Psalm 1-41

Good News Translation

⁴ But evil people are not like this at all;
    they are like straw that the wind blows away.
⁵ Sinners will be condemned by God
    and kept apart from God's own people.
⁶ The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord,
    but the evil are on the way to their doom.

⁴ From his throne in heaven the Lord laughs
    and mocks their feeble plans.
⁵ Then he warns them in anger
    and terrifies them with his fury.
⁶ “On Zion,^[a] my sacred hill,” he says,
    “I have installed my king.”

^7 (D)“I will announce,” says the king, “what the Lord has declared.
    He said to me: ‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask, and I will give you all the nations;
    the whole earth will be yours.
^9 (E)You will break them with an iron rod;
    you will shatter them in pieces like a clay pot.’”

¹⁰ Now listen to this warning, you kings;
    learn this lesson, you rulers of the world:
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear;
tremble ¹²     and bow down to him;^[b]
or else his anger will be quickly aroused,
    and you will suddenly die.
Happy are all who go to him for protection.

³ But you, O Lord, are always my shield from danger;
    you give me victory
    and restore my courage.
⁴ I call to the Lord for help,
    and from his sacred hill^[d] he answers me.

⁵ I lie down and sleep,
    and all night long the Lord protects me.
⁶ I am not afraid of the thousands of enemies
    who surround me on every side.

⁷ Come, Lord! Save me, my God!
You punish all my enemies
    and leave them powerless to harm me.
⁸ Victory comes from the Lord—
    may he bless his people.

² How long will you people insult me?
    How long will you love what is worthless
    and go after what is false?

³ Remember that the Lord has chosen the righteous for his own,
    and he hears me when I call to him.

^4 (G)Tremble with fear and stop sinning;
    think deeply about this,
    when you lie in silence on your beds.
⁵ Offer the right sacrifices to the Lord,
    and put your trust in him.

⁶ There are many who pray:
    “Give us more blessings, O Lord.
    Look on us with kindness!”
⁷ But the joy that you have given me
    is more than they will ever have
    with all their grain and wine.

⁸ When I lie down, I go to sleep in peace;
    you alone, O Lord, keep me perfectly safe.

I pray to you, O Lord;
³     you hear my voice in the morning;
at sunrise I offer my prayer^[g]
    and wait for your answer.

⁴ You are not a God who is pleased with wrongdoing;
    you allow no evil in your presence.
⁵ You cannot stand the sight of the proud;
    you hate all wicked people.
⁶ You destroy all liars
    and despise violent, deceitful people.

⁷ But because of your great love
    I can come into your house;
I can worship in your holy Temple
    and bow down to you in reverence.
⁸ Lord, I have so many enemies!
    Lead me to do your will;
    make your way plain for me to follow.

^9 (H)What my enemies say can never be trusted;
    they only want to destroy.
Their words are flattering and smooth,
    but full of deadly deceit.
¹⁰ Condemn and punish them, O God;
    may their own plots cause their ruin.
Drive them out of your presence
    because of their many sins
    and their rebellion against you.

¹¹ But all who find safety in you will rejoice;
    they can always sing for joy.
Protect those who love you;
    because of you they are truly happy.
¹² You bless those who obey you, Lord;
    your love protects them like a shield.

⁴ Come and save me, Lord;
    in your mercy rescue me from death.
⁵ In the world of the dead you are not remembered;
    no one can praise you there.

⁶ I am worn out with grief;
    every night my bed is damp from my weeping;
    my pillow is soaked with tears.
⁷ I can hardly see;
    my eyes are so swollen
    from the weeping caused by my enemies.

^8 (J)Keep away from me, you evil people!
The Lord hears my weeping;
⁹     he listens to my cry for help
    and will answer my prayer.
¹⁰ My enemies will know the bitter shame of defeat;
    in sudden confusion they will be driven away.

^3-4 O Lord, my God, if I have wronged anyone,
    if I have betrayed a friend
    or without cause done violence to my enemy^[j]—
    if I have done any of these things—
⁵ then let my enemies pursue me and catch me,
    let them cut me down and kill me
    and leave me lifeless on the ground!

⁶ Rise in your anger, O Lord!
    Stand up against the fury of my enemies;
    rouse yourself and help me!
Justice is what you demand,
⁷     so bring together all the peoples around you,
    and rule over them from above.^[k]
8 You are the judge of all people.
    Judge in my favor, O Lord;
    you know that I am innocent.
^9 (K)You are a righteous God
    and judge our thoughts and desires.
Stop the wickedness of evildoers
    and reward those who are good.

