The Catholic Biblical Association of America

FIRST BOOK -- PSALMS 1-41
Psalm 1
True Happiness in God's Law
¹ Happy those who do not follow
the counsel of the wicked,
Nor go the way of sinners,
nor sit in company with scoffers.
² Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy;
God's law they study day and night.
³ They are like a tree
planted near streams of water,
that yields its fruit in season;
Its leaves never wither.
Whatever they do prospers.

⁴ But not the wicked!
They are like chaff driven by the wind.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment,
nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.
⁶ The LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

Psalm 2
A Psalm for a Royal Coronation
¹ Why do the nations protest
and the peoples grumble in vain?
² Kings on earth rise up
and princes plot together
against the LORD and his anointed:
³ "Let us break their shackles
and cast off their chains!"
⁴ The one enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord derides them,
⁵ Then he speaks to them in anger,
terrifies them in wrath:
⁶ "I myself have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain."
⁷ I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
he said to me, "You are my son;
today I am your father.
⁸ Only ask it of me,
and I will make your inheritance the nations,
your possession, the ends of the earth.
⁹ With an iron rod you shall shepherd them,
like a clay pot you will shatter them."
¹⁰ And now, kings, give heed;
take warning, rulers on earth.
¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear;
with trembling bow down in homage,
Lest he be angry and you perish from the way
in a sudden blaze of anger.
Happy are all who take refuge in him!

Psalm 3
Threatened but Trusting
¹ [A psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.]
² How many are my foes, LORD!
How many rise against me.
³ How many say of me,
"God will not save that one."
⁴ But you, LORD, are a shield around me;
my glory, you keep my head high.

⁵ Whenever I cried out to the LORD,
he answered from his holy mountain.
⁶ Whenever I lay down and slept,
the LORD preserved me to rise again.
⁷ I do not fear, then, thousands of people
arrayed against me on every side.

⁸ Arise, LORD! Save me, my God!
You will shatter the jaws of all my foes;
you will break the teeth of the wicked.
⁹ Safety comes from the LORD!
Your blessing for your people!

Psalm 4
Trust in God
¹ [For the leader; with stringed instruments. A psalm of David.]
² Answer me when I call, my saving God.
In my troubles, you cleared a way;
show me favor; hear my prayer.

³ How long will you people mock my honor,
love what is worthless, chase after lies?
⁴ Know that the LORD works wonders for his faithful;
the LORD hears when I call out.
⁵ Tremble and do not sin;
upon your beds ponder in silence.
⁶ Offer fitting sacrifice
and trust in the LORD.

⁷ Many say, "May we see better times!
LORD, show us the light of your face!"
⁸ But you have given my heart more joy
than they have when grain and wine abound.
⁹ In peace I shall both lie down and sleep,
for you alone, LORD, make me secure.

Psalm 5
Prayer for Divine Help
² Hear my words, O LORD;
listen to my sighing.
³ Hear my cry for help,
my king, my God!
To you I pray, O LORD;
⁴ at dawn you will hear my cry;
at dawn I will plead before you and wait.

⁵ You are not a god who delights in evil;
no wicked person finds refuge with you;
⁶ the arrogant cannot stand before you.
You hate all who do evil;
⁷ you destroy all who speak falsely.
Murderers and deceivers
the LORD abhors.

⁸ But I can enter your house
because of your great love.
I can worship in your holy temple
because of my reverence for you, LORD.
⁹ Guide me in your justice because of my foes;
make straight your way before me.

¹⁰ For there is no sincerity in their mouths;
their hearts are corrupt.
Their throats are open graves;
on their tongues are subtle lies.
¹¹ Declare them guilty, God;
make them fall by their own devices.
Drive them out for their many sins;
they have rebelled against you.

¹² Then all who take refuge in you will be glad
and forever shout for joy.
Protect them that you may be the joy
of those who love your name.
¹³ For you, LORD, bless the just;
you surround them with favor like a shield.

Psalm 6
Prayer in Distress
¹ [For the leader; with stringed instruments, "upon the eighth." A psalm of David.]
² Do not reprove me in your anger, LORD,
nor punish me in your wrath.
³ Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak;
heal me, LORD, for my bones are trembling.
⁴ In utter terror is my soul--
and you, LORD, how long...?

⁵ Turn, LORD, save my life;
in your mercy rescue me.
⁶ For who among the dead remembers you?
Who praises you in Sheol?

⁷ I am wearied with sighing;
all night long tears drench my bed;
my couch is soaked with weeping.
⁸ My eyes are dimmed with sorrow,
worn out because of all my foes.

⁹ Away from me, all who do evil!
The LORD has heard my weeping.
¹⁰ The LORD has heard my prayer;
the LORD takes up my plea.
¹¹ My foes will be terrified and disgraced;
all will fall back in sudden shame.

Psalm 7
God the Vindicator
² LORD my God, in you I take refuge;
rescue me; save me from all who pursue me,
³ Lest they maul me like lions,
tear me to pieces with none to save.

⁴ LORD my God, if I am at fault in this,
if there is guilt on my hands,
⁵ If I have repaid my friend with evil--
I spared even those who hated me without cause--
⁶ Then let my enemy pursue and overtake me,
trample my life to the ground,
and leave me dishonored in the dust.

⁷ Rise up, LORD, in your anger;
rise against the fury of my foes;
wake to judge as you have decreed.
⁸ Have the assembly of the peoples gather about you;
sit on your throne high above them,
⁹ O LORD, judge of the nations.
Grant me justice, LORD, for I am blameless,
free of any guilt.
¹⁰ Bring the malice of the wicked to an end;
uphold the innocent,
O God of justice,
who tries hearts and minds.

¹¹ A shield before me is God
who saves the honest heart.
¹² God is a just judge,
who rebukes in anger every day.
¹³ If sinners do not repent,
he sharpens his sword,
strings and readies his bow,
¹⁴ Prepares his deadly shafts,
makes his arrows blazing thunderbolts.

¹⁵ Sinners conceive iniquity;
pregnant with mischief,
they give birth to failure.
¹⁶ They open a hole and dig it deep,
but fall into the pit they have dug.
¹⁷ Their mischief comes back upon themselves;
their violence falls on their own heads.

¹⁸ I praise the justice of the LORD;
I celebrate the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 8
Divine Majesty and Human Dignity
¹ [For the leader; "upon the gittith." A psalm of David.]
² LORD, our Lord,
how awesome is your name through all the earth!
You have set your majesty above the heavens!
³ Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have drawn a defense against your foes,
to silence both enemy and avenger.
⁴ When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place--
⁵ What are humans that you are mindful of them,
mere mortals that you care for them?
⁶ Yet you have made them little less than a god,
crowned them with glory and honor.
⁷ You have given them rule over the works of your hands,
put all things at their feet:
⁸ All sheep and oxen,
even the beasts of the field,
⁹ The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
¹⁰ O LORD, our Lord,
how awesome is your name through all the earth!

Psalm 9-10
Thanksgiving for Victory and Prayer for Justice
¹ [For the leader; according to Muth Labben. A psalm of David.] A
² I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
³ I will delight and rejoice in you;
I will sing hymns to your name, Most High.
⁴ For my enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.

⁵ You upheld my right and my cause,
seated on your throne, judging justly.
⁶ You rebuked the nations, you destroyed the wicked;
their names you blotted out for all time.
⁷ The enemies have been ruined forever;
you destroyed their cities;
their memory has perished.

⁸ The LORD rules forever,
has set up a throne for judgment.
⁹ It is he who governs the world with justice,
who judges the peoples with fairness.
¹⁰ The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹¹ Those who honor your name trust in you;
you never forsake those who seek you, LORD.

¹² Sing hymns to the LORD enthroned on Zion;
proclaim his deeds among the nations!
¹³ For the avenger of bloodshed remembers,
does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

¹⁴ Have mercy on me, LORD;
see how my foes afflict me!
You alone can raise me from the gates of death.
¹⁵ Then I will declare all your praises,
sing joyously of your salvation
in the gates of daughter Zion.

¹⁶ The nations fall into the pit they dig;
in the snare they hide, their own foot is caught.
¹⁷ The LORD is revealed in this divine rule:
by the deeds they do the wicked are trapped.

¹⁸ To Sheol the wicked will depart,
all the nations that forget God.
¹⁹ The needy will never be forgotten,
nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.
²⁰ Arise, LORD, let no mortal prevail;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
²¹ Strike them with terror, LORD;
show the nations they are mere mortals.
B
¹ Why, LORD, do you stand at a distance
and pay no heed to these troubled times?
² Arrogant scoundrels pursue the poor;
they trap them by their cunning schemes.

³ The wicked even boast of their greed;
these robbers curse and scorn the LORD.
⁴ In their insolence the wicked boast:
"God doesn't care, doesn't even exist."

⁵ Yet their affairs always succeed;
they ignore your judgment on high;
they sneer at all who oppose them.
⁶ They say in their hearts, "We will never fall;
never will we see misfortune."
⁷ Their mouths are full of oaths, violence, and lies;
discord and evil are under their tongues.

8 They wait in ambush near towns;
their eyes watch for the helpless.
to murder the innocent in secret. >>>
⁹ They lurk in ambush like lions in a thicket,
hide there to trap the poor,
snare them and close the net.

¹⁰ The helpless are crushed, laid low;
they fall into the power of the wicked,
¹¹ Who say in their hearts, "God pays no attention,
shows no concern, never bothers to look

¹² Rise up, LORD God! Raise your arm!
Do not forget the poor!
¹³ Why should the wicked scorn God,
saying in their hearts, "God doesn't care"?

¹⁴ But you do see;
you do observe this misery and sorrow;
you take the matter in hand.
To you the helpless can entrust their cause;
you are the defender of orphans.
¹⁵ Break the arms of the wicked and depraved;
make them account for their crimes;
let none of them survive.

¹⁶ The LORD is king forever;
the nations have vanished from his land.
¹⁷ You listen, LORD, to the needs of the poor;
you encourage them and hear their prayers.
¹⁸ You win justice for the orphaned and oppressed;
no one on earth will cause terror again.

Psalm 11
Confidence in the Presence of God
¹ [For the leader. Of David.]
In the LORD I take refuge;
how can you say to me,
"Flee like a bird to the mountains!
² See how the wicked string their bows;
fit their arrows to the string
to shoot from the shadows at the upright.
³ When foundations are being destroyed,
what can the upright do?"

⁴ The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD's throne is in heaven.
His eyes keep careful watch;
they test all peoples.
⁵ The LORD tests the good and the bad,
hates those who love violence,
⁶ and rains upon the wicked
fiery coals and brimstone,
a scorching wind their allotted cup.
⁷ The LORD is just and loves just deeds;
the upright shall see his face.

Psalm 12
Prayer against Evil Tongues
¹ [For the leaders; "upon the eighth." A psalm of David.]
² Help, LORD! for no one who is loyal remains;
the faithful have vanished from the human race.
³ They tell lies to one another;
they speak with deceiving lips and a double heart.

⁴ May the LORD cut off all deceiving lips,
and every boastful tongue,
⁵ Those who say, "By our tongues we prevail;
when our lips speak, who can lord it over us?"

⁶ "Because they rob the weak, and the needy groan,
I will now arise," says the LORD;
"I will grant safety to whomever longs for it."

⁷ The promises of the LORD are sure,
silver refined in a crucible,
silver purified seven times.
⁸ LORD, protect us always;
preserve us from this generation.
⁹ On every side the wicked strut;
the shameless are extolled by all.

Psalm 13
Prayer in Time of Illness
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
² How long, LORD? Will you utterly forget me?
How long will you hide your face from me?
³ How long must I carry sorrow in my soul,
grief in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
⁴ Look upon me, answer me, LORD, my God!
Give light to my eyes lest I sleep in death,
⁵ Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed,"
lest my foes rejoice at my downfall.

⁶ I trust in your faithfulness.
Grant my heart joy in your help,
That I may sing of the LORD,
"How good our God has been to me!"

Psalm 14
A Lament over Widespread Corruption
¹ [For the leader. Of David.]
Fools say in their hearts,
"There is no God."
Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt;
not one does what is right.
² The LORD looks down from heaven
upon the human race,
To see if even one is wise,
if even one seeks God.
³ All have gone astray;
all alike are perverse.
Not one does what is right,
not even one.

⁴ Will these evildoers never learn?
They devour my people as they devour bread;
they do not call upon the LORD.
⁵ They have good reason, then, to fear; >>>
God is with the company of the just.
⁶ They would crush the hopes of the poor,
but the poor have the LORD as their refuge.

⁷ Oh, that from Zion might come
the deliverance of Israel,
That Jacob may rejoice, and Israel be glad
when the LORD restores his people!

Psalm 15
The Righteous Israelite
¹ [A psalm of David.]
LORD, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy mountain?

² Whoever walks without blame,
doing what is right,
speaking truth from the heart;
³ Who does not slander a neighbor,
does no harm to another,
never defames a friend;

⁴ Who disdains the wicked,
but honors those who fear the LORD;
Who keeps an oath despite the cost,
⁵ lends no money at interest,
accepts no bribe against the innocent.

Whoever acts like this
shall never be shaken.

Psalm 16
God the Supreme Good
¹ [A miktam of David.]
Keep me safe, O God;
in you I take refuge.
² I say to the LORD,
you are my Lord,
you are my only good.

³ Worthless are all the false gods of the land.
Accursed are all who delight in them.
⁴ They multiply their sorrows
who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
nor will I take their names upon my lips.

⁵ LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you have made my destiny secure.
⁶ Pleasant places were measured out for me;
fair to me indeed is my inheritance.

⁷ I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even at night my heart exhorts me.
⁸ I keep the LORD always before me;
with the Lord at my right, I shall never be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices;
my body also dwells secure,
¹⁰ For you will not abandon me to Sheol,
nor let your faithful servant see the pit.
¹¹ You will show me the path to life,
abounding joy in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.

Psalm 17
For Rescue against Persecutors
¹ [A prayer of David.]
Hear, LORD, my plea for justice;
pay heed to my cry;
Listen to my prayer
spoken without guile.
² From you let my vindication come;
your eyes see what is right.

³ You have tested my heart,
searched it in the night.
You have tried me by fire,
but find no malice in me.
My mouth has not transgressed >>>
⁴ as humans often do.
As your lips have instructed me,
I have kept the way of the law.
⁵ My steps have kept to your paths;
my feet have not faltered.

⁶ I call upon you; answer me, O God.
Turn your ear to me; hear my prayer.
⁷ Show your wonderful love,
you who deliver with your right arm
those who seek refuge from their foes.
⁸ Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹ from the violence of the wicked.

My ravenous enemies press upon me;
¹⁰ they close their hearts;
they fill their mouths with proud roaring.
¹¹ Their steps even now encircle me;
they watch closely, keeping low to the ground,
¹² Like lions eager for prey,
like young lions lurking in ambush.

¹³ Rise, O LORD, confront and cast them down;
rescue me so from the wicked.
¹⁴ Slay them with your sword;
with your hand, LORD, slay them;
snatch them from the world in their prime.

Their bellies are being filled with your friends;
their children are satisfied, too,
for they share what is left with their young.
¹⁵ I am just--let me see your face;
when I awake, let me be filled with your presence.

Psalm 18
A King's Thanksgiving for Victory
¹ [For the leader. Of David, the servant of the LORD, who sang to the LORD the words of this song after the LORD had rescued him from the clutches of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. ²He said:]
I love you, LORD, my strength,
³ LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer,
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold!
⁴ Praised be the LORD, I exclaim!
I have been delivered from my enemies.

⁵ The breakers of death surged round about me;
the menacing floods terrified me.
⁶ The cords of Sheol tightened;
the snares of death lay in wait for me.
⁷ In my distress I called out: LORD!
I cried out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry to him reached his ears.
⁸ The earth rocked and shook;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;
they shook as his wrath flared up.

⁹ Smoke rose in his nostrils,
a devouring fire poured from his mouth;
it kindled coals into flames.
¹⁰ He parted the heavens and came down,
a dark cloud under his feet.
¹¹ Mounted on a cherub he flew,
borne along on the wings of the wind.
¹² He made darkness the cover about him,
heavy thunderheads his canopy.
¹³ His clouds scudded before him,
hail and lightning, too.

¹⁴ The LORD thundered from heaven;
the Most High made his voice resound.
¹⁵ He let fly his arrows and scattered them,
shot his lightning bolts and dispersed them.
¹⁶ Then the bed of the sea appeared;
the world's foundations lay bare,
At the roar of the LORD,
at the storming breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷ He reached down from on high and seized me;
drew me out of the deep waters.
¹⁸ He rescued me from my mighty enemy,
from foes too powerful for me.
¹⁹ They attacked me on a day of distress,
but the LORD came to my support.
²⁰ He set me free in the open;
he rescued me because he loves me.

²¹ The LORD acknowledged my righteousness,
rewarded my clean hands.
²² For I kept the ways of the LORD;
I was not disloyal to my God.
²³ His laws were all before me;
his decrees I did not cast aside.
²⁴ I was honest toward him;
I was on guard against sin.
²⁵ So the LORD rewarded my righteousness,
the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁶ Toward the faithful you are faithful;
to the honest you are honest;
²⁷ Toward the sincere, sincere;
but to the perverse you are devious.
²⁸ Humble people you save;
haughty eyes you bring low.
²⁹ You, LORD, give light to my lamp;
my God brightens the darkness about me.
³⁰ With you I can rush an armed band,
with my God to help I can leap a wall.
B
³¹ God's way is unerring;
the LORD's promise is tried and true;
he is a shield for all who trust in him.
³² Truly, who is God except the LORD?
Who but our God is the rock?
³³ This God, who girded me with might,
kept my way unerring;
³⁴ Who made my feet swift as a deer's,
set me safe on the heights;
³⁵ Who trained my hands for war,
my arms to bend even a bow of bronze.

³⁶ You have given me your protecting shield;
your right hand has upheld me;
you stooped to make me great.
³⁷ You gave me room to stride;
my feet never stumbled.
³⁸ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till I destroyed them.
³⁹ I struck them down; they could not rise;
they fell dead at my feet.

⁴⁰ You girded me with strength for war,
subdued adversaries at my feet.
⁴¹ My foes you put to flight before me;
those who hated me I destroyed.

⁴² They cried for help, but no one saved them;
cried to the LORD but got no answer.
⁴³ I ground them fine as dust in the wind;
like mud in the streets I trampled them down.

⁴⁴ You rescued me from the strife of peoples;
you made me head over nations.
A people I had not known became my slaves;
⁴⁵ as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed.
Foreigners cringed before me;
⁴⁶ their courage failed;
they came trembling from their fortresses.

⁴⁷ The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock!
Exalted be God, my savior!
⁴⁸ O God, who granted me vindication,
made peoples subject to me,
⁴⁹ and preserved me from my enemies,
Truly you have exalted me above my adversaries,
from the violent you have rescued me.

⁵⁰ Thus I will proclaim you, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name. >>>
⁵¹ You have given great victories to your king,
and shown kindness to your anointed,
to David and his posterity forever.

Psalm 19
God's Glory in the Heavens and in the Law
² The heavens declare the glory of God;
the sky proclaims its builder's craft.
³ One day to the next conveys that message;
one night to the next imparts that knowledge.
⁴ There is no word or sound;
no voice is heard;

⁵ Yet their report goes forth through all the earth,
their message, to the ends of the world.
God has pitched a tent there for the sun;
⁶ it comes forth like a bridegroom from his chamber,
and like an athlete, joyfully runs its course.
⁷ From one end of the heavens it comes forth;
its course runs through to the other;
nothing escapes its heat.

⁸ The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
⁹ The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The statutes of the LORD are true,
all of them just;

¹¹ More desirable than gold,
than a hoard of purest gold,
Sweeter also than honey
or drippings from the comb.
¹² By them your servant is instructed;
obeying them brings much reward.

¹³ Who can detect heedless failings?
Cleanse me from my unknown faults.
¹⁴ But from willful sins keep your servant;
let them never control me.
Then shall I be blameless,
innocent of grave sin.
¹⁵ Let the words of my mouth meet with your favor;
keep the thoughts of my heart before you,
LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 20
Prayer for the King in Time of War
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
² May the LORD answer you in time of distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob defend you!
³ May God send you help from the temple,
from Zion be your support.

⁴ May God remember your every offering,
graciously accept your burnt offering,
⁵ Grant what is in your heart,
fulfill your every plan.
⁶ May we shout for joy at your victory,
raise the banners in the name of our God.
The LORD grant your every prayer!

⁷ Now I know that the LORD gives victory
to the one he has anointed.
God will answer him from his holy heavens
with a strong arm that brings victory.

⁸ Some rely on chariots, others on horses;
but we on the name of the LORD our God.
⁹ They collapse and fall,
but we stand strong and firm.
¹⁰ LORD, grant victory to the king;
answer us when we call upon you.

Psalm 21
Thanksgiving and Assurances for the King
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
² LORD, the king finds joy in your power;
in your victory how greatly he rejoices!
³ You have granted him his heart's desire;
you did not refuse the prayer of his lips.
⁴ For you welcomed him with goodly blessings;
you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
⁵ He asked life of you;
you gave it to him,
length of days forever.

⁶ Great is his glory in your victory;
majesty and splendor you confer upon him.
⁷ You make him the pattern of blessings forever,
you gladden him with the joy of your presence.
⁸ For the king trusts in the LORD,
stands firm through the love of the Most High.

⁹ Your hand will reach all your enemies;
your right hand will reach your foes!
¹⁰ At the time of your coming,
you will drive them into a furnace.
Then the LORD's anger will consume them,
devour them with fire.

¹¹ Even their descendants you will wipe out from the earth,
their offspring from the human race.
¹² Though they intend evil against you,
devising plots, they will not succeed,
¹³ For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at them with your bow.

¹⁴ Arise, LORD, in your power!
We will sing and chant the praise of your might.

Psalm 22
The Prayer of an Innocent Person
¹ [For the leader; according to "The deer of the dawn." A psalm of David.]
² My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why so far from my call for help,
from my cries of anguish?
³ My God, I call by day, but you do not answer;
by night, but I have no relief.

⁴ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the glory of Israel.
⁵ In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted and you rescued them.
⁶ To you they cried out and they escaped;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

⁷ But I am a worm, hardly human,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁸ All who see me mock me;
they curl their lips and jeer;
they shake their heads at me:
⁹ "You relied on the LORD -- let him deliver you;
if he loves you, let him rescue you."

¹⁰ Yet you drew me forth from the womb,
made me safe at my mother's breast.
¹¹ Upon you I was thrust from the womb;
since birth you are my God.
¹² Do not stay far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is no one to help.

¹³ Many bulls surround me;
fierce bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹⁴ They open their mouths against me,
lions that rend and roar.
¹⁵ Like water my life drains away;
all my bones grow soft.
My heart has become like wax,
it melts away within me.
¹⁶ As dry as a potsherd is my throat;
my tongue sticks to my palate;
you lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁷ Many dogs surround me;
a pack of evildoers closes in on me.
So wasted are my hands and feet
¹⁸ that I can count all my bones.
They stare at me and gloat;
¹⁹ they divide my garments among them;
for my clothing they cast lots.

²⁰ But you, LORD, do not stay far off;
my strength, come quickly to help me.
²¹ Deliver me from the sword,
my forlorn life from the teeth of the dog.
²² Save me from the lion's mouth,
my poor life from the horns of wild bulls.

