BOOK I
Psalms 1—41
1Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers, Beautiful Word
2but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
1Why do the nations conspirea
and the peoples plot in vain?
2The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
3“Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
4The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6“I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
8Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9You will break them with a rod of ironb;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”b
3But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high. Beautiful Word
4I call out to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
7Arise, LORD!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8From the LORD comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false godsb?c
3Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.
4Tremble andd do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the LORD.
6Many, LORD, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
7Fill my heart with joy
when their grain and new wine abound.
8In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, LORD,
make me dwell in safety. Beautiful Word
For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.
1Listen to my words, LORD,
consider my lament.
2Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
4For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
5The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
6you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, LORD, detest.
7But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.
8Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
10Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith.b A psalm of David.
1LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint;
heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, LORD, how long?
4Turn, LORD, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.
5Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?
6I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
7My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
8Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
A shiggaionb of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1LORD my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2or they will tear me apart like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3LORD my God, if I have done this
and there is guilt on my hands—
4if I have repaid my ally with evil
or without cause have robbed my foe—
5then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust.c
6Arise, LORD, in your anger;
rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
7Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
while you sit enthroned over them on high.
8Let the LORD judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.
9Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
who probes minds and hearts.
10My shieldd is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.
11God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.
12If he does not relent,
hee will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
13He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.
14Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.
16The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.
17I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.
For the director of music. According to gittith.b A psalm of David.
1LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place, Beautiful Word
4what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?c
5You have made themd a little lower than the angelse
and crowned themf with glory and honor.
6You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under theirg feet:
7all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.
1I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
3My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
4For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
5You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
7The LORD reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
8He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
11Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
12For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.
13LORD, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
14that I may declare your praises
in the gates of Daughter Zion,
and there rejoice in your salvation.
15The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16The LORD is known by his acts of justice;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.c
17The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
all the nations that forget God.
18But God will never forget the needy;
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
19Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
20Strike them with terror, LORD;
let the nations know they are only mortal.
1Why, LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
4In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected byb him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
7His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”
12Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?
14But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
16The LORD is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
For the director of music. Of David.
1In the LORD I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.
3When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
4The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
his eyes examine them.
5The LORD examines the righteous,
but the wicked, those who love violence,
he hates with a passion.
6On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.
7For the LORD is righteous,
he loves justice;
the upright will see his face.
For the director of music. According to sheminith.b A psalm of David.
1Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore;
those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2Everyone lies to their neighbor;
they flatter with their lips
but harbor deception in their hearts.
3May the LORD silence all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue—
4those who say,
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
5“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”
6And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like goldc refined seven times.
7You, LORD, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us forever from the wicked,
8who freely strut about
when what is vile is honored by the human race.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6I will sing the LORD’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
For the director of music. Of David.
1The foola says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2The LORD looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
4Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on the LORD.
5But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is their refuge.
7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
A psalm of David.
1LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the LORD;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.
A miktama of David.
1Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithfulb one see decay.
11You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Beautiful Word
A prayer of David.
1Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2Let my vindication come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.
3Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.
4Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.
6I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
9from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.
10They close up their callous hearts,
and their mouths speak with arrogance.
11They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12They are like a lion hungry for prey,
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.
13Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down;
with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14By your hand save me from such people, LORD,
from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
may their children gorge themselves on it,
and may there be leftovers for their little ones.
15As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1I love you, LORD, my strength.
2The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shieldb and the hornc of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
7The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
8Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
9He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
10He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.d
14He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
19He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
20The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
22All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
23I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
24The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
27You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28You, LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
29With your help I can advance against a troope;
with my God I can scale a wall.
30As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
31For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
33He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
34He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
36You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
40You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled themf like mud in the streets.
43You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
44foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
46The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
47He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
48who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
49Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.
50He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4Yet their voiceb goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Beautiful Word
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.b
4May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.
6Now this I know:
The LORD gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
7Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9LORD, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.b
3You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
5Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7For the king trusts in the LORD;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken.
8Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
your right hand will seize your foes.
9When you appear for battle,
you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,
and his fire will consume them.
10You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
their posterity from mankind.
11Though they plot evil against you
and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12You will make them turn their backs
when you aim at them with drawn bow.
13Be exalted in your strength, LORD;
we will sing and praise your might.
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.b
3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.c
4In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8“He trusts in the LORD,” they say,
“let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”
9Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
14I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
15My mouthd is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they piercee my hands and my feet.
17All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
18They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.
19But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
23You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear youf I will fulfill my vows.
26The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.
29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
A psalm of David.
1The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. Beautiful Word
2He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,a
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Of David. A psalm.
