Psalm 98

A psalm.

¹Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm

have worked salvation for him.

²The LORD has made his salvation known

and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

³He has remembered his love

and his faithfulness to Israel;

all the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

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

burst into jubilant song with music;

⁵make music to the LORD with the harp,

with the harp and the sound of singing,

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

shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

⁷Let the sea resound, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it.

⁸Let the rivers clap their hands,

let the mountains sing together for joy;

⁹let them sing before the LORD,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 99

¹The LORD reigns,

let the nations tremble;

he sits enthroned between the cherubim,

let the earth shake.

²Great is the LORD in Zion;

he is exalted over all the nations.

³Let them praise your great and awesome name—

he is holy.

⁴The King is mighty, he loves justice—

you have established equity;

in Jacob you have done

what is just and right.

⁵Exalt the LORD our God

and worship at his footstool;

he is holy.

⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests,

Samuel was among those who called on his name;

they called on the LORD

and he answered them.

⁷He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;

they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

⁸LORD our God,

you answered them;

you were to Israel a forgiving God,

though you punished their misdeeds.^[249]

⁹Exalt the LORD our God

and worship at his holy mountain,

for the LORD our God is holy.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

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

²Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

³Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his^[250];

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

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

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 101

Of David. A psalm.

¹I will sing of your love and justice;

to you, LORD, I will sing praise.

²I will be careful to lead a blameless life—

when will you come to me?

I will conduct the affairs of my house

with a blameless heart.

³I will not look with approval

on anything that is vile.

I hate what faithless people do;

I will have no part in it.

⁴The perverse of heart shall be far from me;

I will have nothing to do with what is evil.

⁵Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,

I will put to silence;

whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,

I will not tolerate.

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

that they may dwell with me;

the one whose walk is blameless

will minister to me.

⁷No one who practices deceit

will dwell in my house;

no one who speaks falsely

will stand in my presence.

⁸Every morning I will put to silence

all the wicked in the land;

I will cut off every evildoer

from the city of the LORD.

Psalm 102^[251]

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the LORD.

¹Hear my prayer, LORD;

let my cry for help come to you.

²Do not hide your face from me

when I am in distress.

Turn your ear to me;

when I call, answer me quickly.

³For my days vanish like smoke;

my bones burn like glowing embers.

⁴My heart is blighted and withered like grass;

I forget to eat my food.

⁵In my distress I groan aloud

and am reduced to skin and bones.

⁶I am like a desert owl,

like an owl among the ruins.

⁷I lie awake; I have become

like a bird alone on a roof.

⁸All day long my enemies taunt me;

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

⁹For I eat ashes as my food

and mingle my drink with tears

¹⁰because of your great wrath,

for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.

¹¹My days are like the evening shadow;

I wither away like grass.

¹²But you, LORD, sit enthroned forever;

your renown endures through all generations.

¹³You will arise and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to show favor to her;

the appointed time has come.

¹⁴For her stones are dear to your servants;

her very dust moves them to pity.

¹⁵The nations will fear the name of the LORD,

all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.

¹⁶For the LORD will rebuild Zion

and appear in his glory.

¹⁷He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;

he will not despise their plea.

¹⁸Let this be written for a future generation,

that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:

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

from heaven he viewed the earth,

²⁰to hear the groans of the prisoners

and release those condemned to death.”

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

and his praise in Jerusalem

²²when the peoples and the kingdoms

assemble to worship the LORD.

²³In the course of my life^[252] he broke my strength;

he cut short my days.

²⁴So I said:

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

your years go on through all generations.

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

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

²⁶They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them

and they will be discarded.

²⁷But you remain the same,

and your years will never end.

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

their descendants will be established before you.”

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹Praise the LORD, my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

²Praise the LORD, my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

³who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

⁴who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵who satisfies your desires with good things

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

⁶The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

⁸The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

⁹He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

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

so great is his love for those who fear him;

¹²as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

¹⁴for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

¹⁶the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷But from everlasting to everlasting

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

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

¹⁸with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹The LORD has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰Praise the LORD, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.

²¹Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.

²²Praise the LORD, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Psalm 104

¹Praise the LORD, my soul.

LORD my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

²The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

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

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind.

⁴He makes winds his messengers,^[253]

flames of fire his servants.

⁵He set the earth on its foundations;

it can never be moved.

⁶You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

⁷But at your rebuke the waters fled,

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

⁸they flowed over the mountains,

they went down into the valleys,

to the place you assigned for them.

⁹You set a boundary they cannot cross;

never again will they cover the earth.

¹⁰He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

it flows between the mountains.

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

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

¹²The birds of the sky nest by the waters;

they sing among the branches.

¹³He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;

the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

¹⁴He makes grass grow for the cattle,

and plants for people to cultivate—

bringing forth food from the earth:

¹⁵wine that gladdens human hearts,

oil to make their faces shine,

and bread that sustains their hearts.

¹⁶The trees of the LORD are well watered,

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

¹⁷There the birds make their nests;

the stork has its home in the junipers.

¹⁸The high mountains belong to the wild goats;

the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

¹⁹He made the moon to mark the seasons,

and the sun knows when to go down.

²⁰You bring darkness, it becomes night,

and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

²¹The lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.

²²The sun rises, and they steal away;

they return and lie down in their dens.

²³Then people go out to their work,

to their labor until evening.

²⁴How many are your works, LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

²⁵There is the sea, vast and spacious,

teeming with creatures beyond number—

living things both large and small.

²⁶There the ships go to and fro,

and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

²⁷All creatures look to you

to give them their food at the proper time.

²⁸When you give it to them,

they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

they are satisfied with good things.

²⁹When you hide your face,

they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

they die and return to the dust.

³⁰When you send your Spirit,

they are created,

and you renew the face of the ground.

³¹May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD rejoice in his works—

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

who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³I will sing to the LORD all my life;

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

³⁴May my meditation be pleasing to him,

as I rejoice in the LORD.

³⁵But may sinners vanish from the earth

and the wicked be no more.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Praise the LORD.^[254]

Psalm 105

¹Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

²Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

³Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

⁴Look to the LORD and his strength;

seek his face always.

⁵Remember the wonders he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

⁶you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,

his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

⁷He is the LORD our God;

his judgments are in all the earth.

