Psalm 94

The Lord is a God who avenges.(A)
    O God who avenges, shine forth.(B)
Rise up,(C) Judge(D) of the earth;
    pay back(E) to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord, will the wicked,
    how long will the wicked be jubilant?(F)

They pour out arrogant(G) words;
    all the evildoers are full of boasting.(H)
They crush your people,(I) Lord;
    they oppress your inheritance.(J)
They slay the widow(K) and the foreigner;
    they murder the fatherless.(L)
They say, “The Lord does not see;(M)
    the God of Jacob(N) takes no notice.”

Take notice, you senseless ones(O) among the people;
    you fools, when will you become wise?
Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
    Does he who formed the eye not see?(P)
10 Does he who disciplines(Q) nations not punish?
    Does he who teaches(R) mankind lack knowledge?
11 The Lord knows all human plans;(S)
    he knows that they are futile.(T)

12 Blessed is the one you discipline,(U) Lord,
    the one you teach(V) from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,(W)
    till a pit(X) is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not reject his people;(Y)
    he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,(Z)
    and all the upright in heart(AA) will follow it.

16 Who will rise up(AB) for me against the wicked?
    Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?(AC)
17 Unless the Lord had given me help,(AD)
    I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.(AE)
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,(AF)
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety(AG) was great within me,
    your consolation(AH) brought me joy.

20 Can a corrupt throne(AI) be allied with you—
    a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?(AJ)
21 The wicked band together(AK) against the righteous
    and condemn the innocent(AL) to death.(AM)
22 But the Lord has become my fortress,
    and my God the rock(AN) in whom I take refuge.(AO)
23 He will repay(AP) them for their sins
    and destroy(AQ) them for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will destroy them.

Psalm 95

Come,(AR) let us sing for joy(AS) to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud(AT) to the Rock(AU) of our salvation.
Let us come before him(AV) with thanksgiving(AW)
    and extol him with music(AX) and song.

For the Lord is the great God,(AY)
    the great King(AZ) above all gods.(BA)
In his hand are the depths of the earth,(BB)
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.(BC)

Come, let us bow down(BD) in worship,(BE)
    let us kneel(BF) before the Lord our Maker;(BG)
for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,(BH)
    the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice,
“Do not harden your hearts(BI) as you did at Meribah,[a](BJ)
    as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness,(BK)
where your ancestors tested(BL) me;
    they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years(BM) I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,(BN)
    and they have not known my ways.’(BO)
11 So I declared on oath(BP) in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”(BQ)

Psalm 96(BR)

Sing to the Lord(BS) a new song;(BT)
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;(BU)
    proclaim his salvation(BV) day after day.
Declare his glory(BW) among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds(BX) among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(BY)
    he is to be feared(BZ) above all gods.(CA)
For all the gods of the nations are idols,(CB)
    but the Lord made the heavens.(CC)
Splendor and majesty(CD) are before him;
    strength and glory(CE) are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord,(CF) all you families of nations,(CG)
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering(CH) and come into his courts.(CI)
Worship the Lord(CJ) in the splendor of his[c] holiness;(CK)
    tremble(CL) before him, all the earth.(CM)
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.(CN)
    The world is firmly established,(CO) it cannot be moved;(CP)
    he will judge(CQ) the peoples with equity.(CR)

11 Let the heavens rejoice,(CS) let the earth be glad;(CT)
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest(CU) sing for joy.(CV)
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge(CW) the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness(CX)
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.(CY)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 95:8 Meribah means quarreling.
  2. Psalm 95:8 Massah means testing.
  3. Psalm 96:9 Or Lord with the splendor of

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

14 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness,(A) filled with knowledge(B) and competent to instruct one another. 15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me(C) 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles.(D) He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God,(E) so that the Gentiles might become an offering(F) acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus(G) in my service to God.(H) 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles(I) to obey God(J) by what I have said and done— 19 by the power of signs and wonders,(K) through the power of the Spirit of God.(L) So from Jerusalem(M) all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.(N) 20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel(O) where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.(P) 21 Rather, as it is written:

“Those who were not told about him will see,
    and those who have not heard will understand.”[a](Q)

22 This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.(R)

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

23 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,(S) 24 I plan to do so when I go to Spain.(T) I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist(U) me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem(V) in the service(W) of the Lord’s people(X) there. 26 For Macedonia(Y) and Achaia(Z) were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.(AA) 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.(AB) 28 So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain(AC) and visit you on the way. 29 I know that when I come to you,(AD) I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit,(AE) to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.(AF) 31 Pray that I may be kept safe(AG) from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution(AH) I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people(AI) there, 32 so that I may come to you(AJ) with joy, by God’s will,(AK) and in your company be refreshed.(AL) 33 The God of peace(AM) be with you all. Amen.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 15:21 Isaiah 52:15 (see Septuagint)

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