Psalm 36

To the leader. Of David, the servant of the LORD.

 1 Transgression speaks to the wicked

deep in their hearts;

there is no fear of God

before their eyes.

 2 For they flatter themselves in their own eyes

that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

 3 The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;

they have ceased to act wisely and do good.

 4 They plot mischief while on their beds;

they are set on a way that is not good;

they do not reject evil.

 5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

 6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,

your judgments are like the great deep;

you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.

 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

 8 They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

 9 For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light.

10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

and your salvation to the upright of heart!

11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,

or the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There the evildoers lie prostrate;

they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Psalm 37

Of David.

 1 Do not fret because of the wicked;

do not be envious of wrongdoers,

 2 for they will soon fade like the grass,

and wither like the green herb.

 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;

so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.

 4 Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 5 Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

 6 He will make your vindication shine like the light,

and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

 7 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;

do not fret over those who prosper in their way,

over those who carry out evil devices.

 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.

Do not fret—it leads only to evil.

 9 For the wicked shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.

11 But the meek shall inherit the land,

and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous,

and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the LORD laughs at the wicked,

for he sees that their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows

to bring down the poor and needy,

to kill those who walk uprightly;

15 their sword shall enter their own heart,

and their bows shall be broken.

16 Better is a little that the righteous person has

than the abundance of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless,

and their heritage will abide forever;

19 they are not put to shame in evil times,

in the days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked perish,

and the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;

they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,

but the righteous are generous and keep giving;

22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land,

but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

23 Our steps[64] are made firm by the LORD,

when he delights in our[65] way;

24 though we stumble,[66] we[67] shall not fall headlong,

for the LORD holds us[68] by the hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26 They are ever giving liberally and lending,

and their children become a blessing.

27 Depart from evil, and do good;

so you shall abide forever.

28 For the LORD loves justice;

he will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous shall be kept safe forever,

but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

29 The righteous shall inherit the land,

and live in it forever.

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

and their tongues speak justice.

31 The law of their God is in their hearts;

their steps do not slip.

32 The wicked watch for the righteous,

and seek to kill them.

33 The LORD will not abandon them to their power,

or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.

34 Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

you will look on the destruction of the wicked.

35 I have seen the wicked oppressing,

and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.[69]

36 Again I[70] passed by, and they were no more;

though I sought them, they could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,

for there is posterity for the peaceable.

38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;

the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

he is their refuge in the time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and rescues them;

he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 38

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

 1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger,

or discipline me in your wrath.

 2 For your arrows have sunk into me,

and your hand has come down on me.

 3 There is no soundness in my flesh

because of your indignation;

there is no health in my bones

because of my sin.

 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;

they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.

 5 My wounds grow foul and fester

because of my foolishness;

 6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;

all day long I go around mourning.

 7 For my loins are filled with burning,

and there is no soundness in my flesh.

 8 I am utterly spent and crushed;

I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

 9 O Lord, all my longing is known to you;

my sighing is not hidden from you.

10 My heart throbs, my strength fails me;

as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.

11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,

and my neighbors stand far off.

12 Those who seek my life lay their snares;

those who seek to hurt me speak of ruin,

and meditate treachery all day long.

13 But I am like the deaf, I do not hear;

like the mute, who cannot speak.

14 Truly, I am like one who does not hear,

and in whose mouth is no retort.

15 But it is for you, O LORD, that I wait;

it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

16 For I pray, “Only do not let them rejoice over me,

those who boast against me when my foot slips.”

17 For I am ready to fall,

and my pain is ever with me.

18 I confess my iniquity;

I am sorry for my sin.

19 Those who are my foes without cause[71] are mighty,

and many are those who hate me wrongfully.

20 Those who render me evil for good

are my adversaries because I follow after good.

21 Do not forsake me, O LORD;

O my God, do not be far from me;

22 make haste to help me,

O Lord, my salvation.

Psalm 39

To the leader: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

 1 I said, “I will guard my ways

that I may not sin with my tongue;

I will keep a muzzle on my mouth

as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

 2 I was silent and still;

I held my peace to no avail;

my distress grew worse,

 3      my heart became hot within me.

While I mused, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue:

 4 “LORD, let me know my end,

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting my life is.

 5 You have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.

Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.

Selah

 6      Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;

they heap up, and do not know who will gather.

 7 “And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in you.

 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool.

 9 I am silent; I do not open my mouth,

for it is you who have done it.

10 Remove your stroke from me;

I am worn down by the blows[72] of your hand.

11 “You chastise mortals

in punishment for sin,

consuming like a moth what is dear to them;

surely everyone is a mere breath.

Selah

12 “Hear my prayer, O LORD,

and give ear to my cry;

do not hold your peace at my tears.

For I am your passing guest,

an alien, like all my forebears.

13 Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,

before I depart and am no more.”

Psalm 40

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.

 1 I waited patiently for the LORD;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

 2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,[73]

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

 3 He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the LORD.

 4 Happy are those who make

the LORD their trust,

who do not turn to the proud,

to those who go astray after false gods.

 5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

none can compare with you.

Were I to proclaim and tell of them,

they would be more than can be counted.

 6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,

but you have given me an open ear.[74]

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

 7 Then I said, “Here I am;

in the scroll of the book it is written of me.[75]

 8 I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.”

 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance

in the great congregation;

see, I have not restrained my lips,

as you know, O LORD.

10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation.

11 Do not, O LORD, withhold

your mercy from me;

let your steadfast love and your faithfulness

keep me safe forever.

12 For evils have encompassed me

without number;

my iniquities have overtaken me,

until I cannot see;

they are more than the hairs of my head,

and my heart fails me.

13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;

O LORD, make haste to help me.

14 Let all those be put to shame and confusion

who seek to snatch away my life;

let those be turned back and brought to dishonor

who desire my hurt.

15 Let those be appalled because of their shame

who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

16 But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

say continually, “Great is the LORD!”

17 As for me, I am poor and needy,

but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God.

Psalm 41

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

 1 Happy are those who consider the poor;[76]

the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble.

 2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive;

they are called happy in the land.

You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.

 3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed;

in their illness you heal all their infirmities.[77]

 4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;

heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

 5 My enemies wonder in malice

when I will die, and my name perish.

 6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words,

while their hearts gather mischief;

when they go out, they tell it abroad.

 7 All who hate me whisper together about me;

they imagine the worst for me.

 8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,

that I will not rise again from where I lie.

 9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted,

who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.

10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,

and raise me up, that I may repay them.

11 By this I know that you are pleased with me;

because my enemy has not triumphed over me.