²³ Then I will proclaim your name to the assembly;
in the community I will praise you:
²⁴ "You who fear the LORD, give him praise!
All descendants of Jacob, give him honor;
show him reverence, all descendants of Israel!
²⁵ For God has not spurned or disdained
the misery of this poor wretch,
Did not turn away from me,
but heard me when I cried out.

²⁶ I will offer praise among you in the great assembly;
my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.
²⁷ The poor will eat their fill;
those who seek the LORD will offer praise.
May your hearts enjoy life forever!"

²⁸ All the ends of the earth
will worship and turn to the LORD;
All the families of nations
will bow low before you.
²⁹ For kingship belongs to the LORD,
the ruler over the nations.

^30bAll who sleep in the earth
^30a will bow low before him;
^30dAll who have gone down into the dust
^30c will kneel in homage.

³¹ And I will live for him;
my descendants will serve him.
³² The generation to come will be told of the Lord,
that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn
the deliverance he has brought.

Psalm 23
The Lord, Shepherd and Host
¹ [A psalm of David.]
The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
² In green pastures he lets me graze;
to safe waters he leads me;
³ he restores my strength.

He guides me along the right path
for the sake of his name.
⁴ Even when I walk through a dark valley,
I fear no harm, for you are at my side;
your rod and staff give me courage.

⁵ You set a table before me
as my enemies watch;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Only goodness and love will pursue me
all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
Psalm 24
The Glory of God in Procession to Zion
The earth and what fills it are the LORD's,
the world and those who live there.
² For he founded it on the seas,
established it over the rivers.

³ Who may go up the mountain of the LORD?
Who can stand in his holy place?

⁴ "The clean of hand and pure of heart,
who are not devoted to idols,
who have not sworn falsely.
⁵ They will receive blessings from the LORD,
and justice from their saving God.
⁶ Such are the people who love the LORD,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob."

⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates;
rise up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may enter.
⁸ Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, a mighty warrior,
the LORD, mighty in battle.

⁹ Lift up your heads, O gates;
rise up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may enter.
¹⁰ Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts is the king of glory.

Psalm 25
Confident Prayer for Forgiveness and Guidance
¹ [Of David.]
I wait for you, O LORD;
I lift up my soul ² to my God.
In you I trust; do not let me be disgraced;
do not let my enemies gloat over me.
³ No one who waits for you will be disgraced;
only those who lightly break faith.
⁴ Make known to me your ways, LORD;
teach me your paths.

⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
For you I wait all the long day,
because of your goodness, LORD.
⁶ Remember your compassion and love, O LORD;
for they are ages old.
⁷ Remember no more the sins of my youth;
remember me only in light of your love.

⁸ Good and upright is the LORD,
who shows sinners the way,
⁹ Guides the humble rightly,
and teaches the humble the way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the LORD are faithful love
toward those who honor the covenant demands.
¹¹ For the sake of your name, LORD,
pardon my guilt, though it is great.

¹² Who are those who fear the LORD?
God shows them the way to choose.
¹³ They live well and prosper,
and their descendants inherit the land.
¹⁴ The counsel of the LORD belongs to the faithful;
the covenant instructs them.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever upon the LORD,
who frees my feet from the snare.

¹⁶ Look upon me, have pity on me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart;
bring me out of my distress.
¹⁸ Put an end to my affliction and suffering;
take away all my sins.

¹⁹ See how many are my enemies,
see how fiercely they hate me.
²⁰ Preserve my life and rescue me;
do not let me be disgraced,
for I trust in you.
²¹ Let honesty and virtue preserve me;
I wait for you, O LORD.
²² Redeem Israel, O God,
from all its distress!

Psalm 26
Prayer of Innocence
¹ [Of David.]
Grant me justice, LORD!
I have walked without blame.
In the LORD I have trusted;
I have not faltered.
² Test me, LORD, and try me;
search my heart and mind.
³ Your love is before my eyes;
I walk guided by your faithfulness.

⁴ I do not sit with deceivers,
nor with hypocrites do I mingle.
⁵ I hate the company of evildoers;
with the wicked I do not sit.

⁶ I will wash my hands in innocence
and walk round your altar, LORD,
⁷ Lifting my voice in thanks,
recounting all your wondrous deeds.
⁸ LORD, I love the house where you dwell,
the tenting-place of your glory.

⁹ Do not take me away with sinners,
nor my life with the violent.
¹⁰ Their hands carry out their schemes;
their right hands are full of bribes.

¹¹ But I walk without blame;
redeem me, be gracious to me!
¹² My foot stands on level ground;
in assemblies I will bless the LORD.

Psalm 27
Trust in God
¹ [Of David]
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom do I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom am I afraid?
² When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
These my enemies and foes
themselves stumble and fall.

³ Though an army encamp against me,
my heart does not fear;
Though war be waged against me,
even then do I trust.

⁴ One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the LORD's house
all the days of my life,
To gaze on the LORD's beauty,
to visit his temple.

⁵ For he will hide me in his shelter
in time of trouble,
Will conceal me in the cover of this tent,
and set me high upon a rock.
⁶ Even now my head is held high
above my enemies on every side!
I will offer in this tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and chant praise to the LORD.

⁷ Hear my voice, LORD, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
⁸ "Come," says my heart, "seek his face";
your face, LORD, do I seek!

⁹ Do not hide your face from me;
do not repel your servant in anger.
You are my help; do not cast me off;
do not forsake me, God my savior!
¹⁰ Even if my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will take me in.

¹¹ LORD, show me your way;
lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
¹² Do not abandon me to the will of my foes;
malicious and lying witnesses
have risen against me.

¹³ But I believe I shall enjoy the LORD's goodness
in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the LORD, take courage;
be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!

Psalm 28
Petition and Thanksgiving
¹ [Of David.]
To you, LORD, I call;
my Rock, do not be deaf to me.
If you fail to answer me,
I will join those who go down to the pit.
² Hear the sound of my pleading when I cry to you,
lifting my hands toward your holy place.

³ Do not drag me off with the wicked,
with those who do wrong,
Who speak peace to their neighbors
though evil is in their hearts.
⁴ Repay them for their deeds,
for the evil that they do.
For the work of their hands, repay them;
give them what they deserve.
⁵ They pay no heed to the LORD's works,
to the deeds of his hands.
He will tear them down,
never to be rebuilt.

⁶ Blessed be the LORD,
who has heard the sound of my pleading.
⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield,
in whom my heart trusted and found help.
So my heart rejoices;
with my song I praise my God.

⁸ LORD, you are the strength of your people,
the saving refuge of your anointed king.
⁹ Save your people, bless your inheritance;
feed and sustain them forever!

Psalm 29
The Lord of Majesty Acclaimed as King of the World
¹ [A psalm of David.]
Give to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
give to the LORD glory and might;
² Give to the LORD the glory due his name.
Bow down before the LORD's holy splendor!

³ The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD, over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the LORD is power;
the voice of the LORD is splendor.
⁵ The voice of the LORD cracks the cedars;
the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon,
⁶ Makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
and Sirion like a young bull.
⁷ The voice of the LORD strikes with fiery flame;
⁸ the voice of the LORD rocks the desert;
the LORD rocks the desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
All in his palace say, "Glory!"

¹⁰ The LORD sits enthroned above the flood!
The LORD reigns as king forever!
¹¹ May the LORD give might to his people;
may the LORD bless his people with peace!

Psalm 30
Thanksgiving for Deliverance
¹ [A psalm. A song for the dedication of the Temple. Of David.]
² I praise you, LORD, for you raised me up
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
³ O LORD, my God,
I cried out to you and you healed me.
⁴ LORD, you brought me up from Sheol;
you kept me from going down to the pit.

⁵ Sing praise to the LORD, you faithful;
give thanks to his holy name.
⁶ For his anger lasts but a moment;
his favor lasts a lifetime.
At dusk weeping comes for the night;
but at dawn there is rejoicing.

⁷ Complacent, I once said,
"I shall never be shaken."
⁸ LORD, when you showed me favor
I stood like the mighty mountains.
But when you hid your face
I was struck with terror.
⁹ To you, LORD, I cried out;
with the Lord I pleaded for mercy:

¹⁰ "What gain is there from my lifeblood,
from my going down to the grave?
Does dust give you thanks
or declare your faithfulness?
¹¹ Hear, O LORD, have mercy on me;
LORD, be my helper."

¹² You changed my mourning into dancing;
you took off my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness.
¹³ With my whole being I sing
endless praise to you.
O LORD, my God,
forever will I give you thanks.

Psalm 31
Prayer in Distress and Thanksgiving for Escape
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
² In you, LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice deliver me;
³ incline your ear to me;
make haste to rescue me!

Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to save me.
⁴ You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name's sake, lead and guide me.
⁵ Free me from the net they have set for me,
for you are my refuge.

⁶ Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, LORD, faithful God.
⁷ You hate those who serve worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
⁸ I will rejoice and be glad in your love,
once you have seen my misery,
observed my distress.
⁹ You will not abandon me into enemy hands,
but will set my feet in a free and open space.

¹⁰ Be gracious to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
with grief my eyes are wasted,
my soul and body spent.
¹¹ My life is worn out by sorrow,
my years by sighing.
My strength fails in affliction;
my bones are consumed.

¹² To all my foes, I am a thing of scorn,
to my neighbors, a dreaded sight,
a horror to my friends.
When they see me in the street,
they quickly shy away.
¹³ I am forgotten, out of mind like the dead;
I am like a shattered dish.

¹⁴ I hear the whispers of the crowd;
terrors are all around me.
They conspire against me;
they plot to take my life.
¹⁵ But I trust in you, LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
¹⁶ My times are in your hands;
rescue me from my enemies,
from the hands of my pursuers.

¹⁷ Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your kindness.
¹⁸ Do not let me be put to shame,
for I have called to you, LORD.
Put the wicked to shame;
reduce them to silence in Sheol.
¹⁹ Strike dumb their lying lips,
proud lips that attack the just
in contempt and scorn.

²⁰ How great is your goodness, Lord,
stored up for those who fear you.
You display it for those who trust you,
in the sight of all the people.
²¹ You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
safe from scheming enemies.
You keep them in your abode,
safe from plotting tongues.

²² Blessed be the LORD,
who has shown me wondrous love,
and been for me a city most secure.
²³ Once I said in my anguish,
"I am shut out from your sight."
Yet, you heard my plea,
when I cried out to you.

²⁴ Love the LORD, all you his faithful.
The LORD protects the loyal,
but repays the arrogant in full.
²⁵ Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.

Psalm 32
Remission of Sin
¹ [Of David. A maskil.]
Happy the sinner whose fault is removed,
whose sin is forgiven.
² Happy those to whom the LORD imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ As long as I kept silent, my bones wasted away;
I groaned all the day.
⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength withered as in dry summer heat.
⁵ Then I declared my sin to you;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.

⁶ Thus should all your faithful pray
in time of distress.
Though flood waters threaten,
they will never reach them.
⁷ You are my shelter; from distress you keep me;
with safety you ring me round.

⁸ I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk;
give you counsel and watch over you.
⁹ Do not be senseless like horses or mules;
with bit and bridle their temper is curbed,
else they will not come to you.

¹⁰ Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
¹¹ Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.

Psalm 33
Praise of God's Power and Providence
¹ Rejoice, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
² Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
on the ten-stringed lyre offer praise.

³ Sing to him a new song;
skillfully play with joyful chant.
⁴ For the LORD's word is true;
all his works are trustworthy.
⁵ The LORD loves justice and right
and fills the earth with goodness.

⁶ By the LORD's word the heavens were made;
by the breath of God's mouth all their host.
⁷ Gathering the waters of the sea as in a bowl;
confining the deep in cellars.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all who dwell in the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be,
commanded, and it stood in place.

¹⁰ The LORD foils the plan of nations;
frustrates the designs of peoples.
¹¹ But the plan of the LORD stands forever,
wise designs through all generations.
¹² Happy the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people chosen as his very own.

¹³ From heaven the LORD looks down,
and observes the whole human race,
¹⁴ Surveying from his royal throne
all who dwell on earth.
¹⁵ The one who fashioned the hearts of them all,
knows all their works.

¹⁶ A king is not saved by a mighty army,
nor a warrior delivered by great strength.
¹⁷ Useless is the horse for safety;
its great strength, no sure escape.
¹⁸ But the LORD's eyes are upon the reverent,
upon those who hope for his gracious help,
¹⁹ Delivering them from death,
keeping them alive in times of famine.

²⁰ Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and shield.
²¹ For in God our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
²² May your kindness, LORD, be upon us;
we have put our hope in you.

Psalm 34
Thanksgiving to God Who Delivers the Just
¹ [Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who forced him to depart.]
¹ I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be always in my mouth.
³ My soul will glory in the LORD
that the poor may hear and be glad.
⁴ Magnify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

⁵ I sought the LORD, who answered me,
delivered me from all my fears.
⁶ Look to him that you may be radiant with joy
and your faces may not blush for shame.
⁷ In my misfortune I called,
the LORD heard and saved me from all distress.
⁸ The angel of the LORD, who encamps with them,
delivers all who fear God.

⁹ Learn to savor how good the LORD is;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
¹⁰ Fear the LORD, you holy ones;
nothing is lacking to those who fear him.
¹¹ The powerful grow poor and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

¹² Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
¹³ Who among you loves life,
takes delight in prosperous days?
¹⁴ Keep your tongue from evil,
your lips from speaking lies.
¹⁵ Turn from evil and do good.
Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁶ The LORD has eyes for the just
and ears for their cry.
¹⁷ The LORD's face is against evildoers
to wipe out their memory from the earth.
¹⁸ When the just cry out, the LORD hears
and rescues them from all distress.
¹⁹ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
saves those whose spirit is crushed.

²⁰ Many are the troubles of the just,
but the LORD delivers from them all.
²¹ Watching over all their bones;
not a one shall be broken.
²² Evil will slay the wicked;
those who hate the just are condemned.
²³ The LORD redeems loyal servants;
no one is condemned whose refuge is him.

Psalm 35
Prayer for Help against Unjust Enemies
¹ [Of David.]
Oppose, LORD, those who oppose me;
war upon those who make war upon me.
² Take up the shield and buckler;
rise up in my defense.
³ Brandish lance and battle-ax
against my pursuers.
Say to my heart,
"I am your salvation."

⁴ Let those who seek my life
be put to shame and disgrace.
Let those who plot evil against me
be turned back and confounded.
⁵ Make them like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
⁶ Make their way slippery and dark,
with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

⁷ Without cause they set their snare for me;
without cause they dug a pit for me.
⁸ Let ruin overtake them unawares;
let the snare they have set catch them;
let them fall into the pit they have dug.

⁹ Then I will rejoice in the LORD;
exult in his salvation.
¹⁰ My very bones shall say,
"O Lord, who is like you,
who rescue the afflicted from the powerful,
the afflicted and needy from the despoiler?"

¹¹ Malicious witnesses come forward;
they accuse me of things I know nothing about.
¹² They have repaid me evil for good;
my soul is desolate.

¹³ Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth,
afflicted myself with fasting,
sobbed my prayers upon my bosom.
¹⁴ As though for a friend or a brother I went about;
like one bewailing a mother,
I was bowed down in mourning.

¹⁵ Yet when I stumbled, they gathered with glee;
they gathered against me like strangers.
They slandered me without ceasing;
¹⁶ in their impiety they mocked me,
gnashing their teeth at me.

¹⁷ Lord, how long will you look on?
Save me from roaring beasts,
my very life from lions!
¹⁸ Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.

¹⁹ Do not let my lying enemies gloat over me;
do not let my unprovoked foes wink knowingly.
²⁰ They do not speak words of peace,
but against the unsuspecting in the land
they fashion deceitful speech.
²¹ They open wide their mouths against me;
they say, "Aha, aha!
We saw him with our own eyes!"

²² You have seen this, LORD; do not be silent;
Lord, do not be far from me.
²³ Awake, be vigilant in my defense,
in my cause, my God and my Lord.
²⁴ Defend me, because you are just, LORD;
my God, do not let them gloat over me.

²⁵ Do not let them say in their hearts,
"Aha! Just what we wanted!"
Do not let them say,
"We have swallowed him up!"

²⁶ Let all be put to shame and confounded,
who gloat over my misfortune.
²⁷ But let those shout for joy and be glad
who favor my just cause.
May they always say, "The LORD be exalted,
who wills prosperity for his loyal servant."
²⁸ Then my tongue shall recount your justice,
your praise, all day long.

Psalm 36
Human Wickedness and Divine Providence
¹ [For the leader. Of David, the servant of the LORD.]
² Sin directs the heart of the wicked;
their eyes are closed to the fear of God.
³ For they live with the delusion;
their guilt will not be known and hated.
⁴ Empty and false are the words of their mouth;
they have ceased to be wise and do good.
⁵ In their beds they hatch plots;
they set out on a wicked way;
they do not reject evil.

⁶ LORD, your love reaches to heaven;
your fidelity, to the clouds.
⁷ Your justice is like the highest mountains;
your judgments, like the mighty deep;
all living creatures you sustain, LORD.

⁸ How precious is your love, O God!
We take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁹ We feast on the rich food of your house;
from your delightful stream you give us drink.
¹⁰ For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
¹¹ Continue your kindness toward your friends,
your just defense of the honest heart.

¹² Do not let the foot of the proud overtake me,
nor the hand of the wicked disturb me.
¹³ There make the evil doers fall;
thrust them down, never to rise.

Psalm 37
The Fate of Sinners and the Reward of the Just
¹ [Of David.]
Aleph
Do not be provoked by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.
² Like grass they wither quickly;
like green plants they wilt away.

Beth
³ Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and live securely.
⁴ Find your delight in the LORD
who will give you your heart's desire.

Gimel
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust that he will act
⁶ Make your integrity shine like the dawn,
your vindication like noonday.

Daleth
⁷ Be still before the LORD;
wait for God.
Do not be provoked by the prosperous,
nor by malicious schemers.

He
⁸ Give up your anger, abandon your wrath;
do not be provoked; it brings only harm.
⁹ Those who do evil will be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD will possess the land.

Waw
¹⁰ Wait a little, and the wicked will be no more;
look for them and they will not be there.
¹¹ But the poor will possess the land,
will delight in great prosperity.

Zayin
¹² The wicked plot against the just
and grind their teeth at them;
¹³ But the LORD laughs at them,
knowing their day is coming.

Heth
¹⁴ The wicked draw their swords;
they string their bows
To fell the poor and oppressed,
to slaughter those whose way is honest.
¹⁵ Their swords will pierce their own hearts;
their bows will be broken.

Teth
¹⁶ Better the poverty of the just
than the great wealth of the wicked.
¹⁷ The arm of the wicked will be broken;
the LORD will sustain the just.

Yodh
¹⁸ The LORD watches over the days of the blameless;
their heritage lasts forever.
¹⁹ They will not be disgraced when times are hard;
in days of famine they will have plenty.

Kaph
²⁰ The wicked perish,
the enemies of the LORD;
Like the beauty of meadows they vanish;
like smoke they disappear.

Lamedh
²¹ The wicked borrow but do not repay;
the just are generous in giving.
²² Those blessed by the Lord will possess the land,
but those accursed will be cut off.

Mem
²³ Those whose steps are guided by the LORD,
whose way he approves,
²⁴ May stumble, but will never fall,
for the LORD holds their hand.

Nun
²⁵ Neither in my youth, nor now in old age
have I ever seen the just abandoned,
or their children begging bread.
²⁶ The just always lend generously,
and their children become a blessing.

Samekh
²⁷ Turn from evil and do good,
that you may inhabit the land forever.
²⁸ For the LORD loves justice
and does not abandon the faithful.

Ayin
When the unjust are destroyed,
and the children of the wicked cut off,
²⁹ The just will possess the land
and live in it forever.

Pe
³⁰ The mouths of the just utter wisdom;
their tongues speak what is right.
³¹ God's teaching is in their hearts;
their steps do not falter.

Sadhe
³² The wicked spy on the just
and seek to kill them.
³³ But the LORD does not leave the just in their power,
nor let them be condemned when tried.

Qoph
³⁴ Wait eagerly for the LORD,
and keep to his way;
He will raise you to possess the land;
you will gloat when the wicked are cut off.

Resh
³⁵ I have seen ruthless scoundrels,
strong as flourishing cedars.
³⁶ When I passed by again, they were gone;
though I searched, they could not be found.

Shin
³⁷ Observe the honest, mark the upright;
those at peace with God have a future.
³⁸ But all sinners will be destroyed;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.

Taw
³⁹ The salvation of the just is from the LORD,
their refuge in time of distress.
⁴⁰ The LORD helps and rescues them,
rescues and saves them from the wicked,
because in him they take refuge.

Psalm 38
Prayer of an Afflicted Sinner
¹ [A psalm of David. For remembrance.]
² LORD, punish me no more in your anger;
in your wrath do not chastise me!
³ Your arrows have sunk deep in me;
your hand has come down upon me.
⁴ My flesh is afflicted because of your anger;
my frame aches because of my sin.
⁵ My iniquities overwhelm me;
a burden beyond my strength.

⁶ Foul and festering are my sores
because of my folly.
⁷ I am stooped and deeply bowed;
all day I go about mourning.
⁸ My loins burn with fever;
my flesh is afflicted.
⁹ I am numb and utterly crushed;
I wail with anguish of heart.

¹⁰ My Lord, my deepest yearning is before you;
my groaning is not hidden from you.
¹¹ My heart shudders, my strength forsakes me;
the very light of my eyes has failed.
¹² Friends and companions shun my pain;
my neighbors stand far off.
¹³ Those who seek my life lay snares for me;
they seek my misfortune, they speak of ruin;
they plot treachery all the day.

¹⁴ But I am like the deaf, hearing nothing;
like the dumb, saying nothing.
¹⁵ Like someone who does not hear,
who has no answer ready.
¹⁶ LORD, I wait for you;
O LORD, my God, answer me.
¹⁷ I fear they will gloat,
exult over me if I stumble.

¹⁸ I am very near to falling;
my pain is with me always.
¹⁹ I acknowledge my guilt
and grieve over my sin.
²⁰ But many are my foes without cause,
a multitude of enemies without reason,
²¹ Repaying me evil for good,
harassing me for pursuing good.

²² Forsake me not, O LORD;
my God, be not far from me!
²³ Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my salvation!

Psalm 39
The Vanity of Life
¹ [For the leader, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.]
² I said, "I will watch my ways,
lest I sin with my tongue;
I will set a curb on my mouth."
³ Dumb and silent before the wicked,
I refrained from any speech.
But my sorrow increased;
⁴ my heart smoldered within me.
In my thoughts a fire blazed up;
and I broke into speech:

⁵ LORD, let me know my end, the number of my days,
that I may learn how frail I am.
⁶ You have given my days a very short span;
my life is as nought before you.
All mortals are but a breath.
⁷ Mere phantoms, we go our way;
mere vapor, our restless pursuits;
we heap up stores without knowing for whom.

⁸ And now, Lord, what future do I have?
You are my only hope.
⁹ From all my sins deliver me;
let me not be the taunt of fools.

¹⁰ I was silent and did not open my mouth,
because you were the one who did this.
¹¹ Take your plague away from me;
I am ravaged by the touch of your hand.
¹² You rebuke our guilt and chasten us;
you dissolve all we prize like a cobweb.
All mortals are but a breath.

¹³ Listen to my prayer, LORD, hear my cry;
do not be deaf to my weeping!
I sojourn with you like a passing stranger,
a guest, like all my ancestors.
¹⁴ Turn your gaze from me, that I may find peace
before I depart to be no more.