⁸He remembers his covenant forever,

the promise he made, for a thousand generations,

⁹the covenant he made with Abraham,

the oath he swore to Isaac.

¹⁰He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

¹¹“To you I will give the land of Canaan

as the portion you will inherit.”

¹²When they were but few in number,

few indeed, and strangers in it,

¹³they wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

¹⁴He allowed no one to oppress them;

for their sake he rebuked kings:

¹⁵“Do not touch my anointed ones;

do my prophets no harm.”

¹⁶He called down famine on the land

and destroyed all their supplies of food;

¹⁷and he sent a man before them—

Joseph, sold as a slave.

¹⁸They bruised his feet with shackles,

his neck was put in irons,

¹⁹till what he foretold came to pass,

till the word of the LORD proved him true.

²⁰The king sent and released him,

the ruler of peoples set him free.

²¹He made him master of his household,

ruler over all he possessed,

²²to instruct his princes as he pleased

and teach his elders wisdom.

²³Then Israel entered Egypt;

Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.

²⁴The LORD made his people very fruitful;

he made them too numerous for their foes,

²⁵whose hearts he turned to hate his people,

to conspire against his servants.

²⁶He sent Moses his servant,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

²⁷They performed his signs among them,

his wonders in the land of Ham.

²⁸He sent darkness and made the land dark—

for had they not rebelled against his words?

²⁹He turned their waters into blood,

causing their fish to die.

³⁰Their land teemed with frogs,

which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.

³¹He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

and gnats throughout their country.

³²He turned their rain into hail,

with lightning throughout their land;

³³he struck down their vines and fig trees

and shattered the trees of their country.

³⁴He spoke, and the locusts came,

grasshoppers without number;

³⁵they ate up every green thing in their land,

ate up the produce of their soil.

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

the firstfruits of all their manhood.

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

and from among their tribes no one faltered.

³⁸Egypt was glad when they left,

because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

³⁹He spread out a cloud as a covering,

and a fire to give light at night.

⁴⁰They asked, and he brought them quail;

he fed them well with the bread of heaven.

⁴¹He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

it flowed like a river in the desert.

⁴²For he remembered his holy promise

given to his servant Abraham.

⁴³He brought out his people with rejoicing,

his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

⁴⁴he gave them the lands of the nations,

and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—

⁴⁵that they might keep his precepts

and observe his laws.

Praise the LORD.^[255]

Psalm 106

¹Praise the LORD.^[256]

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

²Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD

or fully declare his praise?

³Blessed are those who act justly,

who always do what is right.

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

come to my aid when you save them,

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

that I may share in the joy of your nation

and join your inheritance in giving praise.

⁶We have sinned, even as our ancestors did;

we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

⁷When our ancestors were in Egypt,

they gave no thought to your miracles;

they did not remember your many kindnesses,

and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.^[257]

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

to make his mighty power known.

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

he led them through the depths as through a desert.

¹⁰He saved them from the hand of the foe;

from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.

¹¹The waters covered their adversaries;

not one of them survived.

¹²Then they believed his promises

and sang his praise.

¹³But they soon forgot what he had done

and did not wait for his plan to unfold.

¹⁴In the desert they gave in to their craving;

in the wilderness they put God to the test.

¹⁵So he gave them what they asked for,

but sent a wasting disease among them.

¹⁶In the camp they grew envious of Moses

and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.

¹⁷The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;

it buried the company of Abiram.

¹⁸Fire blazed among their followers;

a flame consumed the wicked.

¹⁹At Horeb they made a calf

and worshiped an idol cast from metal.

²⁰They exchanged their glorious God

for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

²¹They forgot the God who saved them,

who had done great things in Egypt,

²²miracles in the land of Ham

and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

²³So he said he would destroy them—

had not Moses, his chosen one,

stood in the breach before him

to keep his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴Then they despised the pleasant land;

they did not believe his promise.

²⁵They grumbled in their tents

and did not obey the LORD.

²⁶So he swore to them with uplifted hand

that he would make them fall in the wilderness,

²⁷make their descendants fall among the nations

and scatter them throughout the lands.

²⁸They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor

and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

²⁹they aroused the LORD’s anger by their wicked deeds,

and a plague broke out among them.

³⁰But Phinehas stood up and intervened,

and the plague was checked.

³¹This was credited to him as righteousness

for endless generations to come.

³²By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD,

and trouble came to Moses because of them;

³³for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,

and rash words came from Moses’ lips.^[258]

³⁴They did not destroy the peoples

as the LORD had commanded them,

³⁵but they mingled with the nations

and adopted their customs.

³⁶They worshiped their idols,

which became a snare to them.

³⁷They sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to false gods.

³⁸They shed innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

and the land was desecrated by their blood.

³⁹They defiled themselves by what they did;

by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

⁴⁰Therefore the LORD was angry with his people

and abhorred his inheritance.

⁴¹He gave them into the hands of the nations,

and their foes ruled over them.

⁴²Their enemies oppressed them

and subjected them to their power.

⁴³Many times he delivered them,

but they were bent on rebellion

and they wasted away in their sin.

⁴⁴Yet he took note of their distress

when he heard their cry;

⁴⁵for their sake he remembered his covenant

and out of his great love he relented.

⁴⁶He caused all who held them captive

to show them mercy.

⁴⁷Save us, LORD our God,

and gather us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name

and glory in your praise.

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

from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the LORD.

BOOK V

Psalms 107—150

Psalm 107

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

his love endures forever.

²Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

³those he gathered from the lands,

from east and west, from north and south.^[259]

⁴Some wandered in desert wastelands,

finding no way to a city where they could settle.

⁵They were hungry and thirsty,

and their lives ebbed away.

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

and he delivered them from their distress.

⁷He led them by a straight way

to a city where they could settle.

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

and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

⁹for he satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

¹⁰Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,

prisoners suffering in iron chains,

¹¹because they rebelled against God’s commands

and despised the plans of the Most High.

¹²So he subjected them to bitter labor;

they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

¹³Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,

and broke away their chains.

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

and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

¹⁶for he breaks down gates of bronze

and cuts through bars of iron.

¹⁷Some became fools through their rebellious ways

and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

¹⁸They loathed all food

and drew near the gates of death.

