A Song of Praise
(Psalms 105.1-15; 96.1-13; 106.1, 47, 48)

1 Chronicles 16 ⁸Give thanks to the LORD, proclaim his greatness;
tell the nations what he has done.
⁹Sing praise to the LORD;
tell the wonderful things he has done.
¹⁰Be glad that we belong to him;
let all who worship him rejoice!
¹¹Go to the LORD for help,
and worship him continually.
^12-13You descendants of Jacob, God's servant,
descendants of Israel, whom God chose,
remember the miracles that God performed
and the judgments that he gave.
¹⁴The LORD is our God;
his commands are for all the world.
¹⁵Never forget God's covenant,
which he made to last forever,
¹⁶ the covenant he made with Abraham,
the promise he made to Isaac.
¹⁷The LORD made a covenant with Jacob,
one that will last forever.
¹⁸"I will give you the land of Canaan," he said.
"It will be your own possession."

¹⁹God's people were few in number,
strangers in the land of Canaan.
²⁰They wandered from country to country,
from one kingdom to another.
²¹But God let no one oppress them;
to protect them, he warned the kings:
²²"Don't harm my chosen servants;
do not touch my prophets."

²³Sing to the LORD, all the world!
Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us.
²⁴Proclaim his glory to the nations,
his mighty deeds to all peoples.

²⁵The LORD is great and is to be highly praised;
he is to be honored more than all the gods.
²⁶The gods of all other nations are only idols,
but the LORD created the heavens.
²⁷Glory and majesty surround him,
power and joy fill his Temple.

²⁸Praise the LORD, all people on earth,
praise his glory and might.
²⁹Praise the LORD's glorious name;
bring an offering and come into his Temple.
Bow down before the Holy One when he appears;
³⁰ tremble before him, all the earth!
The earth is set firmly in place and cannot be moved.
³¹Be glad, earth and sky!
Tell the nations that the LORD is king.
³²Roar, sea, and every creature in you;
be glad, fields, and everything in you!
³³The trees in the woods will shout for joy
when the LORD comes to rule the earth.

³⁴Give thanks to the LORD, because he is good;
his love is eternal.
³⁵Say to him, "Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us together; rescue us from the nations,
so that we may be thankful
and praise your holy name."
³⁶Praise the LORD, the God of Israel!
Praise him now and forever!

Then all the people said, "Amen," and praised the LORD.

Worship at Jerusalem and Gibeon

³⁷King David put Asaph and the other Levites in permanent charge of the worship that was held at the place where the Covenant Box was kept. They were to perform their duties there day by day. ³⁸Obed Edom son of Jeduthun and sixty-eight men of his clan were to assist them. Hosah and Obed Edom were in charge of guarding the gates.
³⁹Zadok the priest and his fellow priests, however, were in charge of the worship of the LORD at the place of worship in Gibeon. ⁴⁰Every morning and evening they were to burn sacrifices whole on the altar in accordance with what was written in the Law which the LORD gave to Israel. ⁴¹There with them were Heman and Jeduthun and the others who were specifically chosen to sing praises to the LORD for his eternal love. ⁴²Heman and Jeduthun also had charge of the trumpets and cymbals and the other instruments which were played when the songs of praise were sung. The members of Jeduthun's clan were in charge of guarding the gates.
⁴³Then everyone went home, and David went home to spend some time with his family.

The Vision of the Flying Scroll

Zechariah 5 I looked again, and this time I saw a scroll flying through the air. ²The angel asked me what I saw. I answered, "A scroll flying through the air; it is thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide."
³Then he said to me, "On it is written the curse that is to go out over the whole land. On one side of the scroll it says that every thief will be removed from the land; and on the other side it says that everyone who tells lies under oath will also be taken away. ⁴The LORD Almighty says that he will send this curse out, and it will enter the house of every thief and the house of everyone who tells lies under oath. It will remain in their houses and leave them in ruins."

The Vision of the Woman in the Basket

⁵The angel appeared again and said, "Look! Something else is coming!"
⁶"What is it?" I asked.
He replied, "It is a basket, and it stands for the sin of the whole land."
⁷The basket had a lid made of lead. As I watched, the lid was raised, and there in the basket sat a woman!
⁸The angel said, "This represents wickedness." Then he pushed her down into the basket and put the lid back down. ⁹I looked up and saw two women flying toward me with powerful wings like those of a stork. They picked up the basket and flew off with it.
¹⁰I asked the angel, "Where are they taking it?"
¹¹He answered, "To Babylonia, where they will build a temple for it. When the temple is finished, the basket will be placed there to be worshiped."