Historical
Psalm 96[a]
God of the Universe
I
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;(A)
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his marvelous deeds.(B)
II
4 [b]For great is the Lord and highly to be praised,
to be feared above all gods.(C)
5 For the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.(D)
6 Splendor and power go before him;
power and grandeur are in his holy place.
III
7 Give to the Lord, you families of nations,
give to the Lord glory and might;
8 give to the Lord the glory due his name!(E)
Bring gifts and enter his courts;
9 bow down to the Lord, splendid in holiness.
Tremble before him, all the earth;
10 (F)declare among the nations: The Lord is king.
The world will surely stand fast, never to be shaken.
He rules the peoples with fairness.
IV
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;(G)
12 let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.
Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice
13 before the Lord who comes,
who comes to govern the earth,(H)
To govern the world with justice
and the peoples with faithfulness.
Psalm 97[c]
The Divine Ruler of All
I
1 The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.(I)
2 Cloud and darkness surround him;
justice and right are the foundation of his throne.(J)
3 Fire goes before him,
consuming his foes on every side.
4 His lightening illumines the world;
the earth sees and trembles.(K)
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.(L)
6 The heavens proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.(M)
II
7 All who serve idols are put to shame,
who glory in worthless things;
all gods[d] bow down before him.(N)
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments, O Lord.(O)
9 For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth,(P)
exalted far above all gods.
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil,
he protects the souls of the faithful,(Q)
rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the just,
and gladness for the honest of heart.(R)
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you just,
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.(S)
Psalm 98[e]
The Coming of God
1 A psalm.
I
Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has done marvelous deeds.(T)
His right hand and holy arm
have won the victory.[f](U)
2 The Lord has made his victory known;
has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations,
3 He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
II
4 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth;
break into song; sing praise.
5 Sing praise to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious song.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout with joy to the King, the Lord.(V)
III
7 Let the sea and what fills it resound,(W)
the world and those who dwell there.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy,(X)
9 (Y)Before the Lord who comes,
who comes to govern the earth,(Z)
To govern the world with justice
and the peoples with fairness.
Psalm 99[g]
The Holy King
I
1 The Lord is king, the peoples tremble;
he is enthroned on the cherubim,[h] the earth quakes.(AA)
2 Great is the Lord in Zion,
exalted above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name:
Holy is he!(AB)
II
4 O mighty king, lover of justice,
you have established fairness;
you have created just rule in Jacob.(AC)
5 Exalt the Lord, our God;
bow down before his footstool;[i](AD)
holy is he!
III
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel among those who called on his name;
they called on the Lord, and he answered them.(AE)
7 From the pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his decrees, the law he had given them.(AF)
8 O Lord, our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
though you punished their offenses.(AG)
9 Exalt the Lord, our God;
bow down before his holy mountain;
holy is the Lord, our God.
Psalm 100[j]
Processional Hymn
1 A psalm of thanksgiving.
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
2 serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
3 [k]Know that the Lord is God,
he made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the flock he shepherds.(AH)
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name;(AI)
5 good indeed is the Lord,
His mercy endures forever,
his faithfulness lasts through every generation.
Psalm 101[l]
Norm of Life for Rulers
1 A psalm of David.
I
I sing of mercy and justice;
to you, Lord, I sing praise.
2 I study the way of integrity;(AJ)
when will you come to me?
I act with integrity of heart
within my household.[m](AK)
3 I do not allow into my presence anything base.
I hate wrongdoing;
I will have no part of it.(AL)
4 May the devious heart keep far from me;
the wicked I will not acknowledge.
5 Whoever slanders a neighbor in secret
I will reduce to silence.(AM)
Haughty eyes and arrogant hearts(AN)
I cannot endure.
II
6 I look to the faithful of the land[n]
to sit at my side.
Whoever follows the way of integrity(AO)
is the one to enter my service.
7 No one who practices deceit
can remain within my house.
No one who speaks falsely
can last in my presence.(AP)
8 [o]Morning after morning I clear all the wicked from the land,
to rid the city of the Lord of all doers of evil.
Psalm 102[p]
Prayer in Time of Distress
1 The prayer of one afflicted and wasting away whose anguish is poured out before the Lord.
I
2 Lord, hear my prayer;
let my cry come to you.
3 Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress.(AQ)
Turn your ear to me;
when I call, answer me quickly.
4 For my days vanish like smoke;(AR)
my bones burn away as in a furnace.
5 My heart is withered, dried up like grass,
too wasted to eat my food.
6 From my loud groaning
I become just skin and bones.
7 I am like a desert owl,
like an owl among the ruins.
8 I lie awake and moan,
like a lone sparrow on the roof.
9 All day long my enemies taunt me;
in their rage, they make my name a curse.[q]
10 I eat ashes like bread,
mingle my drink with tears.(AS)
11 Because of your furious wrath,
you lifted me up just to cast me down.
12 (AT)My days are like a lengthening shadow;(AU)
I wither like the grass.
II
13 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever;
your renown is for all generations.(AV)
14 You will again show mercy to Zion;
now is the time for pity;
the appointed time has come.
15 Its stones are dear to your servants;
its dust moves them to pity.
16 The nations shall fear your name, Lord,
all the kings of the earth, your glory,(AW)
17 Once the Lord has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in glory,
18 Heeding the plea of the lowly,
not scorning their prayer.
19 Let this be written for the next generation,
for a people not yet born,
that they may praise the Lord:(AX)
20 [r]“The Lord looked down from the holy heights,
viewed the earth from heaven,(AY)
21 To attend to the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”(AZ)
22 Then the Lord’s name will be declared on Zion,
his praise in Jerusalem,
23 When peoples and kingdoms gather
to serve the Lord.(BA)
III
24 He has shattered my strength in mid-course,
has cut short my days.
25 I plead, O my God,
do not take me in the midst of my days.[s](BB)
Your years last through all generations.
26 Of old you laid the earth’s foundations;(BC)
the heavens are the work of your hands.
27 They perish, but you remain;
they all wear out like a garment;
Like clothing you change them and they are changed,
28 but you are the same, your years have no end.
29 May the children of your servants live on;
may their descendants live in your presence.(BD)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.