Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

¹God presides in the great assembly;

he gives judgment among the “gods”:

 

²“How long will you^[147] defend the unjust

and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

³Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;

maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

⁴Rescue the weak and needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

 

⁵“They know nothing, they understand nothing.

They walk about in darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

 

⁶“I said, ‘You are “gods”;

you are all sons of the Most High.’

⁷But you will die like mere men;

you will fall like every other ruler.”

 

⁸Rise up, O God, judge the earth,

for all the nations are your inheritance.

Psalm 83

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

¹O God, do not keep silent;

be not quiet, O God, be not still.

²See how your enemies are astir,

how your foes rear their heads.

³With cunning they conspire against your people;

they plot against those you cherish.

⁴“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,

that the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

 

⁵With one mind they plot together;

they form an alliance against you—

⁶the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

of Moab and the Hagrites,

⁷Gebal,^[148] Ammon and Amalek,

Philistia, with the people of Tyre.

⁸Even Assyria has joined them

to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah

 

⁹Do to them as you did to Midian,

as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

¹⁰who perished at Endor

and became like refuse on the ground.

¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

¹²who said, “Let us take possession

of the pasturelands of God.”

 

¹³Make them like tumbleweed, O my God,

like chaff before the wind.

¹⁴As fire consumes the forest

or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

¹⁵so pursue them with your tempest

and terrify them with your storm.

¹⁶Cover their faces with shame

so that men will seek your name, O LORD.

 

¹⁷May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;

may they perish in disgrace.

¹⁸Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—

that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 84

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[149] Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹How lovely is your dwelling place,

O LORD Almighty!

²My soul yearns, even faints,

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh cry out

for the living God.

 

³Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young—

a place near your altar,

O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

⁴Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they are ever praising you. Selah

 

⁵Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

⁶As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.^[150]

⁷They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

 

⁸Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;

listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah

⁹Look upon our shield,^[151] O God;

look with favor on your anointed one.

 

¹⁰Better is one day in your courts

than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

¹¹For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

the LORD bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

 

¹²O LORD Almighty,

blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 85

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

¹You showed favor to your land, O LORD;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

²You forgave the iniquity of your people

and covered all their sins. Selah

³You set aside all your wrath

and turned from your fierce anger.

 

⁴Restore us again, O God our Savior,

and put away your displeasure toward us.

⁵Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

⁶Will you not revive us again,

that your people may rejoice in you?

⁷Show us your unfailing love, O LORD,

and grant us your salvation.

 

⁸I will listen to what God the LORD will say;

he promises peace to his people, his saints—

but let them not return to folly.

⁹Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.

 

¹⁰Love and faithfulness meet together;

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

¹¹Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven.

¹²The LORD will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest.

¹³Righteousness goes before him

and prepares the way for his steps.

Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

¹Hear, O LORD, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

²Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.

You are my God; save your servant

who trusts in you.

³Have mercy on me, O Lord,

for I call to you all day long.

⁴Bring joy to your servant,

for to you, O Lord,

I lift up my soul.

 

⁵You are forgiving and good, O Lord,

abounding in love to all who call to you.

⁶Hear my prayer, O LORD;

listen to my cry for mercy.

⁷In the day of my trouble I will call to you,

for you will answer me.

 

⁸Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;

no deeds can compare with yours.

⁹All the nations you have made

will come and worship before you, O Lord;

they will bring glory to your name.

¹⁰For you are great and do marvelous deeds;

you alone are God.

 

¹¹Teach me your way, O LORD,

and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name.

¹²I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify your name forever.

¹³For great is your love toward me;

you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.^[152]

 

¹⁴The arrogant are attacking me, O God;

a band of ruthless men seeks my life—

men without regard for you.

¹⁵But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

¹⁶Turn to me and have mercy on me;

grant your strength to your servant

and save the son of your maidservant.^[153]

¹⁷Give me a sign of your goodness,

that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,

for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Psalm 87

Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.

¹He has set his foundation on the holy mountain;

²the LORD loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

³Glorious things are said of you,

O city of God: Selah

⁴“I will record Rahab^[154] and Babylon

among those who acknowledge me—

Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush^[155]—

and will say, ‘This^[156] one was born in Zion.’ ”

 

⁵Indeed, of Zion it will be said,

“This one and that one were born in her,

and the Most High himself will establish her.”

⁶The LORD will write in the register of the peoples:

“This one was born in Zion.” Selah

⁷As they make music they will sing,

“All my fountains are in you.”

Psalm 88

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.^[157] A maskil^[158] of Heman the Ezrahite.

¹O LORD, the God who saves me,

day and night I cry out before you.

²May my prayer come before you;

turn your ear to my cry.

 

³For my soul is full of trouble

and my life draws near the grave.^[159]

⁴I am counted among those who go down to the pit;

I am like a man without strength.

⁵I am set apart with the dead,

like the slain who lie in the grave,

whom you remember no more,

who are cut off from your care.

 

⁶You have put me in the lowest pit,

in the darkest depths.

⁷Your wrath lies heavily upon me;

you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah

⁸You have taken from me my closest friends

and have made me repulsive to them.

I am confined and cannot escape;

⁹my eyes are dim with grief.

 

I call to you, O LORD, every day;

I spread out my hands to you.

¹⁰Do you show your wonders to the dead?

Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Selah

¹¹Is your love declared in the grave,

your faithfulness in Destruction^[160]?

¹²Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,

or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

 

¹³But I cry to you for help, O LORD;

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

¹⁴Why, O LORD, do you reject me

and hide your face from me?

 

¹⁵From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death;

I have suffered your terrors and am in despair.

¹⁶Your wrath has swept over me;

your terrors have destroyed me.

¹⁷All day long they surround me like a flood;

they have completely engulfed me.

¹⁸You have taken my companions and loved ones from me;

the darkness is my closest friend.

Psalm 89

A maskil^[161] of Ethan the Ezrahite.

¹I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever;

with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

²I will declare that your love stands firm forever,

that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

 

³You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant,

⁴‘I will establish your line forever

and make your throne firm through all generations.’ ” Selah

 

⁵The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,

your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

⁶For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?

Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?

⁷In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;

he is more awesome than all who surround him.

⁸O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?

You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

 

⁹You rule over the surging sea;

when its waves mount up, you still them.

¹⁰You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

¹¹The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;

you founded the world and all that is in it.

¹²You created the north and the south;

Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.

¹³Your arm is endued with power;

your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.

 

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

love and faithfulness go before you.

¹⁵Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,

who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.

¹⁶They rejoice in your name all day long;

they exult in your righteousness.

¹⁷For you are their glory and strength,

and by your favor you exalt our horn.^[162]

¹⁸Indeed, our shield^[163] belongs to the LORD,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

 

¹⁹Once you spoke in a vision,

to your faithful people you said:

“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;

I have exalted a young man from among the people.

²⁰I have found David my servant;

with my sacred oil I have anointed him.

²¹My hand will sustain him;

surely my arm will strengthen him.

²²No enemy will subject him to tribute;

no wicked man will oppress him.

²³I will crush his foes before him

and strike down his adversaries.

²⁴My faithful love will be with him,

and through my name his horn^[164] will be exalted.

²⁵I will set his hand over the sea,

his right hand over the rivers.

²⁶He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, the Rock my Savior.’

²⁷I will also appoint him my firstborn,

the most exalted of the kings of the earth.

²⁸I will maintain my love to him forever,

and my covenant with him will never fail.

²⁹I will establish his line forever,

his throne as long as the heavens endure.

 

³⁰“If his sons forsake my law

and do not follow my statutes,

³¹if they violate my decrees

and fail to keep my commands,

³²I will punish their sin with the rod,

their iniquity with flogging;

³³but I will not take my love from him,

nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.

³⁴I will not violate my covenant

or alter what my lips have uttered.

³⁵Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—

and I will not lie to David—

³⁶that his line will continue forever

and his throne endure before me like the sun;

³⁷it will be established forever like the moon,

the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

 

³⁸But you have rejected, you have spurned,

you have been very angry with your anointed one.

³⁹You have renounced the covenant with your servant

and have defiled his crown in the dust.

⁴⁰You have broken through all his walls

and reduced his strongholds to ruins.

⁴¹All who pass by have plundered him;

he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

⁴²You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

you have made all his enemies rejoice.

⁴³You have turned back the edge of his sword

and have not supported him in battle.

⁴⁴You have put an end to his splendor

and cast his throne to the ground.

⁴⁵You have cut short the days of his youth;

you have covered him with a mantle of shame. Selah

 

⁴⁶How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your wrath burn like fire?

⁴⁷Remember how fleeting is my life.

For what futility you have created all men!

⁴⁸What man can live and not see death,

or save himself from the power of the grave^[165]? Selah

⁴⁹O Lord, where is your former great love,

which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

⁵⁰Remember, Lord, how your servant has^[166] been mocked,

how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,

⁵¹the taunts with which your enemies have mocked, O LORD,

with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.

 

⁵²Praise be to the LORD forever!

Amen and Amen.

BOOK IV

Psalms 90–106

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

¹Lord, you have been our dwelling place

throughout all generations.

²Before the mountains were born

or you brought forth the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

 

³You turn men back to dust,

saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.”

⁴For a thousand years in your sight

are like a day that has just gone by,

or like a watch in the night.

⁵You sweep men away in the sleep of death;

they are like the new grass of the morning—

⁶though in the morning it springs up new,

by evening it is dry and withered.

 

⁷We are consumed by your anger

and terrified by your indignation.

⁸You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence.

⁹All our days pass away under your wrath;

we finish our years with a moan.

¹⁰The length of our days is seventy years—

or eighty, if we have the strength;

yet their span^[167] is but trouble and sorrow,

for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

 

¹¹Who knows the power of your anger?

For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.

¹²Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

 

¹³Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?

Have compassion on your servants.

¹⁴Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

¹⁵Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble.

¹⁶May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children.

 

¹⁷May the favor^[168] of the Lord our God rest upon us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 91

¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[169]

²I will say^[170] of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

 

³Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

⁵You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

⁷A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

⁸You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

 

⁹If you make the Most High your dwelling—

even the LORD, who is my refuge—

¹⁰then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

¹²they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 

¹⁴“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 92

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

¹It is good to praise the LORD

and make music to your name, O Most High,

²to proclaim your love in the morning

and your faithfulness at night,

³to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp.

 

⁴For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;

I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

⁵How great are your works, O LORD,

how profound your thoughts!

⁶The senseless man does not know,

fools do not understand,

⁷that though the wicked spring up like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they will be forever destroyed.

 

⁸But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

 

⁹For surely your enemies, O LORD,

surely your enemies will perish;

all evildoers will be scattered.

¹⁰You have exalted my horn^[171] like that of a wild ox;

fine oils have been poured upon me.

¹¹My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;

my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

 

¹²The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

¹³planted in the house of the LORD,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

¹⁵proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Psalm 93

¹The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;

the LORD is robed in majesty

and is armed with strength.

The world is firmly established;

it cannot be moved.

²Your throne was established long ago;

you are from all eternity.

 

³The seas have lifted up, O LORD,

the seas have lifted up their voice;

the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

⁴Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,

mightier than the breakers of the sea—

the LORD on high is mighty.

 

⁵Your statutes stand firm;

holiness adorns your house

for endless days, O LORD.

Psalm 94

¹O LORD, the God who avenges,

O God who avenges, shine forth.

²Rise up, O Judge of the earth;

pay back to the proud what they deserve.

³How long will the wicked, O LORD,

how long will the wicked be jubilant?

 

⁴They pour out arrogant words;

all the evildoers are full of boasting.

⁵They crush your people, O LORD;

they oppress your inheritance.

⁶They slay the widow and the alien;

they murder the fatherless.

⁷They say, “The LORD does not see;

the God of Jacob pays no heed.”

 

⁸Take heed, you senseless ones among the people;

you fools, when will you become wise?

⁹Does he who implanted the ear not hear?

Does he who formed the eye not see?