¹⁹Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

²⁰He sent out his word and healed them;

he rescued them from the grave.

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

and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

²²Let them sacrifice thank offerings

and tell of his works with songs of joy.

²³Some went out on the sea in ships;

they were merchants on the mighty waters.

²⁴They saw the works of the LORD,

his wonderful deeds in the deep.

²⁵For he spoke and stirred up a tempest

that lifted high the waves.

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

in their peril their courage melted away.

²⁷They reeled and staggered like drunkards;

they were at their wits’ end.

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

and he brought them out of their distress.

²⁹He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea^[260] were hushed.

³⁰They were glad when it grew calm,

and he guided them to their desired haven.

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

and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

³²Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

and praise him in the council of the elders.

³³He turned rivers into a desert,

flowing springs into thirsty ground,

³⁴and fruitful land into a salt waste,

because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

³⁵He turned the desert into pools of water

and the parched ground into flowing springs;

³⁶there he brought the hungry to live,

and they founded a city where they could settle.

³⁷They sowed fields and planted vineyards

that yielded a fruitful harvest;

³⁸he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,

and he did not let their herds diminish.

³⁹Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled

by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

⁴⁰he who pours contempt on nobles

made them wander in a trackless waste.

⁴¹But he lifted the needy out of their affliction

and increased their families like flocks.

⁴²The upright see and rejoice,

but all the wicked shut their mouths.

⁴³Let the one who is wise heed these things

and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.

Psalm 108^[261]

A song. A psalm of David.

¹My heart, O God, is steadfast;

I will sing and make music with all my soul.

²Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

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

I will sing of you among the peoples.

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

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

⁶Save us and help us with your right hand,

that those you love may be delivered.

⁷God has spoken from his sanctuary:

“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem

and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.

⁸Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judah is my scepter.

⁹Moab is my washbasin,

on Edom I toss my sandal;

over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

¹⁰Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

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

and no longer go out with our armies?

¹²Give us aid against the enemy,

for human help is worthless.

¹³With God we will gain the victory,

and he will trample down our enemies.

Psalm 109

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

¹My God, whom I praise,

do not remain silent,

²for people who are wicked and deceitful

have opened their mouths against me;

they have spoken against me with lying tongues.

³With words of hatred they surround me;

they attack me without cause.

⁴In return for my friendship they accuse me,

but I am a man of prayer.

⁵They repay me evil for good,

and hatred for my friendship.

⁶Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;

let an accuser stand at his right hand.

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

and may his prayers condemn him.

⁸May his days be few;

may another take his place of leadership.

⁹May his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow.

¹⁰May his children be wandering beggars;

may they be driven^[262] from their ruined homes.

¹¹May a creditor seize all he has;

may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

¹²May no one extend kindness to him

or take pity on his fatherless children.

¹³May his descendants be cut off,

their names blotted out from the next generation.

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

may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

¹⁵May their sins always remain before the LORD,

that he may blot out their name from the earth.

¹⁶For he never thought of doing a kindness,

but hounded to death the poor

and the needy and the brokenhearted.

¹⁷He loved to pronounce a curse—

may it come back on him.

He found no pleasure in blessing—

may it be far from him.

¹⁸He wore cursing as his garment;

it entered into his body like water,

into his bones like oil.

¹⁹May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,

like a belt tied forever around him.

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

to those who speak evil of me.

²¹But you, Sovereign LORD,

help me for your name’s sake;

out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.

²²For I am poor and needy,

and my heart is wounded within me.

²³I fade away like an evening shadow;

I am shaken off like a locust.

²⁴My knees give way from fasting;

my body is thin and gaunt.

²⁵I am an object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they shake their heads.

²⁶Help me, LORD my God;

save me according to your unfailing love.

²⁷Let them know that it is your hand,

that you, LORD, have done it.

²⁸While they curse, may you bless;

may those who attack me be put to shame,

but may your servant rejoice.

²⁹May my accusers be clothed with disgrace

and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.

³⁰With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD;

in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him.

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

to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

¹The LORD says to my lord:^[263]

“Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies

a footstool for your feet.”

²The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,

“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”

³Your troops will be willing

on your day of battle.

Arrayed in holy splendor,

your young men will come to you

like dew from the morning’s womb.^[264]

⁴The LORD has sworn

and will not change his mind:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

⁵The Lord is at your right hand^[265];

he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

⁶He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead

and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.

⁷He will drink from a brook along the way,^[266]

and so he will lift his head high.

Psalm 111^[267]

¹Praise the LORD.^[268]

I will extol the LORD with all my heart

in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

²Great are the works of the LORD;

they are pondered by all who delight in them.

³Glorious and majestic are his deeds,

and his righteousness endures forever.

⁴He has caused his wonders to be remembered;

the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

⁵He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever.

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

giving them the lands of other nations.

⁷The works of his hands are faithful and just;

all his precepts are trustworthy.

⁸They are established for ever and ever,

enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.

⁹He provided redemption for his people;

he ordained his covenant forever—

holy and awesome is his name.

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

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

To him belongs eternal praise.

Psalm 112^[269]

¹Praise the LORD.^[270]

Blessed are those who fear the LORD,

who find great delight in his commands.

²Their children will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

³Wealth and riches are in their houses,

and their righteousness endures forever.

⁴Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.

⁵Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,

who conduct their affairs with justice.

⁶Surely the righteous will never be shaken;

they will be remembered forever.

⁷They will have no fear of bad news;

their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

⁸Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;

in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

⁹They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,

their righteousness endures forever;

their horn^[271] will be lifted high in honor.

¹⁰The wicked will see and be vexed,

they will gnash their teeth and waste away;

the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Psalm 113

¹Praise the LORD.^[272]

Praise the LORD, you his servants;

praise the name of the LORD.

²Let the name of the LORD be praised,

both now and forevermore.

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

the name of the LORD is to be praised.

⁴The LORD is exalted over all the nations,

his glory above the heavens.

⁵Who is like the LORD our God,

the One who sits enthroned on high,

⁶who stoops down to look

on the heavens and the earth?

⁷He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

⁸he seats them with princes,

with the princes of his people.

⁹He settles the childless woman in her home

as a happy mother of children.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 114

¹When Israel came out of Egypt,

Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

²Judah became God’s sanctuary,

Israel his dominion.

