1I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;

with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known

through all generations.

2I will declare that your love stands firm forever,

that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

3You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant,

4‘I will establish your line forever

and make your throne firm through all generations.’ ”

5The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,

your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

6For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?

7In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;

he is more awesome than all who surround him.

8Who is like you, LordGod Almighty?

You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

9You rule over the surging sea;

when its waves mount up, you still them.

10You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

11The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;

you founded the world and all that is in it.

12You created the north and the south;

Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.

13Your arm is endowed with power;

your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.

14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

love and faithfulness go before you.

15Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,

who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.

16They rejoice in your name all day long;

they celebrate your righteousness.

17For you are their glory and strength,

and by your favor you exalt our horn.

18Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19Once you spoke in a vision,

to your faithful people you said:

“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;

I have raised up a young man from among the people.

20I have found David my servant;

with my sacred oil I have anointed him.

21My hand will sustain him;

surely my arm will strengthen him.

22The enemy will not get the better of him;

the wicked will not oppress him.

23I will crush his foes before him

and strike down his adversaries.

24My faithful love will be with him,

and through my name his horn will be exalted.

25I will set his hand over the sea,

his right hand over the rivers.

26He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, the Rock my Savior.’

27And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,

the most exalted of the kings of the earth.

28I will maintain my love to him forever,

and my covenant with him will never fail.

29I will establish his line forever,

his throne as long as the heavens endure.

30“If his sons forsake my law

and do not follow my statutes,

31if they violate my decrees

and fail to keep my commands,

32I will punish their sin with the rod,

their iniquity with flogging;

33but I will not take my love from him,

nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.

34I will not violate my covenant

or alter what my lips have uttered.

35Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—

and I will not lie to David—

36that his line will continue forever

and his throne endure before me like the sun;

37it will be established forever like the moon,

the faithful witness in the sky.”

38But you have rejected, you have spurned,

you have been very angry with your anointed one.

39You have renounced the covenant with your servant

and have defiled his crown in the dust.

40You have broken through all his walls

and reduced his strongholds to ruins.

41All who pass by have plundered him;

he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

42You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

you have made all his enemies rejoice.

43Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword

and have not supported him in battle.

44You have put an end to his splendor

and cast his throne to the ground.

45You have cut short the days of his youth;

you have covered him with a mantle of shame.

46How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your wrath burn like fire?

47Remember how fleeting is my life.

For what futility you have created all humanity!

48Who can live and not see death,

or who can escape the power of the grave?

49Lord, where is your former great love,

which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

50Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked,

how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,

51the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,

with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.

52Praise be to the Lord forever!

Amen and Amen.

Psalm 47

1Clap your hands, all you nations;

shout to God with cries of joy.

2For the LordMost High is awesome,

the great King over all the earth.

3He subdued nations under us,

peoples under our feet.

4He chose our inheritance for us,

the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.

5God has ascended amid shouts of joy,

the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

6Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7For God is the King of all the earth;

sing to him a psalm of praise.

8God reigns over the nations;

God is seated on his holy throne.

9The nobles of the nations assemble

as the people of the God of Abraham,

for the kings of the earth belong to God;

he is greatly exalted.

Psalm 68

1May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;

may his foes flee before him.

2May you blow them away like smoke—

as wax melts before the fire,

may the wicked perish before God.

3But may the righteous be glad

and rejoice before God;

may they be happy and joyful.

4Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,

extol him who rides on the clouds;

rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.

5A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

is God in his holy dwelling.

6God sets the lonely in families,

he leads out the prisoners with singing;

but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

7When you, God, went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness,

8the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,

before God, the One of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

9You gave abundant showers, O God;

you refreshed your weary inheritance.

10Your people settled in it,

and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

11The Lord announces the word,

and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:

12“Kings and armies flee in haste;

the women at home divide the plunder.

13Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,

the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,

its feathers with shining gold.”

14When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land,

it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.

15Mount Bashan, majestic mountain,

Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,

16why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,

at the mountain where God chooses to reign,

where the Lord himself will dwell forever?

17The chariots of God are tens of thousands

and thousands of thousands;

the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.

18When you ascended on high,

you took many captives;

you received gifts from people,

even from the rebellious—

that you,LordGod, might dwell there.

19Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens.

20Our God is a God who saves;

from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

21Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,

the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

22The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;

I will bring them from the depths of the sea,

23that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,

while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”

24Your procession, God, has come into view,

the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.

25In front are the singers, after them the musicians;

with them are the young women playing the timbrels.

26Praise God in the great congregation;

praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.

27There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them,

there the great throng of Judah’s princes,

and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

28Summon your power, God;

show us your strength, our God, as you have done before.

29Because of your temple at Jerusalem

kings will bring you gifts.

30Rebuke the beast among the reeds,

the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.

Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.

Scatter the nations who delight in war.

31Envoys will come from Egypt;

Cush will submit herself to God.

32Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,

sing praise to the Lord,

33to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,

who thunders with mighty voice.