1The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it; Beautiful Word
2for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.a
5They will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God their Savior.
6Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.b,c
7Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Of David.
1In you, LORD my God,
I put my trust.
2I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
4Show me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
5Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, LORD, are good.
8Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11For the sake of your name, LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.b
13They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land.
14The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
18Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
19See how numerous are my enemies
and how fiercely they hate me!
20Guard my life and rescue me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
21May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope, LORD,c is in you.
22Deliver Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!
Of David.
1Vindicate me, LORD,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD
and have not faltered.
2Test me, LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
4I do not sit with the deceitful,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.
5I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, LORD,
7proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
8LORD, I love the house where you live,
the place where your glory dwells.
9Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with those who are bloodthirsty,
10in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
11I lead a blameless life;
deliver me and be merciful to me.
12My feet stand on level ground;
in the great congregation I will praise the LORD.
Of David.
1The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2When the wicked advance against me
to devoura me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple. Beautiful Word
5For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
6Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11Teach me your way, LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Of David.
1To you, LORD, I call;
you are my Rock,
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who go down to the pit.
2Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place.
3Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.
4Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
and bring back on them what they deserve.
5Because they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD
and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.
6Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
8The LORD is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
A psalm of David.
1Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of hisa holiness.
3The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
4The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirionb like a young wild ox.
7The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9The voice of the LORD twists the oaksc
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
11The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.b Of David.
1I will exalt you, LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2LORD my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
3You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.
4Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
5For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning. Beautiful Word
6When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7LORD, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountainc stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
8To you, LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9“What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;
LORD, be my help.”
11You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.
6I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in the LORD.
7I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,b
and my bones grow weak.
11Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14But I trust in you, LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
15My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17Let me not be put to shame, LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead.
18Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
21Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
Of David. A maskil.a
1Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.b
5Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Beautiful Word
9Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
11Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
1Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7He gathers the waters of the sea into jarsa;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
14from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
15he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
16No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Beautiful Word
19The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Of David.
1Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me.
2Take up shield and armor;
arise and come to my aid.
3Brandish spear and javelina
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.”
4May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back in dismay.
5May they be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the LORD driving them away;
6may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7Since they hid their net for me without cause
and without cause dug a pit for me,
8may ruin overtake them by surprise—
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.
9Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
and delight in his salvation.
10My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you, LORD?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them.”
11Ruthless witnesses come forward;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12They repay me evil for good
and leave me like one bereaved.
13Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth
and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayers returned to me unanswered,
14I went about mourning
as though for my friend or brother.
I bowed my head in grief
as though weeping for my mother.
15But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee;
assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They slandered me without ceasing.
16Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked;b
they gnashed their teeth at me.
17How long, Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my precious life from these lions.
18I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
among the throngs I will praise you.
19Do not let those gloat over me
who are my enemies without cause;
do not let those who hate me without reason
maliciously wink the eye.
20They do not speak peaceably,
but devise false accusations
against those who live quietly in the land.
21They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha!
With our own eyes we have seen it.”
22LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent.
Do not be far from me, Lord.
23Awake, and rise to my defense!
Contend for me, my God and Lord.
24Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God;
do not let them gloat over me.
25Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”
or say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26May all who gloat over my distress
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
be clothed with shame and disgrace.
27May those who delight in my vindication
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The LORD be exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
28My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
your praises all day long.
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD.
1I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:b
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
2In their own eyes they flatter themselves
too much to detect or hate their sin.
3The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
they fail to act wisely or do good.
4Even on their beds they plot evil;
they commit themselves to a sinful course
and do not reject what is wrong.
5Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
7How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
9For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
10Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12See how the evildoers lie fallen—
thrown down, not able to rise!
Of David.
1Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. Beautiful Word
5Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.
12The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
16Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20But the wicked will perish:
Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
21The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.
23The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.b
27Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyedc;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
30The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
31The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.
32The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on putting them to death;
33but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34Hope in the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
35I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
36but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.d
38But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no futuree for the wicked.
39The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
A psalm of David. A petition.
1LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2Your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
5My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
6I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
7My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
8I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
9All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
11My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.
12Those who want to kill me set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they scheme and lie.
13I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
like the mute, who cannot speak;
14I have become like one who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
15LORD, I wait for you;
you will answer, Lord my God.
16For I said, “Do not let them gloat
or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”
17For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.
19Many have become my enemies without causeb;
those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20Those who repay my good with evil
lodge accusations against me,
though I seek only to do what is good.
21LORD, do not forsake me;
do not be far from me, my God.
22Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my Savior.
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1I said, “I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
while in the presence of the wicked.”