³The sea looked and fled,

the Jordan turned back;

⁴the mountains leaped like rams,

the hills like lambs.

⁵Why was it, sea, that you fled?

Why, Jordan, did you turn back?

⁶Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,

you hills, like lambs?

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

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

⁸who turned the rock into a pool,

the hard rock into springs of water.

Psalm 115

¹Not to us, LORD, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

because of your love and faithfulness.

²Why do the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

³Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever pleases him.

⁴But their idols are silver and gold,

made by human hands.

⁵They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but cannot see.

⁶They have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but cannot smell.

⁷They have hands, but cannot feel,

feet, but cannot walk,

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

⁸Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

⁹All you Israelites, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

¹⁰House of Aaron, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

¹¹You who fear him, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

¹²The LORD remembers us and will bless us:

He will bless his people Israel,

he will bless the house of Aaron,

¹³he will bless those who fear the LORD—

small and great alike.

¹⁴May the LORD cause you to flourish,

both you and your children.

¹⁵May you be blessed by the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

¹⁶The highest heavens belong to the LORD,

but the earth he has given to mankind.

¹⁷It is not the dead who praise the LORD,

those who go down to the place of silence;

¹⁸it is we who extol the LORD,

both now and forevermore.

Praise the LORD.^[273]

Psalm 116

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

he heard my cry for mercy.

²Because he turned his ear to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

³The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave came over me;

I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

⁴Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“LORD, save me!”

⁵The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion.

⁶The LORD protects the unwary;

when I was brought low, he saved me.

⁷Return to your rest, my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.

⁸For you, LORD, have delivered me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling,

⁹that I may walk before the LORD

in the land of the living.

¹⁰I trusted in the LORD when I said,

“I am greatly afflicted”;

¹¹in my alarm I said,

“Everyone is a liar.”

¹²What shall I return to the LORD

for all his goodness to me?

¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁴I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his faithful servants.

¹⁶Truly I am your servant, LORD;

I serve you just as my mother did;

you have freed me from my chains.

¹⁷I will sacrifice a thank offering to you

and call on the name of the LORD.

¹⁸I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,

¹⁹in the courts of the house of the LORD—

in your midst, Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD.^[274]

Psalm 117

¹Praise the LORD, all you nations;

extol him, all you peoples.

²For great is his love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD.^[275]

Psalm 118

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

his love endures forever.

²Let Israel say:

“His love endures forever.”

³Let the house of Aaron say:

“His love endures forever.”

⁴Let those who fear the LORD say:

“His love endures forever.”

⁵When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;

he brought me into a spacious place.

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

What can mere mortals do to me?

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

I look in triumph on my enemies.

⁸It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in humans.

⁹It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in princes.

¹⁰All the nations surrounded me,

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

¹¹They surrounded me on every side,

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

¹²They swarmed around me like bees,

but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;

in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

¹³I was pushed back and about to fall,

but the LORD helped me.

¹⁴The LORD is my strength and my defense^[276];

he has become my salvation.

¹⁵Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous:

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

¹⁶The LORD’s right hand is lifted high;

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

¹⁷I will not die but live,

and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

¹⁸The LORD has chastened me severely,

but he has not given me over to death.

¹⁹Open for me the gates of the righteous;

I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

²⁰This is the gate of the LORD

through which the righteous may enter.

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

you have become my salvation.

²²The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

²³the LORD has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴The LORD has done it this very day;

let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵LORD, save us!

LORD, grant us success!

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

From the house of the LORD we bless you.^[277]

²⁷The LORD is God,

and he has made his light shine on us.

With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

up^[278] to the horns of the altar.

²⁸You are my God, and I will praise you;

you are my God, and I will exalt you.

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

his love endures forever.

Psalm 119^[279]

Aleph

¹Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,

who walk according to the law of the LORD.

²Blessed are those who keep his statutes

and seek him with all their heart—

³they do no wrong

but follow his ways.

⁴You have laid down precepts

that are to be fully obeyed.

⁵Oh, that my ways were steadfast

in obeying your decrees!

⁶Then I would not be put to shame

when I consider all your commands.

⁷I will praise you with an upright heart

as I learn your righteous laws.

⁸I will obey your decrees;

do not utterly forsake me.

Beth

⁹How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word.

¹⁰I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

¹¹I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

¹²Praise be to you, LORD;

teach me your decrees.

¹³With my lips I recount

all the laws that come from your mouth.

¹⁴I rejoice in following your statutes

as one rejoices in great riches.

¹⁵I meditate on your precepts

and consider your ways.

¹⁶I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.

Gimel

¹⁷Be good to your servant while I live,

that I may obey your word.

¹⁸Open my eyes that I may see

wonderful things in your law.

¹⁹I am a stranger on earth;

do not hide your commands from me.

²⁰My soul is consumed with longing

for your laws at all times.

²¹You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed,

those who stray from your commands.

²²Remove from me their scorn and contempt,

for I keep your statutes.

²³Though rulers sit together and slander me,

your servant will meditate on your decrees.

²⁴Your statutes are my delight;

they are my counselors.

Daleth

²⁵I am laid low in the dust;

preserve my life according to your word.

²⁶I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;

teach me your decrees.

²⁷Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,

that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.

²⁸My soul is weary with sorrow;

strengthen me according to your word.

²⁹Keep me from deceitful ways;

be gracious to me and teach me your law.

³⁰I have chosen the way of faithfulness;

I have set my heart on your laws.

³¹I hold fast to your statutes, LORD;

do not let me be put to shame.

³²I run in the path of your commands,

for you have broadened my understanding.

He

³³Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees,

that I may follow it to the end.^[280]

³⁴Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law

and obey it with all my heart.

³⁵Direct me in the path of your commands,

for there I find delight.

³⁶Turn my heart toward your statutes

and not toward selfish gain.

³⁷Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

preserve my life according to your word.^[281]

³⁸Fulfill your promise to your servant,

so that you may be feared.

³⁹Take away the disgrace I dread,

for your laws are good.

⁴⁰How I long for your precepts!

In your righteousness preserve my life.

Waw

⁴¹May your unfailing love come to me, LORD,

your salvation, according to your promise;

⁴²then I can answer anyone who taunts me,

for I trust in your word.

