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Read the Bible in the chronological order in which its stories and events occurred.

Duration: 365 days

Psalm 95

Psalm 95^[a]

95 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord.
Let us shout out praises to our Protector who delivers us.^[b]
²Let us enter his presence^[c] with thanksgiving.
Let us shout out to him in celebration.^[d]
³For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to^[e] all gods.
⁴The depths of the earth are in his hand,^[f]
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
⁶Come, let us bow down and worship.^[g]
Let us kneel before the Lord, our Creator.
⁷For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns.^[h]
Today, if only you would obey him.^[i]
⁸He says,^[j] “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah,^[k]
like they were that day at Massah^[l] in the wilderness,^[m]
⁹where your ancestors challenged my authority,^[n]
and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.
¹⁰For forty years I was continually disgusted^[o] with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray;^[p]
they do not obey my commands.’^[q]
¹¹So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’”^[r]

Footnotes

Psalm 95:1 sn Psalm 95. The psalmist summons Israel to praise God as the creator of the world and the nation’s protector, but he also reminds the people not to rebel against God.
Psalm 95:1 tn Heb “to the rocky summit of our deliverance.”
Psalm 95:2 tn Heb “meet his face.”
Psalm 95:2 tn Heb “with songs of joy.”
Psalm 95:3 tn Heb “above.”
Psalm 95:4 tn The phrase “in his hand” means within the sphere of his authority.
Psalm 95:6 tn Heb “kneel down.”
Psalm 95:7 tn Heb “of his hand.”
Psalm 95:7 tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (ʾim, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.
Psalm 95:8 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).
Psalm 95:8 sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.
Psalm 95:8 sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).
Psalm 95:8 tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”
Psalm 95:9 tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”
Psalm 95:10 tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.
Psalm 95:10 tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”
Psalm 95:10 tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the Lord’s “ways” are his commands, viewed as a pathway from which his people, likened to wayward sheep (see v. 7), wander.
Psalm 95:11 tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).

Psalm 97-99

Psalm 97^[a]

97 The Lord reigns.
Let the earth be happy.
Let the many coastlands rejoice.
²Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne.^[b]
³Fire goes before him;
on every side^[c] it burns up his enemies.
⁴His lightning bolts light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
⁶The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
⁷All who worship idols are ashamed,
those who boast about worthless idols.
All the gods bow down before him.^[d]
⁸Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns^[e] of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
⁹For you, O Lord, are the Most High^[f] over the whole earth;
you are elevated high above all gods.
¹⁰You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects^[g] the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power^[h] of the wicked.
¹¹The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy.^[i]
¹²You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord.
Give thanks to his holy name.^[j]

Psalm 98^[k]

A psalm.

98 Sing to the Lord a new song,^[l]
for he performs^[m] amazing deeds.
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance.^[n]
²The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver;^[o]
in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.
³He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel.^[p]
All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us.^[q]
⁴Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth.
Break out in a joyful shout and sing!
⁵Sing to the Lord accompanied by a harp,
accompanied by a harp and the sound of music.
⁶With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn,
shout out praises before the king, the Lord.
⁷Let the sea and everything in it shout,
along with the world and those who live in it.
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
⁹before the Lord.
For he comes to judge the earth.
He judges the world fairly,^[r]
and the nations in a just manner.

Psalm 99^[s]

99 The Lord reigns!
The nations tremble.^[t]
He sits enthroned above the cherubim;^[u]
the earth shakes.^[v]
²The Lord is elevated^[w] in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
³Let them praise your great and awesome name.
He^[x] is holy!
⁴The king is strong;
he loves justice.^[y]
You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly;^[z]
you promote justice and equity in Jacob.
⁵Praise^[aa] the Lord our God.
Worship^[ab] before his footstool.
He is holy!
⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel was one of those who prayed to him.^[ac]
They^[ad] prayed to the Lord and he answered them.
⁷He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud;^[ae]
they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.
⁸O Lord our God, you answered them.
They found you to be a forgiving God,
but also one who punished their sinful deeds.^[af]
⁹Praise^[ag] the Lord our God!
Worship on his holy hill,
for the Lord our God is holy.