¹⁰Does he who disciplines nations not punish?

Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?

¹¹The LORD knows the thoughts of man;

he knows that they are futile.

 

¹²Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD,

the man you teach from your law;

¹³you grant him relief from days of trouble,

till a pit is dug for the wicked.

¹⁴For the LORD will not reject his people;

he will never forsake his inheritance.

¹⁵Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

 

¹⁶Who will rise up for me against the wicked?

Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

¹⁷Unless the LORD had given me help,

I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

¹⁸When I said, “My foot is slipping,”

your love, O LORD, supported me.

¹⁹When anxiety was great within me,

your consolation brought joy to my soul.

 

²⁰Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—

one that brings on misery by its decrees?

²¹They band together against the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.

²²But the LORD has become my fortress,

and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

²³He will repay them for their sins

and destroy them for their wickedness;

the LORD our God will destroy them.

Psalm 95

¹Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

²Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.

 

³For the LORD is the great God,

the great King above all gods.

⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

⁵The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

 

⁶Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

⁷for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

 

Today, if you hear his voice,

⁸do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,^[172]

as you did that day at Massah^[173] in the desert,

⁹where your fathers tested and tried me,

though they had seen what I did.

¹⁰For forty years I was angry with that generation;

I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,

and they have not known my ways.”

¹¹So I declared on oath in my anger,

“They shall never enter my rest.”

Psalm 96

¹Sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

²Sing to the LORD, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

³Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

 

⁴For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

he is to be feared above all gods.

⁵For all the gods of the nations are idols,

but the LORD made the heavens.

⁶Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

 

⁷Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

⁸Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

bring an offering and come into his courts.

⁹Worship the LORD in the splendor of his^[174] holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth.

 

¹⁰Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”

The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;

he will judge the peoples with equity.

¹¹Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

¹²let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

¹³they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples in his truth.

Psalm 97

¹The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;

let the distant shores rejoice.

 

²Clouds and thick darkness surround him;

righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³Fire goes before him

and consumes his foes on every side.

⁴His lightning lights up the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

⁵The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,

before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

and all the peoples see his glory.

 

⁷All who worship images are put to shame,

those who boast in idols—

worship him, all you gods!

 

⁸Zion hears and rejoices

and the villages of Judah are glad

because of your judgments, O LORD.

⁹For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;

you are exalted far above all gods.

 

¹⁰Let those who love the LORD hate evil,

for he guards the lives of his faithful ones

and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Light is shed upon the righteous

and joy on the upright in heart.

¹²Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,

and praise his holy name.

Psalm 98

A psalm.

¹Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm

have worked salvation for him.

²The LORD has made his salvation known

and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

³He has remembered his love

and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;

all the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

 

⁴Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,

burst into jubilant song with music;

⁵make music to the LORD with the harp,

with the harp and the sound of singing,

⁶with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—

shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

 

⁷Let the sea resound, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it.

⁸Let the rivers clap their hands,

let the mountains sing together for joy;

⁹let them sing before the LORD,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 99

¹The LORD reigns,

let the nations tremble;

he sits enthroned between the cherubim,

let the earth shake.

²Great is the LORD in Zion;

he is exalted over all the nations.

³Let them praise your great and awesome name—

he is holy.

 

⁴The King is mighty, he loves justice—

you have established equity;

in Jacob you have done

what is just and right.

⁵Exalt the LORD our God

and worship at his footstool;

he is holy.

 

⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests,

Samuel was among those who called on his name;

they called on the LORD

and he answered them.

⁷He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;

they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

 

⁸O LORD our God,

you answered them;

you were to Israel^[175] a forgiving God,

though you punished their misdeeds.^[176]

⁹Exalt the LORD our God

and worship at his holy mountain,

for the LORD our God is holy.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

¹Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

²Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

³Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his^[177];

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 

⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

⁵For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 101

Of David. A psalm.

¹I will sing of your love and justice;

to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.

²I will be careful to lead a blameless life—

when will you come to me?

 

I will walk in my house

with blameless heart.

³I will set before my eyes

no vile thing.

 

The deeds of faithless men I hate;

they will not cling to me.

⁴Men of perverse heart shall be far from me;

I will have nothing to do with evil.

 

⁵Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,

him will I put to silence;

whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,

him will I not endure.

 

⁶My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,

that they may dwell with me;

he whose walk is blameless

will minister to me.

 

⁷No one who practices deceit

will dwell in my house;

no one who speaks falsely

will stand in my presence.

 

⁸Every morning I will put to silence

all the wicked in the land;

I will cut off every evildoer

from the city of the LORD.

Psalm 102

A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the LORD.

¹Hear my prayer, O LORD;

let my cry for help come to you.

²Do not hide your face from me

when I am in distress.

Turn your ear to me;

when I call, answer me quickly.

 

³For my days vanish like smoke;

my bones burn like glowing embers.

⁴My heart is blighted and withered like grass;

I forget to eat my food.

⁵Because of my loud groaning

I am reduced to skin and bones.

⁶I am like a desert owl,

like an owl among the ruins.

⁷I lie awake; I have become

like a bird alone on a roof.

⁸All day long my enemies taunt me;

those who rail against me use my name as a curse.

⁹For I eat ashes as my food

and mingle my drink with tears

¹⁰because of your great wrath,

for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.

¹¹My days are like the evening shadow;

I wither away like grass.

 

¹²But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;

your renown endures through all generations.

¹³You will arise and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to show favor to her;

the appointed time has come.

¹⁴For her stones are dear to your servants;

her very dust moves them to pity.

¹⁵The nations will fear the name of the LORD,

all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.

¹⁶For the LORD will rebuild Zion

and appear in his glory.

¹⁷He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;

he will not despise their plea.

 

¹⁸Let this be written for a future generation,

that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:

¹⁹“The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high,

from heaven he viewed the earth,

²⁰to hear the groans of the prisoners

and release those condemned to death.”

²¹So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalem

²²when the peoples and the kingdoms

assemble to worship the LORD.

 

²³In the course of my life^[178] he broke my strength;

he cut short my days.

