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Psalm chapter 96

English Standard Version

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity." 11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
New International Version

1Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 4For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 5For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
6Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. 7Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
10Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. 11Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. 12Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. 13Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.
New American Standard Bible

1Sing to the Lord a new song; Sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. 3Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. 4For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. 5For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. 6Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name; Bring an offering and come into His courtyards. 9Worship the Lord in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth. 10Say among the nations, 'The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples fairly.' 11May the heavens be joyful, and may the earth rejoice; May the sea roar, and all it contains; 12May the field be jubilant, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy 13Before the Lord, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, And the peoples in His faithfulness.
Christian Standard Bible

1 Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. 2Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day.
3Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. 4For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods. 5For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
6Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; bring an offering and enter his courts.
9Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. 10Say among the nations: "The Lord reigns. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly." 11Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. 12Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy 13before the Lord, for he is coming— for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness.
New Living Translation

1Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! 2Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. 3Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. 4Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. 5The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! 6Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.
7O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. 8Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. 9Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. 10Tell all the nations, 'The Lord reigns!' The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.
11Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! 12Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy 13before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.
King James Version

1O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
2Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
3Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
4For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
5For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
6Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
8Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
10Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
11Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
13Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
New King James Version

1Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. 3Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. 4For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. 5For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. 6Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. 7 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength. 8Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. 9Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. 10Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; 12Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord. 13For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.

What does Psalm chapter 96 mean?

This is one of the "enthronement" psalms (Psalms 15; 24; 27; 93; 95; 97—99). These praise God for His sovereign rule and look forward to when the Lord will govern the entire world with perfect justice.

Several hundred years before the birth of Christ, Israelite scholars translated the Old Testament into Greek. Those translators added a subtitle: "When the house was built after the Captivity, a Song of David." Nearly the entire text of Psalm 96 is recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:23–33. There, David was celebrating the ark's return. Since Israel returned from exile centuries after David, he could not have written a song to celebrate the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 2:1; 6:15–16). Some scholars believe the subtitle implies that this psalm was used at the dedication.

The psalm begins with a call for praise. This is meant to be spread worldwide. Old Testament references to "the nations" and "the peoples" typically mean nations other than Israel: the Gentiles. Because God has performed great miracles, His power should be respected. In contrast, the false gods of other cultures are worthless. As the Creator, only the One True God deserves to be praised (Psalm 96:1–6).

Those worshipping God should recognize His glory, power, holiness, and magnificence. To "ascribe" is to credit something, or to assign it. "Ascribing" these traits to God means recognizing them and celebrating them (Psalm 96:7–9).

The "enthronement" psalms often preview His direct rule over the earth (Revelation 20:4). This will happen in the end times when the Messiah—Jesus Christ—rules the world in person. God's plan cannot be undone; the "world" which He created cannot be altered by anyone but Him. When God comes in judgment (Psalm 98:9), creation will celebrate (Romans 8:19–21). In that time, everyone on earth will experience a world under the perfect justice and goodness of God (Psalm 96:10–13).
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