The Living Bible (192 page)

Psalm
97

Jehovah is King! Let all the earth rejoice! Tell the farthest islands to be glad.

    
²
 Clouds and darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³
 Fire goes forth before him and burns up all his foes.
⁴
 His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and trembles.
⁵
 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶
 The heavens declare his perfect righteousness; every nation sees his glory.

    
⁷
 Let those who worship idols be disgraced—all who brag about their worthless gods—for every god must bow to him!
^8-9
 Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah have heard of your justice, Lord, and are glad that you reign in majesty over the entire earth and are far greater than these other gods.

    
¹⁰
 The Lord loves those who hate evil; he protects the lives of his people and rescues them from the wicked.
¹¹
 Light is sown for the godly and joy for the good.
¹²
 May all who are godly be happy in the Lord and crown him,
*
our holy God.

Psalm
98

Sing a new song to the Lord telling about his mighty deeds! For he has won a mighty victory by his power and holiness.
^2-3
 He has announced this victory and revealed it to every nation by fulfilling his promise to be kind to Israel. The whole earth has seen God’s salvation of his people.
⁴
 That is why the earth breaks out in praise to God and sings for utter joy!

    
⁵
 Sing your praise accompanied by music from the harp.
⁶
 Let the cornets and trumpets shout! Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!
⁷
 Let the sea in all its vastness roar with praise! Let the earth and all those living on it shout, “Glory to the Lord.”

    
^8-9
 Let the waves clap their hands in glee and the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the world with perfect justice.

Psalm
99

Jehovah is King! Let the nations tremble! He is enthroned between the Guardian Angels. Let the whole earth shake.

    
²
 Jehovah sits in majesty in Zion, supreme above all rulers of the earth.
³
 Let them reverence your great and holy name.

    
⁴
 This mighty King is determined to give justice. Fairness is the touchstone of everything he does. He gives justice throughout Israel.
⁵
 Exalt the Lord our holy God! Bow low before his feet.

    
⁶
 When Moses and Aaron and Samuel, his prophet, cried to him for help, he answered them.
⁷
 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud, and they followed his instructions.
⁸
 O Jehovah our God! You answered them and forgave their sins, yet punished them when they went wrong.

    
⁹
 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for he is holy.

Psalm
100

Shout with joy before the Lord, O earth!
²
 Obey him gladly; come before him, singing with joy.

    
³
 Try to realize what this means—the Lord is God! He made us—we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

    
⁴
 Go through his open gates with great thanksgiving; enter his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.
⁵
 For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation.

Psalm
101

I will sing about your loving-kindness and your justice, Lord. I will sing your praises!

    
²
 I will try to walk a blameless path, but how I need your help, especially in my own home, where I long to act as I should.

    
³
 Help me to refuse the low and vulgar things; help me to abhor all crooked deals of every kind, to have no part in them.
⁴
 I will reject all selfishness and stay away from every evil.
⁵
 I will not tolerate anyone who secretly slanders his neighbors; I will not permit conceit and pride.
⁶
 I will make the godly of the land my heroes and invite them to my home. Only those who are truly good shall be my servants.
⁷
 But I will not allow those who deceive and lie to stay in my house.
⁸
 My daily task will be to ferret out criminals and free the city of God from their grip.

Psalm
102

A prayer when overwhelmed with trouble.

Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea!

    
²
 Don’t turn away from me in this time of my distress. Bend down your ear and give me speedy answers,
^3-4
 for my days disappear like smoke. My health is broken, and my heart is sick; it is trampled like grass and is withered. My food is tasteless, and I have lost my appetite.
⁵
 I am reduced to skin and bones because of all my groaning and despair.
⁶
 I am like a vulture in a far-off wilderness or like an owl alone in the desert.
⁷
 I lie awake, lonely as a solitary sparrow on the roof.

    
⁸
 My enemies taunt me day after day and curse at me.
^9-10
 I eat ashes instead of bread. My tears run down into my drink because of your anger against me, because of your wrath. For you have rejected me and thrown me out.
¹¹
 My life is passing swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering like grass,
¹²
 while you, Lord, are a famous King forever. Your fame will endure to every generation.

    
¹³
 I know that you will come and have mercy on Jerusalem—and now is the time to pity her—the time you promised help.
¹⁴
 For your people love every stone in her walls and feel sympathy for every grain of dust in her streets.
¹⁵
 Now let the nations and their rulers tremble before the Lord, before his glory.
¹⁶
 For Jehovah will rebuild Jerusalem! He will appear in his glory!

    
¹⁷
 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute, for he is never too busy to heed their requests.
¹⁸
 I am recording this so that future generations will also praise the Lord for all that he has done. And a people that shall be created shall praise the Lord.
¹⁹
 Tell them that God looked down from his temple in heaven
²⁰
 and heard the groans of his people in slavery—they were children of death—and released them,
^21-22
 so that multitudes would stream to the Temple in Jerusalem to praise him, and his praises were sung throughout the city; and many rulers throughout the earth came to worship him.

    
²³
 He has cut me down in middle life, shortening my days.
²⁴
 But I cried to him, “O God, you live forever and forever! Don’t let me die halfway through my years!
²⁵
 In ages past you laid the foundations of the earth and made the heavens with your hands!
²⁶
 They shall perish, but you go on forever. They will grow old like worn-out clothing, and you will change them like a man putting on a new shirt and throwing away the old one!
²⁷
 But you yourself never grow old. You are forever, and your years never end.

    
²⁸
 “But our families will continue; generation after generation will be preserved by your protection.”