²⁴So I said:

“Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;

your years go on through all generations.

²⁵In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

²⁶They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them

and they will be discarded.

²⁷But you remain the same,

and your years will never end.

²⁸The children of your servants will live in your presence;

their descendants will be established before you.”

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹Praise the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

²Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

³who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

⁴who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

⁶The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

 

⁷He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

⁸The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

⁹He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

¹²as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

¹⁴for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

¹⁶the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

¹⁸with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

 

¹⁹The LORD has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

 

²⁰Praise the LORD, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.

²¹Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.

²²Praise the LORD, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

 

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Psalm 104

¹Praise the LORD, O my soul.

 

O LORD my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

²He wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

³and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind.

⁴He makes winds his messengers,^[179]

flames of fire his servants.

 

⁵He set the earth on its foundations;

it can never be moved.

⁶You covered it with the deep as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

⁷But at your rebuke the waters fled,

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

⁸they flowed over the mountains,

they went down into the valleys,

to the place you assigned for them.

⁹You set a boundary they cannot cross;

never again will they cover the earth.

 

¹⁰He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

it flows between the mountains.

¹¹They give water to all the beasts of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

¹²The birds of the air nest by the waters;

they sing among the branches.

¹³He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;

the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

¹⁴He makes grass grow for the cattle,

and plants for man to cultivate—

bringing forth food from the earth:

¹⁵wine that gladdens the heart of man,

oil to make his face shine,

and bread that sustains his heart.

¹⁶The trees of the LORD are well watered,

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

¹⁷There the birds make their nests;

the stork has its home in the pine trees.

¹⁸The high mountains belong to the wild goats;

the crags are a refuge for the coneys.^[180]

 

¹⁹The moon marks off the seasons,

and the sun knows when to go down.

²⁰You bring darkness, it becomes night,

and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

²¹The lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.

²²The sun rises, and they steal away;

they return and lie down in their dens.

²³Then man goes out to his work,

to his labor until evening.

 

²⁴How many are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

²⁵There is the sea, vast and spacious,

teeming with creatures beyond number—

living things both large and small.

²⁶There the ships go to and fro,

and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

 

²⁷These all look to you

to give them their food at the proper time.

²⁸When you give it to them,

they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

they are satisfied with good things.

²⁹When you hide your face,

they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

they die and return to the dust.

³⁰When you send your Spirit,

they are created,

and you renew the face of the earth.

 

³¹May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD rejoice in his works—

³²he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,

who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

 

³³I will sing to the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

³⁴May my meditation be pleasing to him,

as I rejoice in the LORD.

³⁵But may sinners vanish from the earth

and the wicked be no more.

 

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

 

Praise the LORD.^[181]

Psalm 105

¹Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

²Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

³Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

⁴Look to the LORD and his strength;

seek his face always.

 

⁵Remember the wonders he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

⁶O descendants of Abraham his servant,

O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

⁷He is the LORD our God;

his judgments are in all the earth.

 

⁸He remembers his covenant forever,

the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

⁹the covenant he made with Abraham,

the oath he swore to Isaac.

¹⁰He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

¹¹“To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion you will inherit.”

 

¹²When they were but few in number,

few indeed, and strangers in it,

¹³they wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

¹⁴He allowed no one to oppress them;

for their sake he rebuked kings:

¹⁵“Do not touch my anointed ones;

do my prophets no harm.”

 

¹⁶He called down famine on the land

and destroyed all their supplies of food;

¹⁷and he sent a man before them—

Joseph, sold as a slave.

¹⁸They bruised his feet with shackles,

his neck was put in irons,

¹⁹till what he foretold came to pass,

till the word of the LORD proved him true.

²⁰The king sent and released him,

the ruler of peoples set him free.

²¹He made him master of his household,

ruler over all he possessed,

²²to instruct his princes as he pleased

and teach his elders wisdom.

 

²³Then Israel entered Egypt;

Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.

²⁴The LORD made his people very fruitful;

he made them too numerous for their foes,

²⁵whose hearts he turned to hate his people,

to conspire against his servants.

²⁶He sent Moses his servant,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

²⁷They performed his miraculous signs among them,

his wonders in the land of Ham.

²⁸He sent darkness and made the land dark—

for had they not rebelled against his words?

²⁹He turned their waters into blood,

causing their fish to die.

³⁰Their land teemed with frogs,

which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.

³¹He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

and gnats throughout their country.

³²He turned their rain into hail,

with lightning throughout their land;

³³he struck down their vines and fig trees

and shattered the trees of their country.

³⁴He spoke, and the locusts came,

grasshoppers without number;

³⁵they ate up every green thing in their land,

ate up the produce of their soil.

³⁶Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of all their manhood.

 

³⁷He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,

and from among their tribes no one faltered.

³⁸Egypt was glad when they left,

because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

³⁹He spread out a cloud as a covering,

and a fire to give light at night.

⁴⁰They asked, and he brought them quail

and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

⁴¹He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

like a river it flowed in the desert.

 

⁴²For he remembered his holy promise

given to his servant Abraham.

⁴³He brought out his people with rejoicing,

his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

⁴⁴he gave them the lands of the nations,

and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—

⁴⁵that they might keep his precepts

and observe his laws.

 

Praise the LORD.^[182]

Psalm 106

¹Praise the LORD.^[183]

 

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

²Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD

or fully declare his praise?

³Blessed are they who maintain justice,

who constantly do what is right.

⁴Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people,

come to my aid when you save them,

⁵that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,

that I may share in the joy of your nation

and join your inheritance in giving praise.

 

⁶We have sinned, even as our fathers did;

we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

⁷When our fathers were in Egypt,

they gave no thought to your miracles;

they did not remember your many kindnesses,

and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.^[184]

⁸Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,

to make his mighty power known.

⁹He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;

he led them through the depths as through a desert.

¹⁰He saved them from the hand of the foe;

from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.

¹¹The waters covered their adversaries;

not one of them survived.

¹²Then they believed his promises

and sang his praise.

 

¹³But they soon forgot what he had done

and did not wait for his counsel.

