For the director of music. Of David. A petition.
1Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.
2May those who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
3May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.
4But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The LORD is great!”
5But as for me, I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
LORD, do not delay.
1In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
3Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
6From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
7I have become a sign to many;
you are my strong refuge.
8My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
9Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”
12Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
13May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
15My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
16I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
19Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
20Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21You will increase my honor
and comfort me once more. Bible Promises
22I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.
24My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.
Of Solomon.
1Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5May he endurea as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Riverb to the ends of the earth.
9May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
11May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
12For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16May grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrivec like the grass of the field.
17May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,d
and they will call him blessed.
18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
19Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
BOOK III
Psalms 73—89
A psalm of Asaph.
1Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.a
5They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7From their callous hearts comes iniquityb;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.c
11They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
12This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
14All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
15If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors! Dear Jordan: Gavin
20They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
21When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
A maskila of Asaph.
1O God, why have you rejected us forever?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2Remember the nation you purchased long ago,
the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed—
Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
3Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards as signs.
5They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.
6They smashed all the carved paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!”
They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9We are given no signs from God;
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10How long will the enemy mock you, God?
Will the foe revile your name forever?
11Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12But God is my King from long ago;
he brings salvation on the earth.
13It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
14It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
15It was you who opened up springs and streams;
you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.
17It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.
18Remember how the enemy has mocked you, LORD,
how foolish people have reviled your name.
19Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
20Have regard for your covenant,
because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
21Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy praise your name.
22Rise up, O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools mock you all day long.
23Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,
the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;
people tell of your wonderful deeds.
2You say, “I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge with equity.
3When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.b
4To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.c
5Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.’ ”
6No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
7It is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.
8In the hand of the LORD is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.
9As for me, I will declare this forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
10who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.
1God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.
2His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
3There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.b
4You are radiant with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
5The valiant lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
6At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot lie still.
7It is you alone who are to be feared.
Who can stand before you when you are angry?
8From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared and was quiet—
9when you, God, rose up to judge,
to save all the afflicted of the land.
10Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.c
11Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them;
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts to the One to be feared.
12He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
3I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.b
4You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
5I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
6I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7“Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
8Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
9Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
10Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
13Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Instant Access
A maskila of Asaph.
1My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
4We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
6so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
8They would not be like their ancestors—
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.
9The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
turned back on the day of battle;
10they did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his law.
11They forgot what he had done,
the wonders he had shown them.
12He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13He divided the sea and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.
14He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.
15He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.
17But they continued to sin against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18They willfully put God to the test
by demanding the food they craved.
19They spoke against God;
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
20True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
21When the LORD heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.
23Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;
24he rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
25Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
26He let loose the east wind from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
27He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds like sand on the seashore.
28He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
29They ate till they were gorged—
he had given them what they craved.
30But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths,
31God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.
32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
33So he ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
34Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
35They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues;
37their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger
and did not stir up his full wrath.
39He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.
40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved him in the wasteland!
41Again and again they put God to the test;
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42They did not remember his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44He turned their river into blood;
they could not drink from their streams.
45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and frogs that devastated them.
46He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
their produce to the locust.
47He destroyed their vines with hail
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49He unleashed against them his hot anger,
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.
50He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
51He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
52But he brought his people out like a flock;
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand had taken.
55He drove out nations before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.
56But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
57Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.
58They angered him with their high places;
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
59When God heard them, he was furious;
he rejected Israel completely.
60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent he had set up among humans.
61He sent the ark of his might into captivity,
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62He gave his people over to the sword;
he was furious with his inheritance.
63Fire consumed their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;
64their priests were put to the sword,
and their widows could not weep.
65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loved.
69He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
70He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.
A psalm of Asaph.
1O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2They have left the dead bodies of your servants
as food for the birds of the sky,
the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
3They have poured out blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.
4We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
of scorn and derision to those around us.
5How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms
that do not call on your name;
7for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.
8Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
9Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
10Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes, make known among the nations
that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” Of Asaph. A psalm.
1Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth 2before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.
3Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
4How long, LORD God Almighty,
will your anger smolder
against the prayers of your people?
5You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
6You have made us an object of derisionb to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.
7Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
8You transplanted a vine from Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
9You cleared the ground for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
10The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11Its branches reached as far as the Sea,c
its shoots as far as the River.d
12Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13Boars from the forest ravage it,
and insects from the fields feed on it.
