BOOK I
(Psalms 1–41)

Psalm 1

The Two Ways

How happy is the man
who does not follow[a] the advice of the wicked
or take[b] the path of sinners
or join a group[c] of mockers!(A)
Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.(B)
He is like a tree planted beside streams of water[d]
that bears its fruit in season[e](C)
and whose leaf does not wither.(D)
Whatever he does prospers.(E)

The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.(F)
Therefore the wicked will not survive[f] the judgment,(G)
and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,(H)
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.(I)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 1:1 Lit not walk in
  2. Psalm 1:1 Lit stand in
  3. Psalm 1:1 Or or sit in the seat
  4. Psalm 1:3 Or beside irrigation canals
  5. Psalm 1:3 Lit in its season
  6. Psalm 1:5 Lit stand in

Psalm 51

A Prayer for Restoration

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba.(A)

Be gracious to me, God,
according to Your faithful love;
according to Your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.(B)
Wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.(C)
For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me.(D)
Against You—You alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in Your sight.(E)
So You are right when You pass sentence;
You are blameless when You judge.(F)
Indeed, I was guilty when I was born;
I was sinful when my mother conceived me.(G)

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Psalm 100

Be Thankful

A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth.(A)
Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.(B)
Acknowledge that Yahweh is God.
He made us, and we are His[a](C)
His people, the sheep of His pasture.(D)
Enter His gates with thanksgiving(E)
and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.(F)
For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal;
His faithfulness endures through all generations.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 100:3 Alt Hb tradition, some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg read and not we ourselves

Psalm 110

The Priestly King

A Davidic psalm.

This is the declaration of the Lord
to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”(A)
The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion.
Rule[a] over Your surrounding[b] enemies.(B)
Your people will volunteer
on Your day of battle.[c](C)
In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn,
the dew of Your youth belongs to You.[d](D)
The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back:
“Forever, You are a priest
like Melchizedek.”(E)

The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will crush kings on the day of His anger.(F)
He will judge the nations, heaping up corpses;(G)
He will crush leaders over the entire world.(H)
He will drink from the brook by the road;(I)
therefore, He will lift up His head.(J)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 110:2 One Hb ms, LXX, Tg read You will rule
  2. Psalm 110:2 Lit Rule in the midst of Your
  3. Psalm 110:3 Lit power
  4. Psalm 110:3 Hb obscure

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