An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.”a A Psalm of David.
1Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
2I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4Those who hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
5O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
6Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
7Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
8I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
9Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting,
That became my reproach.
11I also made sackcloth my garment;
I became a byword to them.
12Those who sit in the gate speak against me,
And I am the song of the drunkards.
13But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O LORD, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
14Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
15Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
16Hear me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
17And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
18Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.
19You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of heaviness;
I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for comforters, but I found none.
21They also gave me gall for my food,
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22Let their table become a snare before them,
And their well-being a trap.
23Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;
And make their loins shake continually.
24Pour out Your indignation upon them,
And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.
25Let their dwelling place be desolate;
Let no one live in their tents.
26For they persecute the ones You have struck,
And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
27Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And let them not come into Your righteousness.
28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living,
And not be written with the righteous.
29But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull,
Which has horns and hooves.
32The humble shall see this and be glad;
And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.
33For the LORD hears the poor,
And does not despise His prisoners.
34Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.
35For God will save Zion
And build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
36Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
And those who love His name shall dwell in it.
Prayer for Relief from Adversaries
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.
1MAKE haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!
2Let them be ashamed and confounded
Who seek my life;
Let them be turned backa and confused
Who desire my hurt.
3Let them be turned back because of their shame,
Who say, “Aha, aha!”
4Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
5But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.
God the Rock of Salvation
1In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.
2Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
3Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
4Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.
6By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.
7I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
8Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.
9Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,
11Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”
12O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
13Let them be confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.
14But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
16I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.
17O God, You have taught me from my youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
18Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.
19Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
20You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.
22Also with the lute I will praise You—
And Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel.
23My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
24My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.
Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign
A Psalm of Solomon.
1Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. Insight: An Anthem for the King
2He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
3The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
4He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will break in pieces the oppressor.
5They shall fear Youa
As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
6He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
7In His days the righteous shall flourish,
And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
11Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
12For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
13He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
14He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And precious shall be their blood in His sight.
15And He shall live;
And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.
16There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,
On the top of the mountains;
Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;
And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And men shall be blessed in Him;
All nations shall call Him blessed.
18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
19And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
BOOK THREE
The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God
A Psalm of Asaph. Insight: The Psalms of Asaph
1Truly God is good to Israel,
To such as are pure in heart.
2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly slipped.
3For I was envious of the boastful,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4For there are no pangs in their death,
But their strength is firm.
5They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like other men.
6Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them like a garment.
7Their eyes bulgea with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.
8They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
They speak loftily.
9They set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.
10Therefore his people return here,
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
11And they say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12Behold, these are the ungodly,
Who are always at ease;
They increase in riches.
13Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain,
And washed my hands in innocence.
14For all day long I have been plagued,
And chastened every morning.
15If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.
16When I thought how to understand this,
It was too painful for me—
17Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their end.
18Surely You set them in slippery places;
You cast them down to destruction.
19Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
20As a dream when one awakes,
So, Lord, when You awake,
You shall despise their image.
21Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind. Focus: Psalms of Pain
22I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
28But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
A Plea for Relief from Oppressors
A Contemplationa of Asaph.
1O GOD, why have You cast us off forever?
Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?
2Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,
The tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed—
This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.
3Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.
The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;
They set up their banners for signs.
5They seem like men who lift up
Axes among the thick trees.
6And now they break down its carved work, all at once,
With axes and hammers.
7They have set fire to Your sanctuary;
They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
8They said in their hearts,
“Let us destroy them altogether.”
They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
9We do not see our signs;
There is no longer any prophet;
Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
10O God, how long will the adversary reproach?
Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?
11Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Take it out of Your bosom and destroy them.
12For God is my King from of old,
Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13You divided the sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.
14You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,
And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15You broke open the fountain and the flood;
You dried up mighty rivers.
16The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;
You have prepared the light and the sun.
17You have set all the borders of the earth;
You have made summer and winter.
18Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O LORD,
And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.
19Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!
Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.
20Have respect to the covenant;
For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.
21Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!
Let the poor and needy praise Your name.
22Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.
23Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;
The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.
Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.”a A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!
For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.
2“When I choose the proper time,
I will judge uprightly.
3The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;
I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
4“I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’
And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn.
5Do not lift up your horn on high;
Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ”
6For exaltation comes neither from the east
Nor from the west nor from the south.
7But God is the Judge:
He puts down one,
And exalts another.
8For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup,
And the wine is red;
It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;
Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth
Drain and drink down.
9But I will declare forever,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10“All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off,
But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”
The Majesty of God in Judgment
To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments.a A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1In Judah God is known;
His name is great in Israel.
2In Salemb also is His tabernacle,
And His dwelling place in Zion.
3There He broke the arrows of the bow,
The shield and sword of battle. Selah
4You are more glorious and excellent
Than the mountains of prey.
