Psalms 94; Psalms 95; Psalms 96; Romans 15:14-33

1 The Lord is a God who punishes. God, show your greatness and punish!

2 Rise up, Judge of the earth, and give the proud what they deserve.

3 How long will the wicked be happy? How long, Lord?

4 They are full of proud words; those who do evil brag about what they have done.

5 Lord, they crush your people and make your children suffer.

6 They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans.

7 They say, "The Lord doesn't see; the God of Jacob doesn't notice."

8 You stupid ones among the people, pay attention. You fools, when will you understand?

9 Can't the creator of ears hear? Can't the maker of eyes see?

10 Won't the one who corrects nations punish you? Doesn't the teacher of people know everything?

11 The Lord knows what people think. He knows their thoughts are just a puff of wind.

12 Lord, those you correct are happy; you teach them from your law.

13 You give them rest from times of trouble until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14 The Lord won't leave his people nor give up his children.

15 Judgment will again be fair, and all who are honest will follow it.

16 Who will help me fight against the wicked? Who will stand with me against those who do evil?

17 If the Lord had not helped me, I would have died in a minute.

18 I said, "I am about to fall," but, Lord, your love kept me safe.

19 I was very worried, but you comforted me and made me happy.

20 Crooked leaders cannot be your friends. They use the law to cause suffering.

21 They join forces against people who do right and sentence to death the innocent.

22 But the Lord is my defender; my God is the rock of my protection.

23 God will pay them back for their sins and will destroy them for their evil. The Lord our God will destroy them.

1 Come, let's sing for joy to the Lord. Let's shout praises to the Rock who saves us.

2 Let's come to him with thanksgiving. Let's sing songs to him,

3 because the Lord is the great God, the great King over all gods.

4 The deepest places on earth are his, and the highest mountains belong to him.

5 The sea is his because he made it, and he created the land with his own hands.

6 Come, let's worship him and bow down. Let's kneel before the Lord who made us,

7 because he is our God and we are the people he takes care of and the sheep that he tends. Today listen to what he says:

8 "Do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah, as they were that day at Massah in the desert.

9 There your ancestors tested me and tried me even though they saw what I did.

10 I was angry with those people for forty years. I said, 'They are not loyal to me and have not understood my ways.'

11 I was angry and made a promise, 'They will never enter my rest.'"

1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Sing to the Lord and praise his name; every day tell how he saves us.

3 Tell the nations of his glory; tell all peoples the miracles he does,

4 because the Lord is great; he should be praised at all times. He should be honored more than all the gods,

5 because all the gods of the nations are only idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

6 The Lord has glory and majesty; he has power and beauty in his Temple.

7 Praise the Lord, all nations on earth; praise the Lord's glory and power.

8 Praise the glory of the Lord's name. Bring an offering and come into his Temple courtyards.

9 Worship the Lord because he is holy. Tremble before him, everyone on earth.

10 Tell the nations, "The Lord is king." The earth is set, and it cannot be moved. He will judge the people fairly.

11 Let the skies rejoice and the earth be glad; let the sea and everything in it shout.

12 Let the fields and everything in them rejoice. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy

13 before the Lord, because he is coming. He is coming to judge the world; he will judge the world with fairness and the peoples with truth.

14 My brothers and sisters, I am sure that you are full of goodness. I know that you have all the knowledge you need and that you are able to teach each other.

15 But I have written to you very openly about some things I wanted you to remember. I did this because God gave me this special gift:

16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to those who are not Jews. I served God by teaching his Good News, so that the non-Jewish people could be an offering that God would accept -- an offering made holy by the Holy Spirit.

17 So I am proud of what I have done for God in Christ Jesus.

18 I will not talk about anything except what Christ has done through me in leading those who are not Jews to obey God. They have obeyed God because of what I have said and done,

19 because of the power of miracles and the great things they saw, and because of the power of the Holy Spirit. I preached the Good News from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, and so I have finished that part of my work.

20 I always want to preach the Good News in places where people have never heard of Christ, because I do not want to build on the work someone else has already started.

21 But it is written in the Scriptures: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard about him will understand."

22 This is the reason I was stopped many times from coming to you.

23 Now I have finished my work here. Since for many years I have wanted to come to you,

24 I hope to visit you on my way to Spain. After I enjoy being with you for a while, I hope you can help me on my trip.

25 Now I am going to Jerusalem to help God's people.

26 The believers in Macedonia and Southern Greece were happy to give their money to help the poor among God's people at Jerusalem.

27 They were happy to do this, and really they owe it to them. These who are not Jews have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, so they should use their material possessions to help the Jews.

28 After I am sure the poor in Jerusalem get the money that has been given for them, I will leave for Spain and stop and visit you.

29 I know that when I come to you I will bring Christ's full blessing.

30 Brothers and sisters, I beg you to help me in my work by praying to God for me. Do this because of our Lord Jesus and the love that the Holy Spirit gives us.

31 Pray that I will be saved from the nonbelievers in Judea and that this help I bring to Jerusalem will please God's people there.

32 Then, if God wants me to, I will come to you with joy, and together you and I will have a time of rest.

33 The God who gives peace be with you all. Amen.