12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity,

and set me in your presence forever.

13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and Amen.

BOOK II

Psalm 42

To the leader. A Maskil of the Korahites.

 1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

 2 My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and behold

the face of God?

 3 My tears have been my food

day and night,

while people say to me continually,

“Where is your God?”

 4 These things I remember,

as I pour out my soul:

how I went with the throng,[78]

and led them in procession to the house of God,

with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,

a multitude keeping festival.

 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my help 6and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;

therefore I remember you

from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,

from Mount Mizar.

 7 Deep calls to deep

at the thunder of your cataracts;

all your waves and your billows

have gone over me.

 8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,

and at night his song is with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

For reflection: Psalm 42:1–11

The soul that has once been waked, or stung, or uplifted by the desire of God, will inevitably (I think) awake to the fear of losing Him.

—from Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

 9 I say to God, my rock,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I walk about mournfully

because the enemy oppresses me?”

10 As with a deadly wound in my body,

my adversaries taunt me,

while they say to me continually,

“Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my help and my God.

Psalm 43

 1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause

against an ungodly people;

from those who are deceitful and unjust

deliver me!

 2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;

why have you cast me off?

Why must I walk about mournfully

because of the oppression of the enemy?

 3 O send out your light and your truth;

let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy hill

and to your dwelling.

 4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy;

and I will praise you with the harp,

O God, my God.

 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my help and my God.

Psalm 44

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.

 1 We have heard with our ears, O God,

our ancestors have told us,

what deeds you performed in their days,

in the days of old:

 2 you with your own hand drove out the nations,

but them you planted;

you afflicted the peoples,

but them you set free;

 3 for not by their own sword did they win the land,

nor did their own arm give them victory;

but your right hand, and your arm,

and the light of your countenance,

for you delighted in them.

 4 You are my King and my God;

you command[79] victories for Jacob.

 5 Through you we push down our foes;

through your name we tread down our assailants.

 6 For not in my bow do I trust,

nor can my sword save me.

 7 But you have saved us from our foes,

and have put to confusion those who hate us.

 8 In God we have boasted continually,

and we will give thanks to your name forever.

Selah

 9 Yet you have rejected us and abased us,

and have not gone out with our armies.

10 You made us turn back from the foe,

and our enemies have gotten spoil.

11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter,

and have scattered us among the nations.

12 You have sold your people for a trifle,

demanding no high price for them.

13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,

the derision and scorn of those around us.

14 You have made us a byword among the nations,

a laughingstock[80] among the peoples.

15 All day long my disgrace is before me,

and shame has covered my face

16 at the words of the taunters and revilers,

at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us,

yet we have not forgotten you,

or been false to your covenant.

18 Our heart has not turned back,

nor have our steps departed from your way,

19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,

and covered us with deep darkness.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,

or spread out our hands to a strange god,

21 would not God discover this?

For he knows the secrets of the heart.

22 Because of you we are being killed all day long,

and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?

Awake, do not cast us off forever!

24 Why do you hide your face?

Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?

25 For we sink down to the dust;

our bodies cling to the ground.

26 Rise up, come to our help.

Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.

Psalm 45

To the leader: according to Lilies. Of the Korahites. A Maskil. A love song.

 1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme;

I address my verses to the king;

my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

 2 You are the most handsome of men;

grace is poured upon your lips;

therefore God has blessed you forever.

 3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,

in your glory and majesty.

 4 In your majesty ride on victoriously

for the cause of truth and to defend[81] the right;

let your right hand teach you dread deeds.

 5 Your arrows are sharp

in the heart of the king’s enemies;

the peoples fall under you.

 6 Your throne, O God,[82] endures forever and ever.

Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;

 7      you love righteousness and hate wickedness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

 8      your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.

From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;

 9      daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;

at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;

forget your people and your father’s house,

11      and the king will desire your beauty.

Since he is your lord, bow to him;

12      the people[83] of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,

the richest of the people 13with all kinds of wealth.

The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;[84]

14      in many-colored robes she is led to the king;

behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.

15 With joy and gladness they are led along

as they enter the palace of the king.

16 In the place of ancestors you, O king,[85] shall have sons;

you will make them princes in all the earth.

17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;

therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

Psalm 46

To the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.

 1 God is our refuge and strength,

a very present[86] help in trouble.

 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,

though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

 3 though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Selah

 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy habitation of the Most High.

 5 God is in the midst of the city;[87] it shall not be moved;

God will help it when the morning dawns.

 6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;

he utters his voice, the earth melts.

 7 The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.[88]

Selah

 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD;

see what desolations he has brought on the earth.

 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God!

I am exalted among the nations,

I am exalted in the earth.”

11 The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.[88]

Selah

Psalm 47

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.

 1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;

shout to God with loud songs of joy.

 2 For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome,

a great king over all the earth.

 3 He subdued peoples under us,

and nations under our feet.

 4 He chose our heritage for us,

the pride of Jacob whom he loves.

Selah

 5 God has gone up with a shout,

the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

 7 For God is the king of all the earth;

sing praises with a psalm.[89]

 8 God is king over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

 9 The princes of the peoples gather

as the people of the God of Abraham.

For the shields of the earth belong to God;

he is highly exalted.

Psalm 48

A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.

 1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised

in the city of our God.

His holy mountain, 2beautiful in elevation,

is the joy of all the earth,

Mount Zion, in the far north,

the city of the great King.

 3 Within its citadels God

has shown himself a sure defense.

 4 Then the kings assembled,

they came on together.

 5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;

they were in panic, they took to flight;

 6 trembling took hold of them there,

pains as of a woman in labor,

 7 as when an east wind shatters

the ships of Tarshish.

 8 As we have heard, so have we seen

in the city of the LORD of hosts,

in the city of our God,

which God establishes forever.

Selah

 9 We ponder your steadfast love, O God,

in the midst of your temple.

10 Your name, O God, like your praise,

reaches to the ends of the earth.

Your right hand is filled with victory.

11      Let Mount Zion be glad,

let the towns[90] of Judah rejoice

because of your judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, go all around it,

count its towers,

13 consider well its ramparts;

go through its citadels,

that you may tell the next generation

14      that this is God,

our God forever and ever.

He will be our guide forever.

Psalm 49

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.

 1 Hear this, all you peoples;

give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

 2 both low and high,

rich and poor together.

 3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;

I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.

 5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,

when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,

 6 those who trust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

 7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,[91]

there is no price one can give to God for it.

