Psalm 96-102

English Standard Version

Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

96 ^(A)Oh sing to the Lord ^(B)a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth!
²Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
    ^(C)tell of his salvation from day to day.
³Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
⁴For ^(D)great is the Lord, and ^(E)greatly to be praised;
    he is to be feared above ^(F)all gods.
⁵For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but the Lord ^(G)made the heavens.
⁶Splendor and majesty are before him;
    ^(H)strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe to the Lord, O ^(I)families of the peoples,
    ^(J)ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
⁸Ascribe to the Lord ^(K)the glory due his name;
    bring ^(L)an offering, and ^(M)come into his courts!
⁹Worship the Lord in ^(N)the splendor of holiness;^[a]
    ^(O)tremble before him, all the earth!

¹⁰Say among the nations, ^(P)“The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will ^(Q)judge the peoples with equity.”

¹¹Let ^(R)the heavens be glad, and let ^(S)the earth rejoice;
    let ^(T)the sea roar, and all that fills it;
¹²    let ^(U)the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all ^(V)the trees of the forest sing for joy
¹³    before the Lord, for he comes,
    for he comes ^(W)to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.

The Lord Reigns

97 ^(X)The Lord reigns, ^(Y)let the earth rejoice;
    let the many ^(Z)coastlands be glad!
²^(AA)Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    ^(AB)righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³^(AC)Fire goes before him
    and burns up his adversaries all around.
⁴His ^(AD)lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and ^(AE)trembles.
⁵The mountains ^(AF)melt like ^(AG)wax before the Lord,
    before ^(AH)the Lord of all the earth.

⁶^(AI)The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all ^(AJ)the peoples see his glory.
⁷All worshipers of images are ^(AK)put to shame,
    who make their boast in ^(AL)worthless idols;
    ^(AM)worship him, all you gods!

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

¹⁰O you who love the Lord, ^(AQ)hate evil!
    He ^(AR)preserves the lives of his ^(AS)saints;
    he ^(AT)delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹^(AU)Light ^(AV)is sown^[b] for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
¹²^(AW)Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and ^(AX)give thanks to his holy name!

Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord

A Psalm.

98 Oh sing to the Lord ^(AY)a new song,
    for he has done ^(AZ)marvelous things!
His ^(BA)right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
²The Lord has ^(BB)made known his salvation;
    he has ^(BC)revealed his righteousness in ^(BD)the sight of the nations.
³He has ^(BE)remembered his ^(BF)steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All ^(BG)the ends of the earth have seen
    ^(BH)the salvation of our God.

⁴^(BI)Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    ^(BJ)break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
⁵Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the ^(BK)sound of melody!
⁶With ^(BL)trumpets and the sound of ^(BM)the horn
    ^(BN)make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

⁷^(BO)Let the sea roar, and ^(BP)all that fills it;
    ^(BQ)the world and those who dwell in it!
⁸Let the rivers ^(BR)clap their hands;
    let ^(BS)the hills sing for joy together
⁹before the Lord, for he comes
    to ^(BT)judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity.

The Lord Our God Is Holy

99 ^(BU)The Lord reigns; ^(BV)let the peoples tremble!
    He ^(BW)sits enthroned upon the cherubim; ^(BX)let the earth quake!
²The Lord is ^(BY)great in Zion;
    he is ^(BZ)exalted over all the peoples.
³Let them praise your ^(CA)great and awesome name!
    ^(CB)Holy is he!
⁴^(CC)The King in his might ^(CD)loves justice.^[c]
    You have established equity;
you have executed justice
    and righteousness in Jacob.
⁵^(CE)Exalt the Lord our God;
    ^(CF)worship at his ^(CG)footstool!
    ^(CH)Holy is he!

⁶^(CI)Moses and Aaron were among his ^(CJ)priests,
    Samuel also was among those who ^(CK)called upon his name.
    They ^(CL)called to the Lord, and he answered them.
⁷In ^(CM)the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
    they ^(CN)kept his testimonies
    and the statute that he gave them.

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

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for ^(CR)giving thanks.

100 ^(CS)Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
² ^(CT)Serve the Lord with gladness!
^(CU)Come into his presence with singing!