34Proclaim the power of God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

whose power is in the heavens.

35You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;

the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

Psalm 22

1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

2My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, but I find no rest.

3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

you are the one Israel praises.

4In you our ancestors put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them.

5To you they cried out and were saved;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

7All who see me mock me;

they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

8“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,

“let the Lord rescue him.

Let him deliver him,

since he delights in him.”

9Yet you brought me out of the womb;

you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.

10From birth I was cast on you;

from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11Do not be far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is no one to help.

12Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13Roaring lions that tear their prey

open their mouths wide against me.

14I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has turned to wax;

it has melted within me.

15My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16Dogs surround me,

a pack of villains encircles me;

they pierce my hands and my feet.

17All my bones are on display;

people stare and gloat over me.

18They divide my clothes among them

and cast lots for my garment.

19But you, Lord, do not be far from me.

You are my strength; come quickly to help me.

20Deliver me from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;

save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22I will declare your name to my people;

in the assembly I will praise you.

23You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24For he has not despised or scorned

the suffering of the afflicted one;

he has not hidden his face from him

but has listened to his cry for help.

25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear youI will fulfill my vows.

26The poor will eat and be satisfied;

those who seek the Lord will praise him—

may your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth

will remember and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

will bow down before him,

28for dominion belongs to the Lord

and he rules over the nations.

29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;

all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—

those who cannot keep themselves alive.

30Posterity will serve him;

future generations will be told about the Lord.

31They will proclaim his righteousness,

declaring to a people yet unborn:

He has done it!

Psalm 23

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Psalm 24

1The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

2for he founded it on the seas

and established it on the waters.

3Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not trust in an idol

or swear by a false god.

5They will receive blessing from the Lord

and vindication from God their Savior.

6Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face, God of Jacob.

7Lift up your heads, you gates;

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

8Who is this King of glory?

The Lord strong and mighty,

the Lord mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

10Who is he, this King of glory?

The LordAlmighty—

he is the King of glory.

Psalm 1

1Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

4Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 2

1Why do the nations conspire

and the peoples plot in vain?

2The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

3“Let us break their chains

and throw off their shackles.”

4The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

5He rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6“I have installed my king

on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;

today I have become your father.

8Ask me,

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

9You will break them with a rod of iron;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10Therefore, you kings, be wise;

be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11Serve the Lord with fear

and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12Kiss his son, or he will be angry

and your way will lead to your destruction,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 15

1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?

Who may live on your holy mountain?

2The one whose walk is blameless,

who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth from their heart;

3whose tongue utters no slander,

who does no wrong to a neighbor,

and casts no slur on others;

4who despises a vile person

but honors those who fear the Lord;

who keeps an oath even when it hurts,

and does not change their mind;

5who lends money to the poor without interest;

who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things

will never be shaken.

Ministering Before the Ark

1They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. 2After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.

4He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: 5Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

7That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner:

8Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

9Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

10Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11Look to the Lord and his strength;

seek his face always.

12Remember the wonders he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

13you his servants, the descendants of Israel,

his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

14He is the Lord our God;

his judgments are in all the earth.

15He remembers his covenant forever,

the promise he made, for a thousand generations,

16the covenant he made with Abraham,

the oath he swore to Isaac.

17He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

18“To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion you will inherit.”

19When they were but few in number,

few indeed, and strangers in it,

20they wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

21He allowed no one to oppress them;

for their sake he rebuked kings:

22“Do not touch my anointed ones;

do my prophets no harm.”

23Sing to the Lord, all the earth;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

24Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

25For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

he is to be feared above all gods.

26For all the gods of the nations are idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

27Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and joy are in his dwelling place.

28Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

29Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering and come before him.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

30Tremble before him, all the earth!

The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

31Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

32Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

33Let the trees of the forest sing,

let them sing for joy before the Lord,

for he comes to judge the earth.

34Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

35Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;

gather us and deliver us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name,

and glory in your praise.”

36Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”

37David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements. 38He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers.

39David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon 40to present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the Lord, which he had given Israel. 41With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, “for his love endures forever.” 42Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.

43Then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

1After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.”

3David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. 4He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

5From the descendants of Kohath,

Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;

6from the descendants of Merari,

Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;

7from the descendants of Gershon,

Joel the leader and 130 relatives;

8from the descendants of Elizaphan,

Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;

9from the descendants of Hebron,

Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;

10from the descendants of Uzziel,

Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.

11Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. 12He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 14So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.

16David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.

17So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; 18and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

19The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20Zechariah, Jaaziel,Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,21and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.22Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

23Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark. 24Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

25So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. 26Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed. 27Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod. 28So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

29As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

David’s House and Family

1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him. 2And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

3In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters. 4These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7Elishama, Beeliadaand Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

8When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them. 9Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; 10so David inquired of God: “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”

The Lord answered him, “Go, I will deliver them into your hands.”

11So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.12The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, and David gave orders to burn them in the fire.

13Once more the Philistines raided the valley; 14so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, “Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. 15As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” 16So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

17So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him.