 8 For the ransom of life is costly,

and can never suffice,

 9 that one should live on forever

and never see the grave.[92]

10 When we look at the wise, they die;

fool and dolt perish together

and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their graves[93] are their homes forever,

their dwelling places to all generations,

though they named lands their own.

12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;

they are like the animals that perish.

13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy,

the end of those[94] who are pleased with their

Selah

14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

Death shall be their shepherd;

straight to the grave they descend,[95]

and their form shall waste away;

Sheol shall be their home.[96]

15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will receive me.

Selah

16 Do not be afraid when some become rich,

when the wealth of their houses increases.

17 For when they die they will carry nothing away;

their wealth will not go down after them.

18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy

—for you are praised when you do well for yourself—

19 they[97] will go to the company of their ancestors,

who will never again see the light.

20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;

they are like the animals that perish.

Psalm 50

A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 The mighty one, God the LORD,

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to its setting.

 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God shines forth.

 3 Our God comes and does not keep silence,

before him is a devouring fire,

and a mighty tempest all around him.

 4 He calls to the heavens above

and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

 5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,

who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”

 6 The heavens declare his righteousness,

for God himself is judge.

Selah

 7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,

O Israel, I will testify against you.

I am God, your God.

 8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

 9 I will not accept a bull from your house,

or goats from your folds.

10 For every wild animal of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know all the birds of the air,[98]

and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

for the world and all that is in it is mine.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls,

or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[99]

and pay your vows to the Most High.

15 Call on me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:

“What right have you to recite my statutes,

or take my covenant on your lips?

17 For you hate discipline,

and you cast my words behind you.

18 You make friends with a thief when you see one,

and you keep company with adulterers.

19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,

and your tongue frames deceit.

20 You sit and speak against your kin;

you slander your own mother’s child.

21 These things you have done and I have been silent;

you thought that I was one just like yourself.

But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.

22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,

or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.

23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me;

to those who go the right way[100]

I will show the salvation of God.”

Psalm 51

To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

 1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

blot out my transgressions.

 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin.

 3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

 4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you are justified in your sentence

and blameless when you pass judgment.

 5 Indeed, I was born guilty,

a sinner when my mother conceived me.

 6 You desire truth in the inward being;[101]

therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

 8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

 9 Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and put a new and right[102] spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from your presence,

and do not take your holy spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and sustain in me a willing[103] spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will return to you.

14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,

O God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

15 O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;

if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.

17 The sacrifice acceptable to God[104] is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,

19 then you will delight in right sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 52

To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

 1 Why do you boast, O mighty one,

of mischief done against the godly?[105]

All day long 2you are plotting destruction.

Your tongue is like a sharp razor,

you worker of treachery.

 3 You love evil more than good,

and lying more than speaking the truth.

Selah

 4 You love all words that devour,

O deceitful tongue.

 5 But God will break you down forever;

he will snatch and tear you from your tent;

he will uproot you from the land of the living.

Selah

 6 The righteous will see, and fear,

and will laugh at the evildoer,[106] saying,

 7 “See the one who would not take

refuge in God,

but trusted in abundant riches,

and sought refuge in wealth!”[107]

 8 But I am like a green olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God

forever and ever.

 9 I will thank you forever,

because of what you have done.

In the presence of the faithful

I will proclaim[108] your name, for it is good.

Psalm 53

To the leader: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.

 1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;

there is no one who does good.

 2 God looks down from heaven on humankind

to see if there are any who are wise,

who seek after God.

 3 They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;

there is no one who does good,

no, not one.

 4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and do not call upon God?

 5 There they shall be in great terror,

in terror such as has not been.

For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;[109]

they will be put to shame,[110] for God has rejected them.

 6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!

When God restores the fortunes of his people,

Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.

Psalm 54

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “David is in hiding among us.”

 1 Save me, O God, by your name,

and vindicate me by your might.

 2 Hear my prayer, O God;

give ear to the words of my mouth.

 3 For the insolent have risen against me,

the ruthless seek my life;

they do not set God before them.

Selah

 4 But surely, God is my helper;

the Lord is the upholder of[111] my life.

 5 He will repay my enemies for their evil.

In your faithfulness, put an end to them.

 6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;

I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.

 7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,

and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

Psalm 55

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

 1 Give ear to my prayer, O God;

do not hide yourself from my supplication.

 2 Attend to me, and answer me;

I am troubled in my complaint.

I am distraught 3by the noise of the enemy,

because of the clamor of the wicked.

For they bring[112] trouble upon me,

and in anger they cherish enmity against me.

 4 My heart is in anguish within me,

the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

 5 Fear and trembling come upon me,

and horror overwhelms me.

 6 And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest;

 7 truly, I would flee far away;

I would lodge in the wilderness

Selah

 8 I would hurry to find a shelter for myself

from the raging wind and tempest.”

 9 Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech;

for I see violence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they go around it

on its walls,

and iniquity and trouble are within it;

11      ruin is in its midst;

oppression and fraud

do not depart from its marketplace.

12 It is not enemies who taunt me—

I could bear that;

it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—

I could hide from them.

13 But it is you, my equal,

my companion, my familiar friend,

14 with whom I kept pleasant company;

we walked in the house of God with the throng.

15 Let death come upon them;

let them go down alive to Sheol;

for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.

16 But I call upon God,

and the LORD will save me.

17 Evening and morning and at noon

I utter my complaint and moan,

and he will hear my voice.

18 He will redeem me unharmed

from the battle that I wage,

for many are arrayed against me.

19 God, who is enthroned from of old,

Selah

will hear, and will humble them—

because they do not change,

and do not fear God.

20 My companion laid hands on a friend

and violated a covenant with me[113]

21 with speech smoother than butter,

but with a heart set on war;

with words that were softer than oil,

but in fact were drawn swords.

22 Cast your burden[114] on the LORD,

and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved.

23 But you, O God, will cast them down

into the lowest pit;

the bloodthirsty and treacherous

shall not live out half their days.

But I will trust in you.

Psalm 56

To the leader: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. Of David. A Miktam, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

 1 Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me;

all day long foes oppress me;

 2 my enemies trample on me all day long,

for many fight against me.

O Most High, 3when I am afraid,

I put my trust in you.

 4 In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I am not afraid;

what can flesh do to me?

 5 All day long they seek to injure my cause;

all their thoughts are against me for evil.

 6 They stir up strife, they lurk,

they watch my steps.

As they hoped to have my life,

 7      so repay[115] them for their crime;

in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

 8 You have kept count of my tossings;

put my tears in your bottle.

Are they not in your record?

 9 Then my enemies will retreat

in the day when I call.

