Psalm 94-96

New International Version

Psalm 94

¹The Lord is a God who avenges.^(A)
    O God who avenges, shine forth.^(B)
²Rise up,^(C) Judge^(D) of the earth;
    pay back^(E) to the proud what they deserve.
³How long, Lord, will the wicked,
    how long will the wicked be jubilant?^(F)

⁴They pour out arrogant^(G) words;
    all the evildoers are full of boasting.^(H)
⁵They crush your people,^(I) Lord;
    they oppress your inheritance.^(J)
⁶They slay the widow^(K) and the foreigner;
    they murder the fatherless.^(L)
⁷They say, “The Lord does not see;^(M)
    the God of Jacob^(N) takes no notice.”

⁸Take notice, you senseless ones^(O) among the people;
    you fools, when will you become wise?
⁹Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
    Does he who formed the eye not see?^(P)
¹⁰Does he who disciplines^(Q) nations not punish?
    Does he who teaches^(R) mankind lack knowledge?
¹¹The Lord knows all human plans;^(S)
    he knows that they are futile.^(T)

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

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

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

Psalm 95

¹Come,^(AR) let us sing for joy^(AS) to the Lord;
let us shout aloud^(AT) to the Rock^(AU) of our salvation.
²Let us come before him^(AV) with thanksgiving^(AW)
and extol him with music^(AX) and song.

³For the Lord is the great God,^(AY)
    the great King^(AZ) above all gods.^(BA)
⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth,^(BB)
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.^(BC)

⁶Come, let us bow down^(BD) in worship,^(BE)
    let us kneel^(BF) before the Lord our Maker;^(BG)
⁷for 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,
⁸“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)
⁹where your ancestors tested^(BL) me;
    they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
¹⁰For 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)
¹¹So I declared on oath^(BP) in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”^(BQ)

Psalm 96^(BR)

¹Sing to the Lord^(BS) a new song;^(BT)
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
²Sing to the Lord, praise his name;^(BU)
    proclaim his salvation^(BV) day after day.
³Declare his glory^(BW) among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds^(BX) among all peoples.

⁴For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;^(BY)
    he is to be feared^(BZ) above all gods.^(CA)
⁵For all the gods of the nations are idols,^(CB)
    but the Lord made the heavens.^(CC)
⁶Splendor and majesty^(CD) are before him;
    strength and glory^(CE) are in his sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe to the Lord,^(CF) all you families of nations,^(CG)
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
⁸Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering^(CH) and come into his courts.^(CI)
⁹Worship the Lord^(CJ) in the splendor of his^[c] holiness;^(CK)
    tremble^(CL) before him, all the earth.^(CM)
¹⁰Say 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)

¹¹Let the heavens rejoice,^(CS) let the earth be glad;^(CT)
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
¹²Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest^(CU) sing for joy.^(CV)
¹³Let 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

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

Romans 15:14-33

New International Version

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

¹⁴I 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. ¹⁵Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me^(C) ¹⁶to 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.

¹⁷Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus^(G) in my service to God.^(H) ¹⁸I 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— ¹⁹by 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) ²⁰It 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) ²¹Rather, as it is written:

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

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

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

²³But 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) ²⁴I 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. ²⁵Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem^(V) in the service^(W) of the Lord’s people^(X) there. ²⁶For Macedonia^(Y) and Achaia^(Z) were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.^(AA) ²⁷They 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) ²⁸So 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. ²⁹I know that when I come to you,^(AD) I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰I 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) ³¹Pray 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, ³²so that I may come to you^(AJ) with joy, by God’s will,^(AK) and in your company be refreshed.^(AL) ³³The God of peace^(AM) be with you all. Amen.