☰ Psalms 96
96
1  Sing to the Lord a new song!1
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2  Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!
Announce every day how he delivers!2
3  Tell the nations about his splendor!
Tell3 all the nations about his amazing deeds!
4  For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods.4
5  For all the gods of the nations are worthless,5
but the Lord made the sky.
6  Majestic splendor emanates from him;6
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.7
7  Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!
8  Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves!8
Bring an offering and enter his courts!
9  Worship the Lord in holy attire!9
Tremble before him, all the earth!
10  Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established, it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
11  Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy!
Let the sea and everything in it shout!
12  Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
13  before the Lord, for he comes!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly,10
and the nations in accordance with his justice.11 12
1 96:1 sn: Psalm 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth. 2 96:2 sn: A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See also Pss 33:3; 40:3; 98:1. 3 96:3 tn: Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.” 4 96:4 tn: The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line). 5 96:5 tn: Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7. 6 96:6 tn: The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement. 7 96:6 tn: Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.” 8 96:8 tn: Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.” 9 96:9 tn: Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.” 10 96:13 tn: Or “in holy splendor.” 11 96:13 tn: The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.” 12 96:13 tn: Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”
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