To The Word – Day 219

₁The LORD is king.

He is clothed with majesty and strength.

The earth is set firmly in place

and cannot be moved.

₂Your throne, O LORD, has been firm from the beginning,

and you existed before time began.

₃The ocean depths raise their voice, O LORD;

they raise their voice and roar.

₄The LORD rules supreme in heaven,

greater than the roar of the ocean,

more powerful than the waves of the sea.

₅Your laws are eternal, LORD,

and your Temple is holy indeed,

for ever and ever.

₁LORD, you are a God who punishes;

reveal your anger!

₂You are the judge of all;

rise and give the proud what they deserve!

₃How much longer will the wicked be glad?

How much longer, LORD?

₄How much longer will criminals be proud

and boast about their crimes?

₅They crush your people, LORD;

they oppress those who belong to you.

₆They kill widows and orphans,

and murder the strangers who live in our land.

₇They say, “The LORD does not see us;

the God of Israel does not notice.”

₈My people, how can you be such stupid fools?

When will you ever learn?

₉God made our ears — can't he hear?

He made our eyes — can't he see?

₁₀He scolds the nations — won't he punish them?

He is the teacher of all — hasn't he any knowledge?

₁₁The LORD knows what they think;

he knows how senseless their reasoning is.

₁₂LORD, how happy are those you instruct,

the ones to whom you teach your law!

₁₃You give them rest from days of trouble

until a pit is dug to trap the wicked.

₁₄The LORD will not abandon his people;

he will not desert those who belong to him.

₁₅Justice will again be found in the courts,

and all righteous people will support it.

₁₆Who stood up for me against the wicked?

Who took my side against the evildoers?

₁₇If the LORD had not helped me,

I would have gone quickly to the land of silence.

₁₈I said, “I am falling”;

but your constant love, O LORD, held me up.

₁₉Whenever I am anxious and worried,

you comfort me and make me glad.

₂₀You have nothing to do with corrupt judges,

who make injustice legal,

₂₁who plot against good people

and sentence the innocent to death.

₂₂But the LORD defends me;

my God protects me.

₂₃He will punish them for their wickedness

and destroy them for their sins;

the LORD our God will destroy them.

₁Come, let us praise the LORD!

Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us!

₂Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and sing joyful songs of praise.

₃For the LORD is a mighty God,

a mighty king over all the gods.

₄He rules over the whole earth,

from the deepest caves to the highest hills.

₅He rules over the sea, which he made;

the land also, which he himself formed.

₆Come, let us bow down and worship him;

let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

₇He is our God;

we are the people he cares for,

the flock for which he provides.

Listen today to what he says:

₈“Don't be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah,

as they were that day in the desert at Massah.

₉There they put me to the test and tried me,

although they had seen what I did for them.

₁₀For forty years I was disgusted with those people.

I said, ‘How disloyal they are!

They refuse to obey my commands.’

₁₁I was angry and made a solemn promise:

‘You will never enter the land

where I would have given you rest.’ ”

₁Sing a new song to the LORD!

Sing to the LORD, all the world!

₂Sing to the LORD, and praise him!

Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us.

₃Proclaim his glory to the nations,

his mighty deeds to all peoples.

₄The LORD is great and is to be highly praised;

he is to be honoured more than all the gods.

₅The gods of all other nations are only idols,

but the LORD created the heavens.

₆Glory and majesty surround him;

power and beauty fill his Temple.

₇Praise the LORD, all people on earth;

praise his glory and might.

₈Praise the LORD's glorious name;

bring an offering and come into his Temple.

₉Bow down before the Holy One when he appears;

tremble before him, all the earth!

₁₀Say to all the nations, “The LORD is king!

The earth is set firmly in place and cannot be moved;

he will judge the peoples with justice.”

₁₁Be glad, earth and sky!

Roar, sea, and every creature in you;

₁₂be glad, fields, and everything in you!

The trees in the woods will shout for joy

₁₃when the LORD comes to rule the earth.

He will rule the peoples of the world

with justice and fairness.

₁The LORD is king! Earth, be glad!

Rejoice, you islands of the seas!

₂Clouds and darkness surround him;

he rules with righteousness and justice.

₃Fire goes in front of him

and burns up his enemies round him.

₄His lightning lights up the world;

the earth sees it and trembles.

₅The hills melt like wax before the LORD,

before the Lord of all the earth.

₆The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

and all the nations see his glory.

₇Everyone who worships idols is put to shame;

all the gods bow down before the LORD.

₈The people of Zion are glad,

and the cities of Judah rejoice

because of your judgements, O LORD.

₉LORD Almighty, you are ruler of all the earth;

you are much greater than all the gods.

₁₀The LORD loves those who hate evil;

he protects the lives of his people;

he rescues them from the power of the wicked.

₁₁Light shines on the righteous,

and gladness on the good.

₁₂All you that are righteous be glad

because of what the LORD has done!

Remember what the holy God has done,

and give thanks to him.

₁Sing a new song to the LORD;

he has done wonderful things!

By his own power and holy strength

he has won the victory.

₂The LORD announced his victory;

he made his saving power known to the nations.

₃He kept his promise to the people of Israel

with loyalty and constant love for them.

All people everywhere have seen the victory of our God.

₄Sing for joy to the LORD, all the earth;

praise him with songs and shouts of joy!

₅Sing praises to the LORD!

Play music on the harps!

₆Blow trumpets and horns,

and shout for joy to the LORD, our king.

₇Roar, sea, and every creature in you;

sing, earth, and all who live on you!

₈Clap your hands, you rivers;

you hills, sing together with joy before the LORD,

₉because he comes to rule the earth.

He will rule the peoples of the world

with justice and fairness.