Psalm 40
Gratitude and Prayer for Help
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
² I waited, waited for the LORD,
who bent down and heard my cry,
³ Drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
Who set my feet upon rock,
steadied my steps,
⁴ And put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and they shall trust in the LORD.

⁵ Happy those whose trust is the LORD,
who turn not to idolatry,
or to those who stray after falsehood.
⁶ How numerous, O LORD, my God,
you have made your wondrous deeds!
And in your plans for us
there is none to equal you.
Should I wish to declare or tell them,
they are too many to recount.

⁷ Sacrifice and offering you do not want;
but you gave me ears open to obedience.
Burnt offerings and sin-offerings you do not require;
⁸ so I said, "Here I am;
your commands for me are written in the scroll.
⁹ To do your will is my delight;
my God, your law is in my heart!"

¹⁰ I announced your deed to a great assembly;
I did not restrain my lips;
you, LORD, are my witness.
¹¹ Your deed I did not hide within my heart;
your loyal deliverance I have proclaimed.
I made no secret of your enduring kindness
to a great assembly.

¹² LORD, do not withhold your compassion from me;
may your enduring kindness ever preserve me.
¹³ For evils beyond count are all about me;
my sins so overcome me I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head;
my courage fails me.

¹⁴ LORD, graciously rescue me!
Come quickly to help me, LORD!
¹⁵ Put to shame and confound
all who seek to take my life.
Turn back in disgrace
those who desire my ruin.
¹⁶ Let those who say "Aha!"
know dismay and shame.

¹⁷ But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
May those who long for your help
always say, "The LORD be glorified."
¹⁸ Though I am afflicted and poor,
the Lord keeps me in mind.
You are my help and deliverer;
my God, do not delay!

Psalm 41
Thanksgiving after Sickness
¹ [For the leader. A Psalm of David.]
² Happy those concerned for the lowly and poor;
when misfortune strikes, the LORD delivers them.
³ The LORD keeps and preserves them,
makes them happy in the land,
and does not betray them to their enemies.
⁴ The LORD sustains them on their sickbed,
allays the malady when they are ill.

⁵ Once I prayed, "LORD, have mercy on me;
heal me, I have sinned against you.
⁶ My enemies say the worst of me:
`When will that one die and be forgotten?'
⁷ When people come to visit me,
they speak without sincerity.
Their hearts store up malice;
they leave and spread their vicious lies.

⁸ My foes all whisper against me;
they imagine the worst about me;
⁹ I have a deadly disease, they say;
I will never rise from my sickbed.
¹⁰ Even the friend who had my trust,
who shared my table, has scorned me.
¹¹ But you, LORD, have mercy and raise me up
that I may repay them as they deserve."

¹² By this I know you are pleased with me,
that my enemy no longer jeers at me.
¹³ For my integrity you have supported me
and let me stand in your presence forever.

* * *

¹⁴ Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from all eternity and forever.
Amen. Amen.

SECOND BOOK -- PSALMS 42-72
Psalm 42-43
Longing for God's Presence in The Temple
¹ [For the leader. A maskil of the Korahites.]
² As the deer longs for streams of water,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
³ My being thirsts for God, the living God.
When can I go and see the face of God?
⁴ My tears have been my food day and night,
as they ask daily, "Where is your God?"

⁵ Those times I recall
as I pour out my soul,
When I went in procession with the crowd,
I went with them to the house of God,
Amid loud cries of thanksgiving,
with the multitude keeping festival.

⁶ Why are you downcast, my soul;
why do you groan within me?
Wait for God, whom I shall praise again,
my savior and my God.

⁷ My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
From the land of the Jordan and Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
⁸ Here deep calls to deep
in the roar of your torrents.
All your waves and breakers sweep over me.
⁹ At dawn may the LORD bestow his faithful love
that I may sing praise through the night,
praise to the God of my life.

¹⁰ I say to God, "My rock,
why do you forget me?
Why must I go about mourning
with the enemy oppressing me?"
¹¹ It shatters my bones,
when my adversaries reproach me.
They say to me daily:
"Where is your God?"

¹² Why are you downcast, my soul,
why do you groan within me?
Wait for God, whom I shall praise again,
my savior and my God.

¹ Grant me justice, God;
defend me from a faithless people;
from the deceitful and unjust, rescue me.
² You, God, are my strength.
Why then do you spurn me?
Why must I go about mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?

³ Send your light and fidelity,
that they may be my guide,
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place of your dwelling,
⁴ That I may come to the altar of God,
to God, my joy, my delight.
Then I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

⁵ Why are you downcast, my soul?
Why do you groan within me?
Wait for God, whom I shall praise again,
my savior and my God.

Psalm 44
God's Past Favor and Israel's Present Need
¹ [For the leader. A maskil of the Korahites.]
² O God, we have heard with our own ears;
our ancestors have told us
The deeds you did in their days,
with your own hand in days of old:
³ You rooted out nations to plant them,
crushed peoples to make room for them.

⁴ Not with their own swords did they conquer the land,
nor did their own arm bring victory;
It was your right hand, your own arm,
the light of your face, for you favored them.

⁵ You are my king and my God,
who bestows victories on Jacob.
⁶ Through you we batter our foes;
through your name, trample our adversaries.

⁷ Not in my bow do I trust,
nor does my sword bring me victory.
⁸ You have brought us victory over our enemies,
shamed those who hate us.
⁹ In God we have boasted all the day long;
your name we will praise forever.

¹⁰ But now you have rejected and disgraced us;
you do not march out with our armies.
¹¹ You make us retreat before the foe;
those who hate us plunder us at will.
¹² You hand us over like sheep to be slaughtered,
scattered us among the nations.
¹³ You sell your people for nothing;
you make no profit from their sale.

¹⁴ You make us the reproach of our neighbors,
the mockery and scorn of those around us.
¹⁵ You make us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.
¹⁶ All day long my disgrace is before me;
shame has covered my face
¹⁷ At the sound of those who taunt and revile,
at the sight of the spiteful enemy.

¹⁸ All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
nor been disloyal to your covenant.
¹⁹ Our hearts have not turned back,
nor have our steps strayed from your path.
²⁰ Yet you have left us crushed,
desolate in a place of jackals;
you have covered us with darkness.

²¹ If we had forgotten the name of our God,
stretched out our hands to another god,
²² Would not God have discovered this,
he who knows the secrets of the heart?
²³ For you we are slain all the day long,
considered only as sheep to be slaughtered.

²⁴ Awake! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Rise up! Do not reject us forever!
²⁵ Why do you hide your face;
why forget our pain and misery?
²⁶ We are bowed down to the ground;
our bodies are pressed to the earth.
²⁷ Rise up, help us!
Redeem us as your love demands.

Psalm 45
Song for a Royal Wedding
¹ [For the leader; according to "Lilies." A maskil of the Korahites. A love song.]
² My heart is stirred by a noble theme,
as I sing my ode to the king.
My tongue is the pen of a nimble scribe.

³ You are the most handsome of men;
fair speech has graced your lips,
for God has blessed you forever.
⁴ Gird your sword upon your hip, mighty warrior!
In splendor and majesty ride on triumphant!

⁵ In the cause of truth and justice
may your right hand show your wondrous deeds.
⁶ Your arrows are sharp;
peoples will cower at your feet;
the king's enemies will lose heart.

⁷ Your throne, O god, stands forever;
your royal scepter is a scepter for justice.
⁸ You love justice and hate wrongdoing;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings.

⁹ With myrrh, aloes, and cassia
your robes are fragrant.
From ivory-paneled palaces
stringed instruments bring you joy.
¹⁰ Daughters of kings are your lovely wives;
a princess arrayed in Ophir's gold
comes to stand at your right hand.

¹¹ Listen, my daughter, and understand;
pay me careful heed.
Forget your people and your father's house,
¹² that the king might desire your beauty.
He is your lord;
¹³ honor him, daughter of Tyre.
Then the richest of the people
will seek your favor with gifts.

¹⁴ All glorious is the king's daughter as she enters,
her raiment threaded with gold;
¹⁵ In embroidered apparel she is led to the king.
The maids of her train are presented to the king.
¹⁶ They are led in with glad and joyous acclaim;
they enter the palace of the king.

¹⁷ The throne of your fathers your sons will have;
you shall make them princes through all the land.
¹⁸ I will make your name renowned through all generations;
thus nations shall praise you forever.

Psalm 46
God, the Protector of Zion
¹ [For the leader. A song of the Korahites. According to alamoth.]
² God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
³ Thus we do not fear, though earth be shaken
and mountains quake to the depths of the sea,
⁴ Though its waters rage and foam
and mountains totter at its surging.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

⁵ Streams of the river gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
⁶ God is in its midst; it shall not be shaken;
God will help it at break of day.
⁷ Though nations rage and kingdoms totter,
his voice thunders and the earth trembles.
⁸ The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

⁹ Come and see the works of the LORD,
who has done fearsome deeds on earth;
¹⁰ Who stops wars to the ends of the earth,
breaks the bow, splinters the spear,
and burns the shields with fire.
¹¹ Who says:
"Be still and confess that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
exalted on the earth."
¹² The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Psalm 47
The Ruler of all the Nations
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites.]
² All you peoples, clap your hands;
shout to God with joyful cries.
³ For the LORD, the Most High, inspires awe,
the great king over all the earth,
⁴ Who made people subject to us,
brought nations under our feet,
⁵ Who chose a land for our heritage,
the glory of Jacob, the beloved.

⁶ God mounts the throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
⁷ Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.

⁸ God is king over all the earth;
sing hymns of praise.
⁹ God rules over the nations;
God sits upon his holy throne.
¹⁰ The princes of the peoples assemble
with the people of the God of Abraham.
For the rulers of the earth belong to God,
who is enthroned on high.

Psalm 48
The Splendor of the Invincible City
¹ [A psalm of the Korahites. A song.]
² Great is the LORD and highly praised
in the city of our God:
The holy mountain, ³fairest of heights,
the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, the heights of Zaphon,
the city of the great king.

⁴ God is its citadel,
renowned as a stronghold.
⁵ See! The kings assembled,
together they invaded.
⁶ When they looked they were astounded,
terrified, they were put to flight!
⁷ Trembling seized them there,
anguish, like a woman's labor,
⁸ As when the east wind wrecks
the ships of Tarshish!

⁹ What we had heard we now see
in the city of the LORD of hosts,
In the city of our God,
founded to last forever.
¹⁰ O God, within your temple
we ponder your steadfast love.
¹¹ Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is fully victorious.
¹² Mount Zion is glad!
The cities of Judah rejoice
because of your saving deeds!

¹³ Go about Zion, walk all around it,
note the number of its towers.
¹⁴ Consider the ramparts, examine its citadels,
that you may tell future generations:
¹⁵ "Yes, so mighty is God,
our God, who leads us always!"

Psalm 49
Confidence in God rather than in Riches
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites.]
² Hear this, all you peoples!
Give ear, all who inhabit the world,
³ You of lowly birth or high estate,
rich and poor alike.
⁴ My mouth shall speak wisdom,
my heart shall offer insight.
⁵ I will turn my attention to a problem,
expound my question to the music of a lyre.

⁶ Why should I fear in evil days,
when my wicked pursuers ring me round,
⁷ Those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their abundant riches?
⁸ One cannot redeem oneself,
or pay to God a ransom.
⁹ Too high the price to redeem a life;
one would never have enough

¹⁰ To stay alive forever
and never see the pit.
¹¹ Anyone can see that the wisest die,
the fool and the senseless pass away, too,
and must leave their wealth to others.
¹² Tombs are their homes forever,
their dwellings through all generations,
though they gave their names to their lands.
¹³ For all their riches
mortals do not abide;
they perish like the beasts.

¹⁴ This is the destiny of those who trust in folly,
the end of those so pleased with their wealth.
¹⁵ Like sheep they are herded into Sheol,
where death will be their shepherd.
Straight to the grave they descend,
where their form will waste away,
Sheol will be their palace.

¹⁶ But God will redeem my life,
will take me from the power of Sheol.
¹⁷ Do not fear when others become rich,
when the wealth of their houses grows great.
¹⁸ When they die, they will take nothing with them,
their wealth will not follow them down.

¹⁹ When living, they congratulate themselves and say:
"All praise you, you do so well."
²⁰ But they will join the company of their forebears,
never again to see the light.
²¹ For all their riches,
if mortals do not have wisdom,
they perish like the beasts.

Psalm 50
The Acceptable Sacrifice
¹ [A psalm of Asaph.]
The LORD, the God of gods,
has spoken and summoned the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
² From Zion, God shines forth,
perfect in beauty.
³ Our God comes and will not be silent!
Devouring fire precedes,
storming fiercely round about.

⁴ He summons the heavens above
and the earth to the judgment of his people:
⁵ "Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
⁶ The heavens proclaim his justice,
for God alone is the judge.

⁷ "Listen, my people, I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you;
God, your God, am I.
⁸ Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
nor for your burnt offerings, set before me daily.
⁹ I need no bullock from your house,
no goats from your fold.
¹⁰ For every animal of the forest is mine,
beasts by the thousands on my mountains.
¹¹ I know every bird of the heavens;
the creatures of the field belong to me.

¹² Were I hungry, I would not tell you,
for mine is the world and all that fills it.
¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
¹⁴ Offer praise as your sacrifice to God;
fulfill your vows to the Most High.
¹⁵ Then call on me in time of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall honor me."

¹⁶ But to the wicked God says:
"Why do you recite my commandments
and profess my covenant with your lips?
¹⁷ You hate discipline;
you cast my words behind you!
¹⁸ When you see thieves, you befriend them;
with adulterers you throw in your lot.

¹⁹ You give your mouth free rein for evil;
you harness your tongue to deceit.
²⁰ You sit maligning your own kin,
slandering the child of your own mother.
²¹ When you do these things, should I be silent?
Or do you think that I am like you?
I accuse you, I lay the charge before you.

²² "Understand this, you who forget God,
lest I attack you with no one to rescue.
²³ Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me;
to the obedient, I will show the salvation of God."

Psalm 51
The Miserere: Prayer of Repentance
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David, ² when Nathan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bathsheba.]
³ Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness;
in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
⁴ Wash away all my guilt;
from my sin cleanse me.
⁵ For I know my offense;
my sin is always before me.
⁶ Against you alone have I sinned;
I have done such evil in your sight
That you are just in your sentence,
blameless when you condemn.

⁷ True, I was born guilty;
a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.
⁸ Still, you insist on sincerity of heart;
in my inmost being teach me wisdom.
⁹ Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure;
wash me, make me whiter than snow.
¹⁰ Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

¹¹ Turn away your face from my sins;
blot out all my guilt.
¹² A clean heart create for me, God;
renew in me a steadfast spirit.
¹³ Do not drive me from your presence,
nor take from me your holy spirit.
¹⁴ Restore my joy in your salvation;
sustain in me a willing spirit.
¹⁵ I will teach the wicked your ways,
that sinners may return to you.

¹⁶ Rescue me from death, God, my saving God,
that my tongue may praise your healing power.
¹⁷ Lord, open my lips;
my mouth will proclaim your praise.
¹⁸ For you do not desire sacrifice;
a burnt offering you would not accept.
¹⁹ My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit;
God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.

²⁰ Make Zion prosper in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
²¹ Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifice,
whole offerings and burnt offerings;
then bullocks will be offered on your altar.

Psalm 52
The Deceitful Tongue
¹ [For the leader. A maskil of David, ²when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, "David went to the house of Ahimelech."]
³ Why do you glory in evil,
you scandalous liar?
All day long ⁴you plot destruction;
your tongue is like a sharpened razor,
you skillful deceiver.
⁵ You love evil rather than good,
lies rather than honest speech.
⁶ You love any word that destroys,
you deceitful tongue.

⁷ Now God will strike you down,
leave you crushed forever,
Pluck you from your tent,
uproot you from the land of the living.
⁸ The righteous will look on with awe;
they will jeer and say:
⁹ "That one did not take God as a refuge,
but trusted in great wealth,
relied on devious plots."

¹⁰ But I, like an olive tree, in the house of God,
trust in God's faithful love forever.
¹¹ I will praise you always
for what you have done.
I will proclaim before the faithful
that your name is good.

Psalm 53
A Lament over Widespread Corruption
¹ [For the leader; according to Mahalath. A maskil of David.]
² Fools say in their hearts,
"There is no God."
Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt;
not one does what is right.

³ God looks down from heaven
upon the human race,
To see if even one is wise,
if even one seeks God.
⁴ All have gone astray;
all alike are perverse,
not one does what is right,
not even one.

⁵ Will these evildoers never learn?
They devour my people as they devour bread;
they do not call upon God.
⁶ They have good reason to fear,
though now they do not fear.
For God will certainly scatter
the bones of the godless.
They will surely be put to shame,
for God has rejected them.

⁷ Oh, that from Zion might come
the deliverance of Israel,
That Jacob may rejoice and Israel be glad
when God restores the people!

Psalm 54
Confident Prayer in Great Peril
¹ [For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David, ²when the Ziphites came and said to Saul,"David is hiding among us."]
³ O God, by your name save me.
By your strength defend my cause.
⁴ O God, hear my prayer.
Listen to the words of my mouth.
⁵ The arrogant have risen against me;
the ruthless seek my life;
they do not keep God before them.

⁶ God is present as my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
⁷ Turn back the evil upon my foes;
in your faithfulness, destroy them.

⁸ Then I will offer you generous sacrifice
and praise your gracious name, LORD.
⁹ Because it has rescued me from every trouble,
and my eyes look down on my foes.

Psalm 55
A Lament over Betrayal
¹ [For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David.]
² Listen, God, to my prayer;
do not hide from my pleading;
³ hear me and give answer.
I rock with grief; I groan
⁴ at the uproar of the enemy,
the clamor of the wicked.
They heap trouble upon me,
savagely accuse me.

⁵ My heart pounds within me;
death's terrors fall upon me.
⁶ Fear and trembling overwhelm me;
shuddering sweeps over me.

⁷ I say, "If only I had wings like a dove
that I might fly away and find rest.
⁸ Far away I would flee;
I would stay in the desert.
⁹ I would soon find a shelter
from the raging wind and storm."

¹⁰ Lord, check and confuse their scheming.
I see violence and strife in the city
¹¹ making rounds on its walls day and night.
Within are mischief and evil;
¹² treachery is there as well;
oppression and fraud never leave its streets.

¹³ If an enemy had reviled me,
that I could bear;
If my foe had viewed me with contempt,
from that I could hide.
¹⁴ But it was you, my other self,
my comrade and friend,
¹⁵ You, whose company I enjoyed,
at whose side I walked
in procession in the house of God.

¹⁶ Let death take them by surprise;
let them go down alive to Sheol,
for evil is in their homes and hearts.
¹⁷ But I will call upon God,
and the LORD will save me.
¹⁸ At dusk, dawn, and noon
I will grieve and complain,
and he will hear my prayer.

¹⁹ He will give me freedom and peace
from those who war against me,
though there are many who oppose me.
²⁰ God, who sits enthroned forever,
will hear me and humble them.
For they will not mend their ways;
they have no fear of God.

²¹ They strike out at friends
and go back on their promises.
²² Softer than butter is their speech,
but war is in their hearts.
Smoother than oil are their words,
but they are unsheathed swords.
²³ Cast your care upon the LORD,
who will give you support.
He will never allow
the righteous one to stumble.

²⁴ But you, God, will bring them down
to the pit of destruction.
These bloodthirsty liars
will not live half their days,
but I put my trust in you.

Psalm 56
Trust in God
¹ [For the director. According to Yonath elem rehoqim. A miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him at Gath.]
² Have mercy on me, God,
for I am treated harshly;
attackers press me all the day.
³ My foes treat me harshly all the day;
yes, many are my attackers.

O Most High, ⁴ when I am afraid,
in you I place my trust.
⁵ God, I praise your promise;
in you I trust, I do not fear.
What can mere flesh do to me?

⁶ All the day they foil my plans;
their every thought is of evil against me.
⁷ They hide together in ambush;
they watch my every step;
they lie in wait for my life.
⁸ They are evil; watch them, God!
Cast down the nations in your anger!

⁹ My wanderings you have noted;
are my tears not stored in your vial,
recorded in your book?
¹⁰ My foes turn back when I call on you.
This I know: God is on my side.
¹¹ God, I praise your promise;
¹² in you I trust, I do not fear.
What can mere mortals do to me?

¹³ I have made vows to you, God;
with offerings I will fulfill them,
¹⁴ Once you have snatched me from death,
kept my feet from stumbling,
That I may walk before God
in the light of the living.

Psalm 57
Confident Prayer for Deliverance
¹ [For the director. Do not destroy. A miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into a cave.]
² Have mercy on me, God,
have mercy on me.
In you I seek shelter.
In the shadow of your wings I seek shelter
till harm passes by.

³ I call to God Most High,
to God who provides for me.
⁴ May he send help from heaven to save me,
shame those who trample upon me.
May God send fidelity and love.

⁵ I must lie down in the midst of lions
hungry for human prey.
Their teeth are spears and arrows;
their tongue, a sharpened sword.
⁶ Show yourself over the heavens, God;
may your glory appear above all the earth.

⁷ They have set a trap for my feet;
my soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me.
May they fall into it themselves!

⁸ My heart is steadfast, God,
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and chant praise.
⁹ Awake, my soul;
awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.

¹⁰ I will praise you among the peoples, Lord;
I will chant your praise among the nations.
¹¹ For your love towers to the heavens;
your faithfulness, to the skies.
¹² Show yourself over the heavens, God;
may your glory appear above all the earth.

Psalm 58
The Dethroning of Unjust Rulers
¹ [For the leader. Do not destroy. A miktam of David.]
² Do you indeed pronounce justice, O gods;
do you judge mortals fairly?
³ No, you freely engage in crime;
your hands dispense violence to the earth.

⁴ The wicked have been corrupt since birth;
liars from the womb they have gone astray.
⁵ Their poison is like the poison of a snake,
like that of a serpent stopping its ears,
⁶ So as not to hear the voice of the charmer
who casts such cunning spells.

⁷ O God, smash the teeth in their mouths;
break the jaw-teeth of these lions, LORD!
⁸ Make them vanish like water flowing away;
trodden down, let them wither like grass.
⁹ Let them dissolve like a snail that oozes away,
like an untimely birth that never sees the sun.
¹⁰ Suddenly, like brambles or thistles,
have the whirlwind snatch them away.

¹¹ Then the just shall rejoice to see the vengeance
and bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹² Then it will be said:
"Truly there is a reward for the just;
there is a God who is judge on earth!"

Psalm 59
Complaint Against Bloodthirsty Enemies
¹ [For the director. Do not destroy. A miktam of David, when Saul sent people to watch his house and kill him.]
² Rescue me from my enemies, my God;
lift me out of the reach of my foes.
³ Deliver me from evildoers;
from the bloodthirsty save me.
⁴ They have set an ambush for my life;
the powerful conspire against me.
For no offense or misdeed of mine, LORD,
⁵ for no fault they hurry to take up arms.

Come near and see my plight!
⁶ You, LORD of hosts, are the God of Israel!
Awake! Punish all the nations.
Have no mercy on these worthless traitors.
⁷ Each evening they return,
growling like dogs, prowling the city.
⁸ Their mouths pour out insult;
sharp words are on their lips.
They say: "Who is there to hear?"

⁹ You, LORD, laugh at them;
you deride all the nations.
¹⁰ My strength, for you I watch;
you, God, are my fortress, ¹¹ my loving God.

May God go before me,
and show me my fallen foes.
¹² Slay them, God,
lest they deceive my people.
Shake them by your power;
Lord, our shield, bring them down.