⁴³Never take your word of truth from my mouth,

for I have put my hope in your laws.

⁴⁴I will always obey your law,

for ever and ever.

⁴⁵I will walk about in freedom,

for I have sought out your precepts.

⁴⁶I will speak of your statutes before kings

and will not be put to shame,

⁴⁷for I delight in your commands

because I love them.

⁴⁸I reach out for your commands, which I love,

that I may meditate on your decrees.

Zayin

⁴⁹Remember your word to your servant,

for you have given me hope.

⁵⁰My comfort in my suffering is this:

Your promise preserves my life.

⁵¹The arrogant mock me unmercifully,

but I do not turn from your law.

⁵²I remember, LORD, your ancient laws,

and I find comfort in them.

⁵³Indignation grips me because of the wicked,

who have forsaken your law.

⁵⁴Your decrees are the theme of my song

wherever I lodge.

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

that I may keep your law.

⁵⁶This has been my practice:

I obey your precepts.

Heth

⁵⁷You are my portion, LORD;

I have promised to obey your words.

⁵⁸I have sought your face with all my heart;

be gracious to me according to your promise.

⁵⁹I have considered my ways

and have turned my steps to your statutes.

⁶⁰I will hasten and not delay

to obey your commands.

⁶¹Though the wicked bind me with ropes,

I will not forget your law.

⁶²At midnight I rise to give you thanks

for your righteous laws.

⁶³I am a friend to all who fear you,

to all who follow your precepts.

⁶⁴The earth is filled with your love, LORD;

teach me your decrees.

Teth

⁶⁵Do good to your servant

according to your word, LORD.

⁶⁶Teach me knowledge and good judgment,

for I trust your commands.

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted I went astray,

but now I obey your word.

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

teach me your decrees.

⁶⁹Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,

I keep your precepts with all my heart.

⁷⁰Their hearts are callous and unfeeling,

but I delight in your law.

⁷¹It was good for me to be afflicted

so that I might learn your decrees.

⁷²The law from your mouth is more precious to me

than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Yodh

⁷³Your hands made me and formed me;

give me understanding to learn your commands.

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

for I have put my hope in your word.

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

and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

⁷⁶May your unfailing love be my comfort,

according to your promise to your servant.

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

for your law is my delight.

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

but I will meditate on your precepts.

⁷⁹May those who fear you turn to me,

those who understand your statutes.

⁸⁰May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,

that I may not be put to shame.

Kaph

⁸¹My soul faints with longing for your salvation,

but I have put my hope in your word.

⁸²My eyes fail, looking for your promise;

I say, “When will you comfort me?”

⁸³Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,

I do not forget your decrees.

⁸⁴How long must your servant wait?

When will you punish my persecutors?

⁸⁵The arrogant dig pits to trap me,

contrary to your law.

⁸⁶All your commands are trustworthy;

help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.

⁸⁷They almost wiped me from the earth,

but I have not forsaken your precepts.

⁸⁸In your unfailing love preserve my life,

that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.

Lamedh

⁸⁹Your word, LORD, is eternal;

it stands firm in the heavens.

⁹⁰Your faithfulness continues through all generations;

you established the earth, and it endures.

⁹¹Your laws endure to this day,

for all things serve you.

⁹²If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

⁹³I will never forget your precepts,

for by them you have preserved my life.

⁹⁴Save me, for I am yours;

I have sought out your precepts.

⁹⁵The wicked are waiting to destroy me,

but I will ponder your statutes.

⁹⁶To all perfection I see a limit,

but your commands are boundless.

Mem

⁹⁷Oh, how I love your law!

I meditate on it all day long.

⁹⁸Your commands are always with me

and make me wiser than my enemies.

⁹⁹I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your statutes.

¹⁰⁰I have more understanding than the elders,

for I obey your precepts.

¹⁰¹I have kept my feet from every evil path

so that I might obey your word.

¹⁰²I have not departed from your laws,

for you yourself have taught me.

¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

¹⁰⁴I gain understanding from your precepts;

therefore I hate every wrong path.

Nun

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp for my feet,

a light on my path.

¹⁰⁶I have taken an oath and confirmed it,

that I will follow your righteous laws.

¹⁰⁷I have suffered much;

preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.

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

and teach me your laws.

¹⁰⁹Though I constantly take my life in my hands,

I will not forget your law.

¹¹⁰The wicked have set a snare for me,

but I have not strayed from your precepts.

¹¹¹Your statutes are my heritage forever;

they are the joy of my heart.

¹¹²My heart is set on keeping your decrees

to the very end.^[282]

Samekh

¹¹³I hate double-minded people,

but I love your law.

¹¹⁴You are my refuge and my shield;

I have put my hope in your word.

¹¹⁵Away from me, you evildoers,

that I may keep the commands of my God!

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

do not let my hopes be dashed.

¹¹⁷Uphold me, and I will be delivered;

I will always have regard for your decrees.

¹¹⁸You reject all who stray from your decrees,

for their delusions come to nothing.

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

therefore I love your statutes.

¹²⁰My flesh trembles in fear of you;

I stand in awe of your laws.

Ayin

¹²¹I have done what is righteous and just;

do not leave me to my oppressors.

¹²²Ensure your servant’s well-being;

do not let the arrogant oppress me.

¹²³My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,

looking for your righteous promise.

¹²⁴Deal with your servant according to your love

and teach me your decrees.

¹²⁵I am your servant; give me discernment

that I may understand your statutes.

¹²⁶It is time for you to act, LORD;

your law is being broken.

¹²⁷Because I love your commands

more than gold, more than pure gold,

¹²⁸and because I consider all your precepts right,

I hate every wrong path.

Pe

¹²⁹Your statutes are wonderful;

therefore I obey them.

¹³⁰The unfolding of your words gives light;

it gives understanding to the simple.

¹³¹I open my mouth and pant,

longing for your commands.

¹³²Turn to me and have mercy on me,

as you always do to those who love your name.

¹³³Direct my footsteps according to your word;

let no sin rule over me.

¹³⁴Redeem me from human oppression,

that I may obey your precepts.

¹³⁵Make your face shine on your servant

and teach me your decrees.

¹³⁶Streams of tears flow from my eyes,

for your law is not obeyed.

