Psalm 97

New International Version

Psalm 97

¹The Lord reigns,^(A) let the earth be glad;^(B)
    let the distant shores^(C) rejoice.
²Clouds^(D) and thick darkness^(E) surround him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.^(F)
³Fire^(G) goes before^(H) him
    and consumes^(I) his foes on every side.
⁴His lightning^(J) lights up the world;
    the earth^(K) sees and trembles.^(L)
⁵The mountains melt^(M) like wax^(N) before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.^(O)
⁶The heavens proclaim his righteousness,^(P)
    and all peoples see his glory.^(Q)

⁷All who worship images^(R) are put to shame,^(S)
those who boast in idols^(T)—
worship him,^(U) all you gods!^(V)

⁸Zion hears and rejoices
    and the villages of Judah are glad^(W)
    because of your judgments,^(X) Lord.
⁹For you, Lord, are the Most High^(Y) over all the earth;^(Z)
    you are exalted^(AA) far above all gods.
¹⁰Let those who love the Lord hate evil,^(AB)
    for he guards^(AC) the lives of his faithful ones^(AD)
    and delivers^(AE) them from the hand of the wicked.^(AF)
¹¹Light shines^[a]^(AG) on the righteous^(AH)
    and joy on the upright in heart.^(AI)
¹²Rejoice in the Lord,^(AJ) you who are righteous,
    and praise his holy name.^(AK)

Footnotes

Psalm 97:11 One Hebrew manuscript and ancient versions (see also 112:4); most Hebrew manuscripts Light is sown

Exodus 32:15-35

New International Version

¹⁵Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law^(A) in his hands.^(B) They were inscribed^(C) on both sides, front and back. ¹⁶The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.^(D)

¹⁷When Joshua^(E) heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

¹⁸Moses replied:

“It is not the sound of victory,
it is not the sound of defeat;
it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

¹⁹When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf^(F) and the dancing,^(G) his anger burned^(H) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces^(I) at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰And he took the calf the people had made and burned^(J) it in the fire; then he ground it to powder,^(K) scattered it on the water^(L) and made the Israelites drink it.

²¹He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

²²“Do not be angry,^(M) my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil.^(N) ²³They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’^(O) ²⁴So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”^(P)

²⁵Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock^(Q) to their enemies. ²⁶So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

²⁷Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’”^(R) ²⁸The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. ²⁹Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

³⁰The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin.^(S) But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement^(T) for your sin.”

³¹So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed!^(U) They have made themselves gods of gold.^(V) ³²But now, please forgive their sin^(W)—but if not, then blot me^(X) out of the book^(Y) you have written.”

³³The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out^(Z) of my book. ³⁴Now go, lead^(AA) the people to the place^(AB) I spoke of, and my angel^(AC) will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish,^(AD) I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf^(AE) Aaron had made.

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Jude 17-25

New International Version

A Call to Persevere

¹⁷But, dear friends, remember what the apostles^(A) of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.^(B) ¹⁸They said to you, “In the last times^(C) there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”^(D) ¹⁹These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.^(E)

²⁰But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up^(F) in your most holy faith^(G) and praying in the Holy Spirit,^(H) ²¹keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait^(I) for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.^(J)

²²Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³save others by snatching them from the fire;^(K) to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.^[a]^(L)

Doxology

²⁴To him who is able^(M) to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence^(N) without fault^(O) and with great joy— ²⁵to the only God^(P) our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!^(Q) Amen.^(R)