¹⁴In the desert they gave in to their craving;

in the wasteland they put God to the test.

¹⁵So he gave them what they asked for,

but sent a wasting disease upon them.

 

¹⁶In the camp they grew envious of Moses

and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.

¹⁷The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;

it buried the company of Abiram.

¹⁸Fire blazed among their followers;

a flame consumed the wicked.

 

¹⁹At Horeb they made a calf

and worshiped an idol cast from metal.

²⁰They exchanged their Glory

for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

²¹They forgot the God who saved them,

who had done great things in Egypt,

²²miracles in the land of Ham

and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

²³So he said he would destroy them—

had not Moses, his chosen one,

stood in the breach before him

to keep his wrath from destroying them.

 

²⁴Then they despised the pleasant land;

they did not believe his promise.

²⁵They grumbled in their tents

and did not obey the LORD.

²⁶So he swore to them with uplifted hand

that he would make them fall in the desert,

²⁷make their descendants fall among the nations

and scatter them throughout the lands.

 

²⁸They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor

and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

²⁹they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds,

and a plague broke out among them.

³⁰But Phinehas stood up and intervened,

and the plague was checked.

³¹This was credited to him as righteousness

for endless generations to come.

 

³²By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD,

and trouble came to Moses because of them;

³³for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,

and rash words came from Moses’ lips.^[185]

 

³⁴They did not destroy the peoples

as the LORD had commanded them,

³⁵but they mingled with the nations

and adopted their customs.

³⁶They worshiped their idols,

which became a snare to them.

³⁷They sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to demons.

³⁸They shed innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

and the land was desecrated by their blood.

³⁹They defiled themselves by what they did;

by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

 

⁴⁰Therefore the LORD was angry with his people

and abhorred his inheritance.

⁴¹He handed them over to the nations,

and their foes ruled over them.

⁴²Their enemies oppressed them

and subjected them to their power.

⁴³Many times he delivered them,

but they were bent on rebellion

and they wasted away in their sin.

 

⁴⁴But he took note of their distress

when he heard their cry;

⁴⁵for their sake he remembered his covenant

and out of his great love he relented.

⁴⁶He caused them to be pitied

by all who held them captive.

 

⁴⁷Save us, O LORD our God,

and gather us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praise.

 

⁴⁸Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

 

Praise the LORD.

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Psalm 107

¹Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

²Let the redeemed of the LORD say this—

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

³those he gathered from the lands,

from east and west, from north and south.^[186]

 

⁴Some wandered in desert wastelands,

finding no way to a city where they could settle.

⁵They were hungry and thirsty,

and their lives ebbed away.

⁶Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

⁷He led them by a straight way

to a city where they could settle.

⁸Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men,

⁹for he satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

 

¹⁰Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,

prisoners suffering in iron chains,

¹¹for they had rebelled against the words of God

and despised the counsel of the Most High.

¹²So he subjected them to bitter labor;

they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

¹³Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom

and broke away their chains.

¹⁵Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men,

¹⁶for he breaks down gates of bronze

and cuts through bars of iron.

 

¹⁷Some became fools through their rebellious ways

and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

¹⁸They loathed all food

and drew near the gates of death.

¹⁹Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

²⁰He sent forth his word and healed them;

he rescued them from the grave.

²¹Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men.

²²Let them sacrifice thank offerings

and tell of his works with songs of joy.

 

²³Others went out on the sea in ships;

they were merchants on the mighty waters.

²⁴They saw the works of the LORD,

his wonderful deeds in the deep.

²⁵For he spoke and stirred up a tempest

that lifted high the waves.

²⁶They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;

in their peril their courage melted away.

²⁷They reeled and staggered like drunken men;

they were at their wits’ end.

²⁸Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

²⁹He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed.

³⁰They were glad when it grew calm,

and he guided them to their desired haven.

³¹Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for men.

³²Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

and praise him in the council of the elders.

 

³³He turned rivers into a desert,

flowing springs into thirsty ground,

³⁴and fruitful land into a salt waste,

because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

³⁵He turned the desert into pools of water

and the parched ground into flowing springs;

³⁶there he brought the hungry to live,

and they founded a city where they could settle.

³⁷They sowed fields and planted vineyards

that yielded a fruitful harvest;

³⁸he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,

and he did not let their herds diminish.

 

³⁹Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled

by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

⁴⁰he who pours contempt on nobles

made them wander in a trackless waste.

⁴¹But he lifted the needy out of their affliction

and increased their families like flocks.

⁴²The upright see and rejoice,

but all the wicked shut their mouths.

 

⁴³Whoever is wise, let him heed these things

and consider the great love of the LORD.

Psalm 108

A song. A psalm of David.

¹My heart is steadfast, O God;

I will sing and make music with all my soul.

²Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

³I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

⁴For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

and let your glory be over all the earth.

 

⁶Save us and help us with your right hand,

that those you love may be delivered.

⁷God has spoken from his sanctuary:

“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem

and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

⁸Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judah my scepter.

⁹Moab is my washbasin,

upon Edom I toss my sandal;

over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

 

¹⁰Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

¹¹Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us

and no longer go out with our armies?

¹²Give us aid against the enemy,

for the help of man is worthless.

¹³With God we will gain the victory,

and he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹O God, whom I praise,

do not remain silent,

²for wicked and deceitful men

have opened their mouths against me;

they have spoken against me with lying tongues.

³With words of hatred they surround me;

they attack me without cause.

⁴In return for my friendship they accuse me,

but I am a man of prayer.

⁵They repay me evil for good,

and hatred for my friendship.

 

⁶Appoint^[187] an evil man^[188] to oppose him;

let an accuser^[189] stand at his right hand.

⁷When he is tried, let him be found guilty,

and may his prayers condemn him.

⁸May his days be few;

may another take his place of leadership.

⁹May his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow.

¹⁰May his children be wandering beggars;

may they be driven^[190] from their ruined homes.

¹¹May a creditor seize all he has;

may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

¹²May no one extend kindness to him

or take pity on his fatherless children.

¹³May his descendants be cut off,

their names blotted out from the next generation.