5The stouthearted were plundered;
They have sunk into their sleep;
And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
6At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
7You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?
8You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared and was still,
9When God arose to judgment,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah
10Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.
11Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them;
Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.
12He shall cut off the spirit of princes;
He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
The Consoling Memory of God’s Redemptive Works
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
1I CRIED out to God with my voice—
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.
2In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.
3I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah
4You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
6I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit makes diligent search.
7Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
8Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His promise failed forevermore?
9Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah
10And I said, “This is my anguish;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11I will remember the works of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
12I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
13Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
14You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
15You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled.
17The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
18The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
19Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
20You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
God’s Kindness to Rebellious Israel
A Contemplationa of Asaph.
1Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;
6That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
8And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10They did not keep the covenant of God;
They refused to walk in His law,
11And forgot His works
And His wonders that He had shown them.
12Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;
And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,
And all the night with a light of fire.
15He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
16He also brought streams out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.
17But they sinned even more against Him
By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18And they tested God in their heart
By asking for the food of their fancy.
19Yes, they spoke against God:
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20Behold, He struck the rock,
So that the waters gushed out,
And the streams overflowed.
Can He give bread also?
Can He provide meat for His people?”
21Therefore the LORD heard this and was furious;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also came up against Israel,
22Because they did not believe in God,
And did not trust in His salvation.
23Yet He had commanded the clouds above,
And opened the doors of heaven,
24Had rained down manna on them to eat,
And given them of the bread of heaven.
25Men ate angels’ food;
He sent them food to the full.
26He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens;
And by His power He brought in the south wind.
27He also rained meat on them like the dust,
Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;
28And He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
All around their dwellings.
29So they ate and were well filled,
For He gave them their own desire.
30They were not deprived of their craving;
But while their food was still in their mouths,
31The wrath of God came against them,
And slew the stoutest of them,
And struck down the choice men of Israel.
32In spite of this they still sinned,
And did not believe in His wondrous works.
33Therefore their days He consumed in futility,
And their years in fear.
34When He slew them, then they sought Him;
And they returned and sought earnestly for God.
35Then they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer.
36Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth,
And they lied to Him with their tongue;
37For their heart was not steadfast with Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
38But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity,
And did not destroy them.
Yes, many a time He turned His anger away,
And did not stir up all His wrath;
39For He remembered that they were but flesh,
A breath that passes away and does not come again.
40How often they provoked Him in the wilderness,
And grieved Him in the desert!
41Yes, again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
42They did not remember His power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,
43When He worked His signs in Egypt,
And His wonders in the field of Zoan;
44Turned their rivers into blood,
And their streams, that they could not drink.
45He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
And frogs, which destroyed them.
46He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,
And their labor to the locust.
47He destroyed their vines with hail,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
48He also gave up their cattle to the hail,
And their flocks to fiery lightning.
49He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,
Wrath, indignation, and trouble,
By sending angels of destruction among them.
50He made a path for His anger;
He did not spare their soul from death,
But gave their life over to the plague,
51And destroyed all the firstborn in Egypt,
The first of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52But He made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
53And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54And He brought them to His holy border,
This mountain which His right hand had acquired.
55He also drove out the nations before them,
Allotted them an inheritance by survey,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,
And did not keep His testimonies,
57But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58For they provoked Him to anger with their high places,
And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.
59When God heard this, He was furious,
And greatly abhorred Israel,
60So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent He had placed among men, Insight: The Loss of God’s Presence
61And delivered His strength into captivity,
And His glory into the enemy’s hand.
62He also gave His people over to the sword,
And was furious with His inheritance.
63The fire consumed their young men,
And their maidens were not given in marriage.
64Their priests fell by the sword,
And their widows made no lamentation.
65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
66And He beat back His enemies;
He put them to a perpetual reproach.
67Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loved.
69And He built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has established forever.
70He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71From following the ewes that had young He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
72So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
A Dirge and a Prayer for Israel, Destroyed by Enemies
A Psalm of Asaph.
1O GOD, the nations have come into Your inheritance;
Your holy temple they have defiled;
They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. Insight: Our Global God
2The dead bodies of Your servants
They have given as food for the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
3Their blood they have shed like water all around Jerusalem,
And there was no one to bury them.
4We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and derision to those who are around us.
5How long, LORD?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
7For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.
8Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.
9Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
For Your name’s sake!
10Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let there be known among the nations in our sight
The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
11Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
12And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom
Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
13So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations.
Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.”a A Testimonyb of Asaph. A Psalm.
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
Stir up Your strength,
And come and save us!
3Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
4O LORD God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?
