Psalm 97-99

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)

Psalm 98

A psalm.

¹Sing to the Lord^(AL) a new song,^(AM)
    for he has done marvelous things;^(AN)
his right hand^(AO) and his holy arm^(AP)
    have worked salvation^(AQ) for him.
²The Lord has made his salvation known^(AR)
    and revealed his righteousness^(AS) to the nations.^(AT)
³He has remembered^(AU) his love
    and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth^(AV) have seen
    the salvation of our God.^(AW)

⁴Shout for joy^(AX) to the Lord, all the earth,
    burst into jubilant song with music;
⁵make music to the Lord with the harp,^(AY)
    with the harp and the sound of singing,^(AZ)
⁶with trumpets^(BA) and the blast of the ram’s horn^(BB)—
    shout for joy^(BC) before the Lord, the King.^(BD)

⁷Let the sea^(BE) resound, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it.^(BF)
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands,^(BG)
    let the mountains^(BH) sing together for joy;
⁹let them sing before the Lord,
    for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples with equity.^(BI)

Psalm 99

¹The Lord reigns,^(BJ)
    let the nations tremble;^(BK)
he sits enthroned^(BL) between the cherubim,^(BM)
    let the earth shake.
²Great is the Lord^(BN) in Zion;^(BO)
    he is exalted^(BP) over all the nations.
³Let them praise^(BQ) your great and awesome name^(BR)—
    he is holy.^(BS)

⁴The King^(BT) is mighty, he loves justice^(BU)—
    you have established equity;^(BV)
in Jacob you have done
    what is just and right.^(BW)
⁵Exalt^(BX) the Lord our God
    and worship at his footstool;
    he is holy.

⁶Moses^(BY) and Aaron^(BZ) were among his priests,
    Samuel^(CA) was among those who called on his name;
they called on the Lord
    and he answered^(CB) them.
⁷He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;^(CC)
    they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

⁸Lord our God,
    you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,^(CD)
    though you punished^(CE) their misdeeds.^[b]
⁹Exalt the Lord our God
    and worship at his holy mountain,
    for the Lord our God is holy.

Footnotes

Psalm 97:11 One Hebrew manuscript and ancient versions (see also 112:4); most Hebrew manuscripts Light is sown
Psalm 99:8 Or God, / an avenger of the wrongs done to them

Galatians 2

New International Version

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,^(A) this time with Barnabas.^(B) I took Titus^(C) along also. ²I went in response to a revelation^(D) and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.^(E) I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race^(F) in vain. ³Yet not even Titus,^(G) who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.^(H) ⁴This matter arose because some false believers^(I) had infiltrated our ranks to spy on^(J) the freedom^(K) we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. ⁵We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel^(L) might be preserved for you.

⁶As for those who were held in high esteem^(M)—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism^(N)—they added nothing to my message.^(O) ⁷On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task^(P) of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised,^[a]^(Q) just as Peter^(R) had been to the circumcised.^[b] ⁸For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle^(S) to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle^(T) to the Gentiles. ⁹James,^(U) Cephas^[c]^(V) and John, those esteemed as pillars,^(W) gave me and Barnabas^(X) the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.^(Y) They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles,^(Z) and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor,^(AA) the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

Paul Opposes Cephas

¹¹When Cephas^(AB) came to Antioch,^(AC) I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹²For before certain men came from James,^(AD) he used to eat with the Gentiles.^(AE) But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.^(AF) ¹³The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas^(AG) was led astray.

¹⁴When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel,^(AH) I said to Cephas^(AI) in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.^(AJ) How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?^(AK)

¹⁵“We who are Jews by birth^(AL) and not sinful Gentiles^(AM) ¹⁶know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,^(AN) but by faith in Jesus Christ.^(AO) So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in^[d] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.^(AP)

¹⁷“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners,^(AQ) doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!^(AR) ¹⁸If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

¹⁹“For through the law I died to the law^(AS) so that I might live for God.^(AT) ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ^(AU) and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.^(AV) The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,^(AW) who loved me^(AX) and gave himself for me.^(AY) ²¹I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law,^(AZ) Christ died for nothing!”^[e]

Footnotes

Galatians 2:7 That is, Gentiles
Galatians 2:7 That is, Jews; also in verses 8 and 9
Galatians 2:9 That is, Peter; also in verses 11 and 14
Galatians 2:16 Or but through the faithfulness of … justified on the basis of the faithfulness of
Galatians 2:21 Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 14.