¹⁰ God is my protector;
    he saves those who obey him.
¹¹ God is a righteous judge
    and always condemns the wicked.
¹² If they do not change their ways,
    God will sharpen his sword.
He bends his bow and makes it ready;
¹³     he takes up his deadly weapons
    and aims his burning arrows.

¹⁴ See how wicked people think up evil;
    they plan trouble and practice deception.
¹⁵ But in the traps they set for others,
    they themselves get caught.
¹⁶ So they are punished by their own evil
    and are hurt by their own violence.

¹⁷ I thank the Lord for his justice;
    I sing praises to the Lord, the Most High.

³ When I look at the sky, which you have made,
    at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places—
^4 (M)what are human beings, that you think of them;
    mere mortals, that you care for them?

^5 (N)Yet you made them inferior only to yourself;^[m]
    you crowned them with glory and honor.
^6 (O)You appointed them rulers over everything you made;
    you placed them over all creation:
⁷     sheep and cattle, and the wild animals too;
⁸     the birds and the fish
    and the creatures in the seas.

⁹ O Lord, our Lord,
    your greatness is seen in all the world!

³ My enemies turn back when you appear;
    they fall down and die.
⁴ You are fair and honest in your judgments,
    and you have judged in my favor.

⁵ You have condemned the heathen
    and destroyed the wicked;
    they will be remembered no more.
⁶ Our enemies are finished forever;
    you have destroyed their cities,
    and they are completely forgotten.

⁷ But the Lord is king forever;
    he has set up his throne for judgment.
⁸ He rules the world with righteousness;
    he judges the nations with justice.

⁹ The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a place of safety in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know you, Lord, will trust you;
    you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.

¹¹ Sing praise to the Lord, who rules in Zion!
    Tell every nation what he has done!
¹² God remembers those who suffer;
    he does not forget their cry,
    and he punishes those who wrong them.

^13 (P)Be merciful to me, O Lord!
    See the sufferings my enemies cause me!
Rescue me from death, O Lord,
¹⁴     that I may stand before the people of Jerusalem
    and tell them all the things for which I praise you.
I will rejoice because you saved me.

¹⁵ The heathen have dug a pit and fallen in;
    they have been caught in their own trap.
¹⁶ The Lord has revealed himself by his righteous judgments,
    and the wicked are trapped by their own deeds.

¹⁷ Death is the destiny of all the wicked,
    of all those who reject God.
¹⁸ The needy will not always be neglected;
    the hope of the poor will not be crushed forever.

¹⁹ Come, Lord! Do not let anyone defy you!
    Bring the heathen before you
    and pronounce judgment on them.
²⁰ Make them afraid, O Lord;
    make them know that they are only mortal beings.

³ The wicked are proud of their evil desires;
    the greedy curse and reject the Lord.
⁴ The wicked do not care about the Lord;
    in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.

⁵ The wicked succeed in everything.
    They cannot understand God's judgments;
    they sneer at their enemies.
⁶ They say to themselves, “We will never fail;
    we will never be in trouble.”
^7 (Q)Their speech is filled with curses, lies, and threats;
    they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.

⁸ They hide themselves in the villages,
    waiting to murder innocent people.
They spy on their helpless victims;
⁹     they wait in their hiding place like lions.
They lie in wait for the poor;
    they catch them in their traps and drag them away.

¹⁰ The helpless victims lie crushed;
    brute strength has defeated them.
¹¹ The wicked say to themselves, “God doesn't care!
    He has closed his eyes and will never see me!”

¹² O Lord, punish those wicked people!
    Remember those who are suffering!
¹³ How can the wicked despise God
    and say to themselves, “He will not punish me”?

¹⁴ But you do see; you take notice of trouble and suffering
    and are always ready to help.
The helpless commit themselves to you;
    you have always helped the needy.

¹⁵ Break the power of wicked and evil people;
    punish them for the wrong they have done
    until they do it no more.

¹⁶ The Lord is king forever and ever.
    Those who worship other gods
    will vanish from his land.

¹⁷ You will listen, O Lord, to the prayers of the lowly;
    you will give them courage.
¹⁸ You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans;
    you will judge in their favor,
    so that mortal men may cause terror no more.

⁴ The Lord is in his holy temple;
    he has his throne in heaven.
He watches people everywhere
    and knows what they are doing.
⁵ He examines the good and the wicked alike;
    the lawless he hates with all his heart.

