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Psalm 105

1  O give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; ♦︎
   make known his deeds among the peoples.
2  Sing to him, sing praises, ♦︎
   and tell of all his marvellous works.
3  Rejoice in the praise of his holy name; ♦︎
   let the hearts of them rejoice who seek the Lord.
4  Seek the Lord and his strength; ♦︎
   seek his face continually.
5  Remember the marvels he has done, ♦︎
   his wonders and the judgements of his mouth,
6  O seed of Abraham his servant, ♦︎
   O children of Jacob his chosen.
7  He is the Lord our God; ♦︎
   his judgements are in all the earth.
8  He has always been mindful of his covenant, ♦︎
   the promise that he made for a thousand generations:
9  The covenant he made with Abraham, ♦︎
   the oath that he swore to Isaac,
10  Which he established as a statute for Jacob, ♦︎
   an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11  Saying, ‘To you will I give the land of Canaan ♦︎
   to be the portion of your inheritance.’
12  When they were but few in number, ♦︎
   of little account, and sojourners in the land,
13  Wandering from nation to nation, ♦︎
   from one kingdom to another people,
14  He suffered no one to do them wrong ♦︎
   and rebuked even kings for their sake,
15  Saying, ‘Touch not my anointed ♦︎
   and do my prophets no harm.’
16  Then he called down famine over the land ♦︎
   and broke every staff of bread.
17  But he had sent a man before them, ♦︎
   Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18  They shackled his feet with fetters; ♦︎
   his neck was ringed with iron.
19  Until all he foretold came to pass, ♦︎
   the word of the Lord tested him.
20  The king sent and released him; ♦︎
   the ruler of peoples set him free.
21  He appointed him lord of his household ♦︎
   and ruler of all he possessed,
22  To instruct his princes as he willed ♦︎
   and to teach his counsellors wisdom.

²³ By his plan he stilled the deep
   and planted islands in it.
²⁴ Those who sail the sea tell of its dangers,
   and we marvel at what we hear.
²⁵ In it are strange and marvellous creatures,
   all kinds of living things, and huge sea-monsters.
²⁶ Because of him each of his messengers succeeds,
   and by his word all things hold together.

²⁷ We could say more but could never say enough;
   let the final word be: ‘He is the all.’
²⁸ Where can we find the strength to praise him?
   For he is greater than all his works.
²⁹ Awesome is the Lord and very great,
   and marvellous is his power.
³⁰ Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can,
   for he surpasses even that.
When you exalt him, summon all your strength,
   and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough.
³¹ Who has seen him and can describe him?
   Or who can extol him as he is?
³² Many things greater than these lie hidden,
   for I^* have seen but few of his works.
³³ For the Lord has made all things,
   and to the godly he has given wisdom.

Offerings for Building the Temple

29King David said to the whole assembly, ‘My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great; for the temple^* will not be for mortals but for the Lord God. ²So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, coloured stones, all sorts of precious stones, and marble in abundance. ³Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: ⁴three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house, ⁵and for all the work to be done by artisans, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating themselves today to the Lord?’

6 Then the leaders of ancestral houses made their freewill-offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of the thousands and of the hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work. ⁷They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. ⁸Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, into the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the Lord; King David also rejoiced greatly.

David’s Praise to God

10 Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said: ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, for ever and ever. ¹¹Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. ¹²Riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. ¹³And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.

14 ‘But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to make this freewill-offering? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. ¹⁵For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. ¹⁶O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. ¹⁷I know, my God, that you search the heart, and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. ¹⁸O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep for ever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts towards you. ¹⁹Grant to my son Solomon that with single mind he may keep your commandments, your decrees, and your statutes, performing all of them, and that he may build the temple^* for which I have made provision.’

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, ‘Bless the Lord your God.’ And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.

The Bowls of God’s Wrath

16Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.’

2 So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and a foul and painful sore came on those who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped its image.

3 The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died.

4 The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. ⁵And I heard the angel of the waters say,
‘You are just, O Holy One, who are and were,
   for you have judged these things;
⁶ because they shed the blood of saints and prophets,
   you have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!’
⁷And I heard the altar respond,
‘Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty,
   your judgements are true and just!’

8 The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire; ⁹they were scorched by the fierce heat, but they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.

10 The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness; people gnawed their tongues in agony, ¹¹and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.