Footnotes

Psalm 97:1 sn Psalm 97. The psalmist depicts the Lord as the sovereign, just king of the world who comes in power to vindicate his people.
Psalm 97:2 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
Psalm 97:3 tn Heb “all around.”
Psalm 97:7 tn The translation assumes that the prefixed verbal form in the first line is an imperfect (“are ashamed”) and that the ambiguous form in the third line is a perfect (“bow down”) because the psalmist appears to be describing the effect of the Lord’s mighty theophany on those who witness it (see vv. 5, 8). Another option is to take the prefixed form in the first line as a jussive (“let all who worship idols be ashamed”) and the ambiguous form in the third line as an imperative (“All you gods, bow down before him!”; cf. NIV).
Psalm 97:8 tn Heb “daughters.” The term “daughters” refers to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 48:11 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
Psalm 97:9 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
Psalm 97:10 tn The participle may be verbal, though it might also be understood as substantival and appositional to “the Lord.” In this case one could translate, “Hate evil, you who love the Lord, the one who protects the lives…and delivers them.”
Psalm 97:10 tn Heb “hand.”
Psalm 97:11 tn Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָרַע (zaraʿ, “planted”) to זָרַח (zarakh, “shines”) which collocates more naturally with “light.” “Light” here symbolizes the joy (note the following line) that accompanies deliverance and the outpouring of divine favor.
Psalm 97:12 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 30:4. The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.
Psalm 98:1 sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
Psalm 98:1 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
Psalm 98:1 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.
Psalm 98:1 tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.
Psalm 98:2 tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”
Psalm 98:3 tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
Psalm 98:3 tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).
Psalm 98:9 tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).
Psalm 99:1 sn Psalm 99. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s just rule and recalls how he revealed himself to Israel’s leaders.
Psalm 99:1 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 1 are understood here as indicating the nations’ characteristic response to the reality of the Lord’s kingship. Another option is to take them as jussives: “let the nations tremble…let the earth shake!”
Psalm 99:1 sn Cherubim are winged angels. As depicted in the OT, they possess both human and animal (lion, ox, and eagle) characteristics (see Ezek 1:10; 10:14, 21; 41:18). They are pictured as winged creatures (Exod 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kgs 6:24-27; Ezek 10:8, 19) and serve as the very throne of God when the ark of the covenant is in view (Ps 99:1; see Num 7:89; 1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15). The picture of the Lord seated on the cherubim suggests they might be used by him as a vehicle, a function they carry out in Ezek 1:22-28 (the “living creatures” mentioned here are identified as cherubim in Ezek 10:20). In Ps 18:10 the image of a cherub serves to personify the wind.
Psalm 99:1 tn The Hebrew verb נוּט (nut) occurs only here in the OT, but the meaning can be determined on the basis of the parallelism with רָגַז (ragaz, “tremble”) and evidence from the cognate languages (see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 121).
Psalm 99:2 tn Heb “great.”
Psalm 99:3 tn The pronoun refers to the Lord himself (see vv. 5, 9).
Psalm 99:4 tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (ʿoz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (ʿaz, “strong”).
Psalm 99:4 tn Heb “you establish fairness.”
Psalm 99:5 tn Or “exalt.”
Psalm 99:5 tn Or “bow down.”
Psalm 99:6 tn Heb “among those who called on his name.”
Psalm 99:6 tn Heb “those who.” The participle is in apposition to the phrase “those who called on his name” in the preceding line.
Psalm 99:7 sn A pillar of cloud. The psalmist refers to the reality described in Exod 33:9-10; Num 12:5; and Deut 31:15.
Psalm 99:8 tn Heb “a God of lifting up [i.e., forgiveness] you were to them, and an avenger concerning their deeds.” The present translation reflects the traditional interpretation, which understands the last line as qualifying the preceding one. God forgave Moses and Aaron, but he also disciplined them when they sinned (cf. NIV, NRSV). Another option is to take “their deeds” as referring to harmful deeds directed against Moses and Aaron. In this case the verse may be translated, “and one who avenged attacks against them.” Still another option is to emend the participial form נֹקֵם (noqem, “an avenger”) to נֹקָם (noqam), a rare Qal participial form of נָקַה (naqah, “purify”) with a suffixed pronoun. In this case one could translate, “and one who purified them from their [sinful] deeds” (cf. NEB “and held them innocent”).
Psalm 99:9 tn Or “exalt.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Chronological

Psalm 95[a]

Footnotes

Psalm 97[a]

Psalm 98[k]

A psalm.

Psalm 99[s]

Footnotes

Psalm 95^[a]

Psalm 97^[a]

Psalm 98^[k]

Psalm 99^[s]