This I know, that[116] God is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise,

in the LORD, whose word I praise,

11 in God I trust; I am not afraid.

What can a mere mortal do to me?

12 My vows to you I must perform, O God;

I will render thank offerings to you.

13 For you have delivered my soul from death,

and my feet from falling,

so that I may walk before God

in the light of life.

Psalm 57

To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

 1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

until the destroying storms pass by.

 2 I cry to God Most High,

to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

 3 He will send from heaven and save me,

he will put to shame those who trample on me.

Selah

God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.

 4 I lie down among lions

that greedily devour[117] human prey;

their teeth are spears and arrows,

their tongues sharp swords.

 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.

Let your glory be over all the earth.

 6 They set a net for my steps;

my soul was bowed down.

They dug a pit in my path,

but they have fallen into it themselves.

Selah

 7 My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast.

I will sing and make melody.

 8      Awake, my soul!

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn.

 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;

your faithfulness extends to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.

Let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 58

To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam.

 1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?[118]

Do you judge people fairly?

 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;

your hands deal out violence on earth.

 3 The wicked go astray from the womb;

they err from their birth, speaking lies.

 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,

like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers

or of the cunning enchanter.

 6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;

tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!

 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;

like grass let them be trodden down[119] and wither.

 8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime;

like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.

 9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,

whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!

10 The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done;

they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 People will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;

surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Psalm 59

To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.

 1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

protect me from those who rise up against me.

 2 Deliver me from those who work evil;

from the bloodthirsty save me.

 3 Even now they lie in wait for my life;

the mighty stir up strife against me.

For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,

 4      for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!

 5      You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel.

Awake to punish all the nations;

spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.

Selah

 6 Each evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

 7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths,

with sharp words[120] on their lips—

for “Who,” they think,[121] “will hear us?”

 8 But you laugh at them, O LORD;

you hold all the nations in derision.

 9 O my strength, I will watch for you;

for you, O God, are my fortress.

10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;

my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget;

make them totter by your power, and bring them down,

O Lord, our shield.

12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,

let them be trapped in their pride.

For the cursing and lies that they utter,

13      consume them in wrath;

consume them until they are no more.

Then it will be known to the ends of the earth

that God rules over Jacob.

Selah

14 Each evening they come back,

howling like dogs

and prowling about the city.

15 They roam about for food,

and growl if they do not get their fill.

16 But I will sing of your might;

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.

For you have been a fortress for me

and a refuge in the day of my distress.

17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you,

for you, O God, are my fortress,

the God who shows me steadfast love.

Psalm 60

To the leader: according to the Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

 1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;

you have been angry; now restore us!

 2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;

repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.

 3 You have made your people suffer hard things;

you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.

 4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,

to rally to it out of bowshot.[122]

Selah

 5 Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,[123]

so that those whom you love may be rescued.

 6 God has promised in his sanctuary:[124]

“With exultation I will divide up Shechem,

and portion out the Vale of Succoth.

 7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet;

Judah is my scepter.

 8 Moab is my washbasin;

on Edom I hurl my shoe;

over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

 9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10 Have you not rejected us, O God?

You do not go out, O God, with our armies.

11 O grant us help against the foe,

for human help is worthless.

12 With God we shall do valiantly;

it is he who will tread down our foes.

Psalm 61

To the leader: with stringed instruments. Of David.

 1 Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.

 2 From the end of the earth I call to you,

when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

that is higher than I;

 3 for you are my refuge,

a strong tower against the enemy.

 4 Let me abide in your tent forever,

find refuge under the shelter of your wings.

Selah

 5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

 6 Prolong the life of the king;

may his years endure to all generations!

 7 May he be enthroned forever before God;

appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

 8 So I will always sing praises to your name,

as I pay my vows day after day.

Psalm 62

To the leader: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

 1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;

from him comes my salvation.

 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall never be shaken.

 3 How long will you assail a person,

will you batter your victim, all of you,

as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

 4 Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.

They take pleasure in falsehood;

they bless with their mouths,

but inwardly they curse.

Selah

 5 For God alone my soul waits in silence,

for my hope is from him.

 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

 7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor;

my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.

 8 Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah

 9 Those of low estate are but a breath,

those of high estate are a delusion;

in the balances they go up;

they are together lighter than a breath.

10 Put no confidence in extortion,

and set no vain hopes on robbery;

if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

11 Once God has spoken;

twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

12      and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.

For you repay to all

according to their work.

Psalm 63

A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

 1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

beholding your power and glory.

 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

 4 So I will bless you as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

 5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,[125]

and my mouth praises you with joyful lips

 6 when I think of you on my bed,

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

 7 for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

 8 My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

 9 But those who seek to destroy my life

shall go down into the depths of the earth;

10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword,

they shall be prey for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;

all who swear by him shall exult,

for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

Psalm 64

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

 1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;

preserve my life from the dread enemy.

 2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,

from the scheming of evildoers,

 3 who whet their tongues like swords,

who aim bitter words like arrows,

 4 shooting from ambush at the blameless;

they shoot suddenly and without fear.

 5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;

they talk of laying snares secretly,

thinking, “Who can see us?[126]

 6      Who can search out our crimes?[127]

We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.”

For the human heart and mind are deep.

 7 But God will shoot his arrow at them;

they will be wounded suddenly.

 8 Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin;[128]

all who see them will shake with horror.

 9 Then everyone will fear;

they will tell what God has brought about,

and ponder what he has done.

10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD

and take refuge in him.

Let all the upright in heart glory.

Psalm 65

To the leader. A Psalm of David. A Song.

 1 Praise is due to you,

O God, in Zion;

and to you shall vows be performed,

 2      O you who answer prayer!

To you all flesh shall come.

 3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,

you forgive our transgressions.

 4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near

to live in your courts.

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

your holy temple.

 5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,

O God of our salvation;

you are the hope of all the ends of the earth

and of the farthest seas.

 6 By your[129] strength you established the mountains;

you are girded with might.

 7 You silence the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,

the tumult of the peoples.

 8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;

you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

 9 You visit the earth and water it,

you greatly enrich it;

the river of God is full of water;

you provide the people with grain,

for so you have prepared it.

10 You water its furrows abundantly,

settling its ridges,

softening it with showers,

and blessing its growth.

11 You crown the year with your bounty;

your wagon tracks overflow with richness.

12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,

the hills gird themselves with joy,

13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,

the valleys deck themselves with grain,

they shout and sing together for joy.

Psalm 66

To the leader. A Song. A Psalm.

 1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;

 2      sing the glory of his name;

give to him glorious praise.

 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.

