Psalm 95

¹Come, let us praise the Lord! Let’s shout praises to the Rock,* who saves us. ²Let’s sing songs of thanks to the Lord. Let’s sing happy songs of praise to him. ³Why? Because the Lord is a great God! He is the Great King ruling over all the other “gods.” ⁴The deepest caves and the highest mountains belong to the Lord. ⁵The ocean is his—he created it. God made the dry land with his own hands. ⁶Come, let’s bow down and worship him! Let’s praise the God who made us! ⁷He is our God, and we are his people. We are his sheep today—if we listen to his voice. ⁸God says, “Don’t be stubborn, like you were at Meribah,* like you were at Massah* in the desert. ⁹Your ancestors* tested me. They tested me, but then they saw what I could do! ¹⁰I was patient with those people for 40 years. And I know that they are not faithful. Those people refused to follow my teachings. ¹¹So I was angry, and I swore (promised) they would not enter my land of rest.

Rock A name for God to show he is a strong place of safety. Meribah, Massah See Ex. 17:1–7. ancestors Literally, “fathers,” meaning a person’s parents, grandparents, and all the people they are descended from.

Psalm 96

¹Sing a new song about the new things that the Lord has done! Let the whole world sing to the Lord. ²Sing to the Lord! Bless his name! Tell the good news! Tell about him saving us every day! ³Tell people that God is truly wonderful. Tell people everywhere about the amazing things God does. ⁴The Lord is great and worthy of praise. He is more awesome than any of the “gods.” ⁵All of the “gods” in other nations are only statues. But the Lord made the heavens. ⁶There is a beautiful glory shining in front of him. There is strength and beauty in God’s holy temple. ⁷Families and nations, sing songs of praise and glory to the Lord. ⁸Praise the Lord’s name. Get your offerings, and go to the temple. ⁹Worship the Lord in his beautiful temple. Worship the Lord, every person on earth. ¹⁰Announce to the nations that the Lord is King! So the world will not be destroyed. The Lord will rule the people fairly. ¹¹Be happy, heavens! Rejoice, earth! Sea and everything in it, shout with joy! ¹²Fields and everything growing on them, be happy! Trees in the forest, sing and be happy! ¹³Be happy because the Lord is coming. The Lord is coming to rule* the world. He will rule the world with justice and fairness.

rule Or “judge.”

Psalm 97

¹The Lord rules, and the earth is happy. All the faraway lands are happy. ²Thick dark clouds surround the Lord. Goodness and justice make his kingdom strong. ³A fire goes in front of the Lord and destroys his enemies. ⁴His lightning flashes in the sky. The people see it and are afraid. ⁵The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, the Master of the earth. ⁶Skies, tell about his goodness! Let every person see God’s glory! ⁷People worship their idols. They brag about their “gods.” But those people will be embarrassed. Their “gods” will bow down and worship the Lord. ⁸Zion,* listen and be happy! Cities of Judah, be happy! Why? Because the Lord makes wise decisions. ⁹Lord Most-High, you really are the ruler of the earth. You are much better than the “gods.” ¹⁰People who love the Lord hate evil. So God saves his followers. God saves his followers from evil people. ¹¹Light and happiness shine on good people. ¹²Good people, be happy in the Lord! Honor his holy name!

Zion The southeast part of the mountain Jerusalem is built on. Sometimes it means the people of God living in Jerusalem.

Psalm 98

A song of praise.

¹Sing a new song to the Lord because he has done new and amazing things! ²His holy right arm brought him victory again. ³The Lord showed the nations his power to save. The Lord showed them his goodness. ⁴His followers remembered God’s loyalty to the people of Israel. The people in faraway lands saw our God’s power to save. ⁵Every person on earth, shout with joy to the Lord. Quickly, start singing songs of praise! ⁶Harps, praise the Lord. Music from the harps, praise him. ⁷Blow the pipes and horns, and shout for joy to the Lord our King! ⁸Let the sea, and the earth, and everything in them sing loudly. ⁹Rivers, clap your hands! All together now, mountains sing out! ¹⁰Sing before the Lord because he is coming to rule* the world. He will rule the world fairly. He will rule the people with goodness.

rule Or, “judge.”

Psalm 99

¹The Lord is King. So let the nations shake with fear. God sits as King above the Cherub angels.* So let the world shake with fear. ²The Lord in Zion* is great! He is the great leader over all people. ³Let all the people praise your name. God’s name is awesome. God is holy. ⁴The Powerful King loves justice. God, you made goodness. You brought goodness and fairness to Jacob (Israel). ⁵Praise the Lord our God, and worship his holy footstool.* ⁶Moses and Aaron were some of his priests. And Samuel was one of the men who called on his name. They prayed to the Lord, and he answered them. ⁷God spoke from the tall cloud. They obeyed his commands. And God gave them the Law. ⁸Lord our God, you answered their prayers. You showed them that you are a forgiving God and that you punish people for the bad things they do. ⁹Praise the Lord our God. Bow down toward his holy mountain and worship him. The Lord our God is truly holy!

Cherub angels Special angels from God. Statues of these angels were on top of the Box of the Agreement. Zion The southeast part of the mountain Jerusalem is built on. Sometimes it means the people of God living in Jerusalem. footstool This probably means the temple.

Psalm 100

A song of thanks.

¹Earth, sing to the Lord! ²Be happy as you serve the Lord! Come before the Lord with happy songs! ³Know that the Lord is God. He made us. We are his people. We are his sheep. ⁴Come into his city with songs of thanks. Come into his temple with songs of praise. Honor him and bless his name. ⁵The Lord is good! His love is forever. We can trust him forever and ever!

Psalm 101

A song of David.*

¹I will sing about love and fairness. Lord, I will sing to you. ²I will carefully live a pure life. I will live a pure life in my house. Lord, when will you come to me? ³I will not have any idols* in front of me. I hate people turning against you like that. I will not do that! ⁴I will be honest. I will not do evil things. ⁵If any person secretly says bad things about his neighbor, I will stop that person. I will not allow people to be proud and think they are better than other people. ⁶I will look throughout the country for people who can be trusted. And I will let only those people serve me. Only people who live pure lives can be my servants. ⁷I will not let liars live in my house. I will not let liars stay near me. ⁸I will always destroy bad people living in this country. I will force the evil people to leave the Lord’s city.

A song of David Or, “A song dedicated to David.” idols Or “terrible {things}.”