⁶ He sends down flaming coals^[q] and burning sulfur on the wicked;
    he punishes them with scorching winds.
⁷ The Lord is righteous and loves good deeds;
    those who do them will live in his presence.

³ Silence those flattering tongues, O Lord!
    Close those boastful mouths that say,
⁴ “With our words we get what we want.
    We will say what we wish,
    and no one can stop us.”

⁵ “But now I will come,” says the Lord,
    “because the needy are oppressed
    and the persecuted groan in pain.
I will give them the security they long for.”

⁶ The promises of the Lord can be trusted;
    they are as genuine as silver
    refined seven times in the furnace.

^7-8 The wicked are everywhere,
    and everyone praises what is evil.
Keep us always safe, O Lord,
    and preserve us from such people.

³ Look at me, O Lord my God, and answer me.
    Restore my strength; don't let me die.
⁴ Don't let my enemies say, “We have defeated him.”
    Don't let them gloat over my downfall.

⁵ I rely on your constant love;
    I will be glad, because you will rescue me.
⁶ I will sing to you, O Lord,
    because you have been good to me.

² The Lord looks down from heaven at us humans
    to see if there are any who are wise,
    any who worship him.
³ But they have all gone wrong;
    they are all equally bad.
Not one of them does what is right,
    not a single one.

⁴ “Don't they know?” asks the Lord.
    “Are all these evildoers ignorant?
They live by robbing my people,
    and they never pray to me.”

⁵ But then they will be terrified,
    for God is with those who obey him.
⁶ Evildoers frustrate the plans of the humble,
    but the Lord is their protection.

⁷ How I pray that victory
    will come to Israel from Zion.
How happy the people of Israel will be
    when the Lord makes them prosperous again!

² Those who obey God in everything
    and always do what is right,
whose words are true and sincere,
³     and who do not slander others.
They do no wrong to their friends
    nor spread rumors about their neighbors.
⁴ They despise those whom God rejects,
    but honor those who obey the Lord.
They always do what they promise,
    no matter how much it may cost.
⁵ They make loans without charging interest
    and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent.

Whoever does these things will always be secure.

³ How excellent are the Lord's faithful people!
    My greatest pleasure is to be with them.

⁴ Those who rush to other gods
    bring many troubles on themselves.^[x]
I will not take part in their sacrifices;
    I will not worship their gods.

⁵ You, Lord, are all I have,
    and you give me all I need;
    my future is in your hands.
⁶ How wonderful are your gifts to me;
    how good they are!

⁷ I praise the Lord, because he guides me,
    and in the night my conscience warns me.
⁸ I am always aware of the Lord's presence;
    he is near, and nothing can shake me.

⁹ And so I am thankful and glad,
    and I feel completely secure,
^10 (T)because you protect me from the power of death.
I have served you faithfully,
    and you will not abandon me to the world of the dead.

^11 (U)You will show me the path that leads to life;
    your presence fills me with joy
    and brings me pleasure forever.

³ You know my heart.
    You have come to me at night;
    you have examined me completely
    and found no evil desire in me.
I speak no evil,
⁴ as others do;
    I have obeyed your command
    and have not followed paths of violence.
⁵ I have always walked in your way
    and have never strayed from it.

⁶ I pray to you, O God, because you answer me;
    so turn to me and listen to my words.
⁷ Reveal your wonderful love and save me;
    at your side I am safe from my enemies.

⁸ Protect me as you would your very eyes;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings
⁹     from the attacks of the wicked.

Deadly enemies surround me;
¹⁰     they have no pity and speak proudly.
¹¹ They are around me now, wherever I turn,
    watching for a chance to pull me down.
¹² They are like lions, waiting for me,
    wanting to tear me to pieces.

¹³ Come, Lord! Oppose my enemies and defeat them!
Save me from the wicked by your sword;
¹⁴     save me from those who in this life have all they want.
Punish them with the sufferings you have stored up for them;
    may there be enough for their children
    and some left over for their children's children!

¹⁵ But I will see you, because I have done no wrong;
    and when I awake, your presence will fill me with joy.

² The Lord is my protector;
    he is my strong fortress.
My God is my protection,
    and with him I am safe.
He protects me like a shield;
    he defends me and keeps me safe.
³ I call to the Lord,
    and he saves me from my enemies.
Praise the Lord!

⁴ The danger of death was all around me;
    the waves of destruction rolled over me.
⁵ The danger of death was around me,
    and the grave set its trap for me.
⁶ In my trouble I called to the Lord;
    I called to my God for help.
In his temple he heard my voice;
    he listened to my cry for help.

