1 Chronicles 16
Open in the reader1So they brought the Chest of God and placed it inside the tent that Beloved had pitched for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.
2When Beloved had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of He-Who-Is.
3Then he distributed to every man and woman of Strives-with-God a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.
4Beloved appointed some of the Joined-Ones to minister before the Chest of He-Who-Is, to celebrate, to give thanks, and to praise He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God.
5Gatherer was the chief, He-Who-Is-Remembers was second, then God-Sweeps-Away, Name-of-Heights, God-Lives, Gift-of-He-Who-Is, My-God-Is-Father, He-Who-Is-Has-Built, Servant-of-Edom, and God-Sweeps-Away. They were to play the harps and lyres, while Gatherer sounded the cymbals
6and the priests He-Who-Is-Has-Built and God-Will-See blew the trumpets regularly before the Chest of the covenant of God.
7On that day Beloved first committed to Gatherer and his associates this song of thanksgiving to He-Who-Is:
8“Give thanks to He-Who-Is; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations.
9Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wonders.
10Glory in His devoted name; let the hearts of those who seek He-Who-Is rejoice.
11Seek out He-Who-Is and His strength; seek His face always.
12Remember the wonders He has done, His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
13O offspring of His servant Strives-with-God, O sons of Heel-Grabber, His chosen ones.
14He is He-Who-Is our God; His judgments carry throughout the earth.
15Remember His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations—
16the covenant He made with Father-of-a-Multitude, and the oath He swore to He-Laughs.
17He confirmed it to Heel-Grabber as a decree, to Strives-with-God as an everlasting covenant:
18‘I will give you the land of Humbled as the portion of your inheritance.’
19When they were few in number, few indeed, and strangers in the land,
20they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
21He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:
22‘Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!’
23Sing to He-Who-Is, all the earth. Proclaim His salvation day after day.
24Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.
25For great is He-Who-Is, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
26For all the gods of the nations are worthless-idols, but it is He-Who-Is who made the heavens.
27Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling.
28Ascribe to He-Who-Is, O families of the nations, ascribe to He-Who-Is glory and strength.
29Ascribe to He-Who-Is the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship He-Who-Is in the splendor of His devotedness;
30tremble before Him, all the earth. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
31Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice. Let them say among the nations, ‘He-Who-Is reigns!’
32Let the Sea resound, and all that fills it; let the fields exult, and all that is in them.
33Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before He-Who-Is, for He is coming to judge the earth.
34Give thanks to He-Who-Is, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
35Then cry out: ‘Save us, O God of our salvation; gather and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your devoted name, that we may glory in Your praise.’
36Blessed be He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, from everlasting to everlasting.” Then all the people said, “Amen!” and “Praise He-Who-Is!”
37So Beloved left Gatherer and his associates there before the Chest of the covenant of He-Who-Is, to minister there regularly according to the daily requirements,
38along with Servant-of-Edom and his sixty-eight relatives. Servant-of-Edom son of Praise-Giver, and also Refuge, were to be gatekeepers.
39And Beloved left Righteous the priest and his fellow priests before the Dwelling of He-Who-Is at the high place in Hill-Town
40to regularly present burnt offerings to He-Who-Is on the altar of burnt offerings, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the Teaching of He-Who-Is, which He had commanded Strives-with-God to keep.
41With them were Faithful, Praise-Giver, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to He-Who-Is, for “His loving devotion endures forever.”
42Faithful and Praise-Giver had with them trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for the songs of God. And the sons of Praise-Giver were stationed at the gate.
43Then all the people departed for their homes, and Beloved returned home to bless his household.