¹⁴May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD;

may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

¹⁵May their sins always remain before the LORD,

that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

 

¹⁶For he never thought of doing a kindness,

but hounded to death the poor

and the needy and the brokenhearted.

¹⁷He loved to pronounce a curse—

may it^[191] come on him;

he found no pleasure in blessing—

may it be^[192] far from him.

¹⁸He wore cursing as his garment;

it entered into his body like water,

into his bones like oil.

¹⁹May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,

like a belt tied forever around him.

²⁰May this be the LORD’s payment to my accusers,

to those who speak evil of me.

 

²¹But you, O Sovereign LORD,

deal well with me for your name’s sake;

out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.

²²For I am poor and needy,

and my heart is wounded within me.

²³I fade away like an evening shadow;

I am shaken off like a locust.

²⁴My knees give way from fasting;

my body is thin and gaunt.

²⁵I am an object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they shake their heads.

 

²⁶Help me, O LORD my God;

save me in accordance with your love.

²⁷Let them know that it is your hand,

that you, O LORD, have done it.

²⁸They may curse, but you will bless;

when they attack they will be put to shame,

but your servant will rejoice.

²⁹My accusers will be clothed with disgrace

and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.

 

³⁰With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD;

in the great throng I will praise him.

³¹For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,

to save his life from those who condemn him.

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

¹The LORD says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet.”

 

²The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;

you will rule in the midst of your enemies.

³Your troops will be willing

on your day of battle.

Arrayed in holy majesty,

from the womb of the dawn

you will receive the dew of your youth.^[193]

 

⁴The LORD has sworn

and will not change his mind:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

 

⁵The Lord is at your right hand;

he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

⁶He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead

and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.

⁷He will drink from a brook beside the way^[194];

therefore he will lift up his head.

Psalm 111 ^[195]

¹Praise the LORD.^[196]

 

I will extol the LORD with all my heart

in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

 

²Great are the works of the LORD;

they are pondered by all who delight in them.

³Glorious and majestic are his deeds,

and his righteousness endures forever.

⁴He has caused his wonders to be remembered;

the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

⁵He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever.

⁶He has shown his people the power of his works,

giving them the lands of other nations.

⁷The works of his hands are faithful and just;

all his precepts are trustworthy.

⁸They are steadfast for ever and ever,

done in faithfulness and uprightness.

⁹He provided redemption for his people;

he ordained his covenant forever—

holy and awesome is his name.

 

¹⁰The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

To him belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 112 ^[197]

¹Praise the LORD.^[198]

 

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

who finds great delight in his commands.

 

²His children will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

³Wealth and riches are in his house,

and his righteousness endures forever.

⁴Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.^[199]

⁵Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,

who conducts his affairs with justice.

⁶Surely he will never be shaken;

a righteous man will be remembered forever.

⁷He will have no fear of bad news;

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

⁸His heart is secure, he will have no fear;

in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

⁹He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,

his righteousness endures forever;

his horn^[200] will be lifted high in honor.

 

¹⁰The wicked man will see and be vexed,

he will gnash his teeth and waste away;

the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Psalm 113

¹Praise the LORD.^[201]

 

Praise, O servants of the LORD,

praise the name of the LORD.

²Let the name of the LORD be praised,

both now and forevermore.

³From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

the name of the LORD is to be praised.

 

⁴The LORD is exalted over all the nations,

his glory above the heavens.

⁵Who is like the LORD our God,

the One who sits enthroned on high,

⁶who stoops down to look

on the heavens and the earth?

 

⁷He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

⁸he seats them with princes,

with the princes of their people.

⁹He settles the barren woman in her home

as a happy mother of children.

 

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 114

¹When Israel came out of Egypt,

the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

²Judah became God’s sanctuary,

Israel his dominion.

 

³The sea looked and fled,

the Jordan turned back;

⁴the mountains skipped like rams,

the hills like lambs.

 

⁵Why was it, O sea, that you fled,

O Jordan, that you turned back,

⁶you mountains, that you skipped like rams,

you hills, like lambs?

 

⁷Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

⁸who turned the rock into a pool,

the hard rock into springs of water.

Psalm 115

¹Not to us, O LORD, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

because of your love and faithfulness.

 

²Why do the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

³Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever pleases him.

⁴But their idols are silver and gold,

made by the hands of men.

⁵They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but they cannot see;

⁶they have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but they cannot smell;

⁷they have hands, but cannot feel,

feet, but they cannot walk;

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

⁸Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

 

⁹O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

¹⁰O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

¹¹You who fear him, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

 

¹²The LORD remembers us and will bless us:

He will bless the house of Israel,

he will bless the house of Aaron,

¹³he will bless those who fear the LORD—

small and great alike.

 

¹⁴May the LORD make you increase,

both you and your children.

¹⁵May you be blessed by the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

 

¹⁶The highest heavens belong to the LORD,

but the earth he has given to man.

¹⁷It is not the dead who praise the LORD,

those who go down to silence;

¹⁸it is we who extol the LORD,

both now and forevermore.

 

Praise the LORD.^[202]

Psalm 116

¹I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;

he heard my cry for mercy.

²Because he turned his ear to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

 

³The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave^[203] came upon me;

I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

⁴Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“O LORD, save me!”

 

⁵The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion.

⁶The LORD protects the simplehearted;

when I was in great need, he saved me.

 

⁷Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.

 

⁸For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling,

⁹that I may walk before the LORD

in the land of the living.

¹⁰I believed; therefore^[204] I said,

“I am greatly afflicted.”

¹¹And in my dismay I said,

“All men are liars.”

 

¹²How can I repay the LORD

for all his goodness to me?

¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁴I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.

 

¹⁵Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.

¹⁶O LORD, truly I am your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your maidservant^[205];

you have freed me from my chains.

 

¹⁷I will sacrifice a thank offering to you

and call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁸I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,

¹⁹in the courts of the house of the LORD—

in your midst, O Jerusalem.

 

Praise the LORD.^[206]

Psalm 117

¹Praise the LORD, all you nations;

extol him, all you peoples.

