Dialogue with Trypho
Chapter 73: "From the wood" has been removed from Psalm 96
Here is the text translated into modern English:
"And from the ninety-fifth (ninety-sixth) Psalm, they have removed this short phrase from the words of David: ‘From the wood.’ For when the passage stated, ‘Declare among the nations, the Lord has reigned from the wood,’ they have left it as, ‘Declare among the nations, the Lord has reigned.’ Now none of your people has ever been said to have reigned as God and Lord among the nations, except for Him who was crucified, of whom the Holy Spirit also affirms in the same Psalm that He was raised again and freed from the grave, declaring that there is none like Him among the gods of the nations: for they are idols of demons. But I shall recite the whole Psalm to you, so you may understand what has been said. It is as follows: ‘Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, and bless His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all the gods. For all the gods of the nations are demons, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and beauty are in His presence; holiness and magnificence are in His sanctuary. Bring to the Lord, O you countries of the nations, bring to the Lord glory and honor, bring to the Lord glory in His name. Take sacrifices, and enter His courts; worship the Lord in His holy temple. Let the whole earth be moved before Him: declare among the nations, the Lord has reigned. For He has established the world, which shall not be moved; He shall judge the nations with equity. Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be glad; let the sea and its fullness shake. Let the fields and everything in them be joyful. Let all the trees of the wood be glad before the Lord: for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth.’"
Here Trypho remarked, "Whether the rulers of the people have erased any part of the Scriptures, as you claim, God knows; but it seems unbelievable."
"Certainly," I said, "it does seem unbelievable. For it is more terrible than the calf they made when they were content with manna on the earth; or than the sacrifice of children to demons; or than the killing of the prophets. But," I said, "it seems to me that you haven't heard the Scriptures that I mentioned they had taken away. For those that have been quoted are more than enough to prove the points in dispute, in addition to those we still have, and that shall yet be presented."