Tsadhe

¹³⁷You are righteous, LORD,

and your laws are right.

¹³⁸The statutes you have laid down are righteous;

they are fully trustworthy.

¹³⁹My zeal wears me out,

for my enemies ignore your words.

¹⁴⁰Your promises have been thoroughly tested,

and your servant loves them.

¹⁴¹Though I am lowly and despised,

I do not forget your precepts.

¹⁴²Your righteousness is everlasting

and your law is true.

¹⁴³Trouble and distress have come upon me,

but your commands give me delight.

¹⁴⁴Your statutes are always righteous;

give me understanding that I may live.

Qoph

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

and I will obey your decrees.

¹⁴⁶I call out to you; save me

and I will keep your statutes.

¹⁴⁷I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I have put my hope in your word.

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

that I may meditate on your promises.

¹⁴⁹Hear my voice in accordance with your love;

preserve my life, LORD, according to your laws.

¹⁵⁰Those who devise wicked schemes are near,

but they are far from your law.

¹⁵¹Yet you are near, LORD,

and all your commands are true.

¹⁵²Long ago I learned from your statutes

that you established them to last forever.

Resh

¹⁵³Look on my suffering and deliver me,

for I have not forgotten your law.

¹⁵⁴Defend my cause and redeem me;

preserve my life according to your promise.

¹⁵⁵Salvation is far from the wicked,

for they do not seek out your decrees.

¹⁵⁶Your compassion, LORD, is great;

preserve my life according to your laws.

¹⁵⁷Many are the foes who persecute me,

but I have not turned from your statutes.

¹⁵⁸I look on the faithless with loathing,

for they do not obey your word.

¹⁵⁹See how I love your precepts;

preserve my life, LORD, in accordance with your love.

¹⁶⁰All your words are true;

all your righteous laws are eternal.

Sin and Shin

¹⁶¹Rulers persecute me without cause,

but my heart trembles at your word.

¹⁶²I rejoice in your promise

like one who finds great spoil.

¹⁶³I hate and detest falsehood

but I love your law.

¹⁶⁴Seven times a day I praise you

for your righteous laws.

¹⁶⁵Great peace have those who love your law,

and nothing can make them stumble.

¹⁶⁶I wait for your salvation, LORD,

and I follow your commands.

¹⁶⁷I obey your statutes,

for I love them greatly.

¹⁶⁸I obey your precepts and your statutes,

for all my ways are known to you.

Taw

¹⁶⁹May my cry come before you, LORD;

give me understanding according to your word.

¹⁷⁰May my supplication come before you;

deliver me according to your promise.

¹⁷¹May my lips overflow with praise,

for you teach me your decrees.

¹⁷²May my tongue sing of your word,

for all your commands are righteous.

¹⁷³May your hand be ready to help me,

for I have chosen your precepts.

¹⁷⁴I long for your salvation, LORD,

and your law gives me delight.

¹⁷⁵Let me live that I may praise you,

and may your laws sustain me.

¹⁷⁶I have strayed like a lost sheep.

Seek your servant,

for I have not forgotten your commands.

Psalm 120

A song of ascents.

¹I call on the LORD in my distress,

and he answers me.

²Save me, LORD,

from lying lips

and from deceitful tongues.

³What will he do to you,

and what more besides,

you deceitful tongue?

⁴He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,

with burning coals of the broom bush.

⁵Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,

that I live among the tents of Kedar!

⁶Too long have I lived

among those who hate peace.

⁷I am for peace;

but when I speak, they are for war.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

¹I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

²My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

³He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The LORD watches over you—

the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

⁷The LORD will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

⁸the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.

Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹I rejoiced with those who said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

²Our feet are standing

in your gates, Jerusalem.

³Jerusalem is built like a city

that is closely compacted together.

⁴That is where the tribes go up—

the tribes of the LORD—

to praise the name of the LORD

according to the statute given to Israel.

⁵There stand the thrones for judgment,

the thrones of the house of David.

⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you be secure.

⁷May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels.”

⁸For the sake of my family and friends,

I will say, “Peace be within you.”

⁹For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek your prosperity.

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

¹I lift up my eyes to you,

to you who sit enthroned in heaven.

²As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the LORD our God,

till he shows us his mercy.

³Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us,

for we have endured no end of contempt.

⁴We have endured no end

of ridicule from the arrogant,

of contempt from the proud.

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹If the LORD had not been on our side—

let Israel say—

²if the LORD had not been on our side

when people attacked us,

³they would have swallowed us alive

when their anger flared against us;

⁴the flood would have engulfed us,

the torrent would have swept over us,

⁵the raging waters

would have swept us away.

⁶Praise be to the LORD,

who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

⁷We have escaped like a bird

from the fowler’s snare;

the snare has been broken,

and we have escaped.

⁸Our help is in the name of the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

A song of ascents.

¹Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,

which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

²As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the LORD surrounds his people

both now and forevermore.

³The scepter of the wicked will not remain

over the land allotted to the righteous,

for then the righteous might use

their hands to do evil.

⁴LORD, do good to those who are good,

to those who are upright in heart.

⁵But those who turn to crooked ways

the LORD will banish with the evildoers.

Peace be on Israel.

Psalm 126

A song of ascents.

¹When the LORD restored the fortunes of^[283] Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.^[284]

²Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The LORD has done great things for them.”

³The LORD has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.

⁴Restore our fortunes,^[285] LORD,

like streams in the Negev.

⁵Those who sow with tears

will reap with songs of joy.

⁶Those who go out weeping,

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with them.

Psalm 127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

¹Unless the LORD builds the house,

the builders labor in vain.

Unless the LORD watches over the city,

the guards stand watch in vain.

²In vain you rise early

and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat—

for he grants sleep to^[286] those he loves.

³Children are a heritage from the LORD,

offspring a reward from him.

⁴Like arrows in the hands of a warrior

are children born in one’s youth.

⁵Blessed is the man

whose quiver is full of them.

They will not be put to shame

when they contend with their opponents in court.

Psalm 128

A song of ascents.

¹Blessed are all who fear the LORD,

who walk in obedience to him.

²You will eat the fruit of your labor;

blessings and prosperity will be yours.

³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

within your house;

your children will be like olive shoots

around your table.

