's Sin

¹⁰But ^(M)David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, ^(N)“I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done ^(O)very foolishly.” ¹¹And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to ^(P)the prophet Gad, David's ^(Q)seer, saying, ¹²“Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer^[e] you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” ¹³So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall ^(R)three^[f] years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” ¹⁴Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, ^(S)for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁵^(T)So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from ^(U)Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. ¹⁶And when ^(V)the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem ^(W)to destroy it, ^(X)the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel ^(Y)who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And ^(Z)the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of ^(AA)Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of ^(AB)Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹So David went up at Gad's word, as the Lord commanded. ²⁰And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. ²¹And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague ^(AC)may be averted from the people.” ²²Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the ^(AD)threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. ²³All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God ^(AE)accept you.” ²⁴But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels^[g] of silver. ²⁵And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. ^(AF)So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

Footnotes

2 Samuel 24:2 Septuagint to Joab and the commanders of the army
2 Samuel 24:5 Septuagint; Hebrew encamped in Aroer
2 Samuel 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew to the land of Tahtim-hodshi
2 Samuel 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew they came to Dan-jaan and
2 Samuel 24:12 Or hold over
2 Samuel 24:13 Compare 1 Chronicles 21:12, Septuagint; Hebrew seven
2 Samuel 24:24 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

1 Chronicles 21

English Standard Version

David's Census Brings Pestilence

21 ^(A)Then ^(B)Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. ²So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” ³But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord's servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” ⁴But the king's word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. ⁵And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were ^(C)1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and in Judah ^(D)470,000 who drew the sword. ⁶^(E)But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab.

⁷But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. ⁸And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please ^(F)take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” ⁹And the Lord spoke to Gad, David's ^(G)seer, saying, ¹⁰“Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” ¹¹So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Choose what you will: ¹²either ^(H)three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” ¹³Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁴So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. ¹⁵And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he ^(I)relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, ^(J)clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. ¹⁷And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father's house. But do not let the plague be on your people.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸Now ^(K)the angel of the Lord had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹So David went up at Gad's word, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord. ²⁰Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. ²¹As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. ²²And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the Lord—give it to me at its full price—that the plague may be averted from the people.” ²³Then Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.” ²⁴But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” ²⁵So David paid Ornan ^(L)600 shekels^[a] of gold by weight for the site. ²⁶And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the Lord, and the Lord^[b] ^(M)answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷Then the Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

²⁸At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. ²⁹For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering ^(N)were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, ³⁰but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.