Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth!

2Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

3Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

4For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

5For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

6Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

8Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering, and come into his courts!

9Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth!

10Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!

Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

13before the Lord, for he comes,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

and the peoples in his faithfulness.

I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

2For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

3You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have sworn to David my servant:

4‘I will establish your offspring forever,

and build your throne for all generations.’”Selah

5Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,

your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

6For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?

Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,

7a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,

and awesome above all who are around him?

8O Lord God of hosts,

who is mighty as you are, O Lord,

with your faithfulness all around you?

9You rule the raging of the sea;

when its waves rise, you still them.

10You crushed Rahab like a carcass;

you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;

the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.

12 The north and the south, you have created them;

Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.

13You have a mighty arm;

strong is your hand, high your right hand.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

15Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

16who exult in your name all the day

and in your righteousness are exalted.

17For you are the glory of their strength;

by your favor our horn is exalted.

18For our shield belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:

“I have granted help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him,

21so that my hand shall be established with him;

my arm also shall strengthen him.

22The enemy shall not outwit him;

the wicked shall not humble him.

23I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.

24My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,

and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25I will set his hand on the sea

and his right hand on the rivers.

26He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

27And I will make him the firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

28My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,

and my covenant will stand firm for him.

29I will establish his offspring forever

and his throne as the days of the heavens.

30 If his children forsake my law

and do not walk according to my rules,

31if they violate my statutes

and do not keep my commandments,

32then I will punish their transgression with the rod

and their iniquity with stripes,

33but I will not remove from him my steadfast love

or be false to my faithfulness.

34I will not violate my covenant

or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

35Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;

I will not lie to David.

36His offspring shall endure forever,

his throne as long as the sun before me.

37Like the moon it shall be established forever,

a faithful witness in the skies.”Selah

38But now you have cast off and rejected;

you are full of wrath against your anointed.

39You have renounced the covenant with your servant;

you have defiled his crown in the dust.

40You have breached all his walls;

you have laid his strongholds in ruins.

41 All who pass by plunder him;

he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

42You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

you have made all his enemies rejoice.

43You have also turned back the edge of his sword,

and you have not made him stand in battle.

44You have made his splendor to cease

and cast his throne to the ground.

45You have cut short the days of his youth;

you have covered him with shame.Selah

46 How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my time is!

For what vanity you have created all the children of man!

48 What man can live and never see death?

Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?Selah

49Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,

which by your faithfulness you swore to David?

50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,

and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,

51with which your enemies mock, O Lord,

with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

52 Blessed be the Lord forever!

Amen and Amen.

Psalm 47

God Is King over All the Earth

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

2For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,

a great king over all the earth.

3He subdued peoples under us,

and nations under our feet.

4He chose our heritage for us,

the pride of Jacob whom he loves.Selah

5God has gone up with a shout,

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6Sing praises to God, sing praises!

Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7For God is the King of all the earth;

sing praises with a psalm!

8God reigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

9 The princes of the peoples gather

as the people of the God of Abraham.

For the shields of the earth belong to God;

he is highly exalted!

Psalm 68

God Shall Scatter His Enemies

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.

1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;

and those who hate him shall flee before him!

2As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;

as wax melts before fire,

so the wicked shall perish before God!

3But the righteous shall be glad;

they shall exult before God;

they shall be jubilant with joy!

4Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;

his name is the Lord;

exult before him!

5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

is God in his holy habitation.

6God settles the solitary in a home;

he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,

but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

7O God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness,Selah

8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,

before God, the One of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;

you restored your inheritance as it languished;

10your flock found a dwelling in it;

in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

11The Lord gives the word;

the women who announce the news are a great host:

12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”

The women at home divide the spoil—

13though you men lie among the sheepfolds—

the wings of a dove covered with silver,

its pinions with shimmering gold.

14When the Almighty scatters kings there,

let snow fall on Zalmon.

15O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;

O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!

16Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,

at the mount that God desired for his abode,

yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?

17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,

thousands upon thousands;

the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.

18 You ascended on high,

leading a host of captives in your train

and receiving gifts among men,

even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

19Blessed be the Lord,

who daily bears us up;

God is our salvation.Selah

20Our God is a God of salvation,

and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies,

the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

22The Lord said,

“I will bring them back from Bashan,

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

23that you may strike your feet in their blood,

that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

24Your procession is seen, O God,

the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—

25 the singers in front, the musicians last,

between them virgins playing tambourines:

26 “Bless God in the great congregation,

the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”

27There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,

the princes of Judah in their throng,

the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 Summon your power, O God,

the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.

