Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 96
1 Sing a new song to the Eternal;
sing in one voice to the Eternal, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Eternal of all the good things He’s done.
Bless His name;
broadcast the good news of His salvation each and every day.
3 Enlighten the nations to His splendor;
describe His wondrous acts to all people.
4 For the Eternal is great indeed and praiseworthy;
feared and reverenced above all gods, the True God shall be.
5 For all human-made, lifeless gods are worthless idols,
but the Eternal plotted the vast heavens, shaped every last detail.
6 Honor and majesty precede Him;
strength and beauty infuse His holy sanctuary.
One of the great themes of Scripture and Psalms is the kingship of God. While lesser kings come and go, God is the One who ultimately rules and reigns over His people, and by extension over the rest of creation. Psalm 96 and others in the collection are often referred to as “enthronement” psalms because they declare boldly and unequivocally that the Eternal is King. There is evidence to suggest that an annual festival at the beginning of the year provided an opportunity to reaffirm the people’s loyalty to the one True God. Psalm 96 calls for new songs to be composed and sung to God and about God as a witness. The enthronement psalms call the world and all its inhabitants to come and recognize His beauty and majesty.
7 Give all credit to the Eternal, families of the world!
Credit Him with glory, honor, and strength!
8 Credit Him with the glory worthy of His magnificent name;
gather your sacrifice, and present it at His temple.
9 Bow down to the Eternal, adorned in holiness;
lay awestruck before Him, trembling, all people of the earth.
14-15 (then facing the standing assembly of Israelites) Praise be to the Eternal One, Israel’s God, who made promises with His mouth to my father, David; and who today has fulfilled His promises with His actions and said, 16 “When I led My people Israel out of Egypt, I did not look to the tribes of Israel and appoint a city to build a temple for My name. Instead, I appointed David to reign over My people Israel.”
17 My father desired to build a temple honoring the reputation of the Eternal One, Israel’s God; 18 but He told my father, David, “It was good enough that this desire was in your heart to build such a temple for My name. 19 However you will not be the one to build this place; but your son who is yet to be born will build your vision, this temple, for My name.”
20 The Eternal has kept this promise. I now sit upon my father David’s throne—the throne of Israel—just as He said, and I have constructed the temple honoring the reputation of the Eternal One, Israel’s God. 21 There I have made a sacred space for the covenant chest. Inside the chest is the covenant of the Eternal which He entered into with our ancestors after He led them out of Egypt.
Paul’s tone changes. Some believe chapters 10–13 may be from his second letter “covered with tears” (2:4). His rebuke and strong warning are meant to lead the Corinthians lovingly to repentance.
11 Please endure a little foolishness on my part; you have come so far with me already. 2 To be completely honest, I am extremely jealous for you; but it’s the same kind of jealousy God has for you. You see, like an attentive father, I have pledged your hand in marriage and promised to present you as a pure virgin to the One who would be your husband, the Anointed One. 3 But now I’m afraid that as that serpent tricked Eve with his wiles, so your hearts and minds will be tricked and you will stray from the single-minded love and pure devotion to Him. 4 So then, if someone comes along and presents you with a Jesus different from the one we told you about, or if you receive a spirit different from the one gifted through our Lord Jesus, or even if you hear a gospel different from the one you heard through us; then you’re ready to go with it.
5 I consider myself in league with the so-called great emissaries; I lack nothing. 6 Even if I’m not the greatest speaker, I make up for it by what I know of God and have proved it time and again to you.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.