5You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
8You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
9You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
10The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
11She sent out her boughs to the Sea,c
And her branches to the River.d
12Why have You broken down her hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.
14Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
16It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
An Appeal for Israel’s Repentance
To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath.a A Psalm of Asaph.
1Sing aloud to God our strength;
Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
2Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
The pleasant harp with the lute.
3Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast day. Insight: Israel’s Holy Days
4For this is a statute for Israel,
A law of the God of Jacob.
5This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
Where I heard a language I did not understand.
6“I removed his shoulder from the burden;
His hands were freed from the baskets.
7You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you!
O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
9There shall be no foreign god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
10I am the LORD your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11“But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have none of Me.
12So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.
13“Oh, that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him,
But their fate would endure forever.
16He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat;
And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.” Insight: Honey from the Rock
A Plea for Justice
A Psalm of Asaph.
1God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods.a Focus: God and Gods
2How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.
5They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
6I said, “You are gods,b
And all of you are children of the Most High.
7But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes.”
8Arise, O God, judge the earth;
For You shall inherit all nations.
Prayer to Frustrate Conspiracy Against Israel
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
1Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!
2For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
3They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
4They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
5For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:
6The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
9Deal with them as with Midian,
As with Sisera,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10Who perished at En Dor,
Who became as refuse on the earth.
11Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb,
Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12Who said, “Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession.”
13O my God, make them like the whirling dust,
Like the chaff before the wind! Insight: Blowing Away the Chaff
14As the fire burns the woods,
And as the flame sets the mountains on fire,
15So pursue them with Your tempest,
And frighten them with Your storm.
16Fill their faces with shame,
That they may seek Your name, O LORD.
17Let them be confounded and dismayed forever;
Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD,
Are the Most High over all the earth.
The Blessedness of Dwelling in the House of God
To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath.a A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O LORD of hosts!
2My soul longs, yes, 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 lay her young—
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.
4Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You. Selah
5Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
6As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
7They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.b
8O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9O God, behold our shield,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
10For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
12O LORD of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Prayer that the LORD Will Restore Favor to the Land
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1LORD, You have been favorable to Your land;
You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people;
You have covered all their sin. Selah
3You have taken away all Your wrath;
You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.
4Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And cause Your anger toward us to cease.
5Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
6Will You not revive us again,
That Your people may rejoice in You?
7Show us Your mercy, LORD,
And grant us Your salvation.
8I will hear what God the LORD will speak,
For He will speak peace
To His people and to His saints;
But let them not turn back to folly.
9Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
10Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed.
11Truth shall spring out of the earth,
And righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12Yes, the LORD will give what is good;
And our land will yield its increase.
13Righteousness will go before Him,
And shall make His footsteps our pathway.
Prayer for Mercy, with Meditation on the Excellencies of the LORD
A Prayer of David.
1Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me;
For I am poor and needy.
2Preserve my life, for I am holy;
You are my God;
Save Your servant who trusts in You!
3Be merciful to me, O Lord,
For I cry to You all day long.
4Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
6Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
7In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.
8Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;
Nor are there any works like Your works. Insight: The God of Psalms
9All nations whom You have made
Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And shall glorify Your name.
10For You are great, and do wondrous things;
You alone are God.
11Teach me Your way, O LORD;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
13For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14O God, the proud have risen against me,
And a mob of violent men have sought my life,
And have not set You before them.
15But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
16Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!
Give Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your maidservant.
17Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
The Glories of the City of God
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
1His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2The LORD loves the gates of Zion
More than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God! Selah
4“I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me;
Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia:
‘This one was born there.’ ”
5And of Zion it will be said,
“This one and that one were born in her;
And the Most High Himself shall establish her.”
6The LORD will record,
When He registers the peoples:
“This one was born there.” Selah
7Both the singers and the players on instruments say,
“All my springs are in you.”
A Prayer for Help in Despondency
A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” A Contemplationa of Heman the Ezrahite.
1O LORD, God of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
2Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry.
3For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life draws near to the grave.
4I am counted with those who go down to the pit;
I am like a man who has no strength,
5Adrift among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And who are cut off from Your hand.
6You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In darkness, in the depths.
7Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah
8You have put away my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an abomination to them;
I am shut up, and I cannot get out;
9My eye wastes away because of affliction.
LORD, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You.
10Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah
11Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13But to You I have cried out, O LORD,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14LORD, why do You cast off my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;
I suffer Your terrors;
I am distraught.
16Your fierce wrath has gone over me;
Your terrors have cut me off.
17They came around me all day long like water;
They engulfed me altogether.
18Loved one and friend You have put far from me,
And my acquaintances into darkness. Insight: Estranged from Friend and Family
Remembering the Covenant with David, and Sorrow for Lost Blessings
A Contemplationa of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1I WILL sing of the mercies of the LORD forever;
With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.