2So I remained utterly silent,
not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased;
3my heart grew hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4“Show me, LORD, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
5You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure.b
6“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.
7“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
8Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
10Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
you consume their wealth like a moth—
surely everyone is but a breath.
12“Hear my prayer, LORD,
listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.”
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD
and put their trust in him.
4Blessed is the one
who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.b
5Many, LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
6Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have openedc—
burnt offerings and sin offeringsd you did not require.
7Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.e
8I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, LORD,
as you know.
10I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.
11Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
12For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
13Be pleased to save me, LORD;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.
14May all who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
15May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
16But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The LORD is great!”
17But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.
2The LORD protects and preserves them—
they are counted among the blessed in the land—
he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3The LORD sustains them on their sickbed
and restores them from their bed of illness.
4I said, “Have mercy on me, LORD;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die and his name perish?”
6When one of them comes to see me,
he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
then he goes out and spreads it around.
7All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8“A vile disease has afflicted him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies.”
9Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turnedb against me.
10But may you have mercy on me, LORD;
raise me up, that I may repay them.
11I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.
12Because of my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.
13Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
BOOK II
Psalms 42—72
For the director of music. A maskilc of the Sons of Korah.
1As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty Oned
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
5Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
6My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
1Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.
2You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
3Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
4Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
5Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.b
1We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4You are my King and my God,
who decreesc victories for Jacob.
5Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.d
9But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.
10You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.
11You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.
12You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.
13You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
14You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.
15I live in disgrace all day long,
and my face is covered with shame
16at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
17All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
you covered us over with deep darkness.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
23Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
25We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.b A wedding song.
1My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,
since God has blessed you forever.
3Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
4In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
5Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6Your throne, O God,c will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.
8All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces adorned with ivory
the music of the strings makes you glad.
9Daughters of kings are among your honored women;
at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
10Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention:
Forget your people and your father’s house.
11Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.
12The city of Tyre will come with a gift,d
people of wealth will seek your favor.
13All glorious is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.
14In embroidered garments she is led to the king;
her virgin companions follow her—
those brought to be with her.
15Led in with joy and gladness,
they enter the palace of the king.
16Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes throughout the land.
17I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;
therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.b A song.
1God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble. Beautiful Word
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.c
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shieldsd with fire.
10He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
2For the LORD Most High is awesome,
the great King over all the earth.
3He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.b
5God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.
8God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
9The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kingsc of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2Beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphonb is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.
3God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.
4When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,
5they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.
6Trembling seized them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
7You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
shattered by an east wind.
8As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the LORD Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.c
9Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
10Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.
12Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,
13consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.
14For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who live in this world,
2both low and high,
rich and poor alike:
3My mouth will speak words of wisdom;
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
4I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle:
5Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?
7No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—
9so that they should live on forever
and not see decay.
10For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
leaving their wealth to others.
11Their tombs will remain their housesb forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they hadc named lands after themselves.
12People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish.
13This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.d
14They are like sheep and are destined to die;
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself.
16Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.
18Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—
19they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life.
20People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.
A psalm of Asaph.
1The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
2From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
4He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
5“Gather to me this consecrated people,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for he is a God of justice.a,b
7“Listen, my people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel:
I am God, your God.
8I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
12If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14“Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
16But to the wicked person, God says:
“What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?
17You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
18When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
20You sit and testify against your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
21When you did these things and I kept silent,
you thought I was exactlyc like you.
But I now arraign you
and set my accusations before you.
22“Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
23Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blamelessd I will show my salvation.”
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Beautiful Word
11Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17My sacrifice, O God, isb a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
18May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
For the director of music. A maskilb of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”
1Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
3You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.c
4You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!
5Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,
7“Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.
For the director of music. According to mahalath.b A maskilc of David.
1The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2God looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
4Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
5But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you put them to shame, for God despised them.
6Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskilb of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”
1Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
2Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
3Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
people without regard for God.c
4Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
5Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.
6I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.
7You have delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskilb of David.
1Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
2hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
3because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me
and assail me in their anger.
4My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
5Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
6I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;c
8I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
9Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.
12If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
14with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
15Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.
16As for me, I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.
17Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
18He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19God, who is enthroned from of old,
who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.
20My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.
21His talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
22Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken. Beautiful Word
23But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.b When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1Be merciful to me, my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
all day long they press their attack.
2My adversaries pursue me all day long;
in their pride many are attacking me.
3When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
5All day long they twist my words;
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
hoping to take my life.
7Because of their wickedness do notc let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
8Record my misery;
list my tears on your scrolld—
are they not in your record?
9Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.
