Psalm 94–96

Psalm 94

THE JUST JUDGE

¹Lord, God of vengeance—

God of vengeance, shine!^ae

²Rise up, Judge of the earth;

repay the proud what they deserve.^af

³Lord, how long will the wicked—

how long will the wicked celebrate?^ag

⁴They pour out arrogant words;

all the evildoers boast.^ah

⁵Lord, they crush your people;

they oppress your heritage.^a

⁶They kill the widow and the resident alien

and murder the fatherless.^b

⁷They say, “The Lord doesn’t see it.

The God of Jacob doesn’t pay attention.”^c

⁸Pay attention, you stupid people!

Fools, when will you be wise?^d

⁹Can the one who shaped the ear not hear,

the one who formed the eye not see?^e

¹⁰The one who instructs nations,

the one who teaches mankind knowledge—

does he not discipline?^f

¹¹The Lord knows the thoughts of mankind;

they are futile.^g

¹²Lord, how happy is anyone you discipline

and teach from your law^h

¹³to give him relief from troubled times

until a pit is dug for the wicked.ⁱ

¹⁴The Lord will not leave his people

or abandon his heritage,^j

¹⁵for the administration of justice will again be righteous,

and all the upright in heart will follow^A it.^k

¹⁶Who stands up for me against the wicked?

Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?^l

¹⁷If the Lord had not been my helper,

I would soon rest in the silence of death.^m

¹⁸If I say, “My foot is slipping,”

your faithful love will support me, Lord.ⁿ

¹⁹When I am filled with cares,

your comfort brings me joy.^o

²⁰Can a corrupt throne be your ally,

a throne that makes evil laws?^p

²¹They band together against the life of the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.^q

²²But the Lord is my refuge;

my God is the rock of my protection.^r

²³He will pay them back for their sins

and destroy them for their evil.

The Lord our God will destroy them.^s

Psalm 95

WORSHIP AND WARNING

¹Come, let’s shout joyfully to the Lord,

shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!^t

²Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving;

let’s shout triumphantly to him in song.^u

³For the Lord is a great God,

a great King above all gods.^v

⁴The depths of the earth are in his hand,

and the mountain peaks are his.^w

⁵The sea is his; he made it.

His hands formed the dry land.^x

⁶Come, let’s worship and bow down;

let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker.^y

⁷For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

the sheep under his care.^Az

Today, if you hear his voice:^aa

⁸Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,

as on that day at Massah in the wilderness^ab

⁹where your ancestors tested me;

they tried me, though they had seen what I did.^ac

¹⁰For forty years I was disgusted with that generation;

I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray;

they do not know my ways.”^ad

¹¹So I swore in my anger,

“They will not enter my rest.”^ae

Psalm 96^af

KING OF THE EARTH

¹Sing a new song to the Lord;

let the whole earth sing to the Lord.^ag

²Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

proclaim his salvation from day to day.^ah

³Declare his glory among the nations,

his wondrous works among all peoples.^a

⁴For the Lord is great and is highly praised;

he is feared above all gods.^b

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

but the Lord made the heavens.^c

⁶Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.^d

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

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.^e

⁸Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;^f

bring an offering and enter his courts.^g

⁹Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;^h

let the whole earth tremble before him.ⁱ

¹⁰Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.^j

The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.^k

He judges the peoples fairly.”^l

¹¹Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and all that fills it resound.^m

¹²Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.

Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joyⁿ

¹³before the Lord, for he is coming—

for he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness

and the peoples with his faithfulness.^o