Psalm 93

The Voice

Psalm 93

¹The Eternal reigns, clothed in majesty;
    He is dressed in power;
    He has surrounded Himself with strength.
He has established the world, and it will never be toppled.
²Your throne was established from the beginning of the world, O God,
    and You are everlasting.

³The waters have risen, O Eternal One;
    the sound of pounding waves is deafening.
    The waters have roared with power.
⁴More powerful than the thunder of mighty rivers,
    more powerful than the mighty waves in the ocean
    is the Eternal on high!

⁵Your teachings are true;
Your decrees sure.
Sacredness adorns Your house, O Eternal One, forevermore.

1 Chronicles 12:16-22

The Voice

¹⁶Some Benjaminites and Judahites then joined David’s army.

David (to the Benjaminites and Judahites): ¹⁷If you are joining my army because you agree with my rule, then I welcome your help. We will unify the land of Israel as brothers. But if you are joining me as spies for my enemies, even though I have done nothing wrong, then our God, the God of our fathers, will judge your actions.

Amasai, the Chief of the 30 (inspired by the Spirit): ¹⁸We are at your command, David, son of Jesse! May peace reward you and your allies, for your God is your ally.

So David accepted them as warriors and made them captains of the guard.

^19aAs David requested the aid of his Philistine allies in a battle against Saul, some Manassehites defected from Saul’s army to David’s army.^[a] ²⁰The Manassehites included Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai—all captains of thousands in their tribe. ²¹They could help David against attackers because they were all warriors and captains in the army. ²²Every day the numbers of David’s army increased, until it was as great as the army of God—large in number and justified by God’s will. ^19bBut the Philistines at Ziklag refused to help David.

Philistines at Ziklag (fearfully): David may join Saul’s army and kill us.

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Footnotes

12:19 The remainder of verse 19 has been moved to follow verse 22 to help in understanding the flow of the passage.

Revelation 21:5-14

The Voice

⁵And the One who sat on the throne announced to His creation,

The One: See, I am making all things new. (turning to me) Write what you hear and see, for these words are faithful and true. ⁶It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will see to it that the thirsty drink freely from the fountain of the water of life. ⁷To the victors will go this inheritance: I will be their God, and they will be My children. ⁸It will not be so for the cowards, the faithless, the sacrilegious, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all those who deal in deception. They will inherit an eternity in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

John sees an amazing sight. It is something no one had ever seen nor will ever see until that day arrives. Scene by blessed scene passes before the prophet. Finally he is transported to the end of history only to discover it is no end at all; it is a new beginning. The prophecies—every last one of them—are coming true. God’s plan will be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven when the new Jerusalem comes down and He lives among His people. All things will become new.

⁹And then one of the seven messengers in charge of the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came over to me.

Heavenly Messenger: Come with me, and I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

¹⁰He took me away in the Spirit and set me on top of a great, high mountain. As I waited for what I thought was a bride, he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. ¹¹It gleamed and shined with the glory of God; its radiance was like the most precious of jewels, like jasper, and it was as clear as crystal. ¹²It was surrounded with a wall, great and high. There were twelve gates. Assigned to each gate was a messenger, twelve in all. And on the gates were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons. ¹³On the east wall were three gates. On the north wall were three gates. On the south wall were three gates. On the west wall were three gates. ¹⁴And the city wall sat perfectly on twelve foundation stones, and on them were inscribed the names of the twelve emissaries^[a] of the Lamb.