 4 All the earth worships you;

they sing praises to you,

sing praises to your name.”

Selah

 5 Come and see what God has done:

he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.

 6 He turned the sea into dry land;

they passed through the river on foot.

There we rejoiced in him,

 7      who rules by his might forever,

whose eyes keep watch on the nations—

let the rebellious not exalt themselves.

Selah

 8 Bless our God, O peoples,

let the sound of his praise be heard,

 9 who has kept us among the living,

and has not let our feet slip.

10 For you, O God, have tested us;

you have tried us as silver is tried.

11 You brought us into the net;

you laid burdens on our backs;

12 you let people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and through water;

yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.[130]

13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;

I will pay you my vows,

14 those that my lips uttered

and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.

15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings,

with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;

I will make an offering of bulls and goats.

Selah

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,

and I will tell what he has done for me.

17 I cried aloud to him,

and he was extolled with my tongue.

18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

19 But truly God has listened;

he has given heed to the words of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God,

because he has not rejected my prayer

or removed his steadfast love from me.

Psalm 67

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

 1 May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us,

Selah

 2 that your way may be known upon earth,

your saving power among all nations.

 3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you judge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth.

Selah

 5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

 6 The earth has yielded its increase;

God, our God, has blessed us.

 7 May God continue to bless us;

let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Psalm 68

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.

 1 Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered;

let those who hate him flee before him.

 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;

as wax melts before the fire,

let the wicked perish before God.

 3 But let the righteous be joyful;

let them exult before God;

let them be jubilant with joy.

 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds[131]—

his name is the LORD

be exultant before him.

 5 Father of orphans and protector of widows

is God in his holy habitation.

 6 God gives the desolate a home to live in;

he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,

but the rebellious live in a parched land.

 7 O God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness,

Selah

 8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain

at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,

at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

 9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;

you restored your heritage when it languished;

10 your flock found a dwelling in it;

in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

11 The Lord gives the command;

great is the company of those[132] who bore the tidings:

12      “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!”

The women at home divide the spoil,

13      though they stay among the sheepfolds—

the wings of a dove covered with silver,

its pinions with green gold.

14 When the Almighty[133] scattered kings there,

snow fell on Zalmon.

15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;

O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!

16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain,

at the mount that God desired for his abode,

where the LORD will reside forever?

17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,

thousands upon thousands,

the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.[134]

18 You ascended the high mount,

leading captives in your train

and receiving gifts from people,

even from those who rebel against the LORD God’s abiding there.

19 Blessed be the Lord,

who daily bears us up;

God is our salvation.

Selah

20 Our God is a God of salvation,

and to GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.

21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,

the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.

22 The Lord said,

“I will bring them back from Bashan,

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

23 so that you may bathe[135] your feet in blood,

so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.”

24 Your solemn processions are seen,[136] O God,

the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—

25 the singers in front, the musicians last,

between them girls playing tambourines:

26 “Bless God in the great congregation,

the LORD, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”

27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,

the princes of Judah in a body,

the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 Summon your might, O God;

show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before.

29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem

kings bear gifts to you.

30 Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds,

the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.

Trample[137] under foot those who lust after tribute;

scatter the peoples who delight in war.[138]

31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt;

let Ethiopia[139] hasten to stretch out its hands to God.

32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;

sing praises to the Lord,

Selah

33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;

listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.

34 Ascribe power to God,

whose majesty is over Israel;

and whose power is in the skies.

35 Awesome is God in his[140] sanctuary,

the God of Israel;

he gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

Psalm 69

To the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.

 1 Save me, O God,

for the waters have come up to my neck.

 2 I sink in deep mire,

where there is no foothold;

I have come into deep waters,

and the flood sweeps over me.

 3 I am weary with my crying;

my throat is parched.

My eyes grow dim

with waiting for my God.

 4 More in number than the hairs of my head

are those who hate me without cause;

many are those who would destroy me,

my enemies who accuse me falsely.

What I did not steal

must I now restore?

 5 O God, you know my folly;

the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

 6 Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,

O Lord GOD of hosts;

do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me,

O God of Israel.

 7 It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,

that shame has covered my face.

 8 I have become a stranger to my kindred,

an alien to my mother’s children.

 9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;

the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

10 When I humbled my soul with fasting,[141]

they insulted me for doing so.

11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,

I became a byword to them.

12 I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,

and the drunkards make songs about me.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.

At an acceptable time, O God,

in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.

With your faithful help 14rescue me

from sinking in the mire;

let me be delivered from my enemies

and from the deep waters.

15 Do not let the flood sweep over me,

or the deep swallow me up,

or the Pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;

according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

17 Do not hide your face from your servant,

for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.

18 Draw near to me, redeem me,

set me free because of my enemies.

19 You know the insults I receive,

and my shame and dishonor;

my foes are all known to you.

20 Insults have broken my heart,

so that I am in despair.

I looked for pity, but there was none;

and for comforters, but I found none.

21 They gave me poison for food,

and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 Let their table be a trap for them,

a snare for their allies.

23 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,

and make their loins tremble continually.

24 Pour out your indignation upon them,

and let your burning anger overtake them.

25 May their camp be a desolation;

let no one live in their tents.

26 For they persecute those whom you have struck down,

and those whom you have wounded, they attack still more.[142]

27 Add guilt to their guilt;

may they have no acquittal from you.

28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;

let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

29 But I am lowly and in pain;

let your salvation, O God, protect me.

30 I will praise the name of God with a song;

I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

31 This will please the LORD more than an ox

or a bull with horns and hoofs.

32 Let the oppressed see it and be glad;

you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

33 For the LORD hears the needy,

and does not despise his own that are in bonds.

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

35 For God will save Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah;

and his servants shall live[143] there and possess it;

36      the children of his servants shall inherit it,

and those who love his name shall live in it.

Psalm 70

To the leader. Of David, for the memorial offering.

 1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me.

O LORD, make haste to help me!

 2 Let those be put to shame and confusion

who seek my life.

Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor

who desire to hurt me.

 3 Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!”

turn back because of their shame.

 4 Let all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you.

Let those who love your salvation

say evermore, “God is great!”

 5 But I am poor and needy;

hasten to me, O God!

You are my help and my deliverer;

O LORD, do not delay!

Psalm 71

 1 In you, O LORD, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

 2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

incline your ear to me and save me.

 3 Be to me a rock of refuge,

a strong fortress,[144] to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

 4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.

 5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,

my trust, O LORD, from my youth.

 6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth;

it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.

My praise is continually of you.

 7 I have been like a portent to many,

but you are my strong refuge.