¹³ For the sinful words of their mouths and lips
let them be caught in their pride.
For the lies they have told under oath
¹⁴ destroy them in anger;
destroy till they are no more,
Then people will know God rules over Jacob,
yes, even to the ends of the earth.

¹⁵ Each evening they return,
growling like dogs, prowling the city.
¹⁶ They roam about as scavengers;
if they are not filled, they howl.

¹⁷ But I shall sing of your strength,
extol your love at dawn,
For you are my fortress,
my refuge in time of trouble.
¹⁸ My strength, your praise I will sing;
you, God, are my fortress, my loving God.

Psalm 60
Lament after Defeat in Battle
¹ [For the leader; according to "The Lily of...." A miktam of David (for teaching), ²when he fought against Aram-Naharaim and Aram-Zobath; and Joab, coming back, killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.]
³ O God, you rejected us, broke our defenses;
you were angry but now revive us.
⁴ You rocked the earth, split it open;
repair the cracks for it totters.
⁵ You made your people go through hardship,
made us stagger from the wine you gave us.

⁶ Raise up a flag for those who revere you,
a refuge for them out of bowshot.
⁷ Help with your right hand and answer us,
that your loved ones may escape.

⁸ In the sanctuary, God promised:
"I will exult, will apportion Shechem;
the valley of Succoth, I will measure out.
⁹ Gilead is mine, mine is Manasseh;
Ephraim is the helmet for my head,
Judah, my own scepter.
¹⁰ Moab is my washbowl;
upon Edom I cast my sandal.
I will triumph over Philistia."

¹¹ Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me into Edom?
¹² Was it not you who rejected us, God?
Do you no longer march with our armies?

¹³ Give us aid against the foe;
worthless is human help.
¹⁴ We will triumph with the help of God,
who will trample down our foes.

Psalm 61
Prayer of the King in Time of Danger
¹ [For the leader; with stringed instruments. Of David.]
² Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer!
³ From the brink of Sheol I call;
my heart grows faint.

Raise me up, set me on a rock,
⁴ for you are my refuge,
a tower of strength against the foe.
⁵ Then I will ever dwell in your tent,
take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

⁶ O God, when you accept my vows
and hear the plea of those
who revere your name in prayer:
⁷ "Add to the days of the king's life;
may his years be many generations;
⁸ May he reign before God forever;
may your love and fidelity preserve him"--
⁹ Then, I will sing your name forever,
fulfill my vows day after day.

Psalm 62
Trust in God Alone
¹ [For the leader; 'al Jeduthun. A psalm of David.]
² My soul rests in God alone,
from whom comes my salvation.
³ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my secure height; I shall never fall.

⁴ How long will you set upon people,
all of you beating them down,
As though they were a sagging fence
or a battered wall?
⁵ Even from my place on high
they plot to dislodge me.
They delight in lies;
they bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse.

⁶ My soul, be at rest in God alone,
from whom comes my hope.
⁷ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my secure height; I shall not fall.

⁸ My safety and glory are with God,
my strong rock and refuge.
⁹ Trust him at all times, my people!
Pour out your hearts to God our refuge!

¹⁰ Mortals are a mere breath,
the powerful but an illusion;
On a balance they rise;
together they are lighter than air.
¹¹ Do not trust in extortion;
in plunder put no empty hope.
Though wealth increase,
do not set your heart upon it.

¹² One thing God has said;
two things I have heard:
Power belongs to God;
¹³ so too, Lord, does kindness,
And you render to each of us
according to our deeds.

Psalm 63
Ardent Longing for God
¹ [A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.]
² O God, you are my God --
for you I long!
For you my body yearns;
for you my soul thirsts,
Like a land parched, lifeless,
and without water.

³ So I look to you in the sanctuary
to see your power and glory.
⁴ For your love is better than life;
my lips offer you worship!

⁵ I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands, calling on your name.
⁶ My soul shall savor the rich banquet of praise,
with joyous lips my mouth shall honor you!

⁷ When I think of you upon my bed,
through the night watches I will recall
⁸ That you indeed are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
⁹ My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.

¹⁰ But those who seek my life will come to ruin;
they shall go down to the depths of the earth!
¹¹ They shall be handed over to the sword
and become the prey of jackals!
¹² But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by the Lord shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be shut!

Psalm 64
Treacherous Conspirators Punished by God
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
² O God, hear my anguished voice;
from the foes I dread, protect my life.
³ Hide me from the malicious crowd,
the mob of evildoers.
⁴ They sharpen their tongues like swords,
ready their bows for arrows of poisonous words.

⁵ They shoot at the innocent from ambush,
shoot without risk, catch them unawares.
⁶ They resolve on their wicked plan;
they conspire to set snares;
they say: "Who will see us?"
⁷ They devise wicked schemes,
conceal the schemes they devise;
the designs of their hearts are hidden.

⁸ But God will shoot arrows at them
and strike them unawares.
⁹ They will be brought down by their own tongues;
all who see them will shake their heads.

¹⁰ Then all will fear and proclaim God's deed,
pondering what he has done.
¹¹ The just will rejoice and take refuge in the LORD;
all the upright will glory in their God.

Psalm 65
Thanksgiving for God's Blessings
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David. A song.]
² To you we owe our hymn of praise,
O God on Zion;
To you our vows must be fulfilled,
³ you who hear our prayers.
To you all flesh must come
⁴ with its burden of wicked deeds.
We are overcome by our sins;
only you can pardon them.

⁵ Happy the chosen ones you bring
to dwell in your courts.
May we be filled with the good things of your house,
the blessings of your holy temple!

⁶ You answer us with awesome deeds of justice,
O God our savior,
The hope of all the ends of the earth
and of far distant islands.
⁷ You are robed in power;
you set up the mountains by your might.

⁸ You still the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
⁹ Distant peoples stand in awe of your marvels;
east and west you make resound with joy.

¹⁰ You visit the earth and water it,
make it abundantly fertile.
God's stream is filled with water;
with it you supply the world with grain.
Thus do you prepare the earth:
¹¹ you drench plowed furrows,
and level their ridges.
With showers you keep the ground soft,
blessing its young sprouts.

¹² You adorn the year with your bounty;
your paths drip with fruitful rain.
¹³ The untilled meadows also drip;
the hills are robed with joy.
¹⁴ The pastures are clothed with flocks,
the valleys blanketed with grain;
they cheer and sing for joy.

Psalm 66
Praise of God, Israel's Deliverer
¹ [For the leader. A song; a psalm.]
Shout joyfully to God, all you on earth;
² sing of his glorious name;
give him glorious praise.
³ Say to God: "How awesome your deeds!
Before your great strength your enemies cringe.
⁴ All on earth fall in worship before you;
they sing of you, sing of your name!"

⁵ Come and see the works of God,
awesome in the deeds done for us.
⁶ He changed the sea to dry land;
through the river they passed on foot.
Therefore let us rejoice in him,
⁷ who rules by his might forever,
Whose eyes are fixed upon the nations.
Let no rebel rise to challenge!

⁸ Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise,
⁹ Who has kept us alive
and not allowed our feet to slip.
¹⁰ You tested us, O God,
tried us as silver tried by fire.
¹¹ You led us into a snare;
you bound us at the waist as captives.
¹² You let captors set foot on our neck;
we went through fire and water;
then you led us out to freedom.

¹³ I will bring burnt offerings to your house;
to you I will fulfill my vows,
¹⁴ The vows my lips pronounced
and my mouth spoke in distress.
¹⁵ Burnt offerings of fatlings I will offer you
and the smoke of burning rams;
I will sacrifice oxen and goats.

¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God,
while I recount what he has done for me.
¹⁷ I called to him with my mouth;
praise was upon my tongue.
¹⁸ Had I cherished evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have heard.

¹⁹ But God did hear
and listened to my voice in prayer.
²⁰ Blessed be God, who did not refuse my prayer
nor withhold his kindness.

Psalm 67
Harvest Thanks and Petition
¹ [For the leader; with stringed instruments. A psalm; a song.]
² May God be gracious to us and bless us;
may God's face shine upon us.
³ So shall your rule be known upon the earth,
your saving power among all the nations.
⁴ May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you!

⁵ May the nations be glad and shout for joy;
for you govern the peoples justly,
you guide the nations upon the earth.
⁶ May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you!

⁷ The earth has yielded its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
⁸ May God bless us still,
that the ends of the earth may revere him.

Psalm 68
The Exodus and Conquest, Pledge of Future Help
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David, a song.]
² God will arise for battle;
his enemies will be scattered;
those who hate him will flee.
³ The wind will disperse them like smoke;
as wax is melted by fire,
so the wicked will perish before God.
⁴ Then the just will be glad;
they will rejoice before God;
they will celebrate with great joy.

⁵ Sing to God, praise his name;
exalt the rider of the clouds.
Rejoice before this God
whose name is the LORD.
⁶ Father of the fatherless, defender of widows--
this is the God whose abode is holy,
⁷ Who gives a home to the forsaken,
who leads prisoners out to prosperity,
while rebels live in the desert.

⁸ God, when you went forth before your people,
when you marched through the desert,
⁹ The earth quaked, the heavens shook,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
¹⁰ You claimed a land as your own, O God;
¹¹ your people settled there.
There you poured abundant rains, God,
graciously given to the poor in their need.

¹² The Lord announced the news of victory:
¹³ "The kings and their armies are in desperate flight.
All you people so numerous,
¹⁴ will you stay by the sheepfolds?
Every household will share the booty,
perhaps a dove sheathed with silver,
its wings covered with yellow gold."
¹⁵ When the Almighty routed the kings there,
the spoils were scattered like snow on Zalmon.

¹⁶ You high mountains of Bashan,
you rugged mountains of Bashan,
¹⁷ You rugged mountains, why look with envy
at the mountain where God has chosen to dwell,
where the LORD resides forever?
¹⁸ God's chariots were myriad, thousands upon thousands;
from Sinai the Lord entered the holy place.
¹⁹ You went up to its lofty height;
you took captives, received slaves as tribute.
No rebels can live in the presence of God.

²⁰ Blessed be the Lord day by day,
God, our salvation, who carries us.
²¹ Our God is a God who saves;
escape from death is in the LORD God's hands.
²² God will crush the skulls of the enemy,
the hairy heads of those who walk in sin.

²³ The Lord has said:
"Even from Bashan I will fetch them,
fetch them even from the depths of the sea.
²⁴ You will wash your feet in your enemy's blood;
the tongues of your dogs will lap it up."

²⁵ Your procession comes into view, O God,
your procession into the holy place, my God and king.
²⁶ The singers go first, the harpists follow;
in their midst girls sound the timbrels.
²⁷ In your choirs, bless God;
bless the LORD, you from Israel's assemblies.
²⁸ In the lead is Benjamin, few in number;
there the princes of Judah, a large throng,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali, too.

²⁹ Summon again, O God, your power,
the divine power you once showed for us.
³⁰ Show it from your temple on behalf of Jerusalem,
that kings may bring you tribute.

³¹ Roar at the wild beast of the reeds,
the herd of mighty bulls, the lords of nations;
scatter the nations that delight in war.
³² Exact rich tribute from lower Egypt,
from upper Egypt, gold and silver;
make Ethiopia extend its hands to God.

³³ You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
chant the praises of the Lord,
³⁴ Who rides the heights of the ancient heavens,
whose voice is thunder, mighty thunder.

³⁵ Confess the power of God,
whose majesty protects Israel,
whose power is in the sky.
³⁶ Awesome is God in his holy place,
the God of Israel,
who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
Psalm 69
A Cry of Anguish in Great Distress
¹ [For the leader; according to "Lilies." Of David.]
² Save me, God,
for the waters have reached my neck.
³ I have sunk into the mire of the deep,
where there is no foothold.
I have gone down to the watery depths;
the flood overwhelms me.

⁴ I am weary with crying out;
my throat is parched.
My eyes have failed,
looking for my God.

⁵ More numerous than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are my treacherous enemies.
Must I now restore
what I did not steal?

⁶ God, you know my folly;
my faults are not hidden from you.
⁷ Let those who wait for you, LORD of hosts,
not be shamed through me.
Let those who seek you, God of Israel,
not be disgraced through me.

⁸ For your sake I bear insult,
shame covers my face.
⁹ I have become an outcast to my kin,
a stranger to my mother's children.

¹⁰ Because zeal for your house consumes me,
I am scorned by those who scorn you.
¹¹ I have wept and fasted,
but this led only to scorn.
¹² I clothed myself in sackcloth;
I became a byword for them.
¹³ They who sit at the gate gossip about me;
drunkards make me the butt of their songs.

¹⁴ But I pray to you, LORD,
for the time of your favor.
God, in your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.

¹⁵ Rescue me from the mire;
do not let me sink.
Rescue me from my enemies,
and from the watery depths.
¹⁶ Do not let the floodwaters overwhelm me,
nor the deep swallow me,
nor the mouth of the pit close over me.

¹⁷ Answer me, LORD, in your generous love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
¹⁸ Do not hide your face from your servant;
in my distress hasten to answer me!

¹⁹ Come and ransom my life;
because of my enemies, redeem me.
²⁰ You know my reproach, my shame, my disgrace;
all my foes stand before you.

²¹ Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak;
I looked for compassion, but there was none,
for comforters, but found none.
²² Instead they put gall in my food;
for my thirst they gave me vinegar.

²³ Make their own table a snare for them,
a trap for their friends.
²⁴ Make their eyes so dim they cannot see;
keep their backs ever feeble.

²⁵ Pour out your wrath upon them;
let the fury of your anger overtake them.
²⁶ Make their camp desolate,
with none to dwell in their tents.

²⁷ For they pursued the one you struck,
added to the pain of the one you wounded.
²⁸ Add that to their crimes;
let them not attain to your reward.
²⁹ Strike them from the book of the living;
do not count them among the just!

³⁰ But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help protect me, God,
³¹ That I may praise God's name in song
and glorify it with thanksgiving.
³² My song will please the LORD more than oxen,
more than bullocks with horns and hooves:

³³ "See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, take heart!
³⁴ For the LORD hears the poor,
does not spurn those in bondage.
³⁵ Let the heavens and the earth sing his praise,
the seas and whatever moves in them!"

³⁶ God will rescue Zion,
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
God's servants shall dwell in the land and possess it;
³⁷ it shall be the heritage of their descendants;
those who love his name shall dwell there.

Psalm 70
Prayer for Divine Help
¹ [For the leader; of David. For remembrance.]
² Graciously rescue me, God!
Come quickly to help me, LORD!
³ Confound and put to shame
those who seek my life.
Turn back in disgrace
those who desire my ruin.

⁴ Let those who say "Aha!"
turn back in their shame.
⁵ But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
May those who long for your help
always say, "God be glorified!"

⁶ Here I am, afflicted and poor.
God, come quickly!
You are my helper and deliverer.
LORD, do not delay!

Psalm 71
Prayer in Time of Old Age
¹ In you, LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
² In your justice rescue and deliver me;
listen to me and save me!

³ Be my rock and refuge,
my secure stronghold;
for you are my rock and fortress.
⁴ My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked,
from the clutches of the violent.

⁵ You are my hope, Lord;
my trust, GOD, from my youth.
⁶ On you I depend since birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength;
my hope in you never wavers.

⁷ I have become a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge!
⁸ My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
shall sing your glory every day.

⁹ Do not cast me aside in my old age;
as my strength fails, do not forsake me.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me;
they watch and plot against me.
¹¹ They say, "God has abandoned that one.
Pursue, seize the wretch!
No one will come to the rescue!

"
¹² God, do not stand far from me;
my God, hasten to help me.
¹³ Bring to a shameful end
those who attack me;
Cover with contempt and scorn
those who seek my ruin.

¹⁴ I will always hope in you
and add to all your praise.
¹⁵ My mouth shall proclaim your just deeds,
day after day your acts of deliverance,
though I cannot number them all.
¹⁶ I will speak of the mighty works of the Lord;
O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.

¹⁷ God, you have taught me from my youth;
to this day I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
¹⁸ Now that I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, God,
That I may proclaim your might
to all generations yet to come,
Your power ¹⁹and justice, God,
to the highest heaven.
You have done great things;
O God, who is your equal?

²⁰ You have sent me many bitter afflictions,
but once more revive me.
From the watery depths of the earth
once more raise me up.
²¹ Restore my honor;
turn and comfort me,
²² That I may praise you with the lyre
for your faithfulness, my God,
And sing to you with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!

²³ My lips will shout for joy as I sing your praise;
my soul, too, which you have redeemed.
²⁴ Yes, my tongue shall recount
your justice day by day:
For those who sought my ruin
will have been shamed and disgraced.

Psalm 72
A Prayer for the King
¹ [Of Solomon.]
O God, give your judgment to the king,
your justice to the son of kings;
² That he may govern your people with justice,
your oppressed with right judgment,
³ That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people,
and the hills great abundance,
⁴ That he may defend the oppressed among the people,
save the poor and crush the oppressor.

⁵ May he live as long as the sun endures,
like the moon, through all generations.
⁶ May he be like rain coming down upon the fields,
like showers watering the earth;
⁷ That abundance may flourish in his days,
great bounty, till the moon be no more.

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea,
from the river to the ends of the earth.
⁹ May his foes kneel before him,
his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute,
the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts.
¹¹ May all kings bow before him,
all nations serve him.

¹² For he rescues the poor when they cry out,
the oppressed who have no one to help.
¹³ He shows pity to the needy and the poor
and saves the lives of the poor.
¹⁴ From extortion and violence he frees them,
for their blood is precious in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live, receiving gold from Arabia,
prayed for without cease, blessed day by day.
¹⁶ May wheat abound in the land,
flourish even on the mountain heights.
May his fruit increase like Lebanon's,
his wheat like the grasses of the land.

¹⁷ May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun, may his name endure.
May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name;
may all the nations regard him as favored.

* * *

¹⁸ Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonderful deeds.
¹⁹ Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may all the earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen.
[The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.]
THIRD BOOK -- PSALMS 73-89
Psalm 73
The Trial of the Just
¹ [A psalm of Asaph.]
How good God is to the upright,
the LORD, to those who are clean of heart!

² But, as for me, I lost my balance;
my feet all but slipped,
³ Because I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ For they suffer no pain;
their bodies are healthy and sleek.
⁵ They are free of the burdens of life;
they are not afflicted like others.
⁶ Thus pride adorns them as a necklace;
violence clothes them as a robe.

⁷ Out of their stupidity comes sin;
evil thoughts flood their hearts.
⁸ They scoff and spout their malice;
from on high they utter threats.
⁹ They set their mouths against the heavens,
their tongues roam the earth.

¹⁰ So my people turn to them
and drink deeply of their words.
¹¹ They say, "Does God really know?
Does the Most High have any knowledge?"
¹² Such, then, are the wicked,
always carefree, increasing their wealth.

¹³ Is it in vain that I have kept my heart clean,
washed my hands in innocence?
¹⁴ For I am afflicted day after day,
chastised every morning.
¹⁵ Had I thought, "I will speak as they do,"
I would have betrayed your people.

¹⁶ Though I tried to understand all this,
it was too difficult for me,
¹⁷ Till I entered the sanctuary of God
and came to understand their end.

¹⁸ You set them, indeed, on a slippery road;
you hurl them down to ruin.
¹⁹ How suddenly they are devastated;
undone by disasters forever!
²⁰ They are like a dream after waking, LORD,
dismissed like shadows when you arise.
²¹ Since my heart was embittered
and my soul deeply wounded,
²² I was stupid and could not understand;
I was like a brute beast in your presence.

²³ Yet I am always with you;
you take hold of my right hand.
²⁴ With your counsel you guide me,
and at the end receive me with honor.
²⁵ Whom else have I in the heavens?
None but you delights me on earth.
²⁶ Though my flesh and my heart fail,
God is the rock of my heart, my portion forever.

²⁷ But those who are far from you perish;
you destroy those unfaithful to you.
²⁸ As for me, to be near God is my good,
to make the Lord GOD my refuge.
I shall declare all your works
in the gates of daughter Zion.

Psalm 74
Prayer at the Destruction of the Temple
¹ [A maskil of Asaph.]
Why, God, have you cast us off forever?
Why does your anger burn
against the sheep of your pasture?
² Remember your flock that you gathered of old,
the tribe you redeemed as your very own.
Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.
³ Turn your steps toward the utter ruins,
toward the sanctuary devastated by the enemy.

⁴ Your foes roared triumphantly in your shrine;
they set up their own tokens of victory.
⁵ They hacked away like foresters gathering boughs,
swinging their axes in a thicket of trees.
⁶ They smashed all your engraved work,
pounded it with hammer and pick.

⁷ They set your sanctuary on fire;
the abode of your name they razed and profaned.
⁸ They said in their hearts, "Destroy them all!
Burn all the shrines of God in the land!"

⁹ Now we see no signs,
we have no prophets,
no one who knows how long.
¹⁰ How long, O God, shall the enemy jeer?
Shall the foe revile your name forever?
¹¹ Why draw back your right hand,
why keep it idle beneath your cloak?

¹² Yet you, God, are my king from of old,
winning victories throughout the earth.
¹³ You stirred up the sea in your might;
you smashed the heads of the dragons on the waters.
¹⁴ You crushed the heads of Leviathan,
tossed him for food to the sharks.

¹⁵ You opened up springs and torrents,
brought dry land out of the primeval waters.
¹⁶ Yours the day and yours the night;
you set the moon and sun in place.
¹⁷ You fixed all the limits of the earth;
summer and winter you made.

¹⁸ Remember how the enemy has jeered, O LORD,
how a foolish people has reviled your name.
¹⁹ Do not surrender to beasts those who praise you;
do not forget forever the life of your afflicted.

²⁰ Look to your covenant,
for the land is filled with gloom;
the pastures, with violence.
²¹ Let not the oppressed turn back in shame;
may the poor and needy praise your name.

²² Arise, God, defend your cause;
remember the constant jeers of the fools.
²³ Do not ignore the clamor of your foes,
the unceasing uproar of your enemies.

Psalm 75
God the Judge of the World
¹ [For the leader. Do not destroy! A psalm of Asaph; a song.]
² We thank you, God, we give thanks;
we call upon your name,
declare your wonderful deeds.
You said:
³ "I will choose the time;
I will judge fairly.
⁴ The earth and all its inhabitants will quake,
but I have firmly set its pillars."

⁵ So I say to the boastful: "Do not boast!"
to the wicked: "Do not raise your horns!
⁶ Do not raise your horns against heaven!
Do not speak arrogantly against the Rock!"

⁷ For judgment comes not from east or from west,
not from the desert or from the mountains,
⁸ But from God who decides,
who brings some low and raises others high.

⁹ Yes, a cup is in the LORD's hand,
foaming wine, fully spiced.
When he pours it out,
they will drain it even to the dregs;
all the wicked of the earth must drink.

¹⁰ But I will rejoice forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
¹¹ Who has said:
"I will break off all the horns of the wicked,
but the horns of the just shall be lifted up."

Psalm 76
God Defends Zion
¹ [For the leader; a psalm with stringed instruments. A song of Asaph.]
² God is renowned in,
his name is great in Israel.
³ On Salem is his tent, a shelter on Zion.
⁴ There the flashing arrows were shattered,
shield, sword, and weapons of war.

⁵ Terrible and awesome are you,
stronger than the ancient mountains.
⁶ Despoiled are the bold warriors;
they sleep their final sleep;
the hands of all the mighty have failed.
⁷ At your roar, O God of Jacob,
chariots and steeds lay still.