2For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever;
Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”
3“I have made a covenant with My chosen,
I have sworn to My servant David: Focus: The Covenant-Keeping God
4‘Your seed I will establish forever,
And build up your throne to all generations.’ ” Selah
5And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.
6For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?
7God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.
8O LORD God of hosts,
Who is mighty like You, O LORD?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.
9You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.
10You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
11The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.
12The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.
13You have a mighty arm;
Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.
14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Mercy and truth go before Your face.
15Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.
16In Your name they rejoice all day long,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted.
17For You are the glory of their strength,
And in Your favor our horn is exalted.
18For our shield belongs to the LORD,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,b
And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,
21With whom My hand shall be established;
Also My arm shall strengthen him.
22The enemy shall not outwit him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him.
24“But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
And in My name his horn shall be exalted.
25Also I will set his hand over the sea,
And his right hand over the rivers.
26He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27Also I will make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.
28My mercy I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall stand firm with him.
29His seed also I will make to endure forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven.
30“If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31If they break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.
33Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
34My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
35Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
36His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;
37It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
38But You have cast off and abhorred,
You have been furious with Your anointed.
39You have renounced the covenant of Your servant;
You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40You have broken down all his hedges;
You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
41All who pass by the way plunder him;
He is a reproach to his neighbors.
42You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.
43You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
And have not sustained him in the battle.
44You have made his glory cease,
And cast his throne down to the ground.
45The days of his youth You have shortened;
You have covered him with shame. Selah
46How long, LORD?
Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your wrath burn like fire?
47Remember how short my time is;
For what futility have You created all the children of men?
48What man can live and not see death?
Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah
49Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses,
Which You swore to David in Your truth?
50Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants—
How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
51With which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.
52Blessed be the LORD forevermore!
Amen and Amen.
BOOK FOUR
The Eternity of God, and Man’s Frailty
A Prayer of Moses the man of God.
1Lord, You have been our dwelling placea in all generations.
2Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3You turn man to destruction,
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
And like a watch in the night.
5You carry them away like a flood;
They are like a sleep.
In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
6In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
In the evening it is cut down and withers.
7For we have been consumed by Your anger,
And by Your wrath we are terrified.
8You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
9For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;
We finish our years like a sigh.
10The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13Return, O LORD!
How long?
And have compassion on Your servants.
14Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
The years in which we have seen evil.
16Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children. Focus: Connecting Our Work with God’s Work
17And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowlera
And from the perilous pestilence.
4He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Praise to the LORD for His Love and Faithfulness
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.
1IT is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
3On an instrument of ten strings,
On the lute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
4For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
5O LORD, how great are Your works!
Your thoughts are very deep.
6A senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this.
7When the wicked spring up like grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity flourish,
It is that they may be destroyed forever.
8But You, LORD, are on high forevermore.
9For behold, Your enemies, O LORD,
For behold, Your enemies shall perish;
All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox;
I have been anointed with fresh oil.
11My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies;
My ears hear my desire on the wicked
Who rise up against me.
12The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13Those who are planted in the house of the LORD
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing, Focus: The Art of Growing Old
15To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
The Eternal Reign of the LORD
1The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
2Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
3The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their waves.
4The LORD on high is mightier
Than the noise of many waters,
Than the mighty waves of the sea.
5Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O LORD, forever.
God the Refuge of the Righteous
1O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—
O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
2Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
Render punishment to the proud.
3LORD, how long will the wicked,
How long will the wicked triumph?
4They utter speech, and speak insolent things;
All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
5They break in pieces Your people, O LORD,
And afflict Your heritage.
6They slay the widow and the stranger,
And murder the fatherless.
7Yet they say, “The LORD does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob understand.”
8Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?
9He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
10He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct,
He who teaches man knowledge?
11The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.
12Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD,
And teach out of Your law,
13That You may give him rest from the days of adversity,
Until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14For the LORD will not cast off His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15But judgment will return to righteousness,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.
16Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17Unless the LORD had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.
18If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.
19In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.
20Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,
Have fellowship with You? Focus: Why Things Don’t Change
21They gather together against the life of the righteous,
And condemn innocent blood.
22But the LORD has been my defense,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
23He has brought on them their own iniquity,
And shall cut them off in their own wickedness;
The LORD our God shall cut them off.
A Call to Worship and Obedience
1Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
4In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
5The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
6Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you will hear His voice:
8“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,a
As in the day of trialb in the wilderness,
9When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work.
10For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’
11So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
A Song of Praise to God Coming in Judgment
1Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
4For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
6Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
7Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Give to the LORD glory and strength.
8Give to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Focus: A Day of Worship
9Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously.”
11Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
12Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD.
13For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.
A Song of Praise to the Sovereign LORD
1The LORD reigns;
Let the earth rejoice;
Let the multitude of isles be glad!
2Clouds and darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
3A fire goes before Him,
And burns up His enemies round about.
4His lightnings light the world;
The earth sees and trembles.
5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples see His glory.
7Let all be put to shame who serve carved images,
Who boast of idols.
Worship Him, all you gods.
8Zion hears and is glad,
And the daughters of Judah rejoice
Because of Your judgments, O LORD.
9For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods.
10You who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
11Light is sown for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
12Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.a
A Song of Praise to the LORD for His Salvation and Judgment
A Psalm.
1Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. Focus: A New Song
2The LORD has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
3He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
5Sing to the LORD with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
6With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King.
7Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
8Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD,
9For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.
Praise to the LORD for His Holiness
1The LORD reigns;
Let the peoples tremble!
He dwells between the cherubim;
Let the earth be moved!
2The LORD is great in Zion,
And He is high above all the peoples.
3Let them praise Your great and awesome name—
He is holy.
4The King’s strength also loves justice;
You have established equity;
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5Exalt the LORD our God,
And worship at His footstool—
He is holy.
6Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;
They called upon the LORD, and He answered them. Insight: Call on the Lord
7He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar;
They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them.
8You answered them, O LORD our God;
You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
9Exalt the LORD our God,
And worship at His holy hill;
For the LORD our God is holy.
A Song of Praise for the LORD’s Faithfulness to His People
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
1Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Insight: Psalms for Many Occasions
2Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;a
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Insight: United in Praise
4Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations. Life Studies: Isaac Watts
Promised Faithfulness to the LORD
A Psalm of David.
1I WILL sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O LORD, I will sing praises. Focus: Government Office, Spiritual Leadership
2I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
4A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will not know wickedness.
5Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
Him I will destroy;
The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
Him I will not endure.
6My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
That they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a perfect way,
He shall serve me.
7He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.
8Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
That I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.
The LORD’s Eternal Love
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.
1Hear my prayer, O LORD,
And let my cry come to You.
2Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3For my days are consumed like smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
So that I forget to eat my bread.
5Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my skin.
6I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
7I lie awake,
And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
8My enemies reproach me all day long;
Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
9For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
10Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.
12But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
14For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
15So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16For the LORD shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory.
17He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
18This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
19For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
20To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death, Focus: From Individuals to Community to the World
21To declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
23He weakened my strength in the way;
He shortened my days.
24I said, “O my God,
Do not take me away in the midst of my days;
Your years are throughout all generations.
25Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
27But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
28The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”
Praise for the LORD’s Mercies
A Psalm of David.
1Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Insight: Psalms into Hymns
2Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward 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 pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
14For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust. Focus: Extending Mercy for Human Frailty
15As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.a
17But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
19The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all. Insight: Glimpses of Heaven
20Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
21Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
22Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Praise to the Sovereign LORD for His Creation and Providence
1Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
3He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
4Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.
5You who laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
6You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
7At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
8They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
9You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
That they may not return to cover the earth.
10He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.
11They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
13He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
14He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth food from the earth, Focus: God and the Environment
15And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.
16The trees of the LORD are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
17Where the birds make their nests;
The stork has her home in the fir trees.
18The high hills are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.a
19He appointed the moon for seasons;
The sun knows its going down.
20You make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
22When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
23Man goes out to his work
And to his labor until the evening.
24O LORD, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions— Insight: Work in Psalms
25This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
26There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.
27These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
28What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
29You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
31May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
May the LORD rejoice in His works.
32He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.
33I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the LORD.
35May sinners be consumed from the earth,
And the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Praise the LORD!
The Eternal Faithfulness of the LORD
1Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples! Focus: Spiritual Publicity
2Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
3Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
4Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
5Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
6O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
7He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
8He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
9The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
10And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
12When they were few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
13When they went from one nation to another,
From one kingdom to another people,
14He permitted no one to do them wrong;
Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes,
15Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”
16Moreover He called for a famine in the land;
He destroyed all the provision of bread.
17He sent a man before them—
Joseph—who was sold as a slave.
18They hurt his feet with fetters,
He was laid in irons.
19Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the LORD tested him. Insight: Tests and Blessings
20The king sent and released him,
The ruler of the people let him go free.
21He made him lord of his house,
And ruler of all his possessions,
22To bind his princes at his pleasure,
And teach his elders wisdom.
23Israel also came into Egypt,
And Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.
24He increased His people greatly,
And made them stronger than their enemies.
25He turned their heart to hate His people,
To deal craftily with His servants.
26He sent Moses His servant,
And Aaron whom He had chosen.
