Psalms 97; Psalms 98; Psalms 99; Romans 16

1 The LORD rules as king. Let the earth rejoice. Let all the islands be joyful.

2 Clouds and darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.

3 Fire spreads ahead of him. It burns his enemies who surround him.

4 His flashes of lightning light up the world. The earth sees them and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax in the presence of the LORD, in the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6 The heavens tell about his righteousness, and all the people of the world see his glory.

7 Everyone who worships idols and brags about false gods will be put to shame. All the gods will bow to him.

8 Zion hears about this and rejoices. The people of Judah are delighted with your judgments, O LORD.

9 You, O LORD, the Most High, are above the whole earth. You are highest. You are above all the gods.

10 Let those who love the LORD hate evil. The one who guards the lives of his godly ones will rescue them from the power of wicked people.

11 Light dawns for righteous people and joy for those whose motives are decent.

12 Find joy in the LORD, you righteous people. Give thanks to him as you remember how holy he is.

1 Sing a new song to the LORD because he has done miraculous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gained victory for him.

2 The LORD has made his salvation known. He has uncovered his righteousness for the nations to see.

3 He has not forgotten to be merciful and faithful to Israel's descendants. All the ends of the earth have seen how our God saves [them].

4 Shout happily to the LORD, all the earth. Break out into joyful singing, and make music.

5 Make music to the LORD with a lyre, with a lyre and the melody of a psalm,

6 with trumpets and the playing of a ram's horn. Shout happily in the presence of the king, the LORD.

7 Let the sea, everything in it, the world, and those who live in it roar like thunder.

8 Let the rivers clap their hands and the mountains sing joyfully

9 in the LORD's presence because he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice and its people with fairness.

1 The LORD rules as king. Let the people tremble. He is enthroned over the angels. Let the earth quake.

2 The LORD is mighty in Zion. He is high above all people.

3 Let them give thanks to your great and fearful name. He is holy!

4 The king's strength is that he loves justice. You have established fairness. You have done what is fair and right for Jacob.

5 Highly honor the LORD our God. Bow down at his footstool. He is holy!

6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests. Samuel was among those who prayed to him. They called to the LORD, and he answered them.

7 He spoke to them from a column of smoke. They obeyed his written instructions and the laws that he gave them.

8 O LORD, our God, you answered them. You showed them that you are a forgiving God and that you are a God who punishes their [sinful] deeds.

9 Highly honor the LORD our God. Bow at his holy mountain. The LORD our God is holy!

1 With this letter I'm introducing Phoebe to you. She is our sister in the Christian faith and a deacon of the church in the city of Cenchrea.

2 Give her a Christian welcome that shows you are God's holy people. Provide her with anything she may need, because she has provided help to many people, including me.

3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in the service of Christ Jesus.

4 They risked their lives to save me. I'm thankful to them and so are all the churches among the nations.

5 Also greet the church that meets in their house. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus. He was the first person in the province of Asia to become a believer in Christ.

6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.

7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, who are Jewish by birth like me. They are prisoners like me and are prominent among the apostles. They also were Christians before I was.

8 Greet Ampliatus my dear friend in the service of the Lord.

9 Greet Urbanus our coworker in the service of Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, a true Christian. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.

11 Greet Herodion, who is Jewish by birth like me. Greet those Christians who belong to the family of Narcissus.

12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard for the Lord. Greet dear Persis, who has worked very hard for the Lord.

13 Greet Rufus, that outstanding Christian, and his mother, who has been a mother to me too.

14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them.

15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all God's people who are with them.

16 Greet each other with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

17 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to watch out for those people who create divisions and who make others fall away [from the Christian faith] by teaching doctrine that is not the same as you have learned. Stay away from them.

18 People like these are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving their own desires. By their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive unsuspecting people.

19 Everyone has heard about your obedience and this makes me happy for you. I want you to do what is good and to avoid what is evil.

20 The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. May the good will of our Lord Jesus be with you!

21 Timothy my coworker greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, who are Jewish by birth like me.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, send you Christian greetings.

23 Gaius greets you. He is host to me and the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you. Quartus, our brother in the Christian faith, greets you.

24

25 God can strengthen you by the Good News and the message I tell about Jesus Christ. He can strengthen you by revealing the mystery that was kept in silence for a very long time

26 but now is publicly known. The everlasting God ordered that what the prophets wrote must be shown to the people of every nation to bring them to the obedience that is associated with faith.

27 God alone is wise. Glory belongs to him through Jesus Christ forever! Amen.