 8 My mouth is filled with your praise,

and with your glory all day long.

 9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

do not forsake me when my strength is spent.

10 For my enemies speak concerning me,

and those who watch for my life consult together.

11 They say, “Pursue and seize that person

whom God has forsaken,

for there is no one to deliver.”

12 O God, do not be far from me;

O my God, make haste to help me!

13 Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed;

let those who seek to hurt me

be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14 But I will hope continually,

and will praise you yet more and more.

15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,

of your deeds of salvation all day long,

though their number is past my knowledge.

16 I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD,

I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.

17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

18 So even to old age and gray hairs,

O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might

to all the generations to come.[145]

Your power 19and your righteousness, O God,

reach the high heavens.

You who have done great things,

O God, who is like you?

20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

will revive me again;

from the depths of the earth

you will bring me up again.

21 You will increase my honor,

and comfort me once again.

22 I will also praise you with the harp

for your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips will shout for joy

when I sing praises to you;

my soul also, which you have rescued.

24 All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help,

for those who tried to do me harm

have been put to shame, and disgraced.

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

 1 Give the king your justice, O God,

and your righteousness to a king’s son.

 2 May he judge your people with righteousness,

and your poor with justice.

 3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,

and the hills, in righteousness.

 4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,

give deliverance to the needy,

and crush the oppressor.

 5 May he live[146] while the sun endures,

and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.

 6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,

like showers that water the earth.

 7 In his days may righteousness flourish

and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

 8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 9 May his foes[147] bow down before him,

and his enemies lick the dust.

10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles

render him tribute,

may the kings of Sheba and Seba

bring gifts.

11 May all kings fall down before him,

all nations give him service.

12 For he delivers the needy when they call,

the poor and those who have no helper.

13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,

and saves the lives of the needy.

14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life;

and precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!

May gold of Sheba be given to him.

May prayer be made for him continually,

and blessings invoked for him all day long.

16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;

may it wave on the tops of the mountains;

may its fruit be like Lebanon;

and may people blossom in the cities

like the grass of the field.

17 May his name endure forever,

his fame continue as long as the sun.

May all nations be blessed in him;[148]

may they pronounce him happy.

18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

who alone does wondrous things.

19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;

may his glory fill the whole earth.

Amen and Amen.

20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

BOOK III

Psalm 73

A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 Truly God is good to the upright,[149]

to those who are pure in heart.

 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

my steps had nearly slipped.

 3 For I was envious of the arrogant;

I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

 4 For they have no pain;

their bodies are sound and sleek.

 5 They are not in trouble as others are;

they are not plagued like other people.

 6 Therefore pride is their necklace;

violence covers them like a garment.

 7 Their eyes swell out with fatness;

their hearts overflow with follies.

 8 They scoff and speak with malice;

loftily they threaten oppression.

 9 They set their mouths against heaven,

and their tongues range over the earth.

10 Therefore the people turn and praise them,[150]

and find no fault in them.[151]

11 And they say, “How can God know?

Is there knowledge in the Most High?”

12 Such are the wicked;

always at ease, they increase in riches.

13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean

and washed my hands in innocence.

14 For all day long I have been plagued,

and am punished every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,”

I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,

it seemed to me a wearisome task,

17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;

then I perceived their end.

18 Truly you set them in slippery places;

you make them fall to ruin.

19 How they are destroyed in a moment,

swept away utterly by terrors!

20 They are[152] like a dream when one awakes;

on awaking you despise their phantoms.

21 When my soul was embittered,

when I was pricked in heart,

22 I was stupid and ignorant;

I was like a brute beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with you;

you hold my right hand.

24 You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will receive me with honor.[153]

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength[154] of my heart and my portion forever.

27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;

you put an end to those who are false to you.

28 But for me it is good to be near God;

I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,

to tell of all your works.

Psalm 74

A Maskil of Asaph.

 1 O God, why do you cast us off forever?

Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

 2 Remember your congregation, which you acquired long ago,

which you redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage.

Remember Mount Zion, where you came to dwell.

 3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;

the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.

 4 Your foes have roared within your holy place;

they set up their emblems there.

 5 At the upper entrance they hacked

the wooden trellis with axes.[155]

 6 And then, with hatchets and hammers,

they smashed all its carved work.

 7 They set your sanctuary on fire;

they desecrated the dwelling place of your name,

bringing it to the ground.

 8 They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;

they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

 9 We do not see our emblems;

there is no longer any prophet,

and there is no one among us who knows how long.

10 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?

Is the enemy to revile your name forever?

11 Why do you hold back your hand;

why do you keep your hand in[156] your bosom?

12 Yet God my King is from of old,

working salvation in the earth.

13 You divided the sea by your might;

you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters.

14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

you gave him as food[157] for the creatures of the wilderness.

15 You cut openings for springs and torrents;

you dried up ever-flowing streams.

16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;

you established the luminaries[158] and the sun.

17 You have fixed all the bounds of the earth;

you made summer and winter.

18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs,

and an impious people reviles your name.

19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild animals;

do not forget the life of your poor forever.

20 Have regard for your[159] covenant,

for the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of violence.

21 Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame;

let the poor and needy praise your name.

22 Rise up, O God, plead your cause;

remember how the impious scoff at you all day long.

23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,

the uproar of your adversaries that goes up continually.

Psalm 75

To the leader: Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

 1 We give thanks to you, O God;

we give thanks; your name is near.

People tell of your wondrous deeds.

 2 At the set time that I appoint

I will judge with equity.

 3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants,

it is I who keep its pillars steady.

Selah

 4 I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,”

and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn;

 5 do not lift up your horn on high,

or speak with insolent neck.”

 6 For not from the east or from the west

and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;

 7 but it is God who executes judgment,

putting down one and lifting up another.

 8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup

with foaming wine, well mixed;

he will pour a draught from it,

and all the wicked of the earth

shall drain it down to the dregs.

 9 But I will rejoice[160] forever;

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,

but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

Psalm 76

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

 1 In Judah God is known,

his name is great in Israel.

 2 His abode has been established in Salem,

his dwelling place in Zion.

 3 There he broke the flashing arrows,

the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.

Selah

 4 Glorious are you, more majestic

than the everlasting mountains.[161]

 5 The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;

they sank into sleep;

none of the troops

was able to lift a hand.

 6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

both rider and horse lay stunned.

 7 But you indeed are awesome!

Who can stand before you

when once your anger is roused?

 8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;

the earth feared and was still

 9 when God rose up to establish judgment,

to save all the oppressed of the earth.

Selah

10 Human wrath serves only to praise you,

when you bind the last bit of your[162] wrath around you.