27They performed His signs among them,
And wonders in the land of Ham.
28He sent darkness, and made it dark;
And they did not rebel against His word.
29He turned their waters into blood,
And killed their fish.
30Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.
31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their territory.
32He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
33He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory.
34He spoke, and locusts came,
Young locusts without number,
35And ate up all the vegetation in their land,
And devoured the fruit of their ground.
36He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
The first of all their strength.
37He also brought them out with silver and gold,
And there was none feeble among His tribes.
38Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the fear of them had fallen upon them.
39He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to give light in the night.
40The people asked, and He brought quail,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.
42For He remembered His holy promise,
And Abraham His servant.
43He brought out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with gladness.
44He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
45That they might observe His statutes
And keep His laws.
Praise the LORD! Insight: The Purpose of the Covenant
Joy in Forgiveness of Israel’s Sins
1Praise the LORD!
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?
Who can declare all His praise?
3Blessed are those who keep justice,
And he who doesa righteousness at all times!
4Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people.
Oh, visit me with Your salvation,
5That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with Your inheritance.
6We have sinned with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity,
We have done wickedly. Focus: Celebration and Sin
7Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;
They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,
But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.
8Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,
That He might make His mighty power known.
9He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;
So He led them through the depths,
As through the wilderness.
10He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11The waters covered their enemies;
There was not one of them left.
12Then they believed His words;
They sang His praise.
13They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
14But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tested God in the desert.
15And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.
16When they envied Moses in the camp,
And Aaron the saint of the LORD,
17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan,
And covered the faction of Abiram.
18A fire was kindled in their company;
The flame burned up the wicked.
19They made a calf in Horeb,
And worshiped the molded image.
20Thus they changed their glory
Into the image of an ox that eats grass.
21They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
Awesome things by the Red Sea.
23Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach,
To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.
24Then they despised the pleasant land;
They did not believe His word,
25But complained in their tents,
And did not heed the voice of the LORD.
26Therefore He raised up His hand in an oath against them,
To overthrow them in the wilderness,
27To overthrow their descendants among the nations,
And to scatter them in the lands.
28They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor,
And ate sacrifices made to the dead. Insight: A Tragic Detour on the Way to Canaan
29Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
And the plague broke out among them.
30Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
And the plague was stopped.
31And that was accounted to him for righteousness
To all generations forevermore.
32They angered Him also at the waters of strife,b
So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;
33Because they rebelled against His Spirit,
So that he spoke rashly with his lips.
34They did not destroy the peoples,
Concerning whom the LORD had commanded them,
35But they mingled with the Gentiles
And learned their works;
36They served their idols,
Which became a snare to them.
37They even sacrificed their sons
And their daughters to demons,
38And shed innocent blood,
The blood of their sons and daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was polluted with blood.
39Thus they were defiled by their own works,
And played the harlot by their own deeds.
40Therefore the wrath of the LORD was kindled against His people,
So that He abhorred His own inheritance.
41And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
42Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
43Many times He delivered them;
But they rebelled in their counsel,
And were brought low for their iniquity.
44Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,
When He heard their cry;
45And for their sake He remembered His covenant,
And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.
46He also made them to be pitied
By all those who carried them away captive.
47Save us, O LORD our God,
And gather us from among the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.
48Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD!
BOOK FIVE
Thanksgiving to the LORD for His Great Works of Deliverance
1Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, Insight: Bringing Back the Refugees
3And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
4They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
5Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
7And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
8Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
9For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
10Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
11Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
12Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
13Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
15Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
17Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
20He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
21Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.
23Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
24They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
25For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
26They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
28Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
29He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
31Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
32Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
33He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground; Insight: Barrenness and Blessing
34A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
36There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
38He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
39When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction and sorrow,
40He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
42The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
43Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.
Assurance of God’s Victory over Enemies
A Song. A Psalm of David.
1O GOD, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
3I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4For Your mercy is great above the heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the clouds.
5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth;
6That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and hear me.
7God has spoken in His holiness:
“I will rejoice;
I will divide Shechem
And measure out the Valley of Succoth. Insight: The Sovereign Lord
8Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;
Judah is My lawgiver.
9Moab is My washpot;
Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
Over Philistia I will triumph.”
10Who will bring me into the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
12Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.
13Through God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.a
Plea for Judgment of False Accusers
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1Do not keep silent,
O God of my praise!
2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
4In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
5Thus they have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.
6Set a wicked man over him,
And let an accusera stand at his right hand.
7When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
And let his prayer become sin.
8Let his days be few,
And let another take his office.
9Let his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
10Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg;
Let them seek their breadb also from their desolate places.
11Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder his labor.