⁷ Then the earth trembled and shook;
    the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered,
    because God was angry.
⁸ Smoke poured out of his nostrils,
    a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.
⁹ He tore the sky open and came down
    with a dark cloud under his feet.
¹⁰ He flew swiftly on his winged creature;^[aa]
    he traveled on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He covered himself with darkness;
    thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.
¹² Hailstones and flashes of fire
    came from the lightning before him
    and broke through the dark clouds.

¹³ Then the Lord thundered from the sky;
    and the voice of the Most High was heard.^[ab]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;
    with flashes of lightning he sent them running.
¹⁵ The floor of the ocean was laid bare,
    and the foundations of the earth were uncovered,
when you rebuked your enemies, Lord,
    and roared at them in anger.

¹⁶ The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me;
    he pulled me out of the deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemies
    and from all those who hate me—
    they were too strong for me.
¹⁸ When I was in trouble, they attacked me,
    but the Lord protected me.
¹⁹ He helped me out of danger;
    he saved me because he was pleased with me.

²⁰ The Lord rewards me because I do what is right;
    he blesses me because I am innocent.
²¹ I have obeyed the law of the Lord;
    I have not turned away from my God.
²² I have observed all his laws;
    I have not disobeyed his commands.
²³ He knows that I am faultless,
    that I have kept myself from doing wrong.
²⁴ And so he rewards me because I do what is right,
    because he knows that I am innocent.

²⁵ O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you;
    completely good to those who are perfect.
²⁶ You are pure to those who are pure,
    but hostile to those who are wicked.
²⁷ You save those who are humble,
    but you humble those who are proud.

²⁸ O Lord, you give me light;
    you dispel my darkness.
²⁹ You give me strength to attack my enemies
    and power to overcome their defenses.

³⁰ This God—how perfect are his deeds!
    How dependable his words!
He is like a shield
    for all who seek his protection.
³¹ The Lord alone is God;
    God alone is our defense.
³² He is the God who makes me strong,
    who makes my pathway safe.
^33 (W)He makes me sure-footed as a deer;
    he keeps me safe on the mountains.
³⁴ He trains me for battle,
    so that I can use the strongest bow.

³⁵ O Lord, you protect me and save me;
    your care has made me great,
    and your power has kept me safe.
³⁶ You have kept me from being captured,
    and I have never fallen.
³⁷ I pursue my enemies and catch them;
    I do not stop until I destroy them.
³⁸ I strike them down, and they cannot rise;
    they lie defeated before me.
³⁹ You give me strength for the battle
    and victory over my enemies.
⁴⁰ You make my enemies run from me;
    I destroy those who hate me.
⁴¹ They cry for help, but no one saves them;
    they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.
⁴² I crush them, so that they become like dust
    which the wind blows away.
I trample on them like mud in the streets.

⁴³ You saved me from a rebellious people
    and made me ruler over the nations;
    people I did not know have now become my subjects.
⁴⁴ Foreigners bow before me;
    when they hear me, they obey.
⁴⁵ They lose their courage
    and come trembling from their fortresses.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Praise my defender!
    Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.
⁴⁷ He gives me victory over my enemies;
    he subdues the nations under me
⁴⁸     and saves me from my foes.

O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies
    and protect me from violent people.
^49 (X)And so I praise you among the nations;
    I sing praises to you.

⁵⁰ God gives great victories to his king;
    he shows constant love to the one he has chosen,
    to David and his descendants forever.

¹² None of us can see our own errors;
    deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults!
¹³ Keep me safe, also, from willful sins;
    don't let them rule over me.
Then I shall be perfect
    and free from the evil of sin.

¹⁴ May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you,
    O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!

⁶ Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his chosen king;
    he answers him from his holy heaven
    and by his power gives him great victories.
⁷ Some trust in their war chariots
    and others in their horses,
    but we trust in the power of the Lord our God.
⁸ Such people will stumble and fall,
    but we will rise and stand firm.

⁹ Give victory to the king, O Lord;
    answer^[af] us when we call.

³ You came to him with great blessings
    and set a crown of gold on his head.
⁴ He asked for life, and you gave it,
    a long and lasting life.

⁵ His glory is great because of your help;
    you have given him fame and majesty.
⁶ Your blessings are with him forever,
    and your presence fills him with joy.

⁷ The king trusts in the Lord Almighty;
    and because of the Lord's constant love
    he will always be secure.
⁸ The king will capture all his enemies;
    he will capture everyone who hates him.
⁹ He will destroy them like a blazing fire
    when he appears.

