Psalm 98-103
English Standard Version
Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord
A Psalm.
98 Oh sing to the Lord (A)a new song,
for he has done (B)marvelous things!
His (C)right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has (D)made known his salvation;
he has (E)revealed his righteousness in (F)the sight of the nations.
3 He has (G)remembered his (H)steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All (I)the ends of the earth have seen
(J)the salvation of our God.
4 (K)Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
(L)break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the (M)sound of melody!
6 With (N)trumpets and the sound of (O)the horn
(P)make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
7 (Q)Let the sea roar, and (R)all that fills it;
(S)the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers (T)clap their hands;
let (U)the hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for he comes
to (V)judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
The Lord Our God Is Holy
99 (W)The Lord reigns; (X)let the peoples tremble!
He (Y)sits enthroned upon the cherubim; (Z)let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is (AA)great in Zion;
he is (AB)exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your (AC)great and awesome name!
(AD)Holy is he!
4 (AE)The King in his might (AF)loves justice.[a]
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 (AG)Exalt the Lord our God;
(AH)worship at his (AI)footstool!
(AJ)Holy is he!
6 (AK)Moses and Aaron were among his (AL)priests,
Samuel also was among those who (AM)called upon his name.
They (AN)called to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In (AO)the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they (AP)kept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were (AQ)a forgiving God to them,
but (AR)an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his (AS)holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
A Psalm for (AT)giving thanks.
100 (AU)Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 (AV)Serve the Lord with gladness!
(AW)Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that (AX)the Lord, he is God!
It is he who (AY)made us, and (AZ)we are his;[b]
we are his (BA)people, and (BB)the sheep of his pasture.
4 (BC)Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his (BD)courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; (BE)bless his name!
5 (BF)For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his (BG)faithfulness to all generations.
I Will Walk with Integrity
A Psalm of David.
101 I will sing of (BH)steadfast love and justice;
to you, O Lord, I will make music.
2 I will (BI)ponder the way (BJ)that is blameless.
Oh when will you (BK)come to me?
I will (BL)walk with (BM)integrity of heart
within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes
anything (BN)that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who (BO)fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
4 (BP)A perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will (BQ)know nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor (BR)secretly
I will (BS)destroy.
Whoever has a (BT)haughty look and an (BU)arrogant heart
I will not endure.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in (BV)the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.
7 No one who (BW)practices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall (BX)continue before my eyes.
8 (BY)Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
(BZ)cutting off all (CA)the evildoers
from (CB)the city of the Lord.
Do Not Hide Your Face from Me
A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is (CC)faint and (CD)pours out his complaint before the Lord.
102 (CE)Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry (CF)come to you!
2 (CG)Do not hide your face from me
in (CH)the day of my distress!
(CI)Incline your ear to me;
(CJ)answer me speedily (CK)in the day when I call!
3 For my days (CL)pass away like smoke,
and my (CM)bones burn like a furnace.
4 My heart is (CN)struck down like grass and (CO)has withered;
I (CP)forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of my loud groaning
my (CQ)bones cling to my flesh.
6 I am like (CR)a desert owl of the wilderness,
like an owl[c] of the waste places;
7 I (CS)lie awake;
I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
8 All the day my enemies taunt me;
those who (CT)deride me (CU)use my name for a curse.
9 For I eat ashes like bread
and (CV)mingle tears with my drink,
10 because of your indignation and anger;
for you have (CW)taken me up and (CX)thrown me down.
11 My days are like (CY)an evening shadow;
I (CZ)wither away like grass.
12 But you, O Lord, are (DA)enthroned forever;
you (DB)are remembered throughout all generations.
13 You will (DC)arise and have (DD)pity on Zion;
it is the time to favor her;
(DE)the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants hold her (DF)stones dear
and have pity on her dust.
15 Nations will (DG)fear the name of the Lord,
and all (DH)the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
16 For the Lord (DI)builds up Zion;
he (DJ)appears in his glory;
17 he (DK)regards the prayer of the destitute
and does not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be (DL)recorded for (DM)a generation to come,
so that (DN)a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:
19 that he (DO)looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
20 to hear (DP)the groans of the prisoners,
to set free (DQ)those who were doomed to die,
21 that they may (DR)declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
and in Jerusalem his praise,
22 when (DS)peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.
23 He has broken my strength in midcourse;
he (DT)has shortened my days.
24 “O my God,” (DU)I say, “take me not away
in the midst of my days—
(DV)you whose years endure
throughout all generations!”
25 (DW)Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and (DX)the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 (DY)They will perish, but (DZ)you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27 but (EA)you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 (EB)The children of your servants (EC)shall dwell secure;
(ED)their offspring shall be established before you.
Bless the Lord, O My Soul
Of David.
103 (EE)Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 (EF)Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and (EG)forget not all his benefits,
3 who (EH)forgives all your iniquity,
who (EI)heals all your diseases,
4 who (EJ)redeems your life from the pit,
who (EK)crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who (EL)satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like (EM)the eagle's.
6 The Lord works (EN)righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his (EO)ways to Moses,
his (EP)acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is (EQ)merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 (ER)He will not always chide,
nor will he (ES)keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us (ET)according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For (EU)as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his (EV)steadfast love toward (EW)those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he (EX)remove our transgressions from us.
13 As (EY)a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion (EZ)to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;[d]
he (FA)remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like (FB)grass;
he flourishes like (FC)a flower of the field;
16 for (FD)the wind passes over it, and (FE)it is gone,
and (FF)its place knows it no more.
17 But (FG)the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on (FH)those who fear him,
and his righteousness to (FI)children's children,
18 to those who (FJ)keep his covenant
and (FK)remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has (FL)established his throne in the heavens,
and his (FM)kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, O you (FN)his angels,
you (FO)mighty ones who (FP)do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
21 Bless the Lord, all his (FQ)hosts,
his (FR)ministers, who do his will!
22 (FS)Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
(FT)Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Footnotes
- Psalm 99:4 Or The might of the King loves justice
- Psalm 100:3 Or and not we ourselves
- Psalm 102:6 The precise identity of these birds is uncertain
- Psalm 103:14 Or knows how we are formed
2 Corinthians 8
English Standard Version
Encouragement to Give Generously
8 We want you to know, brothers,[a] about the grace of God that has been (A)given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and (B)their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave (C)according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly (D)for the favor[b] of taking part in (E)the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they (F)gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, (G)we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you (H)this act of grace. 7 But as (I)you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you[c]—(J)see that you excel in this act of grace also.
8 (K)I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that (L)though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter (M)I give my judgment: (N)this benefits you, who (O)a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable (P)according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply (Q)their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, (R)“Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
Commendation of Titus
16 But (S)thanks be to God, (T)who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For (U)he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going[d] to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending[e] (V)the brother who is famous among (W)all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been (X)appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of (Y)grace that is being ministered by us, (Z)for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for (AA)we aim at what is honorable (AB)not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is (AC)my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers[f] of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of (AD)our boasting about you to these men.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 8:1 Or brothers and sisters
- 2 Corinthians 8:4 The Greek word charis can mean favor or grace or thanks, depending on the context
- 2 Corinthians 8:7 Some manuscripts in your love for us
- 2 Corinthians 8:17 Or he went
- 2 Corinthians 8:18 Or we sent; also verse 22
- 2 Corinthians 8:23 Greek apostles
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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