12Let there be none to extend mercy to him,
Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
13Let his posterity be cut off,
And in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,
And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15Let them be continually before the LORD,
That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth;
16Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,
That he might even slay the broken in heart.
17As he loved cursing, so let it come to him;
As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
So let it enter his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19Let it be to him like the garment which covers him,
And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.
20Let this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers,
And to those who speak evil against my person.
21But You, O GOD the Lord,
Deal with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.
22For I am poor and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24My knees are weak through fasting,
And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.
25I also have become a reproach to them;
When they look at me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, O LORD my God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
27That they may know that this is Your hand—
That You, LORD, have done it!
28Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, let them be ashamed,
But let Your servant rejoice.
29Let my accusers be clothed with shame,
And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.
30I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
31For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those who condemn him.
Announcement of the Messiah’s Reign
A Psalm of David.
1The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
2The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
3Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.
4The LORD has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
5The Lord is at Your right hand;
He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.
6He shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
He shall execute the heads of many countries.
7He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He shall lift up the head.
Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice
1Praise the LORD!
I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
2The works of the LORD are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
3His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
5He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
6He has declared to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.
7The works of His hands are verity and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8They stand fast forever and ever,
And are done in truth and uprightness.
9He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
Holy and awesome is His name.
10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
The Blessed State of the Righteous
1Praise the LORD!
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who delights greatly in His commandments. Insight: Acrostic Psalms
2His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs with discretion.
6Surely he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
7He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8His heart is established;
He will not be afraid,
Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.
9He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted with honor.
10The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.
The Majesty and Condescension of God
1Praise the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD! Insight: Passover Songs
2Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore!
3From the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD’s name is to be praised.
4The LORD is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.
5Who is like the LORD our God,
Who dwells on high,
6Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
7He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
8That He may seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
9He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.
Praise the LORD!
The Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel
1When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2Judah became His sanctuary,
And Israel His dominion.
3The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
5What ails you, O sea, that you fled?
O Jordan, that you turned back?
6O mountains, that you skipped like rams?
O little hills, like lambs?
7Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
8Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters.
The Futility of Idols and the Trustworthiness of God
1Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,
But to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy,
Because of Your truth.
2Why should the Gentiles say,
“So where is their God?”
3But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
4Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
5They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.
9O Israel, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
10O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
11You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD;
He is their help and their shield.
12The LORD has been mindful of us;
He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13He will bless those who fear the LORD,
Both small and great.
14May the LORD give you increase more and more,
You and your children.
15May you be blessed by the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
16The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17The dead do not praise the LORD,
Nor any who go down into silence.
18But we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD!
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death
1I LOVE the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
5Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is merciful.
6The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
9I will walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
10I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”
12What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
13I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
14I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people.
15Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His saints.
16O LORD, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
17I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the LORD.
18I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people,
19In the courts of the LORD’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
Let All Peoples Praise the LORD
1Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples! Insight: An Example of God’s Kindness
2For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD!
Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy
1Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.” Insight: Three Worshipers
3Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4Let those who fear the LORD now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
6The LORD is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
9It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in princes.
10All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
11They surrounded me,
Yes, they surrounded me;
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12They surrounded me like bees;
They were quenched like a fire of thorns;
For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the LORD helped me.
14The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.a
15The voice of rejoicing and salvation
Is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the LORD.
18The LORD has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I will go through them,
And I will praise the LORD.
20This is the gate of the LORD,
Through which the righteous shall enter.
21I will praise You,
For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation.
22The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone. Insight: A Month-Long Journey Awaiting the Messiah
23This was the LORD’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25Save now, I pray, O LORD;
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.
26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
27God is the LORD,
And He has given us light;
Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
29Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Meditations on the Excellencies of the Word of God
ALEPH
1Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the LORD!
2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart! Focus: The Benefits of Obedience
3They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
4You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.
5Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!
6Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.
7I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
8I will keep Your statutes;
Oh, do not forsake me utterly!
BETH
9How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.
13With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
GIMEL
17Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
18Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
19I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
20My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.
21You rebuke the proud—the cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments.
22Remove from me reproach and contempt,
For I have kept Your testimonies.
23Princes also sit and speak against me,
But Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Focus: The Strength of Scripture
24Your testimonies also are my delight
And my counselors.
DALETH
25My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
26I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
27Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
28My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
29Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.
30I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.
31I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!
32I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart.
HE
33Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall keep it to the end.
34Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;
Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
36Incline my heart to Your testimonies,
And not to covetousness.
37Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way.a
38Establish Your word to Your servant,
Who is devoted to fearing You.
39Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your judgments are good.
40Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me in Your righteousness.
WAW
41Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD—
Your salvation according to Your word.
42So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.
43And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I have hoped in Your ordinances.
44So shall I keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.
45And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.
46I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed.
