Bible Society of South Africa

Bible Reading Plan – Day 111

Bible text(s)

Psalms 66

A Song of Praise and Thanksgiving

1Praise God with shouts of joy, all people!

2Sing to the glory of his name;

offer him glorious praise!

3Say to God, “How wonderful are the things you do!

Your power is so great

that your enemies bow down in fear before you.

4Everyone on earth worships you;

they sing praises to you,

they sing praises to your name.”

5Come and see what God has done,

his wonderful acts for mankind.

6He changed the sea into dry land;

our ancestors crossed the river on foot.

There we rejoiced because of what he did.

7He rules for ever by his might

and keeps his eyes on the nations.

Let no rebels rise against him.

8Praise our God, all nations;

let your praise be heard.

9He has kept us alive

and has not allowed us to fall.

10You have put us to the test, God;

as silver is purified by fire

so you have tested us.

11You let us fall into a trap

and placed heavy burdens on our backs.

12You let our enemies trample over us;

we went through fire and flood,

but now you have brought us to a place of safety.

13I will bring burnt offerings to your house;

I will offer you what I promised.

14I will give you what I said I would

when I was in trouble.

15I will offer sheep to be burnt on the altar;

I will sacrifice bulls and goats,

and the smoke will go up to the sky.

16Come and listen, all who honour God,

and I will tell you what he has done for me.

17I cried to him for help;

I praised him with songs.

18If I had ignored my sins,

the Lord would not have listened to me.

19But God has indeed heard me;

he has listened to my prayer.

20I praise God,

because he did not reject my prayer

or keep back his constant love from me.

Psalms 67

A Song of Thanksgiving

1God, be merciful to us and bless us;

look on us with kindness,

2so that the whole world may know your will;

so that all nations may know your salvation.

3May the peoples praise you, O God;

may all the peoples praise you!

4May the nations be glad and sing for joy,

because you judge the peoples with justice

and guide every nation on earth.

5May the peoples praise you, O God;

may all the peoples praise you!

6The land has produced its harvest;

God, our God, has blessed us.

7God has blessed us;

may all people everywhere honour him.

Psalms 68

A National Song of Triumph

1God rises up and scatters his enemies.

Those who hate him run away in defeat.

2As smoke is blown away, so he drives them off;

as wax melts in front of the fire,

so do the wicked perish in God's presence.

3But the righteous are glad and rejoice in his presence;

they are happy and shout for joy.

4Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

prepare a way for him who rides on the clouds.

His name is the LORD — be glad in his presence!

5God, who lives in his sacred Temple,

cares for orphans and protects widows.

6He gives the lonely a home to live in

and leads prisoners out into happy freedom,

but rebels will have to live in a desolate land.

7O God, when you led your people,

when you marched across the desert,

8the earth shook, and the sky poured down rain,

because of the coming of the God of Sinai,

the coming of the God of Israel.

9You caused abundant rain to fall

and restored your worn-out land;

10your people made their home there;

in your goodness you provided for the poor.

11The Lord gave the command,

and many women carried the news:

12“Kings and their armies are running away!”

The women at home divided what was captured:

13figures of doves covered with silver,

whose wings glittered with fine gold.

(Why did some of you stay among the sheep pens on the day of battle?)

14When Almighty God scattered the kings on Mount Zalmon,

he caused snow to fall there.

15What a mighty mountain is Bashan,

a mountain of many peaks!

16Why from your mighty peaks do you look with scorn

on the mountain on which God chose to live?

The LORD will live there for ever!

17With his many thousands of mighty chariots

the Lord comes from Sinai into the holy place.

18He goes up to the heights,

taking many captives with him;

he receives gifts from rebellious people.

The LORD God will live there.

19Praise the Lord,

who carries our burdens day after day;

he is the God who saves us.

20Our God is a God who saves;

he is the LORD, our Lord,

who rescues us from death.

21God will surely break the heads of his enemies,

of those who persist in their sinful ways.

22The Lord has said, “I will bring your enemies back from Bashan;

I will bring them back from the depths of the ocean,

23so that you may wade in their blood,

and your dogs may lap up as much as they want.”