11 Make vows to the LORD your God, and perform them;

let all who are around him bring gifts

to the one who is awesome,

12 who cuts off the spirit of princes,

who inspires fear in the kings of the earth.

Psalm 77

To the leader: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A Psalm.

 1 I cry aloud to God,

aloud to God, that he may hear me.

 2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul refuses to be comforted.

 3 I think of God, and I moan;

I meditate, and my spirit faints.

Selah

 4 You keep my eyelids from closing;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

 5 I consider the days of old,

and remember the years of long ago.

 6 I commune[163] with my heart in the night;

I meditate and search my spirit:[164]

 7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,

and never again be favorable?

 8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever?

Are his promises at an end for all time?

 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”

Selah

10 And I say, “It is my grief

that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

11 I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD;

I will remember your wonders of old.

12 I will meditate on all your work,

and muse on your mighty deeds.

13 Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is so great as our God?

14 You are the God who works wonders;

you have displayed your might among the peoples.

15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people,

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

16 When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

the very deep trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water;

the skies thundered;

your arrows flashed on every side.

18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

19 Your way was through the sea,

your path, through the mighty waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

20 You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78

A Maskil of Asaph.

 1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

 2 I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old,

 3 things that we have heard and known,

that our ancestors have told us.

 4 We will not hide them from their children;

we will tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.

 5 He established a decree in Jacob,

and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our ancestors

to teach to their children;

 6 that the next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

and rise up and tell them to their children,

 7      so that they should set their hope in God,

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments;

 8 and that they should not be like their ancestors,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

 9 The Ephraimites, armed with[165] the bow,

turned back on the day of battle.

10 They did not keep God’s covenant,

but refused to walk according to his law.

11 They forgot what he had done,

and the miracles that he had shown them.

12 In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels

in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it,

and made the waters stand like a heap.

14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud,

and all night long with a fiery light.

15 He split rocks open in the wilderness,

and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

16 He made streams come out of the rock,

and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned still more against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

18 They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

19 They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

20 Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed out

and torrents overflowed,

can he also give bread,

or provide meat for his people?”

21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of rage;

a fire was kindled against Jacob,

his anger mounted against Israel,

22 because they had no faith in God,

and did not trust his saving power.

23 Yet he commanded the skies above,

and opened the doors of heaven;

24 he rained down on them manna to eat,

and gave them the grain of heaven.

25 Mortals ate of the bread of angels;

he sent them food in abundance.

26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,

and by his power he led out the south wind;

27 he rained flesh upon them like dust,

winged birds like the sand of the seas;

28 he let them fall within their camp,

all around their dwellings.

29 And they ate and were well filled,

for he gave them what they craved.

30 But before they had satisfied their craving,

while the food was still in their mouths,

31 the anger of God rose against them

and he killed the strongest of them,

and laid low the flower of Israel.

32 In spite of all this they still sinned;

they did not believe in his wonders.

33 So he made their days vanish like a breath,

and their years in terror.

34 When he killed them, they sought for him;

they repented and sought God earnestly.

35 They remembered that God was their rock,

the Most High God their redeemer.

36 But they flattered him with their mouths;

they lied to him with their tongues.

37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him;

they were not true to his covenant.

38 Yet he, being compassionate,

forgave their iniquity,

and did not destroy them;

often he restrained his anger,

and did not stir up all his wrath.

39 He remembered that they were but flesh,

a wind that passes and does not come again.

40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness

and grieved him in the desert!

For reflection: Psalm 78:40

One road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness.

—from The Pilgrim’s Regress

41 They tested God again and again,

and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not keep in mind his power,

or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;

43 when he displayed his signs in Egypt,

and his miracles in the fields of Zoan.

44 He turned their rivers to blood,

so that they could not drink of their streams.

45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,

and frogs, which destroyed them.

46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar,

and the fruit of their labor to the locust.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail,

and their sycamores with frost.

48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,

and their flocks to thunderbolts.

49 He let loose on them his fierce anger,

wrath, indignation, and distress,

a company of destroying angels.

50 He made a path for his anger;

he did not spare them from death,

but gave their lives over to the plague.

51 He struck all the firstborn in Egypt,

the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.

52 Then he led out his people like sheep,

and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid;

but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 And he brought them to his holy hill,

to the mountain that his right hand had won.

55 He drove out nations before them;

he apportioned them for a possession

and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56 Yet they tested the Most High God,

and rebelled against him.

They did not observe his decrees,

57 but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors;

they twisted like a treacherous bow.

58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places;

they moved him to jealousy with their idols.

59 When God heard, he was full of wrath,

and he utterly rejected Israel.

60 He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh,

the tent where he dwelt among mortals,

61 and delivered his power to captivity,

his glory to the hand of the foe.

62 He gave his people to the sword,

and vented his wrath on his heritage.

63 Fire devoured their young men,

and their girls had no marriage song.

64 Their priests fell by the sword,

and their widows made no lamentation.

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

like a warrior shouting because of wine.

66 He put his adversaries to rout;

he put them to everlasting disgrace.

67 He rejected the tent of Joseph,

he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;

68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which he loves.

69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,

like the earth, which he has founded forever.

70 He chose his servant David,

and took him from the sheepfolds;

71 from tending the nursing ewes he brought him

to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,

of Israel, his inheritance.

72 With upright heart he tended them,

and guided them with skillful hand.

Psalm 79

A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;

they have defiled your holy temple;

they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

 2 They have given the bodies of your servants

to the birds of the air for food,

the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth.

 3 They have poured out their blood like water

all around Jerusalem,

and there was no one to bury them.

 4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors,

mocked and derided by those around us.

 5 How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever?

Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?

 6 Pour out your anger on the nations

that do not know you,

and on the kingdoms

that do not call on your name.

 7 For they have devoured Jacob

and laid waste his habitation.

 8 Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors;

let your compassion come speedily to meet us,

for we are brought very low.

 9 Help us, O God of our salvation,

for the glory of your name;

deliver us, and forgive our sins,

for your name’s sake.

10 Why should the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants

be known among the nations before our eyes.

11 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;

according to your great power preserve those doomed to die.

12 Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors

the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!

13 Then we your people, the flock of your pasture,

will give thanks to you forever;

from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

Psalm 80

To the leader: on Lilies, a Covenant. Of Asaph. A Psalm.

 1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock!

You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth

 2      before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.

Stir up your might,

and come to save us!

 3 Restore us, O God;

let your face shine, that we may be saved.

 4 O LORD God of hosts,

how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,

and given them tears to drink in full measure.

