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Psalms 96, 97, 98 - A new song

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1) O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2) Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3) Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. 4) For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. Psalm 96 (NRSV) Christmas Eve 1) The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! 6) The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory. 7) All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. 8) Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God. 9) For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10) The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his fai

Psalm 80 - Restore us, O God

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Jump to end of psalm To the leader: on Lilies, a Covenant. Of Asaph. A Psalm. 1) Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth 2) before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us! 3) Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. 4) O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? 5) You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. 6) You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves. 7) Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. 8) You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. 9) You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. 10) The mountains were covered with its shade,

Psalm 25 - Unto thee, O Lord, do I left up my soul

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1) To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2) O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. 3) Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4) Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5) Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. 6) Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7) Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! 8) Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9) He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10) All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. 11) For your name’s sake, O

Psalm 22 - My God, my God

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1) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? 2) O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. 3) Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4) In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5) To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. 6) But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. 7) All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; 8) “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” 9) Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast. 10) On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God. 11) Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12) Many bulls encir

Psalm 16 - The Lord is my chosen portion

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A Miktam of David. 1) Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2) I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 3) As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. 4) Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. 5) The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6) The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. 7) I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8) I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9) Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. 10) For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. 11) You show me the path of life.

Psalm 147 - The Lord heals the brokenhearted

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1) Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. 2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. 6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground. 7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre. 8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. 9 He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. 10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; 11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

Psalm 3 - You, O Lord, are a shield

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A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. 1) O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2) many are saying to me, “There is no help for you in God.” Selah 3) But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. 4) I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5) I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. 6) I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7) Rise up, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8) Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people! Selah Psalm 3 (NRSV) A strong shield is a really good thing to have when you're being attacked, especially by many foes. The threat is sharpened when people preach dis-courage: God will

Psalm 127 - Unless the Lord builds

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A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127 (NRSV) Proper 27, Year B, Sunday between November 6 and November 12 "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." This is one of the staples of faith. God-followers follow God. If God is against something, it will not stand. If God is in favor, a way will be made. (Readers of the New Testament may recall Rabbi

Psalm 8 - A little lower than God

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O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8 (NRSV) Name of Jesus Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost), Years A &am

Psalm 104 - Let sinners be consumed

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1) Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2) wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, 3) you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, 4) you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. 5) You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. 6) You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7) At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. 8) They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them. 9) You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. 24) O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures

Psalm 90 - Turn, O Lord!

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1) Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2) Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3) You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.” 4) For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night. 5) You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; 6) in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. 7) For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed. 8) You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 9) For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh. 10) The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we f

Psalm 119 א Aleph - Those who walk in the law

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1) Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2) Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart, 3) who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways. 4) You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. 5) O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! 6) Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. 7) I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances. 8) I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me. Psalm 119 (NRSV) 6th Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, Proper 26, verses 1-8 Proper 26, Year B, Proper 26, verses 1-8, Sunday between October 30 and November 5 Psalm 119 is, by word count, the longest single chapter in the entire Bible. It is also constructed as an alphabetic acrostic. In each group of eight verses, each verse begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So verses 1-8 begin with

Psalm 116 - I pray, save my life!

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Verses 1-2: I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. Verses 3-11: [The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, save my life!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”] Verses 12-19: What shall I return to the Lord for all his bou

Psalm 1 - Like trees

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1) Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; 2) but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. 3) They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. 4) The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5) Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6) for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1 (NRSV) 6th Sunday after Epiphany, Year C 7th Sunday of Easter, Year B Proper 18, year C, Sunday between September 4 and September 10 Proper 20, Year B, Sunday between September 18 and September 24 Proper 25, Year A, Sunday between October 23 and October 29

Psalm 132 - Remember all the hardships he endured

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O Lord, remember in David’s favor all the hardships he endured; how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, “I will not enter my house or get into my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool.” Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy. For your servant David’s sake do not turn away the face of your anointed one. The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your thro

Psalm 125 - Do good, O Lord

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A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong. Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts. But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways the Lord will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel! Psalm 125 (NRSV) Proper 18, Year B, Sunday between September 4 and September 10 "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people..." It is literally true. The ancient City of David sits several hundred feet lower than the surrounding hills in all directions. It may contribute to the sense of the Old City and Temple being at the center of the wo

Psalm 146 - Praise the Lord

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Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord! . Psalm 146 (NRSV) 3rd Sunday in Advent, Ye