24O God, your march of triumph is seen by all,

the procession of God, my king, into his sanctuary.

25The singers are in front, the musicians are behind,

in between are the young women beating the tambourines.

26“Praise God in the meeting of his people;

praise the LORD, all you descendants of Jacob!”

27First comes Benjamin, the smallest tribe,

then the leaders of Judah with their group,

followed by the leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali.

28Show your power, O God,

the power you have used on our behalf

29from your Temple in Jerusalem,

where kings bring gifts to you.

30Rebuke Egypt, that wild animal in the reeds;

rebuke the nations, that herd of bulls with their calves,

until they all bow down and offer you their silver.

Scatter those people who love to make war!

31Ambassadors will come from Egypt;

the Ethiopians will raise their hands in prayer to God.

32Sing to God, kingdoms of the world,

sing praise to the Lord,

33to him who rides in the sky,

the ancient sky.

Listen to him shout with a mighty roar.

34Proclaim God's power;

his majesty is over Israel,

his might is in the skies.

35How awesome is God as he comes from his sanctuary —

the God of Israel!

He gives strength and power to his people.

Praise God!

Psalms 69

A Cry for Help

1Save me, O God!

The water is up to my neck;

2I am sinking in deep mud,

and there is no solid ground;

I am out in deep water,

and the waves are about to drown me.

3I am worn out from calling for help,

and my throat is aching.

I have strained my eyes,

looking for your help.

4Those who hate me for no reason

are more numerous than the hairs of my head.

My enemies tell lies against me;

they are strong and want to kill me.

They made me give back things I did not steal.

5My sins, O God, are not hidden from you;

you know how foolish I have been.

6Don't let me bring shame on those who trust in you,

Sovereign LORD Almighty!

Don't let me bring disgrace to those who worship you,

O God of Israel!

7It is for your sake that I have been insulted

and that I am covered with shame.

8I am like a stranger to my relatives,

like a foreigner to my family.

9My devotion to your Temple burns in me like a fire;

the insults which are hurled at you fall on me.

10I humble myself by fasting,

and people insult me;

11I dress myself in clothes of mourning,

and they laugh at me.

12They talk about me in the streets,

and drunkards make up songs about me.

13But as for me, I will pray to you, LORD;

answer me, God, at a time you choose.

Answer me because of your great love,

because you keep your promise to save.

14Save me from sinking in the mud;

keep me safe from my enemies,

safe from the deep water.

15Don't let the flood come over me;

don't let me drown in the depths

or sink into the grave.

16Answer me, LORD, in the goodness of your constant love;

in your great compassion turn to me!

17Don't hide yourself from your servant;

I am in great trouble — answer me now!

18Come to me and save me;

rescue me from my enemies.

19You know how I am insulted,

how I am disgraced and dishonoured;

you see all my enemies.

20Insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

I had hoped for sympathy, but there was none;

for comfort, but I found none.

21When I was hungry, they gave me poison;

when I was thirsty, they offered me vinegar.

22May their banquets cause their ruin;

may their sacred feasts cause their downfall.

23Strike them with blindness!

Make their backs always weak!

24Pour out your anger on them;

let your indignation overtake them.

25May their camps be left deserted;

may no one be left alive in their tents.

26They persecute those whom you have punished;

they talk about the sufferings of those you have wounded.

27Keep a record of all their sins;

don't let them have any part in your salvation.

28May their names be erased from the book of the living;

may they not be included in the list of your people.

29But I am in pain and despair;

lift me up, O God, and save me!

30I will praise God with a song;

I will proclaim his greatness by giving him thanks.

31This will please the LORD more than offering him cattle,

more than sacrificing a full-grown bull.

32When the oppressed see this, they will be glad;

those who worship God will be encouraged.

33The LORD listens to those in need

and does not forget his people in prison.

34Praise God, O heaven and earth,

seas and all creatures in them.

35He will save Jerusalem

and rebuild the towns of Judah.

His people will live there and possess the land;

36the descendants of his servants will inherit it,

and those who love him will live there.

Psalms 66:1-69:36GNBOpen in Bible reader
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