The Lord Reigns
1 xThe Lord reigns, ylet the earth rejoice;
let the many zcoastlands be glad!
2 aClouds and thick darkness are all around him;
brighteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 cFire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His dlightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and etrembles.
5 The mountains fmelt like gwax before the Lord,
before hthe Lord of all the earth.
6 iThe heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all jthe peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are kput to shame,
who make their boast in lworthless idols;
mworship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and nis glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are omost high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above pall gods.
10 O you who love the Lord, qhate evil!
He rpreserves the lives of his ssaints;
he tdelivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 uLight vis sown1 for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 wRejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and xgive thanks to his holy name!
Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord
A Psalm.
1 Oh sing to the Lord ya new song,
for he has done zmarvelous things!
His aright hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has bmade known his salvation;
he has crevealed his righteousness in dthe sight of the nations.
3 He has eremembered his fsteadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All gthe ends of the earth have seen
hthe salvation of our God.
4 iMake a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
jbreak forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the ksound of melody!
6 With ltrumpets and the sound of mthe horn
imake a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
7 nLet the sea roar, and oall that fills it;
othe world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers pclap their hands;
let qthe hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for he comes
to rjudge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
The Lord Our God Is Holy
1 sThe Lord reigns; tlet the peoples tremble!
He usits enthroned upon the cherubim; vlet the earth quake!
2 The Lord is wgreat in Zion;
he is xexalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your ygreat and awesome name!
zHoly is he!
4 aThe King in his might bloves justice.2
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 cExalt the Lord our God;
zHoly is he!
6 fMoses and Aaron were among his gpriests,
Samuel also was among those who hcalled upon his name.
They icalled to the Lord, and he answered them.
7 In jthe pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kkept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were la forgiving God to them,
but man avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his nholy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
Paul’s Visions and His Thorn
1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and xrevelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man yin Christ who fourteen years ago was zcaught up to athe third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, bGod knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into cparadise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, bGod knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, dexcept of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, eI would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So fto keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,1 ga thorn was given me in the flesh, ha messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 iThree times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, j“My grace is sufficient for you, for kmy power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that lthe power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 mFor the sake of Christ, then, nI am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For owhen I am weak, then I am strong.
Concern for the Corinthian Church
11 pI have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was qnot at all inferior to these super-apostles, reven though I am nothing. 12 sThe signs of a true apostle were performed among you twith utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that uI myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!
14 Here vfor the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for wI seek not what is yours but you. For xchildren are not obligated to save up for their parents, but yparents for their children. 15 zI will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If aI love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granting that bI myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you cthrough any of those whom I sent to you? 18 dI urged Titus to go, and sent ethe brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?
19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is fin the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and gall for your upbuilding, beloved. 20 For I fear that perhaps hwhen I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those iwho sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, jsexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