 6 You make us the scorn[166] of our neighbors;

our enemies laugh among themselves.

 7 Restore us, O God of hosts;

let your face shine, that we may be saved.

 8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;

you drove out the nations and planted it.

 9 You cleared the ground for it;

it took deep root and filled the land.

10 The mountains were covered with its shade,

the mighty cedars with its branches;

11 it sent out its branches to the sea,

and its shoots to the River.

12 Why then have you broken down its walls,

so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?

13 The boar from the forest ravages it,

and all that move in the field feed on it.

14 Turn again, O God of hosts;

look down from heaven, and see;

have regard for this vine,

15      the stock that your right hand planted.[167]

16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down;[168]

may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.

17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,

the one whom you made strong for yourself.

18 Then we will never turn back from you;

give us life, and we will call on your name.

19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;

let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Psalm 81

To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of Asaph.

 1 Sing aloud to God our strength;

shout for joy to the God of Jacob.

 2 Raise a song, sound the tambourine,

the sweet lyre with the harp.

 3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon,

at the full moon, on our festal day.

 4 For it is a statute for Israel,

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

 5 He made it a decree in Joseph,

when he went out over[169] the land of Egypt.

I hear a voice I had not known:

 6 “I relieved your[170] shoulder of the burden;

your[170] hands were freed from the basket.

 7 In distress you called, and I rescued you;

I answered you in the secret place of thunder;

I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah

 8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you;

O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

 9 There shall be no strange god among you;

you shall not bow down to a foreign god.

10 I am the LORD your God,

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;

Israel would not submit to me.

12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,

to follow their own counsels.

13 O that my people would listen to me,

that Israel would walk in my ways!

14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies,

and turn my hand against their foes.

15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him,

and their doom would last forever.

16 I would feed you[171] with the finest of the wheat,

and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Psalm 82

A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 God has taken his place in the divine council;

in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

 2 “How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked?

Selah

 3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan;

maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.

 4 Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

 5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding,

they walk around in darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

 6 I say, “You are gods,

children of the Most High, all of you;

 7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,

and fall like any prince.”[172]

 8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth;

for all the nations belong to you!

Psalm 83

A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 O God, do not keep silence;

do not hold your peace or be still, O God!

 2 Even now your enemies are in tumult;

those who hate you have raised their heads.

 3 They lay crafty plans against your people;

they consult together against those you protect.

 4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;

let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

 5 They conspire with one accord;

against you they make a covenant—

 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites,

 7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

 8 Assyria also has joined them;

they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.

Selah

 9 Do to them as you did to Midian,

as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi Kishon,

10 who were destroyed at En-dor,

who became dung for the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, “Let us take the pastures of God

for our own possession.”

13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,[173]

like chaff before the wind.

14 As fire consumes the forest,

as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15 so pursue them with your tempest

and terrify them with your hurricane.

16 Fill their faces with shame,

so that they may seek your name, O LORD.

17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;

let them perish in disgrace.

18 Let them know that you alone,

whose name is the LORD,

are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 84

To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.

 1 How lovely is your dwelling place,

O LORD of hosts!

 2 My soul longs, indeed it faints

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

 3 Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O LORD of hosts,

my King and my God.

 4 Happy are those who live in your house,

ever singing your praise.

Selah

 5 Happy are those whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[174]

 6 As they go through the valley of Baca

they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

 7 They go from strength to strength;

the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob!

Selah

 9 Behold our shield, O God;

look on the face of your anointed.

10 For a day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

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

than live in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

he bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does the LORD withhold

from those who walk uprightly.

12 O LORD of hosts,

happy is everyone who trusts in you.

Psalm 85

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.

 1 LORD, you were favorable to your land;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;

you pardoned all their sin.

Selah

 3 You withdrew all your wrath;

you turned from your hot anger.

 4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,

and put away your indignation toward us.

 5 Will you be angry with us forever?

Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

 6 Will you not revive us again,

so that your people may rejoice in you?

 7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,

and grant us your salvation.

 8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,

for he will speak peace to his people,

to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.[175]

 9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;

righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,

and righteousness will look down from the sky.

12 The LORD will give what is good,

and our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness will go before him,

and will make a path for his steps.

Psalm 86

A Prayer of David.

 1 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

 2 Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;

save your servant who trusts in you.

You are my God; 3be gracious to me, O Lord,

for to you do I cry all day long.

 4 Gladden the soul of your servant,

for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,

abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.

 6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;

listen to my cry of supplication.

 7 In the day of my trouble I call on you,

for you will answer me.

 8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,

nor are there any works like yours.

 9 All the nations you have made shall come

and bow down before you, O Lord,

and shall glorify your name.

10 For you are great and do wondrous things;

you alone are God.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD,

that I may walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

and I will glorify your name forever.

13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;

you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 O God, the insolent rise up against me;

a band of ruffians seeks my life,

and they do not set you before them.

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

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;

give your strength to your servant;

save the child of your serving girl.

17 Show me a sign of your favor,

so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,

because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Psalm 87

Of the Korahites. A Psalm. A Song.

 1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

 2      the LORD loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

 3 Glorious things are spoken of you,

O city of God.

Selah

 4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;

Philistia too, and Tyre, with Ethiopia[176]—

“This one was born there,” they say.

 5 And of Zion it shall be said,

“This one and that one were born in it”;

for the Most High himself will establish it.

 6 The LORD records, as he registers the peoples,

“This one was born there.”

Selah

 7 Singers and dancers alike say,

“All my springs are in you.”

Psalm 88

A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites. To the leader: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

 1 O LORD, God of my salvation,

when, at night, I cry out in your presence,

 2 let my prayer come before you;

incline your ear to my cry.

 3 For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

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

I am like those who have no help,

 5 like those forsaken among the dead,

like the slain that lie in the grave,

like those whom you remember no more,

for they are cut off from your hand.

 6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit,

in the regions dark and deep.

 7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

and you overwhelm me with all your waves.

Selah

 8 You have caused my companions to shun me;

you have made me a thing of horror to them.

I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

 9      my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call on you, O LORD;

I spread out my hands to you.

10 Do you work wonders for the dead?

Do the shades rise up to praise you?

Selah

11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,

or your faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,

or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O LORD, cry out to you;

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

14 O LORD, why do you cast me off?

Why do you hide your face from me?

15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up,

I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.[177]

16 Your wrath has swept over me;

your dread assaults destroy me.

17 They surround me like a flood all day long;

from all sides they close in on me.

18 You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me;

my companions are in darkness.