²For great is his love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

 

Praise the LORD.^[207]

Psalm 118

¹Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

 

²Let Israel say:

“His love endures forever.”

³Let the house of Aaron say:

“His love endures forever.”

⁴Let those who fear the LORD say:

“His love endures forever.”

 

⁵In my anguish I cried to the LORD,

and he answered by setting me free.

⁶The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

⁷The LORD is with me; he is my helper.

I will look in triumph on my enemies.

 

⁸It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in man.

⁹It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in princes.

 

¹⁰All the nations surrounded me,

but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

¹¹They surrounded me on every side,

but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

¹²They swarmed around me like bees,

but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;

in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

 

¹³I was pushed back and about to fall,

but the LORD helped me.

¹⁴The LORD is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

 

¹⁵Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous:

“The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!

¹⁶The LORD’s right hand is lifted high;

the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”

 

¹⁷I will not die but live,

and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

¹⁸The LORD has chastened me severely,

but he has not given me over to death.

 

¹⁹Open for me the gates of righteousness;

I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

²⁰This is the gate of the LORD

through which the righteous may enter.

²¹I will give you thanks, for you answered me;

you have become my salvation.

 

²²The stone the builders rejected

has become the capstone;

²³the LORD has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

 

²⁵O LORD, save us;

O LORD, grant us success.

²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.

From the house of the LORD we bless you.^[208]

²⁷The LORD is God,

and he has made his light shine upon us.

With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

up^[209] to the horns of the altar.

 

²⁸You are my God, and I will give you thanks;

you are my God, and I will exalt you.

 

²⁹Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

Psalm 119 ^[210]

 

Aleph

¹Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,

who walk according to the law of the LORD.

²Blessed are they who keep his statutes

and seek him with all their heart.

³They do nothing wrong;

they walk in his ways.

⁴You have laid down precepts

that are to be fully obeyed.

⁵Oh, that my ways were steadfast

in obeying your decrees!

⁶Then I would not be put to shame

when I consider all your commands.

⁷I will praise you with an upright heart

as I learn your righteous laws.

⁸I will obey your decrees;

do not utterly forsake me.

 

Beth

⁹How can a young man keep his way pure?

By living according to your word.

¹⁰I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

¹¹I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

¹²Praise be to you, O LORD;

teach me your decrees.

¹³With my lips I recount

all the laws that come from your mouth.

¹⁴I rejoice in following your statutes

as one rejoices in great riches.

¹⁵I meditate on your precepts

and consider your ways.

¹⁶I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.

 

Gimel

¹⁷Do good to your servant, and I will live;

I will obey your word.

¹⁸Open my eyes that I may see

wonderful things in your law.

¹⁹I am a stranger on earth;

do not hide your commands from me.

²⁰My soul is consumed with longing

for your laws at all times.

²¹You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed

and who stray from your commands.

²²Remove from me scorn and contempt,

for I keep your statutes.

²³Though rulers sit together and slander me,

your servant will meditate on your decrees.

²⁴Your statutes are my delight;

they are my counselors.

 

Daleth

²⁵I am laid low in the dust;

preserve my life according to your word.

²⁶I recounted my ways and you answered me;

teach me your decrees.

²⁷Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;

then I will meditate on your wonders.

²⁸My soul is weary with sorrow;

strengthen me according to your word.

²⁹Keep me from deceitful ways;

be gracious to me through your law.

³⁰I have chosen the way of truth;

I have set my heart on your laws.

³¹I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD;

do not let me be put to shame.

³²I run in the path of your commands,

for you have set my heart free.

 

He

³³Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;

then I will keep them to the end.

³⁴Give me understanding, and I will keep your law

and obey it with all my heart.

³⁵Direct me in the path of your commands,

for there I find delight.

³⁶Turn my heart toward your statutes

and not toward selfish gain.

³⁷Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

preserve my life according to your word.^[211]

³⁸Fulfill your promise to your servant,

so that you may be feared.

³⁹Take away the disgrace I dread,

for your laws are good.

⁴⁰How I long for your precepts!

Preserve my life in your righteousness.

 

Waw

⁴¹May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD,

your salvation according to your promise;

⁴²then I will answer the one who taunts me,

for I trust in your word.

⁴³Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth,

for I have put my hope in your laws.

⁴⁴I will always obey your law,

for ever and ever.

⁴⁵I will walk about in freedom,

for I have sought out your precepts.

⁴⁶I will speak of your statutes before kings

and will not be put to shame,

⁴⁷for I delight in your commands

because I love them.

⁴⁸I lift up my hands to^[212] your commands, which I love,

and I meditate on your decrees.

 

Zayin

⁴⁹Remember your word to your servant,

for you have given me hope.

⁵⁰My comfort in my suffering is this:

Your promise preserves my life.

⁵¹The arrogant mock me without restraint,

but I do not turn from your law.

⁵²I remember your ancient laws, O LORD,

and I find comfort in them.

⁵³Indignation grips me because of the wicked,

who have forsaken your law.

⁵⁴Your decrees are the theme of my song

wherever I lodge.

⁵⁵In the night I remember your name, O LORD,

and I will keep your law.

⁵⁶This has been my practice:

I obey your precepts.

 

Heth

⁵⁷You are my portion, O LORD;

I have promised to obey your words.

⁵⁸I have sought your face with all my heart;

be gracious to me according to your promise.

⁵⁹I have considered my ways

and have turned my steps to your statutes.

⁶⁰I will hasten and not delay

to obey your commands.

⁶¹Though the wicked bind me with ropes,

I will not forget your law.

⁶²At midnight I rise to give you thanks

for your righteous laws.

⁶³I am a friend to all who fear you,

to all who follow your precepts.

⁶⁴The earth is filled with your love, O LORD;

teach me your decrees.

 

Teth

⁶⁵Do good to your servant

according to your word, O LORD.

⁶⁶Teach me knowledge and good judgment,

for I believe in your commands.

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted I went astray,

but now I obey your word.

⁶⁸You are good, and what you do is good;

teach me your decrees.

⁶⁹Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,

I keep your precepts with all my heart.