⁴Yes, this will be the blessing

for the man who fears the LORD.

⁵May the LORD bless you from Zion;

may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life.

⁶May you live to see your children’s children—

peace be on Israel.

Psalm 129

A song of ascents.

¹“They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”

let Israel say;

²“they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,

but they have not gained the victory over me.

³Plowmen have plowed my back

and made their furrows long.

⁴But the LORD is righteous;

he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”

⁵May all who hate Zion

be turned back in shame.

⁶May they be like grass on the roof,

which withers before it can grow;

⁷a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,

nor one who gathers fill his arms.

⁸May those who pass by not say to them,

“The blessing of the LORD be on you;

we bless you in the name of the LORD.”

Psalm 130

A song of ascents.

¹Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;

²Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

³If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,

Lord, who could stand?

⁴But with you there is forgiveness,

so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

⁵I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

⁶I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷Israel, put your hope in the LORD,

for with the LORD is unfailing love

and with him is full redemption.

⁸He himself will redeem Israel

from all their sins.

Psalm 131

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹My heart is not proud, LORD,

my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.

²But I have calmed and quieted myself,

I am like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child I am content.

³Israel, put your hope in the LORD

both now and forevermore.

Psalm 132

A song of ascents.

¹LORD, remember David

and all his self-denial.

²He swore an oath to the LORD,

he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

³“I will not enter my house

or go to my bed,

⁴I will allow no sleep to my eyes

or slumber to my eyelids,

⁵till I find a place for the LORD,

a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶We heard it in Ephrathah,

we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:^[287]

⁷“Let us go to his dwelling place,

let us worship at his footstool, saying,

⁸‘Arise, LORD, and come to your resting place,

you and the ark of your might.

⁹May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;

may your faithful people sing for joy.’ ”

¹⁰For the sake of your servant David,

do not reject your anointed one.

¹¹The LORD swore an oath to David,

a sure oath he will not revoke:

“One of your own descendants

I will place on your throne.

¹²If your sons keep my covenant

and the statutes I teach them,

then their sons will sit

on your throne for ever and ever.”

¹³For the LORD has chosen Zion,

he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,

¹⁴“This is my resting place for ever and ever;

here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.

¹⁵I will bless her with abundant provisions;

her poor I will satisfy with food.

¹⁶I will clothe her priests with salvation,

and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.

¹⁷“Here I will make a horn^[288] grow for David

and set up a lamp for my anointed one.

¹⁸I will clothe his enemies with shame,

but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”

Psalm 133

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live together in unity!

²It is like precious oil poured on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down on Aaron’s beard,

down on the collar of his robe.

³It is as if the dew of Hermon

were falling on Mount Zion.

For there the LORD bestows his blessing,

even life forevermore.

Psalm 134

A song of ascents.

¹Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD

who minister by night in the house of the LORD.

²Lift up your hands in the sanctuary

and praise the LORD.

³May the LORD bless you from Zion,

he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 135

¹Praise the LORD.^[289]

Praise the name of the LORD;

praise him, you servants of the LORD,

²you who minister in the house of the LORD,

in the courts of the house of our God.

³Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;

sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.

⁴For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own,

Israel to be his treasured possession.

⁵I know that the LORD is great,

that our Lord is greater than all gods.

⁶The LORD does whatever pleases him,

in the heavens and on the earth,

in the seas and all their depths.

⁷He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;

he sends lightning with the rain

and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

⁸He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,

the firstborn of people and animals.

⁹He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

¹⁰He struck down many nations

and killed mighty kings—

¹¹Sihon king of the Amorites,

Og king of Bashan,

and all the kings of Canaan—

¹²and he gave their land as an inheritance,

an inheritance to his people Israel.

¹³Your name, LORD, endures forever,

your renown, LORD, through all generations.

¹⁴For the LORD will vindicate his people

and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵The idols of the nations are silver and gold,

made by human hands.

¹⁶They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but cannot see.

¹⁷They have ears, but cannot hear,

nor is there breath in their mouths.

¹⁸Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

¹⁹All you Israelites, praise the LORD;

house of Aaron, praise the LORD;

²⁰house of Levi, praise the LORD;

you who fear him, praise the LORD.

²¹Praise be to the LORD from Zion,

to him who dwells in Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 136

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

His love endures forever.

²Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

³Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

⁴to him who alone does great wonders,

His love endures forever.

⁵who by his understanding made the heavens,

His love endures forever.

⁶who spread out the earth upon the waters,

His love endures forever.

⁷who made the great lights—

His love endures forever.

⁸the sun to govern the day,

His love endures forever.

⁹the moon and stars to govern the night;

His love endures forever.

¹⁰to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt

His love endures forever.

¹¹and brought Israel out from among them

His love endures forever.

¹²with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;

His love endures forever.

¹³to him who divided the Red Sea^[290] asunder

His love endures forever.

¹⁴and brought Israel through the midst of it,

His love endures forever.

¹⁵but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;

His love endures forever.

¹⁶to him who led his people through the wilderness;

His love endures forever.

¹⁷to him who struck down great kings,

His love endures forever.

¹⁸and killed mighty kings—

His love endures forever.

¹⁹Sihon king of the Amorites

His love endures forever.

²⁰and Og king of Bashan—

His love endures forever.

²¹and gave their land as an inheritance,

His love endures forever.

²²an inheritance to his servant Israel.

His love endures forever.

²³He remembered us in our low estate

His love endures forever.

²⁴and freed us from our enemies.

His love endures forever.

²⁵He gives food to every creature.

His love endures forever.

²⁶Give thanks to the God of heaven.

His love endures forever.

Psalm 137

¹By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion.

²There on the poplars

we hung our harps,

³for there our captors asked us for songs,

our tormentors demanded songs of joy;

they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴How can we sing the songs of the LORD

while in a foreign land?

⁵If I forget you, Jerusalem,

may my right hand forget its skill.

⁶May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

if I do not consider Jerusalem

my highest joy.

⁷Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did

on the day Jerusalem fell.

“Tear it down,” they cried,

“tear it down to its foundations!”

⁸Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,

happy is the one who repays you

according to what you have done to us.

⁹Happy is the one who seizes your infants

and dashes them against the rocks.

Psalm 138

Of David.