⁸ So terrible and awesome are you,
who can stand before you and your great anger?
⁹ From the heavens you pronounced sentence;
the earth was terrified and reduced to silence,
¹⁰ When you arose, O God, for judgment,
to deliver the afflicted of the land.

¹¹ Even wrathful Edom praises you;
the remnant of Hamath keeps your feast.

¹² Make and keep vows to the LORD, your God.
May all present bring gifts to this awesome God,
¹³ Who checks the pride of princes,
inspires awe among the kings of the earth.

Psalm 77
Confidence in God during National Distress
¹ [For the leader; `al Jeduthun. A psalm of Asaph.]
² I cry aloud to God,
cry to God to hear me.
³ On the day of my distress I seek the Lord;
by night my hands are raised unceasingly;
I refuse to be consoled.

⁴ When I think of God, I groan;
as I ponder, my spirit grows faints.
⁵ My eyes cannot close in sleep;
I am troubled and cannot speak.
⁶ I consider the days of old;
the years long past ⁷I remember.
In the night I meditate in my heart;
I ponder and my spirit broods:

⁸ "Will the Lord reject us forever,
never again show favor?
⁹ Has God's love ceased forever?
Has the promise failed for all ages?
¹⁰ Has God forgotten mercy,
in anger withheld compassion?"
¹¹ I conclude: "My sorrow is this,
the right hand of the Most High has left us."

¹² I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, your wonders of old I will remember.
¹³ I will recite all your works;
your exploits I will tell.

¹⁴ Your way, O God, is holy;
what god is as great as our God?
¹⁵ You alone are the God who did wonders;
among the peoples you revealed your might.
¹⁶ With your arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

¹⁷ The waters saw you, God;
the waters saw you and lashed about,
trembled even to their depths.
¹⁸ The clouds poured down their rains;
the thunderheads rumbled;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
¹⁹ The thunder of your chariot wheels resounded;
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.

²⁰ Your path was through the sea;
your way, through the mighty waters,
though your footsteps were unseen.
²¹ You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78
A New Beginning in Zion and David
¹ [A maskil of Asaph.]
Attend, my people, to my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
² I will open my mouth in story,
drawing lessons from of old.
³ We have heard them, we know them;
our ancestors have recited them to us.
⁴ We do not keep them from our children;
we recite them to the next generation,
The praiseworthy and mighty deeds of the LORD,
the wonders that he performed.
⁵ God set up a decree in Jacob,
established a law in Israel:
What he commanded our ancestors,
they were to teach their children;
⁶ That the next generation might come to know,
children yet to be born.
In turn they were to recite them to their children,
⁷ that they, too, might put their trust in God,
And not forget the works of God,
keeping his commandments.
⁸ They were not to be like their ancestors,
a rebellious and defiant generation,
A generation whose heart was not constant,
whose spirit was not faithful to God,
⁹ Like the ranks of Ephraimite archers,
who retreated on the day of battle.
¹⁰ They did not keep God's covenant;
they refused to walk by his law.
¹¹ They forgot his works,
the wondrous deeds he had shown them.

II

A
¹² In the sight of their ancestors God did wonders,
in the land of Egypt, the plain of Zoan.
¹³ He split the sea and led them across,
piling up the waters rigid as walls.
¹⁴ He led them with a cloud by day,
all night with the light of fire.
¹⁵ He split rock in the desert,
gave water to drink, abounding as the deep.
¹⁶ He made streams flow from crags,
drew out rivers of water.

B
¹⁷ But they went on sinning against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸ They tested God in their hearts,
demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹ They spoke against God, and said,
"Can God spread a table in the desert?
²⁰ True, when he struck the rock,
water gushed forth,
the wadis flooded.
But can he also provide bread,
give meat to his people?"

C
²¹ The LORD heard and grew angry;
fire blazed up against Jacob;
anger flared up against Israel.
²² For they did not believe in God,
did not trust in his saving power.
²³ So he commanded the skies above;
the doors of heaven he opened.
²⁴ He rained manna upon them for food;
bread from heaven he gave them.
²⁵ All ate a meal fit for heroes;
food he sent in abundance.
²⁶ He stirred up the east wind in the heavens;
by his power he brought on the south wind.
²⁷ He rained meat upon them like dust,
winged fowl like the sands of the sea,
²⁸ Brought them down in the midst of the camp,
round about their tents.
²⁹ They ate and were well filled;
he gave them what they had craved.
³⁰ But while they still wanted more,
and the food was still in their mouths,
³¹ God's anger attacked them,
killed their best warriors,
laid low the youth of Israel.
³² In spite of all this they went on sinning,
they did not believe in God's wonders.

D
³³ God ended their days abruptly,
their years in sudden death.
³⁴ When he slew them, they began to seek him;
they again inquired of their God.
³⁵ They remembered that God was their rock,
God Most High, their redeemer.
³⁶ But they deceived him with their mouths,
lied to him with their tongues.
³⁷ Their hearts were not constant toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
³⁸ But he is merciful and forgave their sin;
he did not utterly destroy them.
Time and again he turned back his anger,
unwilling to unleash all his rage.
³⁹ He was mindful that they were flesh,
a breath that passes and does not return.

III
A
⁴⁰ How often they rebelled against him in the desert,
grieved him in the wasteland.
⁴¹ Again and again they tested God,
provoked the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They did not remember his power,
the day he redeemed them from the foe,
⁴³ When he displayed his wonders in Egypt,
his marvels in the plain of Zoan.
⁴⁴ He changed their rivers to blood;
their streams they could not drink.
⁴⁵ He sent insects that devoured them,
frogs that destroyed them.
⁴⁶ He gave their harvest to the caterpillar,
the fruits of their labor to the locust.
⁴⁷ He killed their vines with hail,
their sycamores with frost.
⁴⁸ He exposed their flocks to deadly hail,
their cattle to lightning.
⁴⁹ He unleashed against them his fiery breath,
roar, fury, and distress,
storming messengers of death.
⁵⁰ He cleared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death;
he delivered their beasts to the plague.
⁵¹ He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,
love's first child in the tents of Ham.
⁵² He led forth his people like sheep;
he guided them through the desert like a flock.
⁵³ He led them on secure and unafraid,
but the sea enveloped their enemies.
⁵⁴ He brought them to his holy land,
the mountain his right hand had won.
⁵⁵ He drove out the nations before them,
apportioned them a heritage by lot,
settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

B
⁵⁶ But they tested, rebelled against God Most High;
his decrees they did not observe.
⁵⁷ They turned back, deceitful like their ancestors;
they proved false like a bow with no tension.
⁵⁸ They enraged him with their high places;
with their idols they goaded him.

C
⁵⁹ God heard and grew angry;
he rejected Israel completely.
⁶⁰ He forsook the shrine at Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt with humans.
⁶¹ He gave up his might into captivity,
his glorious ark into the hands of the foe.
⁶² He abandoned his people to the sword;
he was enraged against his heritage.
⁶³ Fire consumed their young men;
their young women heard no wedding songs.
⁶⁴ Their priests fell by the sword;
their widows made no lamentation.

D
⁶⁵ Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a warrior from the effects of wine.
⁶⁶ He put his enemies to flight;
everlasting shame he dealt them.
⁶⁷ He rejected the tent of Joseph,
chose not the tribe of Ephraim.
⁶⁸ He chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which he favored.
⁶⁹ He built his shrine like the heavens,
like the earth which he founded forever.
⁷⁰ He chose David his servant,
took him from the sheepfold.
⁷¹ From tending sheep God brought him,
to shepherd Jacob, his people,
Israel, his heritage.
⁷² He shepherded them with a pure heart;
with skilled hands he guided them.

Psalm 79
A Prayer for Jerusalem
¹ [A psalm of Asaph.]
O God, the nations have invaded your heritage;
they have defiled your holy temple,
have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
² They have left the corpses of your servants
as food for the birds of the heavens,
the flesh of your faithful, for the beasts of the earth.

³ They have spilled their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and no one is left to bury them.
⁴ We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.

⁵ How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever?
Will your rage keep burning like fire?
⁶ Pour out your wrath on nations that reject you,
on kingdoms that do not call on your name,
⁷ For they have devoured Jacob,
laid waste his home.
⁸ Do not hold past iniquities against us;
may your compassion come quickly,
for we have been brought very low.

⁹ Help us, God our savior,
for the glory of your name.
Deliver us, pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
¹⁰ Why should the nations say,
"Where is their God?"
Before our eyes, make clear to the nations
that you avenge the blood of your servants.

¹¹ Let the groans of prisoners come before you;
by your great power, free those doomed to death.
¹² Lord, inflict on our neighbors sevenfold
the disgrace they inflicted on you.
¹³ Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all ages we will declare your praise.

Psalm 80
Prayer to Restore God's Vineyard
¹ [For the leader; according to "Lilies." Eduth. A psalm of Asaph.]
² Shepherd of Israel, listen,
guide of the flock of Joseph!
From your throne upon the cherubim reveal yourself
³ to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.

Stir up your power; come to save us.
⁴ LORD of hosts, restore us;
let your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

⁵ LORD of hosts,
how long will you burn with anger
while your people pray?
⁶ You have fed them the bread of tears,
made them drink tears in abundance.

⁷ You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors;
our enemies deride us.
⁸ LORD of hosts, restore us;
let your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

⁹ You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
¹⁰ You cleared the ground;
it took root and filled the land.
¹¹ The mountains were covered by its shadow,
the cedars of God by its branches.
¹² It sent out boughs as far as the sea,
shoots as far as the river.

¹³ Why have you broken down the walls,
so that all who pass by pluck its fruit?
¹⁴ The boar from the forest strips the vine;
the beast of the field feeds upon it.

¹⁵ Turn again, LORD of hosts;
look from heaven and see;
Attend to this vine,
¹⁶ the shoot your right hand has planted.
¹⁷ Those who would burn and cut it down--
may they perish at your rebuke.

¹⁸ May your help be with the one at your right hand,
with the one whom you made strong.
¹⁹ Then we will not withdraw from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.
²⁰ LORD of hosts, restore us;
let your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

Psalm 81
An Admonition to Fidelity
¹ [For the leader; "upon the gittith." Of Asaph.]
² Sing joyfully to God our strength;
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob!
³ Take up a melody, sound the timbrel,
the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.

⁴ Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our solemn feast.
⁵ For this is a law in Israel,
an edict of the God of Jacob,
⁶ Who made it a decree for Joseph
when he came out of the land of Egypt.

I hear a new oracle:
⁷ "I relieved their shoulders of the burden;
their hands put down the basket.
⁸ In distress you called and I rescued you;
unseen, I spoke to you in thunder;

At the waters of Meribah I tested you and said:
⁹ `Listen, my people, I give you warning!
If only you will obey me, Israel!
¹⁰ There must be no foreign god among you;
you must not worship an alien god.
¹¹ I, the LORD, am your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth that I may fill it.'

¹² But my people did not listen to my words;
Israel did not obey me.
¹³ So I gave them over to hardness of heart;
they followed their own designs.
¹⁴ But even now, if my people would listen,
if Israel would walk in my paths,
¹⁵ In a moment I would subdue their foes,
against their enemies unleash my hand.

¹⁶ Those who hate the LORD would tremble,
their doom sealed forever.
¹⁷ But Israel I would feed with the finest wheat,
satisfy them with honey from the rock."

Psalm 82
The Downfall of Unjust Gods
¹ [A psalm of Asaph.]
God rises in the divine council,
gives judgment in the midst of the gods.
² "How long will you judge unjustly
and favor the cause of the wicked?
³ Defend the lowly and fatherless;
render justice to the afflicted and needy.
⁴ Rescue the lowly and poor;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

⁵ The gods neither know nor understand,
wandering about in darkness,
and all the world's foundations shake.
⁶ I declare: "Gods though you be,
offspring of the Most High all of you,
⁷ Yet like any mortal you shall die;
like any prince you shall fall."
⁸ Arise, O God, judge the earth,
for yours are all the nations.

Psalm 83
Prayer against a Hostile Alliance
¹ [A song; a psalm of Asaph.]
² God, do not be silent;
God, be not still and unmoved!
³ See how your enemies rage;
your foes proudly raise their heads.
⁴ They conspire against your people;
plot against those you protect.
⁵ They say, "Come, let us wipe out their nation;
let Israel's name be mentioned no more!"

⁶ They scheme with one mind,
in league against you:
⁷ The tents of Ishmael and Edom,
the people of Moab and Hagar,
⁸ Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.
⁹ Assyria, too, in league with them
gives aid to the descendants of Lot.

¹⁰ Deal with them as with Midian;
as with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent Kishon,
¹¹ Those destroyed at Endor,
who became dung for the ground.
¹² Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
¹³ Who made a plan together,
"Let us seize the pastures of God."

¹⁴ My God, turn them into withered grass,
into chaff flying before the wind.
¹⁵ As a fire raging through a forest,
a flame setting mountains ablaze,
¹⁶ Pursue them with your tempest;
terrify them with your storm.

¹⁷ Cover their faces with shame,
till they pay you homage, LORD.
¹⁸ Let them be dismayed and shamed forever;
let them perish in disgrace.
¹⁹ Show them you alone are the LORD,
the Most High over all the earth.

Psalm 85
Prayer for Divine Favor
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites]
² You once favored, LORD, your land,
restored the good fortune of Jacob.
³ You forgave the guilt of your people,
pardoned all their sins.
⁴ You withdrew all your wrath,
turned back your burning anger.

⁵ Restore us once more, God our savior;
abandon your wrath against us.
⁶ Will you be angry with us forever,
drag out your anger for all generations?
⁷ Please give us life again,
that your people may rejoice in you.
⁸ Show us, LORD, your love;
grant us your salvation.

⁹ I will listen for the word of God;
surely the LORD will proclaim peace
To his people, to the faithful,
to those who trust in him.
¹⁰ Near indeed is salvation for the loyal;
prosperity will fill our land.

¹¹ Love and truth will meet;
justice and peace will kiss.
¹² Truth will spring from the earth;
justice will look down from heaven.
¹³ The LORD will surely grant abundance;
our land will yield its increase.
¹⁴ Prosperity will march before him,
and good fortune will follow behind.

Psalm 86
Prayer in Time of Distress
¹ [A prayer of David.]
Hear me, LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and oppressed.
² Preserve my life, for I am loyal;
save your servant who trusts in you.
³ You are my God; pity me, Lord;
to you I call all the day.

⁴ Gladden the soul of your servant;
to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.
⁵ Lord, you are kind and forgiving,
most loving to all who call on you.
⁶ LORD, hear my prayer;
listen to my cry for help.
⁷ In this time of trouble I call,
for you will answer me.

⁸ None among the gods can equal you, O Lord;
nor can their deeds compare to yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made shall come
to bow before you, Lord,
and give honor to your name.
¹⁰ For you are great and do wondrous deeds;
and you alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me, LORD, your way
that I may walk in your truth,
single-hearted and revering your name.
¹² I will praise you with all my heart,
glorify your name forever, Lord my God.
¹³ Your love for me is great;
you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol.
¹⁴ O God, the arrogant have risen against me;
a ruthless band has sought my life;
to you they pay no heed.

¹⁵ But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger, most loving and true.
¹⁶ Turn to me, have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant;
save this child of your handmaid.
¹⁷ Give me a sign of your favor:
make my enemies see, to their confusion,
that you, LORD, help and comfort me.

Psalm 87
Zion the True Birthplace of Diaspora Pilgrims
¹ [A psalm of the Korahites. A song.]
The LORD loves the city
founded on holy mountains,
² God loves the gates of Zion
more than any dwelling in Jacob.
³ Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!

⁴ From Babylon and Egypt I count
those who acknowledge the LORD.
Philistia, Ethiopia, Tyre,
of them it can be said:
"This one was born there."
⁵ But of Zion it must be said:
"They all were born here."

The Most High confirms this;
⁶ the Lord notes in the register of the peoples:
"This one was born here."
⁷ So all sing in their festive dance:
"Within you is my true home."

Psalm 88
A Despairing Lament

¹ [A song; a psalm of the Korahites. For the leader; according to Mahalath. For singing; a maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.]
² LORD, my God, I call out by day;
at night I cry aloud in your presence.
³ Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry.
⁴ For my soul is filled with troubles;
my life draws near to Sheol.

⁵ I am reckoned with those who go down to the pit;
I am weak, without strength.
⁶ My couch is among the dead,
with the slain who lie in the grave.
You remember them no more;
they are cut off from your care.

⁷ You plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the darkness of the abyss.
⁸ Your wrath lies heavy upon me;
all your waves crash over me.
⁹ Because of you, my friends shun me;
you make me loathsome to them;
Caged in, I cannot escape;
¹⁰ my eyes grow dim from trouble.

All day I call on you, LORD;
I stretch out my hands to you.
¹¹ Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the shades arise and praise you?
¹² Is your love proclaimed in the grave,
your fidelity in the tomb?
¹³ Are your marvels declared in the darkness,
your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

¹⁴ But I cry out to you, LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
¹⁵ Why do you reject me, LORD?
Why hide your face from me?
¹⁶ I am mortally afflicted since youth;
lifeless, I suffer your terrible blows.

¹⁷ Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have reduced me to silence.
¹⁸ All the day they surge round like a flood;
from every side they close in on me.
¹⁹ Because of you, companions shun me;
my only friend is darkness.

Psalm 89
A Lament over God's Promise to David
¹ [A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.]
² The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
proclaim your loyalty through all ages.
³ For you said, "My love is established forever;
my loyalty will stand as long as the heavens.
⁴ I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
⁵ I will make your dynasty stand forever
and establish your throne through all ages."

⁶ The heavens praise your marvels, LORD,
your loyalty in the assembly of the holy ones.
⁷ Who in the skies ranks with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the gods?
⁸ A God dreaded in the council of the holy ones,
greater and more awesome than all who sit there!

⁹ LORD, God of hosts, who is like you?
Mighty LORD, your loyalty is always present.
¹⁰ You rule the raging sea;
you still its swelling waves.
¹¹ You crushed Rahab with a mortal blow;
your strong arm scattered your foes.

¹² Yours are the heavens, yours the earth;
you founded the world and everything in it.
¹³ Zaphon and Amanus you created;
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name.
¹⁴ Mighty your arm, strong your hand,
your right hand is ever exalted.

¹⁵ Justice and judgment are the foundation of your throne;
love and loyalty march before you.
¹⁶ Happy the people who know you, LORD,
who walk in the radiance of your face.
¹⁷ In your name they sing joyfully all the day;
at your victory they raise the festal shout.

¹⁸ You are their majestic strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁹ Truly the LORD is our shield,
the Holy One of Israel, our king!

²⁰ Once you spoke in vision;
to your faithful ones you said:
"I have set a leader over the warriors;
I have raised up a hero from the army.
²¹ I have chosen David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him.

²² My hand will be with him;
my arm will make him strong.
²³ No enemy shall outwit him,
nor shall the wicked defeat him.
²⁴ I will crush his foes before him,
strike down those who hate him.

²⁵ My loyalty and love will be with him;
through my name his horn will be exalted.
²⁶ I will set his hand upon the sea,
his right hand upon the rivers.
²⁷ He shall cry to me, `You are my father,
my God, the Rock that brings me victory!'

²⁸ I myself make him firstborn,
Most High over the kings of the earth.
²⁹ Forever I will maintain my love for him;
my covenant with him stands firm.
³⁰ I will establish his dynasty forever,
his throne as the days of the heavens.

³¹ If his descendants forsake my law,
do not follow my decrees,
³² If they fail to observe my statutes,
do not keep my commandments,
³³ I will punish their crime with a rod
and their guilt with lashes.

³⁴ But I will not take my love from him,
nor will I betray my bond of loyalty.
³⁵ I will not violate my covenant;
the promise of my lips I will not alter.
³⁶ By my holiness I swore once for all:
I will never be false to David.

³⁷ His dynasty will continue forever,
his throne, like the sun before me.
³⁸ Like the moon it will stand eternal,
forever firm like the sky!"

³⁹ But now you have rejected and spurned,
been enraged at your anointed.
⁴⁰ You renounced the covenant with your servant,
defiled his crown in the dust.
⁴¹ You broke down all his defenses,
left his strongholds in ruins.
⁴² All who pass through seize plunder;
his neighbors deride him.

⁴³ You have exalted the right hand of his foes,
have gladdened all his enemies.
⁴⁴ You turned back his sharp sword,
did not support him in battle.

⁴⁵ You brought to an end his splendor,
hurled his throne to the ground.
⁴⁶ You cut short the days of his youth,
covered him with shame.

⁴⁷ How long, LORD?
Will you stay hidden forever?
Must your wrath smoulder like fire?
⁴⁸ Remember how brief is my life,
how frail the race you created!
⁴⁹ What mortal can live and not see death?
Who can escape the power of Sheol

⁵⁰ Where are your promises of old, Lord,
the loyalty sworn to David?
⁵¹ Remember, Lord, the insults to your servants,
how I bear all the slanders of the nations.
⁵² Your enemies, LORD, insult your anointed;
they insult my every endeavor.

* * * *

⁵³ Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and amen!
FOURTH BOOK -- PSALMS 90-106
Psalm 90
God's Eternity and Human Frailty
¹ [A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.]
Lord, you have been our refuge
through all generations.
² Before the mountains were born,
the earth and the world brought forth,
from eternity to eternity you are God.
⁴ A thousand years in your eyes
are merely yesterday,
³ But humans you return to the dust,
saying, "Return, you mortals!"

^4c Before a watch passes in the night,
⁵ you have brought them to their end;
They disappear like sleep at dawn,
they are like grass that dies.
⁶ It sprouts green in the morning;
by evening it is dry and withered.

⁷ Truly we are consumed by your anger,
filled with terror by your wrath.
⁸ You have kept our faults before you,
our hidden sins are exposed to your sight.

⁹ Our life ebbs away under your wrath;
our years end like a sigh.
¹⁰ Seventy is the sum of our years,
or eighty, if we are strong;
Most of them are sorrow and toil;
they passed quickly, we are all but gone.

¹¹ Who comprehends your terrible anger?
Your wrath matches the fear it inspires.
¹² Teach us to count our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.

¹³ Relent, LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
¹⁴ Fill us at daybreak with your love,
that all our days we may sing for joy.
¹⁵ Make us glad as many days as you humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.

¹⁶ Show your deeds to your servants,
your glory to their children.
¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God be ours.
Prosper the work of our hands!
Prosper the work of our hands!

Psalm 91
Security Under God's Protection
¹ You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
² Say to the LORD, "My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust."

³ He will rescue you from the fowler's snare,
from the destroying plague,
⁴ Will shelter you with pinions,
spread wings that you may take refuge;
his faithfulness is a protecting shield.

⁵ You shall not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,
nor the plague that ravages at noon.
⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
near you it shall not come.

⁸ You need simply watch;
the punishment of the wicked you will see.
⁹ You have the LORD for your refuge;
you have made the Most High your stronghold.

¹⁰ No evil shall befall you,
no affliction come near your tent.
¹¹ For he commands his angels
to guard you in all your ways.
¹² With their hands they shall support you,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You shall tread upon the asp and the viper,
trample the lion and the dragon.

¹⁴ Whoever clings to me I will deliver;
whoever knows my name I will set on high.
¹⁵ All who call upon me I will answer;
I will be with them in distress;
I will deliver them and give them honor.
¹⁶ With length of days I will satisfy them
and show them my saving power."

Psalm 92
A Hymn of Thanksgiving for God's Fidelity
¹ [A psalm. A sabbath song.]
² It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
³ To proclaim your love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the night,
⁴ With the ten-stringed harp,
with melody upon the lyre.
⁵ For you make me jubilant, LORD, by your deeds;
at the works of your hands I shout for joy.