14Return to us, God Almighty!
Look down from heaven and see!
Watch over this vine,
15the root your right hand has planted,
the sone you have raised up for yourself.
16Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
at your rebuke your people perish.
17Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
18Then we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.
19Restore us, LORD God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
For the director of music. According to gittith.b Of Asaph.
1Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
2Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
play the melodious harp and lyre.
3Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
4this is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5When God went out against Egypt,
he established it as a statute for Joseph.
I heard an unknown voice say:
6“I removed the burden from their shoulders;
their hands were set free from the basket.
7In your distress you called and I rescued you,
I answered you out of a thundercloud;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.c
8Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9You shall have no foreign god among you;
you shall not worship any god other than me.
10I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
11“But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
13“If my people would only listen to me,
if Israel would only follow my ways,
14how quickly I would subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes!
15Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him,
and their punishment would last forever.
16But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
A psalm of Asaph.
1God presides in the great assembly;
he renders judgment among the “gods”:
2“How long will youa defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?b
3Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
4Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked. To the Point: Adoption’s an Option
5“The ‘gods’ 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 mortals;
you will fall like every other ruler.”
8Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2See how your enemies growl,
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,
so that Israel’s name is 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,
7Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.b
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 dung 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, 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, LORD,
so that they will seek your name.
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.
For the director of music. According to gittith.b Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1How lovely is your dwelling place,
LORD Almighty! Instant Access
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,
LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.c
5Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.d
7They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9Look on our shield,e 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.
12LORD Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1You, LORD, showed favor to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins.b
3You set aside all your wrath
and turned from your fierce anger.
4Restore us again, 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, LORD,
and grant us your salvation.
8I will listen to what God the LORD says;
he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn 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.
A prayer of David.
1Hear me, LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust in you.
5You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6Hear my prayer, LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.
8Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
11Teach me your way, LORD,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12I will praise you, 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,
from the realm of the dead. Bible Promises
14Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
they have no regard for you.
15But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.
17Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.
1He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
2The LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.
3Glorious things are said of you,
city of God:a
4“I will record Rahabb and Babylon
among those who acknowledge me—
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cushc—
and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ ”d
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.”
7As they make music they will sing,
“All my fountains are in you.”
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.b A maskilc of Heman the Ezrahite.
1LORD, you are the God who saves me;
day and night I cry out to you.
2May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3I am overwhelmed with troubles
and my life draws near to death.
4I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like one 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 on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.d
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, LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
10Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
11Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destructione?
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, LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14Why, LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?
15From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne 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 from me friend and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.
A maskilb 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 have 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.’ ”c
5The heavens praise your wonders, 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.
8Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?
You, LORD, are mighty, 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 endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. We Believe: “in God Almighty”
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, LORD.
16They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.d
18Indeed, our shielde 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 raised up 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.
22The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not 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 hornf 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.’
27And I will appoint him to be 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.”
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.
43Indeed, you 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.
46How long, 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 humanity!
48Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50Remember, Lord, how your servant hasg been mocked,
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51the taunts with which your enemies, LORD, have mocked,
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
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 whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3You turn people back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
6In the morning it springs up new,
but 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.
10Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13Relent, 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 favora of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.a
2I will say 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 say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways; Bible Promises
12they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14“Because heb loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.
1It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High, Instant Access
2proclaiming 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, LORD;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5How great are your works, LORD,
how profound your thoughts!
6Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
7that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
8But you, LORD, are forever exalted.
9For surely your enemies, LORD,
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10You have exalted my hornb like that of a wild ox;
fine oils have been poured on 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.”
1The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
3The seas have lifted up, 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, LORD, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.
1The LORD is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
2Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
3How long, LORD, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
4They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
5They crush your people, LORD;
they oppress your inheritance.
6They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
7They say, “The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
8Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
9Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
10Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
11The LORD knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
12Blessed is the one you discipline, LORD,
the one you teach from your law;
13you grant them 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 unfailing love, LORD, supported me.
19When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
20Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
21The wicked 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.
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 only you would hear his voice,
8“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,a
as you did that day at Massahb in the wilderness,
9where your ancestors tested me;
they 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.’ ”
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, all you 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 hisa 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;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
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 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, LORD.
9For you, 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. Bible Promises
11Light shinesa on the righteous
and joy on the upright in heart.
12Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name.
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 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.
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.
8LORD our God,
you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,
though you punished their misdeeds.a
9Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at his holy mountain,
for the LORD our God is holy.
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
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 hisa;
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.
Of David. A psalm.
1I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, LORD, I will sing praise.
2I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?
I will conduct the affairs of my house
with a blameless heart.
3I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.
I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
4The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.
5Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.
6My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one 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.
A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the LORD.
1Hear my prayer, 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.
5In my distress I groan aloud
and 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, 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 lifeb he broke my strength;
he cut short my days.
24So I said:
“Do not take me away, 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.”
Of David.
1Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Instant Access
2Praise the LORD, 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. We Believe: “in God the Father”
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.
15The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish 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, my soul.
1Praise the LORD, my soul.
LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2The LORD 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,a
flames of fire his servants.
5He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
6You covered it with the watery depths 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 sky nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
15wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts.
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 junipers.
18The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
19He made the moon to mark 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 people go out to their work,
to their labor until evening.
24How many are your works, 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 Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
27All creatures 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 ground.
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, my soul.
Praise the LORD.b
1Give praise to the LORD, proclaim 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,
6you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, 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 resided as a foreigner 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 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;
he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river 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.a
1Praise the LORD.a
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 those who act justly,
who always do what is right.
4Remember me, 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 ancestors did;
we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
7When our ancestors 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.b
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 plan to unfold.
14In the desert they gave in to their craving;
in the wilderness they put God to the test.
15So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease among 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 glorious God
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 wilderness,
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 aroused the LORD’s 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.c
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 false gods.
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 gave them into the hands of 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.
44Yet 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 all who held them captive
to show them mercy.
47Save us, 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
1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.a
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 mankind,
9for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things. Bible Promises
10Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans 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, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
15Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
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 out 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 mankind.
22Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23Some 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 drunkards;
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 seab 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 mankind.
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.
43Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.
A song. A psalm of David.
1My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
3I will praise you, 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;
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 Sukkoth.
8Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.
9Moab is my washbasin,
on 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, God, you who have rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?
12Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
13With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1My God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
2for people who are wicked and deceitful
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 someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser 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 drivena 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 blot out their name 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 come back on him.
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be 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, Sovereign LORD,
help 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, LORD my God;
save me according to your unfailing love.
27Let them know that it is your hand,
that you, LORD, have done it.
28While they curse, may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice. Instant Access
29May my accusers 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 of worshipers I will praise him.
31For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save their lives from those who would condemn them.
Of David. A psalm.
1The LORD says to my lord:a
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”
2The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
3Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,
your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning’s womb.b
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 handc;
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 along the way,d
and so he will lift his head high.
1Praise the LORD.b
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 established for ever and ever,
enacted 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.
1Praise the LORD.b
Blessed are those who fear the LORD,
who find great delight in his commands.
2Their children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
4Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
7They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
their righteousness endures forever;
their hornc will be lifted high in honor.
10The wicked will see and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
1Praise the LORD.a
Praise the LORD, you his servants;
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 his people.
9He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the LORD.
1When Israel came out of Egypt,
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 leaped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
6Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
you hills, like lambs?
7Tremble, 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.
1Not to us, 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 human hands.
5They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but 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.
9All you Israelites, trust in the LORD—
he is their help and shield.
10House 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 his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13he will bless those who fear the LORD—
small and great alike.
14May the LORD cause you to flourish,
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 mankind.
17It is not the dead who praise the LORD,
those who go down to the place of silence;
18it is we who extol the LORD,
both now and forevermore.
Praise the LORD.a
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 came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“LORD, save me!”
5The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion. Bible Promises
6The LORD protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7Return to your rest, my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.
8For you, LORD, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
10I trusted in the LORD when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
12What shall I return to 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 faithful servants.
16Truly I am your servant, LORD;
I serve you just as my mother did;
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, Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD.a
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.a
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.”
5When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
8It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in humans.
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 down.
11They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
12They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
13I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the LORD helped me.
14The LORD is my strength and my defensea;
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 the righteous;
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 cornerstone;
23the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24The LORD has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25LORD, save us!
LORD, grant us success!
26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.b
27The LORD is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
upc to the horns of the altar.
28You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Aleph
1Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart—
3they do no wrong
but follow 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 person stay on the path of purity?