The Lord will devour them in his anger,
    and fire will consume them.
¹⁰ None of their descendants will survive;
    the king will kill them all.

¹¹ They make their plans, and plot against him,
    but they will not succeed.
¹² He will shoot his arrows at them
    and make them turn and run.

¹³ We praise you, Lord, for your great strength!
    We will sing and praise your power.

⁶ But I am no longer a human being; I am a worm,
    despised and scorned by everyone!
^7 (AA)All who see me make fun of me;
    they stick out their tongues and shake their heads.
^8 (AB)“You relied on the Lord,” they say.
    “Why doesn't he save you?
If the Lord likes you,
    why doesn't he help you?”

⁹ It was you who brought me safely through birth,
    and when I was a baby, you kept me safe.
¹⁰ I have relied on you since the day I was born,
    and you have always been my God.
¹¹ Do not stay away from me!
    Trouble is near,
    and there is no one to help.

¹² Many enemies surround me like bulls;
    they are all around me,
    like fierce bulls from the land of Bashan.
¹³ They open their mouths like lions,
    roaring and tearing at me.

¹⁴ My strength is gone,
    gone like water spilled on the ground.
All my bones are out of joint;
    my heart is like melted wax.
¹⁵ My throat^[ai] is as dry as dust,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have left me for dead in the dust.

¹⁶ An evil gang is around me;
    like a pack of dogs they close in on me;
    they tear at^[aj] my hands and feet.
¹⁷ All my bones can be seen.
    My enemies look at me and stare.
^18 (AC)They gamble for my clothes
    and divide them among themselves.

¹⁹ O Lord, don't stay away from me!
    Come quickly to my rescue!
²⁰ Save me from the sword;
    save my life from these dogs.
²¹ Rescue me from these lions;
    I am helpless^[ak] before these wild bulls.

^22 (AD)I will tell my people what you have done;
    I will praise you in their assembly:
²³ “Praise him, you servants of the Lord!
    Honor him, you descendants of Jacob!
    Worship him, you people of Israel!
²⁴ He does not neglect the poor or ignore their suffering;
    he does not turn away from them,
    but answers when they call for help.”

²⁵ In the full assembly I will praise you for what you have done;
    in the presence of those who worship you
    I will offer the sacrifices I promised.
²⁶ The poor will eat as much as they want;
    those who come to the Lord will praise him.
May they prosper forever!

²⁷ All nations will remember the Lord.
    From every part of the world they will turn to him;
    all races will worship him.
²⁸ The Lord is king,
    and he rules the nations.

²⁹ All proud people will bow down to him;^[al]
    all mortals will bow down before him.
³⁰ Future generations will serve him;
    they will speak of the Lord to the coming generation.
³¹ People not yet born will be told:
    “The Lord saved his people.”

⁵ You prepare a banquet for me,
    where all my enemies can see me;
you welcome me as an honored guest
    and fill my cup to the brim.
⁶ I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life;
    and your house will be my home as long as I live.

³ Who has the right to go up the Lord's hill?^[ao]
    Who may enter his holy Temple?
^4 (AG)Those who are pure in act and in thought,
    who do not worship idols
    or make false promises.
⁵ The Lord will bless them and save them;
    God will declare them innocent.
⁶ Such are the people who come to God,
    who come into the presence of the God of Jacob.

⁷ Fling wide the gates,
    open the ancient doors,
    and the great king will come in.
⁸ Who is this great king?
He is the Lord, strong and mighty,
    the Lord, victorious in battle.

⁹ Fling wide the gates,
    open the ancient doors,
    and the great king will come in.
¹⁰ Who is this great king?
The triumphant Lord—he is the great king!

⁴ Teach me your ways, O Lord;
    make them known to me.
⁵ Teach me to live according to your truth,
    for you are my God, who saves me.
    I always trust in you.

⁶ Remember, O Lord, your kindness and constant love
    which you have shown from long ago.
⁷ Forgive the sins and errors of my youth.
In your constant love and goodness,
    remember me, Lord!

⁸ Because the Lord is righteous and good,
    he teaches sinners the path they should follow.
⁹ He leads the humble in the right way
    and teaches them his will.
¹⁰ With faithfulness and love he leads
    all who keep his covenant and obey his commands.