10In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise—
11in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
12I am under vows to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.b When he had fled from Saul into the cave.
1Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
2I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
3He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—c
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
4I am in the midst of lions;
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
6They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.
7My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
8Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.b
1Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?
2No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
3Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
LORD, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.c
10The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.b When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.
1Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
2Deliver me from evildoers
and save me from those who are after my blood.
3See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspire against me
for no offense or sin of mine, LORD.
4I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Arise to help me; look on my plight!
5You, LORD God Almighty,
you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to wicked traitors.c
6They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
7See what they spew from their mouths—
the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
and they think, “Who can hear us?”
8But you laugh at them, LORD;
you scoff at all those nations.
9You are my strength, I watch for you;
you, God, are my fortress,
10my God on whom I can rely.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11But do not kill them, Lord our shield,d
or my people will forget.
In your might uproot them
and bring them down.
12For the sins of their mouths,
for the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
13consume them in your wrath,
consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
14They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
15They wander about for food
and howl if not satisfied.
16But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktamb of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaimc and Aram Zobah,d and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us;
you have been angry—now restore us!
2You have shaken the land and torn it open;
mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
3You have shown your people desperate times;
you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
4But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
to be unfurled against the bow.e
5Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.
6God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.
8Moab is my washbasin,
on Edom I toss my sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?
11Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
12With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.
1Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
4I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.b
5For you, God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6Increase the days of the king’s life,
his years for many generations.
7May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.
8Then I will ever sing in praise of your name
and fulfill my vows day after day.
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.b
5Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7My salvation and my honor depend on Godc;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
9Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
1You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
2I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
11But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;
protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
2Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from the plots of evildoers.
3They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
they shoot suddenly, without fear.
5They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;
they say, “Who will see itb?”
6They plot injustice and say,
“We have devised a perfect plan!”
Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
7But God will shoot them with his arrows;
they will suddenly be struck down.
8He will turn their own tongues against them
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9All people will fear;
they will proclaim the works of God
and ponder what he has done.
10The righteous will rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him!
For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
1Praise awaitsb you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.
3When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgavec our transgressions.
4Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
5You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.
9You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.d
10You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
12The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
13The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
1Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
2Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.
3Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
4All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing the praises of your name.”a
5Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds for mankind!
6He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.
7He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
8Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.
10For you, God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.
11You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs.
12You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.
13I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you—
14vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
15I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.
16Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
17I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
20Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
1May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—b
2so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
3May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
4May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
5May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
6The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
7May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.
1May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2May you blow them away like smoke—
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the cloudsb;
rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.
5A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling. Beautiful Word
6God sets the lonely in families,c
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
7When you, God, went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,d
8the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
10Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.
11The Lord announces the word,
and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:
12“Kings and armies flee in haste;
the women at home divide the plunder.
13Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,e
the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
its feathers with shining gold.”
14When the Almightyf scattered the kings in the land,
it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.
15Mount Bashan, majestic mountain,
Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
16why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,
at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
where the LORD himself will dwell forever?
17The chariots of God are tens of thousands
and thousands of thousands;
the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.g
18When you ascended on high,
you took many captives;
you received gifts from people,
even fromh the rebellious—
that you,i LORD God, might dwell there.
19Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
20Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
21Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
22The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
23that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,
while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”
24Your procession, God, has come into view,
the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.
25In front are the singers, after them the musicians;
with them are the young women playing the timbrels.
26Praise God in the great congregation;
praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.
27There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them,
there the great throng of Judah’s princes,
and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
28Summon your power, Godj;
show us your strength, our God, as you have done before.
29Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings will bring you gifts.
30Rebuke the beast among the reeds,
the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.
Scatter the nations who delight in war.
31Envoys will come from Egypt;
Cushk will submit herself to God.
32Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord,
33to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
who thunders with mighty voice.
34Proclaim the power of God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the heavens.
35You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.
1Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
13But I pray to you, LORD,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.
19You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution andb a trap.
23May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
24Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
28May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.
29But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.
30I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31This will please the LORD more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.
34Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
35for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
For the director of music. Of David. A petition.
1Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.
2May those who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
3May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.
4But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The LORD is great!”
5But as for me, I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
LORD, do not delay.
1In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
3Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
6From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
7I have become a sign to many;
you are my strong refuge.
8My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
9Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”
12Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
13May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
15My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
16I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
19Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
20Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21You will increase my honor
and comfort me once more.
22I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.
24My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.
Of Solomon.
1Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5May he endurea as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Riverb to the ends of the earth.
9May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
11May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
12For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16May grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrivec like the grass of the field.
17May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,d
and they will call him blessed.
18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
19Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.