⁶ How great are your works, LORD!
How profound your purpose!
⁷ A senseless person cannot know this;
a fool cannot comprehend.

⁸ Though the wicked flourish like grass
and all sinners thrive,
They are destined for eternal destruction,
⁹ for you, LORD, are forever on high.
¹⁰ Indeed your enemies, LORD,
indeed your enemies shall perish;
all sinners shall be scattered.

¹¹ You have given me the strength of a wild bull;
you have poured rich oil upon me.
¹² My eyes look with glee on my wicked enemies;
my ears delight in the fall of my foes.

¹³ The just shall flourish like the palm tree,
shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
¹⁴ Planted in the house of the LORD,
they shall flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁵ They shall bear fruit even in old age,
always vigorous and sturdy,
¹⁶ As they proclaim: "The LORD is just;
our rock, in whom there is no wrong."

Psalm 93
God is a Mighty King
¹ The LORD is king, robed with majesty;
the LORD is robed, girded with might.
The world will surely stand in place,
never to be moved.
² Your throne stands firm from of old;
you are from everlasting, LORD.

³ The flood has raised up, LORD;
the flood has raised up its roar;
the flood has raised its pounding waves.
⁴ More powerful than the roar of many waters,
more powerful than the breakers of the sea,
powerful in the heavens is the LORD.

⁵ Your decrees are firmly established;
holiness belongs to your house, LORD,
for all the length of days.

Psalm 94
A Prayer for Deliverance from the Wicked
I
¹ LORD, avenging God,
avenging God, shine forth!
² Rise up, judge of the earth;
give the proud what they deserve.
II
³ How long, LORD, shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked glory?
⁴ How long will they mouth haughty speeches,
go on boasting, all these evildoers?
⁵ They crush your people, LORD,
torment your very own.
⁶ They kill the widow and alien;
the fatherless they murder.
⁷ They say, "The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice."
III
⁸ Understand, you stupid people!
You fools, when will you be wise?
⁹ Does the one who shaped the ear not hear?
The one who formed the eye not see?
¹⁰ Does the one who guides nations not rebuke?
The one who teaches humans not have knowledge?
¹¹ The LORD does know human plans;
they are only puffs of air.
IV
¹² Happy those whom you guide, LORD,
whom you teach by your instruction.
¹³ You give them rest from evil days,
while a pit is being dug for the wicked.
¹⁴ The LORD will not forsake his people,
nor abandon his very own;
¹⁵ Judgment shall again be just,
and all the upright of heart will follow it.
V
¹⁶ Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
¹⁷ If the LORD were not my help,
I would long have been silent in the grave.
¹⁸ When I say, "My foot is slipping,"
your love, LORD, holds me up.
¹⁹ When cares increase within me,
your comfort gives me joy.
VI
²⁰ Can unjust judges be your allies,
those who create burdens in the name of law,
²¹ Those who conspire against the just
and condemn the innocent to death?
²² No, the LORD is my secure height,
my God, the rock where I find refuge,
²³ Who will turn back their evil upon them
and destroy them for their wickedness.
Surely the LORD, our God, will destroy them!
Psalm 95
A Call to Praise and Obedience
I
¹ Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
cry out to the rock of our salvation.
² Let us greet him with a song of praise,
joyfully sing our psalms to him.
³ For the LORD is the great God,
the great king over all gods,
⁴ Whose hand holds the depths of the earth;
who owns the tops of the mountains.
⁵ The sea and dry land belong to him,
who made them, formed them by hand.
II
⁶ Enter, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
⁷ For this is our God,
whose people we are,
God's well-tended flock.
III
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
⁸ Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on the day of Massah in the desert.
⁹ There your ancestors tested me;
they tried me though they had seen my works.
¹⁰ Forty years I loathed that generation;
I said: "This people's heart goes astray;
they do not know my ways."
¹¹ Therefore I swore in my anger:
"They shall never enter my rest."

Psalm 96
God of the Universe
I
¹ Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
² Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
announce salvation day after day.
³ Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his marvelous deeds.
II
⁴ For great is the LORD and highly to be praised,
to be feared above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the nations do nothing,
but the LORD made the heavens.
⁶ Splendor and power go before him;
power and grandeur are in his holy place.
III
⁷ Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and might;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
⁸ Bring gifts and enter his courts;
bow down to the LORD, splendid in holiness.
⁹ Tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king.
¹⁰ The world will surely stand fast,
never to be moved.
he rules the peoples with fairness.
IV
¹¹ Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them.
¹² Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice
before the LORD who comes,
who comes to govern the earth,
¹³ To govern the world with justice
and the peoples with faithfulness.

Psalm 97
The Divine Ruler of All
I
¹ The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
² Cloud and darkness surround him;
justice and right are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him,
everywhere it consumes his foes.
⁴ His lightning illumines the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
II
⁷ All who serve idols are put to shame,
who glory in worthless things;
all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
and the cities of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments, O LORD.
⁹ You, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ The LORD loves those who hate evil,
protects the lives of his faithful,
rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns for the just;
gladness, for the honest of heart.
¹² Rejoice in the LORD, you just,
and praise his holy name.

Psalm 98
The Coming of God
¹ [A psalm.]
I
Sing a new song to the LORD,
who has done marvelous deeds,
Whose right hand and holy arm
have won the victory.
² The LORD has made his victory known;
has revealed his triumph for the nations to see,
³ Has remembered his faithful love
toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
II
⁴ Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth;
break into song; sing praise.
⁵ Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout with joy to the King, the LORD.
III
⁷ Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell there.
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy,
⁹ Before the LORD who comes,
who comes to govern the earth,
To govern the world with justice
and the peoples with fairness.

Psalm 99
The Holy King
I
¹ The LORD is king, the peoples tremble;
God is enthroned on the cherubim, the earth quakes.
² The LORD is great on Zion,
exalted above all the peoples.
³ Let them praise your great and awesome name:
Holy is God!
II
⁴ O mighty king, lover of justice,
you alone have established fairness;
you have created just rule in Jacob.
⁵ Exalt the LORD, our God;
bow down before his footstool;
holy is God!
III
⁶ Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel among those who called on his name;
they called on the LORD, who answered them.
⁷ From the pillar of cloud God spoke to them;
they kept his decrees, the law he had given.
⁸ O LORD, our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God,
though you punished their offenses.
⁹ Exalt the LORD, our God;
bow down before his holy mountain;
holy is the LORD, our God.

Psalm 100
Processional Hymn

¹ [A psalm of thanksgiving.]
Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
² worship the LORD with cries of gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
³ Know that the LORD is God,
our maker to whom we belong,
whose people we are, God's well-tended flock.
⁴ Enter his gates with praise,
his courts with thanksgiving.
Give thanks to him, bless his name;
⁵ good indeed is the LORD,
Whose love endures forever,
whose faithfulness lasts through every age.

Psalm 101
Norm of Life for Rulers
¹ [A psalm of David.]
I
I sing of love and justice;
to you, LORD, I sing praise.
² I follow in the way of integrity;
when will you come to me?
I act with integrity of heart
within my royal court.
³ I do not allow into my presence
anyone who speaks perversely.
Whoever acts shamefully, I hate;
no such person can be my friend.
⁴ I shun the devious of heart;
the wicked I do not tolerate.
⁵ Whoever slanders another in secret,
I reduce to silence.
Haughty eyes and arrogant hearts
I cannot endure.
II
⁶ I look to the faithful of the land;
they alone can be my companions.
Those who follow in the way of integrity,
they alone can enter my service.
⁷ No one who practices deceit
can hold a post in my court.
No one who speaks falsely
can be among my advisors.
⁸ Each morning I clear the wicked from the land,
and rid the LORD's city of all its evildoers.

Psalm 102
Prayer in Time of Distress
¹ [The prayer of one afflicted and wasting away whose anguish is poured out before the LORD.]
I
² LORD, hear my prayer;
let my cry come to you.
³ Do not hide your face from me
now that I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
when I call, answer me quickly.

⁴ For my days vanish like smoke;
my bones burn away as in a furnace.
⁵ I am withered, dried up like grass,
too wasted to eat my food.
⁶ From my loud groaning
I become just skin and bones.
⁷ I am like a desert owl,
like an owl among the ruins.
⁸ I lie awake and moan,
like a lone sparrow on the roof.
⁹ All day long my enemies taunt me;
in their rage, they make my name a curse.
¹⁰ I eat ashes like bread,
mingle my drink with tears
¹¹ Because of your furious wrath;
you lifted me up just to cast me down.
¹² My days are like a lengthening shadow;
I wither like the grass.
II
¹³ But you, LORD, are enthroned forever;
your renown is for all generations.
¹⁴ You will again show mercy to Zion;
for now is the time for pity;
the appointed time has come.
¹⁵ Its stones are dear to your servants;
its dust moves them to pity.
¹⁶ The nations shall revere your name, LORD,
all the kings of the earth, your glory,
¹⁷ Once the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory,
¹⁸ Heeding the plea of the lowly,
not scorning their prayer.
¹⁹ Let this be written for the next generation,
for a people not yet born,
that they may praise the LORD:
²⁰ "The LORD looked down from his holy heights,
viewed the earth from heaven,
²¹ To attend to the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
²² Then the LORD's name will be declared on Zion,
his praise in Jerusalem,
²³ When all peoples and kingdoms gather
to worship the LORD.
III
²⁴ He has shattered my strength in mid-course,
has cut short my days.
²⁵ I plead, O my God,
do not take me in the midst of my days;
your years last through all generations.
²⁶ Of old you laid the earth's foundations;
the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁷ They perish, but you remain;
they all wear out like a garment;
Like clothing you change them and they are changed,
²⁸ but you are the same, your years have no end.
²⁹ May the children of your servants live on;
may their descendants live in your presence.

Psalm 103
Praise of Divine Goodness
¹ [Of David.]
I
Bless the LORD, my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name!
² Bless the LORD, my soul;
do not forget all his gifts,
³ Who pardons all your sins,
heals all your ills,
⁴ Delivers your life from the pit,
surrounds you with love and compassion,
⁵ Fills your days with good things;
your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

II
⁶ The LORD does righteous deeds,
brings justice to all the oppressed.
⁷ He revealed his ways to Moses,
his mighty deeds to the people of Israel.
⁸ Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness.
⁹ He does not always rebuke,
nurses no lasting anger,
¹⁰ Has not dealt with us as our sins merit,
nor requited us as our deeds deserve.

III
¹¹ As the heavens tower over the earth,
so his love towers over the faithful.
¹² As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.
¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on the faithful.
¹⁴ For he knows how we are formed,
remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ Our days are like the grass;
like flowers of the field, we blossom.
¹⁶ The wind sweeps over us and we are gone;
our place knows us no more.
¹⁷ But the LORD's kindness is forever
toward the faithful from age to age.
He favors the children's children
¹⁸ of those who keep his covenant,
who take care to fulfill his precepts.

IV
¹⁹ The LORD has established his throne in heaven;
his royal power rules over all.
²⁰ Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
mighty in strength and attentive,
obedient to every command.
²¹ Bless the LORD, all you his hosts,
ministers who do his will.
²² Bless the LORD, all his creatures,
everywhere in his domain.
Bless the LORD, my soul!
Psalm 104
Praise of God the Creator
¹ Bless the LORD, my soul!
LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
² robed in light as with a cloak.
You spread out the heavens like a tent;
³ you raised your palace upon the waters.

You make the clouds your chariot;
you travel on the wings of the wind.
⁴ You make the winds your messengers;
flaming fire, your ministers.

⁵ You fixed the earth on its foundation,
never to be moved.
⁶ The ocean covered it like a garment;
above the mountains the waters stood.
⁷ At your roar, they took flight;
at the sound of your thunder, they fled.
⁸ They rushed up the mountains, down the valleys
to the place you had fixed for them.
⁹ You set a limit they cannot pass;
never again will they cover the earth.

¹⁰ You made springs flow into channels
that wind among the mountains.
¹¹ They give drink to every beast of the field;
here wild asses quench their thirst.
¹² Beside them, the birds of heaven nest;
among the branches, they sing.

¹³ You water the mountains from your palace;
by your labor, the earth abounds.
¹⁴ You raise grass for the cattle
and plants for our beasts of burden.
You bring bread from the earth,
¹⁵ and wine to gladden our hearts,
Oil to make our faces gleam,
food to build our strength.

¹⁶ The trees of the LORD drink their fill,
the cedars of Lebanon, which you planted.
¹⁷ There the birds build their nests;
junipers are the home of the stork.
¹⁸ The high mountains are for wild goats;
the rocky cliffs, a refuge for badgers.

¹⁹ You made the moon to mark the seasons,
the sun to know the hour of its setting.
²⁰ You bring darkness and night falls,
then all the beasts of the forest roam abroad.
²¹ Young lions roar for prey;
they seek their food from God.
²² When the sun rises, they steal away
and rest in their dens.
²³ People go forth to their work,
to their labor till evening falls.

²⁴ How varied are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Look at the sea, great and wide!
It teems with countless beings,
living things both large and small.
²⁶ Here ships ply their course;
here Leviathan, your creature, plays.

²⁷ All of these look to you
to give them food in due time.
²⁸ When you give to them, they gather;
when you open your hand, they are well filled.
²⁹ When you hide your face, they are lost.
When you take away their breath, they perish
and return to the dust from which they came.
³⁰ When you send forth your breath, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

³¹ May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
³² If he glares at the earth, it trembles;
if he touches the mountains, they smoke!

³³ I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
³⁴ May my theme be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in the LORD.
³⁵ May sinners vanish from the earth,
and the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, my soul! Hallelujah!
Psalm 105
God's Fidelity to the Promise
¹ Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the peoples his deeds!
² Sing his praise, play music for him; ???
proclaim all his wondrous deeds!
³ Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
⁴ Rely on the LORD and his might;
constantly seek his face.
⁵ Recall the wondrous deeds he has done,
his signs and his words of judgment,
⁶ You descendants of Abraham his servant,
offspring of Jacob his chosen one!

⁷ The LORD is our God,
who rules the whole earth.
⁸ He remembers forever his covenant,
the pact imposed for a thousand generations,
⁹ Which was made with Abraham,
confirmed by oath to Isaac,
¹⁰ And ratified as binding for Jacob,
an everlasting covenant for Israel:
¹¹ "To you I give the land of Canaan
your own allotted heritage."

¹² When they were few in number,
a handful, and strangers there,
¹³ Wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another,
¹⁴ He let no one oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
¹⁵ "Do not touch my anointed,
to my prophets do no harm."

¹⁶ Then he called down a famine on the land,
destroyed the grain that sustained them.
¹⁷ He had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
¹⁸ They shackled his feet with chains;
collared his neck in iron,
¹⁹ Till his prediction came to pass,
and the word of the LORD proved him true.

²⁰ The king sent and released him;
the ruler of peoples set him free.
²¹ He made him lord over his palace,
ruler over all his possessions,
²² To instruct his princes by his word,
to teach his elders wisdom.

²³ Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob lived in the land of Ham.
²⁴ God greatly increased his people,
made them too many for their foes.
²⁵ He turned their hearts to hate his people,
to treat his servants unfairly.

²⁶ He sent his servant Moses,
Aaron whom he had chosen.
²⁷ They worked his signs in Egypt
and wonders in the land of Ham.
²⁸ He sent darkness and it grew dark,
but they rebelled against his word.
²⁹ He turned their waters into blood,
and killed all their fish.

³⁰ Their land swarmed with frogs,
even the chambers of their kings.
³¹ He spoke and there came swarms of flies,
gnats through all their country.
³² For rain he gave them hail,
flashes of lightning throughout their land.

³³ He struck down their vines and fig trees,
shattered the trees of their country.
³⁴ He spoke and the locusts came,
grasshoppers without number.
³⁵ They devoured every plant in the land;
they ravaged the crops of their fields.

³⁶ He struck down every firstborn in the land,
the first fruits of all their vigor.
³⁷ He brought his people out,
laden with silver and gold;
no stragglers among the tribes.
³⁸ Egypt rejoiced when they left,
for panic had seized them.

³⁹ He spread a cloud as a cover,
and made a fire to light up the night.
⁴⁰ They asked and he brought them quail;
with bread from heaven he filled them.
⁴¹ He split the rock and water gushed forth;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
⁴² For he remembered his sacred word
to Abraham his servant.

⁴³ He brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with shouts of triumph.
⁴⁴ He gave them the lands of the nations,
the wealth of the peoples to own,
⁴⁵ That they might keep his laws
and observe his teachings.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 106
Israel's Confession of Sin
¹ [Hallelujah!]
A
Give thanks to the LORD, who is good,
whose love endures forever.
² Who can tell the mighty deeds of the LORD,
proclaim in full his praise?
³ Happy those who do what is right,
whose deeds are always just.
⁴ Remember me, LORD, as you favor your people;
come to me with your saving help,
⁵ That I may see the prosperity of your chosen,
rejoice in the joy of your people,
and glory with your heritage.

B
⁶ We have sinned like our ancestors;
we have done wrong and are guilty.
⁷ Our ancestors in Egypt
did not attend to your wonders.
They did not remember your great love;
they defied the Most High at the Red Sea.

⁸ Yet he saved them for his name's sake
to make his power known.
⁹ He roared at the Red Sea and it dried up.
He led them through the deep as through a desert.
¹⁰ He rescued them from hostile hands,
freed them from the power of the enemy.
¹¹ The waters covered their oppressors;
not one of them survived.
¹² Then they believed his words
and sang songs in praise of him.

II
¹³ But they soon forgot all he had done;
they had no patience for his plan.
¹⁴ In the desert they gave way to their cravings,
tempted God in the wasteland.
¹⁵ So he gave them what they asked
and sent among them a wasting disease.

III
¹⁶ In the camp they challenged Moses
and Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.
¹⁷ The earth opened and swallowed Dathan;
it closed on the followers of Abiram.
¹⁸ Against that company the fire blazed;
flames consumed the wicked.

IV
¹⁹ At Horeb they fashioned a calf,
worshiped a metal statue.
²⁰ They exchanged their glorious God
for the image of a grass-eating bull.
²¹ They forgot the God who saved them,
who did great deeds in Egypt,
²² Amazing deeds in the land of Ham,
fearsome deeds at the Red Sea.
²³ He would have decreed their destruction,
had not Moses, the chosen leader,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destroying anger.

V
²⁴ Next they despised the beautiful land;
they did not believe the promise.
²⁵ In their tents they complained;
they did not obey the LORD.
²⁶ So with raised hand he swore
to destroy them in the desert,
²⁷ To scatter their descendants among the nations,
disperse them in foreign lands.

VI
²⁸ They joined in the rites of Baal of Peor,
ate food sacrificed to dead gods.
²⁹ They provoked him by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
³⁰ Then Phinehas rose to intervene,
and the plague was brought to a halt.
³¹ This was counted for him as a righteous deed
for all generations to come.

VII
³² At the waters of Meribah they angered God,
and Moses suffered because of them.
³³ They so embittered his spirit
that rash words crossed his lips.

VIII
³⁴ They did not destroy the peoples
as the LORD had commanded them,
³⁵ But mingled with the nations
and imitated their ways.
³⁶ They worshiped their idols
and were ensnared by them.
³⁷ They sacrificed to the gods
their own sons and daughters,
³⁸ Shedding innocent blood,
the blood of their own sons and daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
desecrating the land with bloodshed.
³⁹ They defiled themselves by their actions,
became adulterers by their conduct.
⁴⁰ So the LORD grew angry with his people,
abhorred his own heritage.
⁴¹ He handed them over to the nations,
and their adversaries ruled them.
⁴² Their enemies oppressed them,
kept them under subjection.
⁴³ Many times did he rescue them,
but they kept rebelling and scheming
and were brought low by their own guilt.
⁴⁴ Still he had regard for their affliction
when he heard their wailing.
⁴⁵ For their sake he remembered his covenant
and relented in his abundant love,
⁴⁶ Winning compassion for them
from all who held them captive.

C
⁴⁷ Save us, LORD, our God;
gather us from among the nations,
That we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in praising you.

* * *

⁴⁸ Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
Let all the people say, "Amen!
Hallelujah!"
FIFTH BOOK - PSALMS 107-150
Psalm 107
God the Savior of Those in Distress
¹ "Give thanks to the LORD who is good,
whose love endures forever!"
² Let that be the prayer of the LORD's redeemed,
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
³ And gathered from foreign lands,
from east and west, from north and south.

I
⁴ Some had lost their way in the barren desert;
found no path toward a city to live in.
⁵ They were hungry and thirsty;
their life was ebbing away.
⁶ In their distress they cried to the LORD,
who rescued them in their peril,
⁷ Guided them by a direct path
so they reached a city to live in.
⁸ Let them thank the LORD for such kindness,
such wondrous deeds for mere mortals.
⁹ For he satisfied the thirsty,
filled the hungry with good things.

II
¹⁰ Some lived in darkness and gloom,
in prison, bound with chains,
¹¹ Because they rebelled against God's word,
scorned the counsel of the Most High,
¹² Who humbled their hearts through hardship;
they stumbled with no one to help.

¹³ In their distress they cried to the LORD,
who saved them in their peril,
¹⁴ Led them forth from darkness and gloom
and broke their chains asunder.
¹⁵ Let them thank the LORD for such kindness,
such wondrous deeds for mere mortals.
¹⁶ For he broke down the gates of bronze
and snapped the bars of iron.

III
¹⁷ Some fell sick from their wicked ways,
afflicted because of their sins.
¹⁸ They loathed all manner of food;
they were at the gates of death.
¹⁹ In their distress they cried to the LORD,
who saved them in their peril,
²⁰ Sent forth the word to heal them,
snatched them from the grave.
²¹ Let them thank the LORD for such kindness,
such wondrous deeds for mere mortals.
²² Let them offer a sacrifice in thanks,
declare his works with shouts of joy.

IV
²³ Some went off to sea in ships,
plied their trade on the deep waters.
²⁴ They saw the works of the LORD,
the wonders of God in the deep.
²⁵ He spoke and roused a storm wind;
it tossed the waves on high.
²⁶ They rose up to the heavens, sank to the depths;
their hearts trembled at the danger.
²⁷ They reeled, staggered like drunkards;
their skill was of no avail.
²⁸ In their distress, they cried to the LORD,
who brought them out of their peril,
²⁹ Hushed the storm to a murmur;
the waves of the sea were stilled.
³⁰ They rejoiced that the sea grew calm,
that he brought them to the harbor they longed for.
³¹ Let them thank the LORD for such kindness,
such wondrous deeds for mere mortals.
³² Let them praise him in the assembly of the people,
thank him in the council of the elders.

V
³³ He changed rivers into desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
³⁴ Fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its people.
³⁵ He changed the desert into pools of water,
arid land into springs of water,
³⁶ And settled the hungry there;
they built a city to live in.
³⁷ They sowed fields and planted vineyards,
brought in an abundant harvest.
³⁸ He blessed them, they became very many,
and their livestock did not decrease.
⁴⁰ But he poured out contempt on princes,
made them wander the trackless wastes,
³⁹ Where they were diminished and brought low
through misery and cruel oppression,
⁴¹ While the poor were released from their affliction,
their families increased like their flocks.
⁴² The upright saw this and rejoiced;
all wickedness shut its mouth.
⁴³ Whoever is wise will take note of these things,
will ponder the merciful deeds of the LORD.