¹I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;

before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

²I will bow down toward your holy temple

and will praise your name

for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,

for you have so exalted your solemn decree

that it surpasses your fame.

³When I called, you answered me;

you greatly emboldened me.

⁴May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD,

when they hear what you have decreed.

⁵May they sing of the ways of the LORD,

for the glory of the LORD is great.

⁶Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;

though lofty, he sees them from afar.

⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life.

You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;

with your right hand you save me.

⁸The LORD will vindicate me;

your love, LORD, endures forever—

do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 139

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

¹You have searched me, LORD,

and you know me.

²You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴Before a word is on my tongue

you, LORD, know it completely.

⁵You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

⁷Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

¹²even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

¹³For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts,^[291] God!

How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand—

when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹If only you, God, would slay the wicked!

Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!

²⁰They speak of you with evil intent;

your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,

and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

²²I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

²³Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 140^[292]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹Rescue me, LORD, from evildoers;

protect me from the violent,

²who devise evil plans in their hearts

and stir up war every day.

³They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;

the poison of vipers is on their lips.^[293]

⁴Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked;

protect me from the violent,

who devise ways to trip my feet.

⁵The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;

they have spread out the cords of their net

and have set traps for me along my path.

⁶I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”

Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy.

⁷Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,

you shield my head in the day of battle.

⁸Do not grant the wicked their desires, LORD;

do not let their plans succeed.

⁹Those who surround me proudly rear their heads;

may the mischief of their lips engulf them.

¹⁰May burning coals fall on them;

may they be thrown into the fire,

into miry pits, never to rise.

¹¹May slanderers not be established in the land;

may disaster hunt down the violent.

¹²I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor

and upholds the cause of the needy.

¹³Surely the righteous will praise your name,

and the upright will live in your presence.

Psalm 141

A psalm of David.

¹I call to you, LORD, come quickly to me;

hear me when I call to you.

²May my prayer be set before you like incense;

may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

³Set a guard over my mouth, LORD;

keep watch over the door of my lips.

⁴Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil

so that I take part in wicked deeds

along with those who are evildoers;

do not let me eat their delicacies.

⁵Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;

let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.

My head will not refuse it,

for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

⁶Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,

and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.

⁷They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth,

so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.”

⁸But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD;

in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.

⁹Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,

from the snares they have laid for me.

¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

while I pass by in safety.

Psalm 142^[294]

A maskil^[295] of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

¹I cry aloud to the LORD;

I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

²I pour out before him my complaint;

before him I tell my trouble.

³When my spirit grows faint within me,

it is you who watch over my way.

In the path where I walk

people have hidden a snare for me.

⁴Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;

no one is concerned for me.

I have no refuge;

no one cares for my life.

⁵I cry to you, LORD;

I say, “You are my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living.”

⁶Listen to my cry,

for I am in desperate need;

rescue me from those who pursue me,

for they are too strong for me.

⁷Set me free from my prison,

that I may praise your name.

Then the righteous will gather about me

because of your goodness to me.

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

¹LORD, hear my prayer,

listen to my cry for mercy;

in your faithfulness and righteousness

come to my relief.

²Do not bring your servant into judgment,

for no one living is righteous before you.

³The enemy pursues me,

he crushes me to the ground;

he makes me dwell in the darkness

like those long dead.

⁴So my spirit grows faint within me;

my heart within me is dismayed.

⁵I remember the days of long ago;

I meditate on all your works

and consider what your hands have done.

⁶I spread out my hands to you;

I thirst for you like a parched land.^[296]

⁷Answer me quickly, LORD;

my spirit fails.

Do not hide your face from me

or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

⁸Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I entrust my life.

⁹Rescue me from my enemies, LORD,

for I hide myself in you.

¹⁰Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God;

may your good Spirit

lead me on level ground.

¹¹For your name’s sake, LORD, preserve my life;

in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

¹²In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;

destroy all my foes,

for I am your servant.

Psalm 144

Of David.

¹Praise be to the LORD my Rock,

who trains my hands for war,

my fingers for battle.

²He is my loving God and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield, in whom I take refuge,

who subdues peoples^[297] under me.

³LORD, what are human beings that you care for them,

mere mortals that you think of them?

⁴They are like a breath;

their days are like a fleeting shadow.

⁵Part your heavens, LORD, and come down;

touch the mountains, so that they smoke.

⁶Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy;

shoot your arrows and rout them.

⁷Reach down your hand from on high;

deliver me and rescue me

from the mighty waters,

from the hands of foreigners

⁸whose mouths are full of lies,

whose right hands are deceitful.

⁹I will sing a new song to you, my God;

on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,

¹⁰to the One who gives victory to kings,

who delivers his servant David.

From the deadly sword ¹¹deliver me;

rescue me from the hands of foreigners

whose mouths are full of lies,

whose right hands are deceitful.

¹²Then our sons in their youth

will be like well-nurtured plants,

and our daughters will be like pillars

carved to adorn a palace.

¹³Our barns will be filled

with every kind of provision.

Our sheep will increase by thousands,

by tens of thousands in our fields;

¹⁴our oxen will draw heavy loads.^[298]

There will be no breaching of walls,

no going into captivity,

no cry of distress in our streets.

¹⁵Blessed is the people of whom this is true;

blessed is the people whose God is the LORD.

Psalm 145^[299]

A psalm of praise. Of David.

¹I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

²Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

³Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

⁴One generation commends your works to another;

they tell of your mighty acts.

⁵They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.^[300]

⁶They tell of the power of your awesome works—

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

⁷They celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

⁸The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

⁹The LORD is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.

¹⁰All your works praise you, LORD;

your faithful people extol you.

¹¹They tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,

¹²so that all people may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises

and faithful in all he does.^[301]

¹⁴The LORD upholds all who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

¹⁵The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

¹⁶You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

¹⁷The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and faithful in all he does.

¹⁸The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

¹⁹He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

²⁰The LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.

Psalm 146

¹Praise the LORD.^[302]

Praise the LORD, my soul.

²I will praise the LORD all my life;

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

³Do not put your trust in princes,

in human beings, who cannot save.

⁴When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

on that very day their plans come to nothing.

⁵Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD their God.

⁶He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them—

he remains faithful forever.

⁷He upholds the cause of the oppressed