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, 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
17Be good to your servant while I live,
that I may 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 accursed,
those who stray from your commands.
22Remove from me their 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 gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
teach me your decrees.
27Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
29Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law.
30I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.
31I hold fast to your statutes, LORD;
do not let me be put to shame.
32I run in the path of your commands,
for you have broadened my understanding.
He
33Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.b
34Give me understanding, so that I may 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.c
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!
In your righteousness preserve my life.
Waw
41May your unfailing love come to me, LORD,
your salvation, according to your promise;
42then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
43Never take your 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 reach out for your commands, which I love,
that I may 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 unmercifully,
but I do not turn from your law.
52I remember, LORD, your ancient laws,
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, LORD, I remember your name,
that I may keep your law.
56This has been my practice:
I obey your precepts.
Heth
57You are my portion, 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, LORD;
teach me your decrees.
Teth
65Do good to your servant
according to your word, LORD.
66Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
for I trust 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, LORD, that your laws are righteous,
and that 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 I wholeheartedly follow 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 pits to trap me,
contrary to your law.
86All your commands are trustworthy;
help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
87They almost wiped me from the earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88In your unfailing love preserve my life,
that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.
Lamedh
89Your word, 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 are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
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 for my feet,
a light on my path. To the Point: Use God’s Word Instant Access
106I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
107I have suffered much;
preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.
108Accept, 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.d
Samekh
113I hate double-minded people,
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, my God, 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 delusions come to nothing.
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;
do not let 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, 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 human oppression,
that I may obey your precepts.
135Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
136Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.
Tsadhe
137You are righteous, 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 give me delight.
144Your statutes are always righteous;
give me understanding that I may live.
Qoph
145I call with all my heart; answer me, 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, LORD, according to your laws.
150Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
but they are far from your law.
151Yet you are near, LORD,
and all your commands are true.
152Long ago I learned from your statutes
that you established them to last forever.
Resh
153Look on 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.
155Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek out your decrees.
156Your compassion, LORD, is great;
preserve my life according to your laws.
157Many are the foes who persecute me,
but I have not turned from your statutes.
158I look on the faithless with loathing,
for they do not obey your word.
159See how I love your precepts;
preserve my life, LORD, in accordance with your love.
160All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.
Sin and Shin
161Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.
162I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.
163I hate and detest falsehood
but I love your law.
164Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.
165Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble. Bible Promises
166I wait for your salvation, LORD,
and I follow your commands.
167I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.
168I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.
Taw
169May my cry come before you, LORD;
give me understanding according to your word.
170May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.
171May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.
172May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.
173May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174I long for your salvation, LORD,
and your law gives me delight.
175Let me live that I may praise you,
and may your laws sustain me.
176I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
A song of ascents.
1I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me.
2Save me, LORD,
from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.
3What will he do to you,
and what more besides,
you deceitful tongue?
4He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom bush.
5Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
6Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
7I am for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war.
A song of ascents.
1I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
A song of ascents. Of David.
1I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
2Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem.
3Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
4That is where the tribes go up—
the tribes of the LORD—
to praise the name of the LORD
according to the statute given to Israel.
5There stand the thrones for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David.
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
7May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”
8For the sake of my family and friends,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your prosperity.
A song of ascents.
1I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
2As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.
A song of ascents. Of David.
1If the LORD had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
2if the LORD had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
3they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
4the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
5the raging waters
would have swept us away.
6Praise be to the LORD,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
8Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
A song of ascents.
1Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
3The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
4LORD, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
5But those who turn to crooked ways
the LORD will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.
A song of ascents.
1When the LORD restored the fortunes ofa Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.b
2Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
3The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
4Restore our fortunes,c LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
5Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1Unless the LORD builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep toa those he loves.
3Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him.
4Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.
A song of ascents.
1Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in obedience to him. Instant Access
2You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the LORD.
5May the LORD bless you from Zion;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6May you live to see your children’s children—
peace be on Israel.
A song of ascents.
1“They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”
let Israel say;
2“they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory over me.
3Plowmen have plowed my back
and made their furrows long.
4But the LORD is righteous;
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”
5May all who hate Zion
be turned back in shame.
6May they be like grass on the roof,
which withers before it can grow;
7a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
nor one who gathers fill his arms.
8May those who pass by not say to them,
“The blessing of the LORD be on you;
we bless you in the name of the LORD.”