Psalm 108
Prayer for Victory

¹ [A song; a psalm of David]
I
² My heart is steadfast, God;
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and chant praise.
³ Awake, my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
⁴ I will praise you among the peoples, LORD;
I will chant your praise among the nations.
⁵ For your love towers to the heavens;
your faithfulness, to the skies.
⁶ Appear on high over the heavens, God;
may your glory appear above all the earth.
⁷ Help with your right hand and answer us
that your loved ones may escape.

II
⁸ God promised in the sanctuary:
"I will exult, I will apportion Shechem;
the valley of Succoth I will measure out.
⁹ Gilead is mine, mine is Manasseh;
Ephraim is the helmet for my head,
Judah, my own scepter.
¹⁰ Moab is my washbowl;
upon Edom I cast my sandal;
I will triumph over Philistia."

III
¹¹ Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me into Edom?
¹² Was it not you who rejected us, God?
Do you no longer march with our armies?
¹³ Give us aid against the foe;
worthless is human help.
¹⁴ We will triumph with the help of God,
who will trample down our foes.

Psalm 109
Prayer of a Person Falsely Accused
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
I
O God, whom I praise, do not be silent,
² for wicked and treacherous mouths attack me.
They speak against me with lying tongues;
³ with hateful words they surround me,
attacking me without cause.
⁴ In return for my love, they slander me,
even though I prayed for them.
⁵ They repay me evil for good,
hatred for my love.

II
My enemies say of me:
⁶ "Find a lying witness,
an accuser to stand by his right hand,
⁷ That he may be judged and found guilty,
that his plea may be in vain.
⁸ May his days be few;
may another take his office.
⁹ May his children be fatherless,
his wife, a widow.
¹⁰ May his children be vagrant beggars,
driven from their hovels.
¹¹ May the usurer snare all he owns,
strangers plunder all he earns.
¹² May no one treat him kindly
or pity his fatherless children.
¹³ May his posterity be destroyed,
his name cease in the next generation.
¹⁴ May the LORD remember his father's guilt;
his mother's sin not be canceled.
¹⁵ May their guilt be always before the LORD,
till their memory is banished from the earth,
¹⁶ For he did not remember to show kindness,
but hounded the wretched poor
and brought death to the brokenhearted.
¹⁷ He loved cursing; may it come upon him;
he hated blessing; may none come to him.
¹⁸ May cursing clothe him like a robe;
may it enter his belly like water,
seep into his bones like oil.
¹⁹ May it be as near as the clothes he wears,
as the belt always around him."

III
²⁰ May the LORD bring all this upon my accusers,
upon those who speak evil against me.
²¹ But you, LORD, my God,
deal kindly with me for your name's sake;
in your great mercy rescue me.
²² For I am sorely in need;
my heart is pierced within me.
²³ Like a lengthening shadow I near my end,
all but swept away like the locust.
²⁴ My knees totter from fasting;
my flesh has wasted away.
²⁵ I have become a mockery to them;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
²⁶ Help me, LORD, my God;
save me in your kindness.
²⁷ Make them know this is your hand,
that you, LORD, have acted.
²⁸ Though they curse, may you bless;
shame my foes, that your servant may rejoice.
²⁹ Clothe my accusers with disgrace;
make them wear shame like a mantle.
³⁰ I will give fervent thanks to the LORD;
before all I will praise him.
³¹ For he stands at the right hand of the poor
to defend them against unjust accusers.

Psalm 110
God Appoints the King both King and Priest
¹ [A psalm of David.]
The LORD says to you, my lord:
"Take your throne at my right hand,
while I make your enemies your footstool."
² The scepter of your sovereign might
the LORD will extend from Zion.
The LORD says: "Rule over your enemies!
³ Yours is princely power from the day of your birth.
In holy splendor before the daystar,
like the dew, I begot you."
⁴ The LORD has sworn and will not waver:
"Like Melchizedek you are a priest forever."
⁵ At your right hand is the Lord,
who crushes kings on the day of his wrath,
⁶ Who, robed in splendor, judges nations,
crushes heads across the wide earth,
⁷ Who drinks from the brook by the wayside
and thus holds high his head.

Psalm 111
Praise of God for Goodness to Israel
¹ [Hallelujah!]
I will praise the LORD with all my heart
in the assembled congregation of the upright.
² Great are the works of the LORD,
to be treasured for all their delights.
³ Majestic and glorious his work,
his wise design endures forever.
⁴ He won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD,
⁵ He gave food to those who fear him,
mindful of his covenant forever.
⁶ He showed powerful deeds to his people,
giving them the lands of the nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are right and true,
reliable all his decrees,
⁸ Established forever and ever,
to be observed with loyalty and care.
⁹ He sent deliverance to his people,
ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
prudent are all who live by it.
His praise endures forever.

Psalm 112
The Blessings of the Just
¹ [Hallelujah!]
Happy are those who fear the LORD,
who greatly delight in his commands.
² Their descendants shall be mighty in the land,
a generation upright and blessed.
³ Wealth and riches shall be in their homes;
their prosperity shall endure forever.
⁴ They shine through the darkness,
a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and just.

⁵ All goes well for those gracious in lending,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
⁶ They shall never be shaken;
the just shall be remembered forever.
⁷ They shall not fear an ill report;
their hearts are steadfast,
trusting in the LORD.

⁸ Their hearts are tranquil, without fear,
till at last they look down on their foes.
⁹ Lavishly they give to the poor;
their prosperity shall endure forever;
their horn shall be exalted in honor.
¹⁰ The wicked shall be angry to see this;
they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the desires of the wicked come to nothing.

Psalm 113
Praise of God's Care of the Poor
¹ [Hallelujah!]
I
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
² Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
³ From the rising of the sun to its setting
let the name of the LORD be praised.

II
⁴ High above all nations is the LORD,
above the heavens his glory.
⁵ Who is like the LORD,
our God enthroned on high,
⁶ looking down on heaven and earth?
⁷ He raises the needy from the dust,
lifts the poor from the ash heap,
⁸ Seats them with princes,
the princes of the people,
⁹ Gives the childless wife a home,
as the joyful mother of children.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 114
The Lord's Wonders at the Exodus
¹ When Israel came forth from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from an alien people,
² Judah became God's holy place,
Israel, his domain.
³ The sea beheld and fled;
the Jordan turned back.
⁴ The mountains skipped like rams;
the hills, like lambs of the flock.
⁵ Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?
⁶ You mountains, that you skipped like rams?
You hills, like lambs of the flock?
⁷ Tremble, earth, before the Lord,
before the God of Jacob,
⁸ Who turned rock into pools of water,
stone into flowing springs.

Psalm 115
The Greatness of the True God
I
¹ Not to us, LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory,
because of your faithfulness and love.
² Why should the nations say,
"Where is their God?"
³ Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever he wills.

II
⁴ Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
⁵ They have mouths but do not speak,
eyes but do not see.
⁶ They have ears but do not hear,
noses but do not smell.
⁷ They have hands but do not feel,
feet but do not walk,
and no sound rises from their throats.
⁸ Their makers shall be like them,
all who trust in them.

III
⁹ The house of Israel trusts in the LORD,
who is its help and shield.
¹⁰ The house of Aaron trusts in the LORD,
who is its help and shield.
¹¹ Those who fear the LORD trust in the LORD,
who is their help and shield.
¹² The LORD remembers us and will bless us,
will bless the house of Israel,
will bless the house of Aaron,
¹³ Will bless those who fear the LORD,
small and great alike.
¹⁴ May the LORD increase your number,
you and your descendants.
¹⁵ May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
¹⁶ The heavens belong to the LORD,
but the earth is given to us.
¹⁷ The dead do not praise the LORD,
all those gone down into silence.
¹⁸ It is we who bless the LORD,
both now and forever.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 116
Thanksgiving to God Who Saves from Death
I
¹ I love the LORD, who listened
to my voice in supplication,
² Who turned an ear to me
the day I called.
³ I was caught by the cords of death;
the snares of Sheol had seized me;
I felt agony and dread.
⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD,
"O LORD, save my life!"

II
⁵ Gracious is the LORD and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
⁶ The LORD protects the simple;
I was helpless, but he saved me.
⁷ Return, my soul, to your rest;
the LORD has been good to you.
⁸ For you have freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
⁹ I shall walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.

III
¹⁰ I kept faith, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted!"
¹¹ I said in my alarm,
"No one can be trusted!"
¹² How can I repay the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
¹³ I will raise the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.
¹⁴ I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵ Too costly in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful.
¹⁶ LORD, I am your servant,
your servant, the child of your maidservant;
you have loosed my bonds.
¹⁷ I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the LORD.
¹⁸ I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹ In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 117
The Nations Called to Praise
¹ Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Give glory, all you peoples!
² His love for us is strong;
the LORD is faithful forever.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 118
Hymn of Thanksgiving
I
¹ Give thanks to the LORD, who is good,
whose love endures forever.
² Let the house of Israel say:
his love endures forever.
³ Let the house of Aaron say,
his love endures forever.
⁴ Let those who fear the LORD say,
his love endures forever.

II
⁵ In danger I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me free.
⁶ The LORD is with me; I am not afraid;
what can mortals do against me?
⁷ The LORD is with me as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on my foes.
⁸ Better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put one's trust in mortals.
⁹ Better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put one's trust in rulers.

III
¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me;
in the LORD's name I crushed them.
¹¹ They surrounded me on every side;
in the LORD's name I crushed them.
¹² They surrounded me like bees;
they blazed like fire among thorns;
in the LORD's name I crushed them.
¹³ I was hard pressed and falling,
but the LORD came to my help.
¹⁴ The LORD, my strength and might,
came to me as savior.

IV
¹⁵ The joyful shout of deliverance
is heard in the tents of the victors:
"The LORD's right hand strikes with power;
¹⁶ the LORD's right hand is raised;
the LORD's right hand strikes with power."
¹⁷ I shall not die but live
and declare the deeds of the LORD.
¹⁸ The LORD chastised me harshly,
but did not hand me over to death.

V
¹⁹ Open the gates of victory;
I will enter and thank the LORD.
²⁰ This is the LORD's own gate,
where the victors enter.
²¹ I thank you for you have answered me;
you have been my savior.
²² The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
²³ By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice in it and be glad.
²⁵ LORD, grant salvation!
LORD, grant good fortune!

VI
²⁶ Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the LORD.
We bless you from the LORD's house.
²⁷ The LORD is God and has given us light.
Join in procession with leafy branches
up to the horns of the altar.

VII
²⁸ You are my God, I give you thanks;
my God, I offer you praise.
²⁹ Give thanks to the LORD, who is good,
whose love endures forever.

Psalm 119
A Prayer to God, the Lawgiver
Aleph
¹ Happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk by the teaching of the LORD.
² Happy are those who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
³ They do no wrong;
they walk in his ways.
⁴ You have given them the command
to keep your precepts with care.

⁵ May my ways be firm
in the observance of your laws!
⁶ Then I will not be ashamed
to ponder all your commands.

⁷ I will praise you with sincere heart
as I study your just edicts.
⁸ I will keep your laws;
do not leave me all alone.

Beth
⁹ How can the young walk without fault?
Only by keeping your words.
¹⁰ With all my heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ In my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.

¹² Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your laws.
¹³ With my lips I recite
all the edicts you have spoken.
¹⁴ I find joy in the way of your decrees
more than in all riches.

¹⁵ I will ponder your precepts
and consider your paths.
¹⁶ In your laws I take delight;
I will never forget your word.

Gimel
¹⁷ Be kind to your servant that I may live,
that I may keep your word.
¹⁸ Open my eyes to see clearly
the wonders of your teachings.
¹⁹ I am a sojourner in the land;
do not hide your commands from me.

²⁰ At all times my soul is stirred
with longing for your edicts.
²¹ With a curse you rebuke the proud
who stray from your commands.
²² Free me from disgrace and contempt,
for I observe your decrees.

²³ Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant studies your laws.
²⁴ Your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.

Daleth
²⁵ I lie prostrate in the dust;
in accord with your word, strengthen me.
²⁶ I disclosed my ways and you answered me;
teach me your laws.
²⁷ Make me understand the way of your precepts;
I will ponder your wondrous deeds.

²⁸ I weep in bitter pain;
by your word strengthen me.
²⁹ Lead me from the way of deceit;
favor me with your teaching.
³⁰ The way of loyalty I have chosen;
I have set your edicts before me.

³¹ I cling to your decrees, LORD;
do not let me come to shame.
³² I will run the way of your commands,
for you open my docile heart.

He
³³ LORD, teach me the way of your laws;
I shall observe them with care.
³⁴ Give me insight to observe your teaching,
to keep it with all my heart.
³⁵ Lead me in the path of your commands,
for that is my delight.

³⁶ Direct my heart toward your decrees
and away from unjust gain.
³⁷ Avert my eyes from what is worthless;
by your way give me life.

³⁸ For your servant fulfill your promise
made to those who fear you.
³⁹ Turn away from me the taunts I dread,
for your edicts bring good.
⁴⁰ See how I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.

Waw
⁴¹ Let your love come to me, LORD,
salvation in accord with your promise.
⁴² Let me answer my taunters with a word,
for I trust in your word.
⁴³ Do not take the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your edicts is my hope.

⁴⁴ I will keep your teachings always,
for all time and forever.
⁴⁵ I will walk freely in an open space,
because I cherish your precepts.
⁴⁶ I will speak openly of your decrees,
without fear, even before kings.

⁴⁷ I delight in your commands,
which I dearly love.
⁴⁸ I lift up my hands to your commands;
I study your laws, which I love.

Zayin
⁴⁹ Remember your word to your servant
by which you give me hope.
⁵⁰ This is my comfort in affliction,
your promise that gives me life.

⁵¹ Though the arrogant utterly scorn me,
I do not turn from your teaching.
⁵² When I recite your edicts of old,
I am comforted, LORD.
⁵³ Rage seizes me because of the wicked;
they forsake your teaching.

⁵⁴ Your laws become my songs
wherever I make my home.
⁵⁵ Even at night I remember your name,
in observance of your teaching, LORD.
⁵⁶ This is my good fortune,
for I have observed your precepts.

Heth
⁵⁷ My portion is the LORD;
I promise to keep your words.
⁵⁸ I entreat you with all my heart:
have mercy on me in accord with your promise.
⁵⁹ I have examined my ways
and turned my steps to your decrees.

⁶⁰ I am prompt, I do not hesitate
in keeping your commands.
⁶¹ Though the snares of the wicked surround me,
your teaching I do not forget.
⁶² At midnight I rise to praise you
because your edicts are just.

⁶³ I am the friend of all who fear you,
of all who keep your precepts.
⁶⁴ The earth, LORD, is filled with your love;
teach me your laws.

Teth
⁶⁵ You have treated your servant well,
according to your word, O LORD.
⁶⁶ Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I hold to your promise.

⁶⁸ You are good and do what is good;
teach me your laws.
⁶⁹ The arrogant smear me with lies,
but I observe your precepts with all my heart.
⁷⁰ Their hearts are gross and fat;
as for me, your teaching is my delight.

⁷¹ It was good for me to be afflicted,
in order to learn your laws.
⁷² Teaching from your lips is more precious to me
than heaps of silver and gold.

Yodh
⁷³ Your hands made me and fashioned me;
give me insight to learn your commands.
⁷⁴ Those who fear you rejoice to see me,
because I hope in your word.
⁷⁵ I know, LORD, that your edicts are just;
though you afflict me, you are faithful.

⁷⁶ May your love comfort me
in accord with your promise to your servant.
⁷⁷ Show me compassion that I may live,
for your teaching is my delight.

⁷⁸ Shame the proud for oppressing me unjustly,
that I may study your precepts.
⁷⁹ Let those who fear you turn to me,
those who acknowledge your decrees.
⁸⁰ May I be wholehearted toward your laws,
that I may not be put to shame.

Kaph
⁸¹ My soul longs for your salvation;
I put my hope in your word.
⁸² My eyes long to see your promise.
When will you comfort me?

⁸³ I am like a wineskin shriveled by smoke,
but I have not forgotten your laws.
⁸⁴ How long can your servant survive?
When will your edict doom my foes?

⁸⁵ The arrogant have dug pits for me;
defying your teaching.
⁸⁶ All your commands are steadfast.
Help me! I am pursued without cause.
⁸⁷ They have almost ended my life on earth,
but I do not forsake your precepts.
⁸⁸ In your kindness give me life,
to keep the decrees you have spoken.

Lamedh
⁸⁹ Your word, LORD, stands forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
⁹⁰ Through all generations your truth endures,
fixed to stand firm like the earth.
⁹¹ By your edicts they stand firm to this day,
for all things are your servants.

⁹² Had your teaching not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
⁹³ I will never forget your precepts;
through them you give me life.
⁹⁴ I am yours; save me,
for I cherish your precepts.

⁹⁵ The wicked hope to destroy me,
but I pay heed to your decrees.
⁹⁶ I have seen the limits of all perfection,
but your command is without bounds.

Mem
⁹⁷ How I love your teaching, Lord!
I study it all day long.
⁹⁸ Your command makes me wiser than my foes,
for it is always with me.

⁹⁹ I have more understanding than all my teachers,
because I ponder your decrees.
¹⁰⁰ I have more insight than my elders,
because I observe your precepts.

¹⁰¹ I keep my steps from every evil path,
that I may obey your word.
¹⁰² From your edicts I do not turn,
for you have taught them to me.

¹⁰³ How sweet to my tongue is your promise,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ Through your precepts I gain insight;
therefore I hate all false ways.

Nun
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light for my path.
¹⁰⁶ I make a solemn vow
to keep your just edicts.

¹⁰⁷ I am very much afflicted, LORD;
give me life in accord with your word.
¹⁰⁸ Accept my freely offered praise;
LORD, teach me your decrees.

¹⁰⁹ My life is always at risk,
but I do not forget your teaching.
¹¹⁰ The wicked have set snares for me,
but from your precepts I do not stray.

¹¹¹ Your decrees are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
¹¹² My heart is set on fulfilling your laws;
they are my reward forever.

Samekh
¹¹³ I hate every hypocrite;
your teaching I love.
¹¹⁴ You are my refuge and shield;
in your word I hope.
¹¹⁵ Depart from me, you wicked,
that I may observe the commands of my God.

¹¹⁶ Sustain me by your promise that I may live;
do not disappoint me in my hope.
¹¹⁷ Strengthen me, that I may be safe
ever to contemplate your laws.

¹¹⁸ You reject all who stray from your laws,
for vain is their deceit.
¹¹⁹ Like dross you regard all the wicked on earth;
therefore I love your decrees.
¹²⁰ My flesh shudders with dread of you;
I hold your edicts in awe.

Ayin
¹²¹ I have fulfilled your just edict;
do not abandon me to my oppressors.
¹²² Guarantee your servant's welfare;
do not let the arrogant oppress me.

¹²³ My eyes long to see your salvation
and the justice of your promise.
¹²⁴ Act with kindness toward your servant;
teach me your laws.

¹²⁵ I am your servant; give me discernment
that I may know your decrees.
¹²⁶ It is time for the LORD to act;
they have disobeyed your teaching.
¹²⁷ Truly, I love your commands
more than finest gold.
¹²⁸ Thus I follow all your precepts;
every wrong way I hate.

Pe
¹²⁹ Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
¹³⁰ The revelation of your words sheds light,
gives understanding to the simple.

¹³¹ I sigh with open mouth,
yearning for your commands.
¹³² Turn to me and be gracious,
your edict is for lovers of your name.
¹³³ Steady my feet in accord with your promise;
do not let iniquity lead me.
¹³⁴ Free me from human oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.

¹³⁵ Let your face shine upon your servant;
teach me your laws.
¹³⁶ My eyes shed streams of tears
because your teaching is not followed.

Sadhe
¹³⁷ You are righteous, LORD,
and just are your edicts.
¹³⁸ You have issued your decrees in justice
and in surpassing faithfulness.
¹³⁹ I am consumed with rage,
because my foes forget your words.

¹⁴⁰ Your servant loves your promise;
it has been proved by fire.
¹⁴¹ Though belittled and despised,
I do not forget your precepts.
¹⁴² Your justice is forever right,
your teaching forever true.

¹⁴³ Though distress and anguish come upon me,
your commands are my delight.
¹⁴⁴ Your decrees are forever just;
give me discernment that I may live.

Qoph
¹⁴⁵ I call with all my heart, O LORD;
answer me that I may observe your laws.
¹⁴⁶ I call to you to save me
that I may keep your decrees.

¹⁴⁷ I rise before dawn and cry out;
I put my hope in your words.
¹⁴⁸ My eyes greet the night watches
as I meditate on your promise.
¹⁴⁹ Hear my voice in your love, O LORD;
by your edict give me life.
¹⁵⁰ Malicious persecutors draw near me;
they are far from your teaching.

¹⁵¹ You are near, O LORD;
reliable are all your commands.
¹⁵² Long have I known from your decrees
that you have established them forever.

Resh
¹⁵³ Look at my affliction and rescue me,
for I have not forgotten your teaching.
¹⁵⁴ Take up my cause and redeem me;
for the sake of your promise, give me life.
¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from sinners
because they do not cherish your laws.

¹⁵⁶ Your compassion is great, O LORD;
in accord with your edicts give me life.
¹⁵⁷ Though my persecutors and foes are many,
I do not turn from your decrees.
¹⁵⁸ I view the faithless with loathing,
because they do not heed your promise.

¹⁵⁹ See how I love your precepts, LORD;
in your kindness give me life.
¹⁶⁰ Your every word is enduring;
all your just edicts are forever.

Shin
¹⁶¹ Princes persecute me without reason,
but my heart reveres only your word.
¹⁶² I rejoice at your promise,
as one who has found rich spoil.
¹⁶³ Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your teaching I love.

¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise you,
because your edicts are just.
¹⁶⁵ Lovers of your teaching have much peace;
for them there is no stumbling block.

¹⁶⁶ I look for your salvation, LORD,
and I fulfill your commands.
¹⁶⁷ I observe your decrees;
I love them very much.
¹⁶⁸ I observe your precepts and decrees;
all my ways are before you.

Taw
¹⁶⁹ Let my cry come before you, LORD;
in keeping with your word, give me discernment.
¹⁷⁰ Let my prayer come before you;
rescue me according to your promise.

¹⁷¹ May my lips pour forth your praise,
because you teach me your laws.
¹⁷² May my tongue sing of your promise,
for all your commands are just.
¹⁷³ Keep your hand ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.

¹⁷⁴ I long for your salvation, LORD;
your teaching is my delight.
¹⁷⁵ Let me live to praise you;
may your edicts give me help.
¹⁷⁶ I have wandered like a lost sheep;
seek out your servant,
for I do not forget your commands.

Psalm 120
Prayer of a Returned Exile
¹ [A song of ascents.]
I
The LORD answered me
when I called in my distress:
² LORD, deliver me from lying lips,
from treacherous tongues.

II
³ What will he inflict on you,
O treacherous tongue,
and what more besides?
⁴ A warrior's sharpened arrows
and fiery coals of brushwood!

III
⁵ Alas, I was an alien in Meshech,
I lived near the tents of Kedar!
⁶ Too long did I live
among those who hated peace.
⁷ When I spoke of peace,
they were for war.

Psalm 121
The Lord My Guardian
¹ [A song of ascents.]
I
I raise my eyes toward the mountains.
From where will my help come?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth.

II
³ He will not allow your foot to slip;
your guardian does not sleep.
⁴ Truly, the guardian of Israel
never slumbers nor sleeps.
⁵ The LORD is your guardian;
the LORD is your shade
at your right hand.
⁶ By day the sun cannot harm you,
nor the moon by night.
⁷ The LORD will guard you from all evil,
will always guard your life.
⁸ The LORD will guard your coming and going
both now and forever.