29Because of your temple at Jerusalem

kings shall bear gifts to you.

30Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,

the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.

Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;

scatter the peoples who delight in war.

31Nobles shall come from Egypt;

Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.

32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;

sing praises to the Lord,Selah

33to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;

behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.

34 Ascribe power to God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

and whose power is in the skies.

35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;

the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

Psalm 22

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

3Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5To you they cried and were rescued;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

7All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

9Yet you are he who took me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.

10On you was I cast from my birth,

and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11Be not far from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is none to help.

12Many bulls encompass me;

strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

13they open wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring lion.

14I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

15my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16For dogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet—

17I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

18 they divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

19But you, O Lord, do not be far off!

O you my help, come quickly to my aid!

20Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dog!

21Save me from the mouth of the lion!

You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24For he has not despised or abhorred

the affliction of the afflicted,

and he has not hidden his face from him,

but has heard, when he cried to him.

25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;

my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before you.

28For kingship belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations.

29All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

even the one who could not keep himself alive.

30Posterity shall serve him;

it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

31they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,

that he has done it.

Psalm 23

The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Psalm 24

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David.

1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein,

2for he has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

5He will receive blessing from the Lord

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob.Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O gates!

And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

8Who is this King of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty,

the Lord, mighty in battle!

9Lift up your heads, O gates!

And lift them up, O ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

10Who is this King of glory?

The Lord of hosts,

he is the King of glory! Selah

Psalm 1

1Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

4Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 2

1Why do the nations conspire

and the peoples plot in vain?

2The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

3“Let us break their chains

and throw off their shackles.”

4The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

5He rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6“I have installed my king

on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;

today I have become your father.

8Ask me,

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

9You will break them with a rod of iron;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10Therefore, you kings, be wise;

be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11Serve the Lord with fear

and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12Kiss his son, or he will be angry

and your way will lead to your destruction,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 15

1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?

Who may live on your holy mountain?

2The one whose walk is blameless,

who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth from their heart;

3whose tongue utters no slander,

who does no wrong to a neighbor,

and casts no slur on others;

4who despises a vile person

but honors those who fear the Lord;

who keeps an oath even when it hurts,

and does not change their mind;

5who lends money to the poor without interest;

who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things

will never be shaken.

Ministering Before the Ark

1They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. 2After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.

4He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: 5Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

7That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner:

8Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

9Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

10Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11Look to the Lord and his strength;

seek his face always.

12Remember the wonders he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

13you his servants, the descendants of Israel,

his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

14He is the Lord our God;

his judgments are in all the earth.

15He remembershis covenant forever,

the promise he made, for a thousand generations,

16the covenant he made with Abraham,

the oath he swore to Isaac.

17He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

18“To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion you will inherit.”

19When they were but few in number,

few indeed, and strangers in it,

20they wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

21He allowed no one to oppress them;

for their sake he rebuked kings:

22“Do not touch my anointed ones;

do my prophets no harm.”

23Sing to the Lord, all the earth;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

24Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

25For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

he is to be feared above all gods.

26For all the gods of the nations are idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

27Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and joy are in his dwelling place.

28Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

29Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering and come before him.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

30Tremble before him, all the earth!

The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

31Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

32Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

33Let the trees of the forest sing,

let them sing for joy before the Lord,

for he comes to judge the earth.

34Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

35Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;

gather us and deliver us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name,

and glory in your praise.”

36Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”

37David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements. 38He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers.

39David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon 40to present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the Lord, which he had given Israel. 41With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, “for his love endures forever.” 42Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.

43Then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

1After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.”

3David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. 4He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

5From the descendants of Kohath,

Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;

6from the descendants of Merari,

Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;

7from the descendants of Gershon,

Joel the leader and 130 relatives;

8from the descendants of Elizaphan,

Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;

9from the descendants of Hebron,

Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;

10from the descendants of Uzziel,

Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.

11Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. 12He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 14So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.

16David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.

17So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; 18and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel,the gatekeepers.

19The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20Zechariah, Jaaziel,Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,21and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.22Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

23Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark. 24Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

25So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. 26Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed. 27Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod. 28So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

29As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.