³Know that ^(CV)the Lord, he is God!
It is he who ^(CW)made us, and ^(CX)we are his;^[d]
we are his ^(CY)people, and ^(CZ)the sheep of his pasture.

⁴^(DA)Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his ^(DB)courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; ^(DC)bless his name!

⁵^(DD)For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his ^(DE)faithfulness to all generations.

I Will Walk with Integrity

A Psalm of David.

101 I will sing of ^(DF)steadfast love and justice;
    to you, O Lord, I will make music.
²I will ^(DG)ponder the way ^(DH)that is blameless.
    Oh when will you ^(DI)come to me?
I will ^(DJ)walk with ^(DK)integrity of heart
    within my house;
³I will not set before my eyes
    anything ^(DL)that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who ^(DM)fall away;
    it shall not cling to me.
⁴^(DN)A perverse heart shall be far from me;
    I will ^(DO)know nothing of evil.

⁵Whoever slanders his neighbor ^(DP)secretly
I will ^(DQ)destroy.
Whoever has a ^(DR)haughty look and an ^(DS)arrogant heart
I will not endure.

⁶I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in ^(DT)the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.

⁷No one who ^(DU)practices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall ^(DV)continue before my eyes.

⁸^(DW)Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
^(DX)cutting off all ^(DY)the evildoers
from ^(DZ)the city of the Lord.

Do Not Hide Your Face from Me

A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is ^(EA)faint and ^(EB)pours out his complaint before the Lord.

102 ^(EC)Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry ^(ED)come to you!
²^(EE)Do not hide your face from me
in ^(EF)the day of my distress!
^(EG)Incline your ear to me;
^(EH)answer me speedily ^(EI)in the day when I call!

³For my days ^(EJ)pass away like smoke,
    and my ^(EK)bones burn like a furnace.
⁴My heart is ^(EL)struck down like grass and ^(EM)has withered;
    I ^(EN)forget to eat my bread.
⁵Because of my loud groaning
    my ^(EO)bones cling to my flesh.
⁶I am like ^(EP)a desert owl of the wilderness,
    like an owl^[e] of the waste places;
⁷I ^(EQ)lie awake;
    I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
⁸All the day my enemies taunt me;
    those who ^(ER)deride me ^(ES)use my name for a curse.
⁹For I eat ashes like bread
    and ^(ET)mingle tears with my drink,
¹⁰because of your indignation and anger;
    for you have ^(EU)taken me up and ^(EV)thrown me down.
¹¹My days are like ^(EW)an evening shadow;
    I ^(EX)wither away like grass.

¹²But you, O Lord, are ^(EY)enthroned forever;
    you ^(EZ)are remembered throughout all generations.
¹³You will ^(FA)arise and have ^(FB)pity on Zion;
    it is the time to favor her;
    ^(FC)the appointed time has come.
¹⁴For your servants hold her ^(FD)stones dear
    and have pity on her dust.
¹⁵Nations will ^(FE)fear the name of the Lord,
    and all ^(FF)the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
¹⁶For the Lord ^(FG)builds up Zion;
    he ^(FH)appears in his glory;
¹⁷he ^(FI)regards the prayer of the destitute
    and does not despise their prayer.

¹⁸Let this be ^(FJ)recorded for ^(FK)a generation to come,
    so that ^(FL)a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:
¹⁹that he ^(FM)looked down from his holy height;
    from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
²⁰to hear ^(FN)the groans of the prisoners,
    to set free ^(FO)those who were doomed to die,
²¹that they may ^(FP)declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
    and in Jerusalem his praise,
²²when ^(FQ)peoples gather together,
    and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

²³He has broken my strength in midcourse;
    he ^(FR)has shortened my days.
²⁴“O my God,” ^(FS)I say, “take me not away
    in the midst of my days—
^(FT)you whose years endure
    throughout all generations!”

²⁵^(FU)Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
    and ^(FV)the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁶^(FW)They will perish, but ^(FX)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 ^(FY)you are the same, and your years have no end.
²⁸^(FZ)The children of your servants ^(GA)shall dwell secure;
    ^(GB)their offspring shall be established before you.

Footnotes

Psalm 96:9 Or in holy attire
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
Psalm 100:3 Or and not we ourselves
Psalm 102:6 The precise identity of these birds is uncertain