Psalm 122
A Pilgrim's Prayer for Jerusalem
¹ [A song of ascents. Of David.]
I
I rejoiced when they said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
² And now our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem.
³ Jerusalem, built as a city
walled round about.
⁴ Here the tribes have come,
the tribes of the LORD,
As it was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
⁵ Here are the thrones of justice,
the thrones of the house of David.

II
⁶ For the peace of Jersusalem pray:
"May those who love you prosper!
⁷ May peace be within your ramparts,
prosperity within your towers."
⁸ For family and friends, I say,
"May peace be yours."
⁹ For the house of the LORD, our God, I pray,
"May blessings be yours."

Psalm 123
Reliance on the Lord
¹ [A song of ascents.]
To you I raise my eyes,
to you enthroned in heaven.
² Yes, like the eyes of a servant
on the hand of his master,
Like the eyes of a maid
on the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes are on the LORD our God,
till he show us favor.
³ Show us favor, LORD, show us favor,
for we have our fill of contempt.
⁴ We have our fill of insult from the insolent,
of disdain from the arrogant.

Psalm 124
God, the Rescuer of the People
¹ [A song of ascents. Of David.]
I
Had not the LORD been with us,
let Israel say,
² Had not the LORD been with us,
when people rose against us,
³ They would have swallowed us alive,
for their fury blazed against us.
⁴ The waters would have engulfed us;
the torrent overwhelmed us;
⁵ seething waters would have drowned us.

II
⁶ Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
to be torn by their fangs.
⁷ We escaped with our lives
like a bird from the fowler's snare;
the snare was broken and we escaped.
⁸ Our help is the name of the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 125
Israel's Protector
¹ [A song of ascents.]
I
Like Mount Zion are they
who trust in the LORD,
unshakable, forever enduring.
² As mountains surround Jerusalem,
the LORD surrounds his people
both now and forever.

II
³ The scepter of the wicked will not prevail
in the land given to the just,
Lest the just themselves
turn their hands to evil.

III
⁴ Do good, LORD, to the good,
to those who are upright of heart.
⁵ But those who turn aside to crooked ways,
may the LORD send down with the wicked.
Peace upon Israel!
Psalm 126
The Reversal of Zion's Fortunes
¹ [A song of ascents.]
I
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
then we thought we were dreaming.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter;
our tongues sang for joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
³ The LORD had done great things for us.
Oh, how happy we were!
⁴ Restore again our fortunes, LORD,
like the dry stream beds of the Negeb.

II
⁵ Those who sow in tears
will reap with cries of joy.
⁶ Those who go forth weeping,
carrying sacks of seed,
Will return with cries of joy,
carrying their bundled sheaves.

Psalm 127
The Need of God's Blessing
¹ [A song of ascents. Of Solomon.]
I
Unless the LORD builds the house,
they labor in vain who build.
Unless the LORD guards the city,
in vain does the guard keep watch.
² It is vain for you to rise early
and put off your rest at night,
To eat bread earned by hard toil--
all this he gives to his beloved in sleep.

II
³ Children too are a gift from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb, a reward.
⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children born in one's youth.
⁵ Blessed are they whose quivers are full.
They will never be shamed
when contending with foes at the gate.

Psalm 128
The Happy Home of the Just
¹ [A song of ascents.]
I
Happy are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.
² What your hands provide you will enjoy;
you will be happy and prosperous:
³ Like a fruitful vine
your wife within your home,
Like olive plants
your children around your table.
⁴ Just so will they be blessed
who fear the LORD.

II
⁵ May the LORD bless you from Zion,
all the days of your life,
That you may share Jerusalem's joy
⁶ and live to see your children's children.
Peace upon Israel!
Psalm 129
Against Israel's Enemies
¹ [A song of ascents.]
I
Much have they oppressed me from my youth,
now let Israel say.
² Much have they oppressed me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed.
³ Upon my back the plowers plowed,
as they traced their long furrows.
⁴ But the just LORD set me free
from the yoke ropes of the wicked.

II
⁵ May they be scattered in disgrace,
all who hate Zion.
⁶ May they be like grass on the rooftops,
withered in early growth,
⁷ Never to fill the reaper's hands,
nor the arms of the binders of sheaves,
⁸ With none passing by to call out:
"The blessing of the LORD be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the LORD!"

Psalm 130
Prayer for Pardon and Mercy
¹ [A song of ascents.]
I
Out of the depths I call to you, LORD;
² Lord, hear my cry!
May your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
³ If you, LORD, mark our sins,
Lord, who can stand?
⁴ But with you is forgiveness
and so you are revered.

II
⁵ I wait with longing for the LORD,
my soul waits for his word.
⁶ My soul looks for the Lord
more than sentinels for daybreak.
More than sentinels for daybreak,
⁷ let Israel look for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness,
with him is full redemption,
⁸ And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.

Psalm 131
Humble Trust in God
¹ [A song of ascents. Of David.]
LORD, my heart is not proud;
nor are my eyes haughty.
I do not busy myself with great matters,
with things too sublime for me.
² Rather, I have stilled my soul,
hushed it like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child on its mother's lap,
so is my soul within me.
³ Israel, hope in the LORD,
now and forever.

Psalm 132
The Covenant between David and God
¹ [A song of ascents.]
I
LORD, remember David
and all his anxious care;
² How he swore an oath to the LORD,
vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
³ "I will not enter the house where I live,
nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
⁴ I will give my eyes no sleep,
my eyelids no rest,
⁵ Till I find a home for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."
⁶ "We have heard of it in Ephrathah;
we have found it in the fields of Jaar.
⁷ Let us enter his dwelling;
let us worship at his footstool."
⁸ "Arise, LORD, come to your resting place,
you and your majestic ark.
⁹ Your priests will be clothed with justice;
your faithful will shout for joy."
¹⁰ For the sake of David your servant,
do not reject your anointed.

II
¹¹ The LORD swore an oath to David,
a pledge he will never break:
"Your own offspring I will set upon your throne.
¹² If your sons observe my covenant,
the laws I shall teach them,
Their sons, in turn,
shall sit forever on your throne."
¹³ Yes, the LORD has chosen Zion,
desired it for his dwelling:
¹⁴ "This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I desire it.
¹⁵ I will bless Zion with meat;
its poor I will fill with bread.
¹⁶ I will clothe its priests with blessing;
its faithful shall shout for joy.
¹⁷ There I will make a horn sprout for David's line;
I will set a lamp for my anointed.
¹⁸ His foes I will clothe with shame,
but on him my crown shall gleam."

Psalm 133
A Vision of a Blessed Community
¹ [A song of ascents. Of David.]
How good it is, how pleasant,
where the people dwell as one!
² Like precious ointment on the head,
running down upon the beard,
Upon the beard of Aaron,
upon the collar of his robe.
³ Like the dew of Hermon coming down
upon the mountains of Zion.
There the LORD has lavished blessings,
life for evermore!

Psalm 134
Exhortation to the Night Watch to Bless God
¹ [A song of ascents.]
Come, bless the LORD,
all you servants of the LORD,
Who stand in the house of the LORD
through the long hours of night.
² Lift up your hands toward the sanctuary,
and bless the LORD.
³ May the LORD who made heaven and earth
bless you from Zion.

Psalm 135
Praise of God, the Ruler and Benefactor of Israel
¹ [Hallelujah!]
I
Praise the name of the LORD!
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
² Who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God!
³ Praise the LORD; the LORD is good!
Sing to his name; it is gracious!
⁴ For the LORD has chosen Jacob,
Israel as his treasured possession.

II
⁵ I know that the LORD is great,
our Lord is greater than all gods.
⁶ Whatever the LORD wishes
he does in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in all the deeps.
⁷ He raises storm clouds from the end of the earth,
makes lightning and rain,
brings forth wind from the storehouse.

III
⁸ He struck down Egypt's firstborn,
human and beast alike,
⁹ And sent signs and portents against you, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
¹⁰ He struck down many nations,
slew mighty kings --
¹¹ Sihon, king of the Amorites,
Og, king of Bashan,
all the kings of Canaan --
¹² And made their land a heritage,
a heritage for Israel his people.
¹³ O LORD, your name is forever,
your renown, from age to age!
¹⁴ For the LORD defends his people,
shows mercy to his servants.

IV
¹⁵ The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
¹⁶ They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
¹⁷ They have ears but hear not;
no breath is in their mouths.
¹⁸ Their makers shall be like them,
all who trust in them.

V
¹⁹ House of Israel, bless the LORD!
House of Aaron, bless the LORD!
²⁰ House of Levi, bless the LORD!
You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
²¹ Blessed from Zion be the LORD,
who dwells in Jerusalem!
Hallelujah!
Psalm 136
Hymn of Thanksgiving for God's Everlasting Love
I
¹ Praise the LORD, who is so good;
his love endures forever;
² Praise the God of gods;
his love endures forever;
³ Praise the Lord of lords;
his love endures forever;

II
⁴ Who alone has done great wonders,
his love endures forever;
⁵ Who skillfully made the heavens,
his love endures forever;
⁶ Who spread the earth upon the waters,
his love endures forever;
⁷ Who made the great lights,
his love endures forever;
⁸ The sun to rule the day,
his love endures forever;
⁹ The moon and stars to rule the night,
his love endures forever;

III
¹⁰ Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
his love endures forever;
¹¹ And led Israel from their midst,
his love endures forever;
¹² With mighty hand and outstretched arm,
his love endures forever;
¹³ Who split in two the Red Sea,
his love endures forever;
¹⁴ And led Israel through,
his love endures forever;
¹⁵ But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
his love endures forever;
¹⁶ Who led his people through the desert,
his love endures forever;
¹⁷ Who struck down great kings,
his love endures forever;
¹⁸ Slew powerful kings,
his love endures forever;
¹⁹ Sihon, king of the Amorites,
his love endures forever;
²⁰ Og, king of Bashan,
his love endures forever;
²¹ And made their lands a heritage,
his love endures forever;
²² A heritage for Israel, his servant,
his love endures forever;

V
²³ Who remembered us in our misery,
his love endures forever;
²⁴ Freed us from our foes,
his love endures forever;
²⁵ And gives food to all flesh,
his love endures forever.

VI
²⁶ Praise the God of heaven,
his love endures forever.

Psalm 137
Sorrow and Hope in Exile
I
¹ By the rivers of Babylon
we sat mourning and weeping
when we remembered Zion.
² On the poplars of that land
we hung up our harps.
³ There our captors asked us
for the words of a song;
Our tormentors, for a joyful song:
"Sing for us a song of Zion!"
⁴ But how could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?

II
⁵ If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand wither.
⁶ May my tongue stick to my palate
if I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
beyond all my delights.

III
⁷ Remember, LORD, against Edom
that day at Jerusalem.
They said: "Level it, level it
down to its foundations!"
⁸ Fair Babylon, you destroyer,
happy those who pay you back
the evil you have done us!
⁹ Happy those who seize your children
and smash them against a rock.

Psalm 138
Hymn of a Grateful Heart
¹ [Of David.]
I
I thank you, LORD, with all my heart;
before the gods to you I sing.
² I bow low toward your holy temple;
I praise your name for your love and fidelity.
For you have exalted over all
your name and your promise.
³ When I cried out, you answered;
you strengthened my spirit.

II
⁴ All the kings of earth will praise you, LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
⁵ They will sing of the ways of the LORD:
"How great is the glory of the LORD!"
⁶ The LORD is on high, but cares for the lowly
and knows the proud from afar.
⁷ Though I walk in the midst of dangers,
you guard my life when my enemies rage.
You stretch out your hand;
your right hand saves me.
⁸ The LORD is with me to the end.
LORD, your love is forever.
Never forsake the work of your hands!

Psalm 139
The All-knowing and Ever-present God
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
I
LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
² you know when I sit and stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
³ My travels and my rest you mark;
with all my ways you are familiar.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
LORD, you know it all.
⁵ Behind and before, you encircle me
and rest your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is beyond me,
far too lofty for me to reach.

II
⁷ Where can I hide from your spirit?
From your presence, where can I flee?
⁸ If I ascend to the heavens, you are there;
if I lie down in Sheol, you are there, too.
⁹ If I fly with the wings of dawn
and alight beyond the sea,
¹⁰ Even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, "Surely darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light" --
¹² Darkness is not dark for you,
and night shines as the day.
Darkness and light are but one.

III
¹³ You formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, so wonderfully you made me;
wonderful are your works!
My very self you knew;
¹⁵ my bones were not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
fashioned as in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes foresaw my actions;
in your book all are written down;
my days were shaped, before one came to be.

IV
¹⁷ How precious to me are your designs, O God;
how vast the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands;
to finish, I would need eternity.
¹⁹ If only you would destroy the wicked, O God,
and the bloodthirsty would depart from me!
²⁰ Deceitfully they invoke your name;
your foes swear faithless oaths.
²¹ Do I not hate, LORD, those who hate you?
Those who rise against you, do I not loathe?
²² With fierce hatred I hate them,
enemies I count as my own.

V
²³ Probe me, God, know my heart;
try me, know my concern.
²⁴ See if my way is crooked,
then lead me in the ancient paths.

Psalm 140
Prayer for Deliverance from the Wicked
¹ [For the leader. A psalm of David.]
I
² Deliver me, LORD, from the wicked;
preserve me from the violent,
³ From those who plan evil in their hearts,
who stir up conflicts every day,
⁴ Who sharpen their tongues like serpents,
venom of asps upon their lips.

II
⁵ Keep me, LORD, from the clutches of the wicked;
preserve me from the violent,
who plot to trip me up.
⁶ The arrogant have set a trap for me;
villains have spread a net,
laid snares for me by the wayside.
⁷ I say to the LORD: You are my God;
listen, LORD, to the words of my prayer,
⁸ My revered LORD, my strong helper,
my helmet on the day of battle.
⁹ LORD, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let their plots succeed.
¹⁰ Around me they raise their proud heads;
may the mischief they threaten overwhelm them.
¹¹ May he rain burning coals upon them,
cast them into the grave never more to rise.

III
¹² Slanderers will not survive on earth;
evil will quickly entrap the violent.
¹³ For I know the LORD will secure
justice for the needy, rights for the poor.
¹⁴ Then the just will give thanks to your name;
the upright will dwell in your presence.

Psalm 141
Prayer for Deliverance from the Wicked
¹ [A psalm of David.]
LORD, I call to you;
come quickly to help me;
listen to my plea when I call.
² Let my prayer be incense before you;
my uplifted hands an evening sacrifice.
³ Set a guard, LORD, before my mouth,
a gatekeeper at my lips.
⁴ Do not let my heart incline to evil
or yield to any sin.
I will never feast upon
the fine food of evildoers.
⁵ Let the just strike me; that is kindness;
let them rebuke me;
that is oil for my head.
All this I shall not refuse,
but will pray despite these trials.
⁶ When their leaders are cast over the cliff,
all will learn that my prayers were heard.
⁷ As when a farmer plows a field into broken clods,
so their bones will be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
⁸ My eyes are upon you, O GOD, my Lord;
in you I take refuge;
do not strip me of life.
⁹ Guard me from the trap they have set for me,
from the snares of evildoers.
¹⁰ Into their own nets let all the wicked fall,
while I make good my own escape.

Psalm 142
A Prayer in Time of Trouble
¹ [A maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.]
² With full voice I cry to the LORD;
with full voice I beseech the LORD.
³ Before him I pour out my complaint,
lay bare my distress.
⁴ My spirit is faint within me,
but you know my path.
Along the way I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
⁵ I look to my right hand,
but no friend is there.
There is no escape for me;
no one cares for me.
⁶ I cry out to you, LORD,
I say, "You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living."
⁷ Listen to my cry for help,
for I am brought very low.
Rescue me from my pursuers,
for they are too strong for me.
⁸ Lead me out of my prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Then the just shall gather around me
because you have been good to me.

Psalm 143
A Prayer in Distress
¹ [A psalm of David.]
LORD, hear my prayer;
in your faithfulness listen to my pleading;
answer me in your justice.
² Do not enter into judgment with your servant;
before you no living being can be just.
³ The enemy has pursued me;
they have crushed my life to the ground.
They have left me in darkness
like those long dead.
⁴ My spirit is faint within me;
my heart is dismayed.
⁵ I remember the days of old;
I ponder all your deeds;
the works of your hands I recall.
⁶ I stretch out my hands to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.
⁷ Hasten to answer me, LORD;
for my spirit fails me.
Do not hide your face from me,
lest I become like those descending to the pit.
⁸ At dawn let me hear of your kindness,
for in you I trust.
Show me the path I should walk,
for to you I entrust my life.
⁹ Rescue me, LORD, from my foes,
for in you I hope.
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your kind spirit guide me
on ground that is level.
¹¹ For your name's sake, LORD, give me life;
in your justice lead me out of distress.
¹² In your kindness put an end to my foes;
destroy all who attack me,
for I am your servant.

Psalm 144
A Prayer for Victory and Prosperity
¹ [Of David.]
I
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war;
² My safeguard and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust,
who subdues peoples under me.

II
³ LORD, what are mortals that you notice them;
humans beings, that you take thought of them?
⁴ They are but a breath;
their days are like a passing shadow.
⁵ LORD, incline your heavens and come;
touch the mountains and make them smoke.
⁶ Flash forth lightning and scatter my foes;
shoot your arrows and rout them.
⁷ Reach out your hand from on high;
deliver me from the many waters;
rescue me from the hands of foreign foes.
⁸ Their mouths speak untruth;
their right hands are raised in lying oaths.
⁹ O God, a new song I will sing to you;
on a ten-stringed lyre I will play for you.
¹⁰ You give victory to kings;
you deliver David your servant.
From the menacing sword ¹¹deliver me;
rescue me from the hands of foreign foes.
Their mouths speak untruth;
their right hands are raised in lying oaths.

III
¹² May our sons be like plants
well nurtured from their youth,
Our daughters, like carved columns,
shapely as those of the temple.
¹³ May our barns be full
with every kind of store.
May our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields;
may our oxen be well fattened.
¹⁴ May there be no breach in the walls,
no exile, no outcry in our streets.
¹⁵ Happy the people so blessed;
happy the people whose God is the LORD.

Psalm 145
The Greatness and Goodness of God
¹ [Praise. Of David.]
I will extol you, my God and king;
I will bless your name forever.
² Every day I will bless you;
I will praise your name forever.
³ Great is the LORD and worthy of high praise;
his grandeur is beyond understanding.
⁴ One generation praises your deeds to the next
and proclaims your mighty works.
⁵ They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory,
tell of your wonderful deeds.
⁶ They speak of your fearsome power,
and attest to your great deeds.
⁷ They publish the renown of your abounding goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
⁸ The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in love.
⁹ The LORD is good to all,
his compassion is over all his works.
¹⁰ All your works give you thanks, O LORD;
your faithful bless you.
¹¹ They speak of the glory of your reign
and tell of your great works,
¹² Making known to all your power,
the glorious splendor of your rule.
¹³ Your reign is a reign for all ages,
your dominion for all generations.

The LORD is trustworthy in all his words,
and faithful in all his works.
¹⁴ The LORD supports all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look hopefully to you;
you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶ You open wide your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷ The LORD is just in all his ways,
faithful in all his works.
¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
¹⁹ He satisfies the desire of those who fear him;
hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰ The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he destroys.
²¹ My mouth will speak the praises of the LORD;
all flesh will bless his holy name forever.

Psalm 146
Trust in God the Creator and Redeemer
¹ [Hallelujah!]
² Praise the LORD, my soul;
I shall praise the LORD all my life,
sing praise to my God while I live.

I
³ Put no trust in princes,
in mere mortals powerless to save.
⁴ When they breathe their last, they return to the earth;
that day all their planning comes to nothing.

II
⁵ Happy those whose help is Jacob's God,
whose hope is in the LORD, their God,
⁶ The maker of heaven and earth,
the seas, and all that is in them,
Who keeps faith forever,
⁷ secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free;
⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD protects the stranger,
sustains the orphan and the widow,
but thwarts the way of the wicked.
¹⁰ The LORD shall reign forever,
your God, Zion, through all generations!
Hallelujah!
Psalm 147
God's Word Restores Jerusalem
¹ [Hallelujah!]
I
How good to celebrate our God in song;
how sweet to give fitting praise.
² The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem,
gathers the dispersed of Israel,
³ Heals the brokenhearted,
binds up their wounds,
⁴ Numbers all the stars,
calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord, vast in power,
his wisdom beyond measure.
⁶ The LORD sustains the poor,
but casts the wicked to the ground.

II
⁷ Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
with the lyre celebrate our God,
⁸ Who covers the heavens with clouds,
provides rain for the earth,
makes grass sprout on the mountains,
⁹ Who gives animals their food
and ravens what they cry for.
¹⁰ He takes no delight in the strength of horses,
no pleasure in the runner's stride.
¹¹ Rather the LORD takes pleasure in the devout,
those who await his faithful care.

III
¹² Glorify the LORD, Jerusalem;
Zion, offer praise to your God.
¹³ Who has strengthened the bars of your gates,
blessed your children within you,
¹⁴ Brought peace to your borders,
and filled you with finest wheat.
¹⁵ He sends a command to earth;
his word runs swiftly!
¹⁶ He spreads snow like wool,
scatters frost like ash,
¹⁷ Disperses his hail like crumbs;
before such cold the waters freeze.
¹⁸ Again he sends his word and they melt,
unleashes his wind and the waters flow.
¹⁹ He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his decrees and laws to Israel.
²⁰ He has not done this for other nations;
of such laws they know nothing.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 148
All Creation Summoned to Praise
¹ [Hallelujah!]
I
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
² Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.
³ Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all shining stars.
⁴ Praise him, highest heavens,
you waters above the heavens.
⁵ Let them all praise the LORD's name;
for he commanded and they were created,
⁶ Assigned them duties forever,
gave them tasks that will never change.

II
⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deep waters;
⁸ You lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
storm winds that fulfill his command;
⁹ You mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars;
¹⁰ You animals wild and tame,
you creatures that crawl and fly;
¹¹ You kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all who govern on earth;
¹² Young men and women too,
old and young alike.
¹³ Let them all praise the LORD's name,
for his name alone is exalted,
majestic above earth and heaven.
¹⁴ He has lifted high the horn of his people;
to the glory of all his faithful,
of Israel, the people near to him.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 149
Praise God with Song and Sword
¹ [Hallelujah!]
Sing to the LORD a new song,
a hymn in the assembly of the faithful.
² Let Israel be glad in its maker,
the people of Zion rejoice in their king.
³ Let them praise his name in festive dance,
sing praise to him with tambourine and lyre.
⁴ For the LORD takes delight in his people,
honors the poor with victory.
⁵ Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
cry out for joy at their banquet,
⁶ With the praise of God in their mouths,
and a two-edged sword in their hands,
⁷ To bring retribution on the nations,
punishment on the peoples,
⁸ To bind their kings with chains,
shackle their nobles with irons,
⁹ To execute the judgments decreed for them--
such is the glory of all his faithful.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 150
Final Doxology
¹ [Hallelujah!]
Praise God in his holy sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty dome of heaven.
² Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his great majesty.
³ Praise him with blasts upon the horn,
praise him with harp and lyre.

⁴ Praise him with tambourines and dance,
praise him with flutes and strings.
⁵ Praise him with crashing cymbals,
praise him with sounding cymbals.
⁶ Let everything that has breath
give praise to the LORD!
Hallelujah!

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