47And I will delight myself in Your commandments,
Which I love.
48My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love,
And I will meditate on Your statutes.
ZAYIN
49Remember the word to Your servant,
Upon which You have caused me to hope.
50This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life.
51The proud have me in great derision,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.
52I remembered Your judgments of old, O LORD,
And have comforted myself.
53Indignation has taken hold of me
Because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.
54Your statutes have been my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage.
55I remember Your name in the night, O LORD,
And I keep Your law.
56This has become mine,
Because I kept Your precepts.
HETH
57You are my portion, O LORD;
I have said that I would keep Your words.
58I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;
Be merciful to me according to Your word.
59I thought about my ways,
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
60I made haste, and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.
61The cords of the wicked have bound me,
But I have not forgotten Your law.
62At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
63I am a companion of all who fear You,
And of those who keep Your precepts.
64The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy;
Teach me Your statutes.
TETH
65You have dealt well with Your servant,
O LORD, according to Your word.
66Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
For I believe Your commandments.
67Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
68You are good, and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.
69The proud have forged a lie against me,
But I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart.
70Their heart is as fat as grease,
But I delight in Your law.
71It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
72The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.
YOD
73Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,
Because I have hoped in Your word.
75I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
76Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to Your word to Your servant.
77Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;
For Your law is my delight.
78Let the proud be ashamed,
For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood;
But I will meditate on Your precepts.
79Let those who fear You turn to me,
Those who know Your testimonies.
80Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes,
That I may not be ashamed.
KAPH
81My soul faints for Your salvation,
But I hope in Your word.
82My eyes fail from searching Your word,
Saying, “When will You comfort me?”
83For I have become like a wineskin in smoke,
Yet I do not forget Your statutes.
84How many are the days of Your servant?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
85The proud have dug pits for me,
Which is not according to Your law.
86All Your commandments are faithful;
They persecute me wrongfully;
Help me!
87They almost made an end of me on earth,
But I did not forsake Your precepts.
88Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
LAMED
89Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven.
90Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
91They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all are Your servants.
92Unless Your law had been my delight,
I would then have perished in my affliction.
93I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have given me life. Focus: Disciplines of God’s Word
94I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
95The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will consider Your testimonies.
96I have seen the consummation of all perfection,
But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
MEM
97Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
98You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies;
For they are ever with me.
99I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
100I understand more than the ancients,
Because I keep Your precepts.
101I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
102I have not departed from Your judgments,
For You Yourself have taught me.
103How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104Through Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.
NUN
105Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
106I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
107I am afflicted very much;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word.
108Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,
And teach me Your judgments.
109My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
110The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.
111Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever,
For they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, to the very end.
SAMEK
113I hate the double-minded,
But I love Your law.
114You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in Your word.
115Depart from me, you evildoers,
For I will keep the commandments of my God!
116Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
117Hold me up, and I shall be safe,
And I shall observe Your statutes continually.
118You reject all those who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceit is falsehood.
119You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross;
Therefore I love Your testimonies.
120My flesh trembles for fear of You,
And I am afraid of Your judgments.
AYIN
121I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
122Be surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the proud oppress me.
123My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation
And Your righteous word.
124Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy,
And teach me Your statutes.
125I am Your servant;
Give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.
126It is time for You to act, O LORD,
For they have regarded Your law as void.
127Therefore I love Your commandments
More than gold, yes, than fine gold!
128Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things
I consider to be right;
I hate every false way.
PE
129Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.
130The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.
131I opened my mouth and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments.
132Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
133Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no iniquity have dominion over me.
134Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.
135Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.
136Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.
TSADDE
137Righteous are You, O LORD,
And upright are Your judgments.
138Your testimonies, which You have commanded,
Are righteous and very faithful.
139My zeal has consumed me,
Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
140Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.
141I am small and despised,
Yet I do not forget Your precepts.
142Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And Your law is truth.
143Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,
Yet Your commandments are my delights.
144The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;
Give me understanding, and I shall live.
QOPH
145I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD!
I will keep Your statutes.
146I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
147I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
148My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
149Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.
150They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
151You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.
152Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.
RESH
153Consider my affliction and deliver me,
For I do not forget Your law.
154Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word.
155Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
156Great are Your tender mercies, O LORD;
Revive me according to Your judgments.
157Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.
158I see the treacherous, and am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.
159Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.
160The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
SHIN
161Princes persecute me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your word.
162I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.
163I hate and abhor lying,
But I love Your law.
164Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
165Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble.
166LORD, I hope for Your salvation,
And I do Your commandments.
167My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
168I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.
TAU
169Let my cry come before You, O LORD;
Give me understanding according to Your word.
170Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
171My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
172My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
173Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
174I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
And Your law is my delight.
175Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.
176I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.