⁷⁰Their hearts are callous and unfeeling,

but I delight in your law.

⁷¹It was good for me to be afflicted

so that I might learn your decrees.

⁷²The law from your mouth is more precious to me

than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

 

Yodh

⁷³Your hands made me and formed me;

give me understanding to learn your commands.

⁷⁴May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,

for I have put my hope in your word.

⁷⁵I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous,

and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

⁷⁶May your unfailing love be my comfort,

according to your promise to your servant.

⁷⁷Let your compassion come to me that I may live,

for your law is my delight.

⁷⁸May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;

but I will meditate on your precepts.

⁷⁹May those who fear you turn to me,

those who understand your statutes.

⁸⁰May my heart be blameless toward your decrees,

that I may not be put to shame.

 

Kaph

⁸¹My soul faints with longing for your salvation,

but I have put my hope in your word.

⁸²My eyes fail, looking for your promise;

I say, “When will you comfort me?”

⁸³Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,

I do not forget your decrees.

⁸⁴How long must your servant wait?

When will you punish my persecutors?

⁸⁵The arrogant dig pitfalls for me,

contrary to your law.

⁸⁶All your commands are trustworthy;

help me, for men persecute me without cause.

⁸⁷They almost wiped me from the earth,

but I have not forsaken your precepts.

⁸⁸Preserve my life according to your love,

and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.

 

Lamedh

⁸⁹Your word, O LORD, is eternal;

it stands firm in the heavens.

⁹⁰Your faithfulness continues through all generations;

you established the earth, and it endures.

⁹¹Your laws endure to this day,

for all things serve you.

⁹²If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

⁹³I will never forget your precepts,

for by them you have preserved my life.

⁹⁴Save me, for I am yours;

I have sought out your precepts.

⁹⁵The wicked are waiting to destroy me,

but I will ponder your statutes.

⁹⁶To all perfection I see a limit;

but your commands are boundless.

 

Mem

⁹⁷Oh, how I love your law!

I meditate on it all day long.

⁹⁸Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,

for they are ever with me.

⁹⁹I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your statutes.

¹⁰⁰I have more understanding than the elders,

for I obey your precepts.

¹⁰¹I have kept my feet from every evil path

so that I might obey your word.

¹⁰²I have not departed from your laws,

for you yourself have taught me.

¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹⁰⁴I gain understanding from your precepts;

therefore I hate every wrong path.

 

Nun

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.

¹⁰⁶I have taken an oath and confirmed it,

that I will follow your righteous laws.

¹⁰⁷I have suffered much;

preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.

¹⁰⁸Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,

and teach me your laws.

¹⁰⁹Though I constantly take my life in my hands,

I will not forget your law.

¹¹⁰The wicked have set a snare for me,

but I have not strayed from your precepts.

¹¹¹Your statutes are my heritage forever;

they are the joy of my heart.

¹¹²My heart is set on keeping your decrees

to the very end.

 

Samekh

¹¹³I hate double-minded men,

but I love your law.

¹¹⁴You are my refuge and my shield;

I have put my hope in your word.

¹¹⁵Away from me, you evildoers,

that I may keep the commands of my God!

¹¹⁶Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live;

do not let my hopes be dashed.

¹¹⁷Uphold me, and I will be delivered;

I will always have regard for your decrees.

¹¹⁸You reject all who stray from your decrees,

for their deceitfulness is in vain.

¹¹⁹All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;

therefore I love your statutes.

¹²⁰My flesh trembles in fear of you;

I stand in awe of your laws.

 

Ayin

¹²¹I have done what is righteous and just;

do not leave me to my oppressors.

¹²²Ensure your servant’s well-being;

let not the arrogant oppress me.

¹²³My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,

looking for your righteous promise.

¹²⁴Deal with your servant according to your love

and teach me your decrees.

¹²⁵I am your servant; give me discernment

that I may understand your statutes.

¹²⁶It is time for you to act, O LORD;

your law is being broken.

¹²⁷Because I love your commands

more than gold, more than pure gold,

¹²⁸and because I consider all your precepts right,

I hate every wrong path.

 

Pe

¹²⁹Your statutes are wonderful;

therefore I obey them.

¹³⁰The unfolding of your words gives light;

it gives understanding to the simple.

¹³¹I open my mouth and pant,

longing for your commands.

¹³²Turn to me and have mercy on me,

as you always do to those who love your name.

¹³³Direct my footsteps according to your word;

let no sin rule over me.

¹³⁴Redeem me from the oppression of men,

that I may obey your precepts.

¹³⁵Make your face shine upon your servant

and teach me your decrees.

¹³⁶Streams of tears flow from my eyes,

for your law is not obeyed.

 

Tsadhe

¹³⁷Righteous are you, O LORD,

and your laws are right.

¹³⁸The statutes you have laid down are righteous;

they are fully trustworthy.

¹³⁹My zeal wears me out,

for my enemies ignore your words.

¹⁴⁰Your promises have been thoroughly tested,

and your servant loves them.

¹⁴¹Though I am lowly and despised,

I do not forget your precepts.

¹⁴²Your righteousness is everlasting

and your law is true.

¹⁴³Trouble and distress have come upon me,

but your commands are my delight.

¹⁴⁴Your statutes are forever right;

give me understanding that I may live.

 

Qoph

¹⁴⁵I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD,

and I will obey your decrees.

¹⁴⁶I call out to you; save me

and I will keep your statutes.

¹⁴⁷I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I have put my hope in your word.

¹⁴⁸My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,

that I may meditate on your promises.

¹⁴⁹Hear my voice in accordance with your love;

preserve my life, O LORD, according to your laws.

¹⁵⁰Those who devise wicked schemes are near,

but they are far from your law.

¹⁵¹Yet you are near, O LORD,

and all your commands are true.

¹⁵²Long ago I learned from your statutes

that you established them to last forever.

 

Resh

¹⁵³Look upon my suffering and deliver me,

for I have not forgotten your law.

¹⁵⁴Defend my cause and redeem me;

preserve my life according to your promise.