¹¹ Keep your promise, Lord, and forgive my sins,
    for they are many.
¹² Those who have reverence for the Lord
    will learn from him the path they should follow.
¹³ They will always be prosperous,
    and their children will possess the land.
¹⁴ The Lord is the friend of those who obey him
    and he affirms his covenant with them.

¹⁵ I look to the Lord for help at all times,
    and he rescues me from danger.
¹⁶ Turn to me, Lord, and be merciful to me,
    because I am lonely and weak.
¹⁷ Relieve me of my worries
    and save me from all my troubles.
¹⁸ Consider my distress and suffering
    and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹ See how many enemies I have;
    see how much they hate me.
²⁰ Protect me and save me;
    keep me from defeat.
    I come to you for safety.
²¹ May my goodness and honesty preserve me,
    because I trust in you.

²² From all their troubles, O God,
    save your people Israel!

⁴ I do not keep company with worthless people;
    I have nothing to do with hypocrites.
⁵ I hate the company of the evil
    and avoid the wicked.

⁶ Lord, I wash my hands to show that I am innocent
    and march in worship around your altar.
⁷ I sing a hymn of thanksgiving
    and tell of all your wonderful deeds.

⁸ I love the house where you live, O Lord,
    the place where your glory dwells.
⁹ Do not destroy me with the sinners;
    spare me from the fate of murderers—
¹⁰     those who do evil all the time
    and are always ready to take bribes.

¹¹ As for me, I do what is right;
    be merciful to me and save me!

¹² I am safe from all dangers;
    in the assembly of his people I praise the Lord.

² When evil people attack me and try to kill me,
    they stumble and fall.
³ Even if a whole army surrounds me,
    I will not be afraid;
even if enemies attack me,
    I will still trust God.^[at]

⁴ I have asked the Lord for one thing;
    one thing only do I want:
to live in the Lord's house all my life,
    to marvel there at his goodness,
    and to ask for his guidance.
⁵ In times of trouble he will shelter me;
    he will keep me safe in his Temple
    and make me secure on a high rock.
⁶ So I will triumph over my enemies around me.
    With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his Temple;
    I will sing, I will praise the Lord.

⁷ Hear me, Lord, when I call to you!
    Be merciful and answer me!
⁸ When you said, “Come worship me,”
I answered, “I will come, Lord.”
⁹     Don't hide yourself from me!

Don't be angry with me;
    don't turn your servant away.
You have been my help;
    don't leave me, don't abandon me,
    O God, my savior.
¹⁰ My father and mother may abandon me,
    but the Lord will take care of me.

¹¹ Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do,
    and lead me along a safe path,
    because I have many enemies.
¹² Don't abandon me to my enemies,
    who attack me with lies and threats.

¹³ I know that I will live to see
    the Lord's goodness in this present life.
¹⁴ Trust in the Lord.
    Have faith, do not despair.
Trust in the Lord.

^4 (AH)Punish them for what they have done,
    for the evil they have committed.
Punish them for all their deeds;
    give them what they deserve!
⁵ They take no notice of what the Lord has done
    or of what he has made;
so he will punish them
    and destroy them forever.

⁶ Give praise to the Lord;
    he has heard my cry for help.
⁷ The Lord protects and defends me;
    I trust in him.
He gives me help and makes me glad;
    I praise him with joyful songs.

⁸ The Lord protects his people;
    he defends and saves his chosen king.
⁹ Save your people, Lord,
    and bless those who are yours.
Be their shepherd,
    and take care of them forever.

³ The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas;
    the glorious God thunders,
    and his voice echoes over the ocean.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is heard
    in all its might and majesty.

⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
    even the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes the mountains of Lebanon jump like calves
    and makes Mount Hermon leap like a young bull.

⁷ The voice of the Lord makes the lightning flash.
⁸ His voice makes the desert shake;
    he shakes the desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The Lord's voice shakes the oaks^[ax]
    and strips the leaves from the trees
    while everyone in his Temple shouts, “Glory to God!”

¹⁰ The Lord rules over the deep waters;
    he rules as king forever.
¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people
    and blesses them with peace.

⁴ Sing praise to the Lord,
    all his faithful people!
Remember what the Holy One has done,
    and give him thanks!
⁵ His anger lasts only a moment,
    his goodness for a lifetime.
Tears may flow in the night,
    but joy comes in the morning.

⁶ I felt secure and said to myself,
    “I will never be defeated.”
⁷ You were good to me, Lord;
    you protected me like a mountain fortress.
But then you hid yourself from me,
    and I was afraid.

⁸ I called to you, Lord;
    I begged for your help:
⁹ “What will you gain from my death?
    What profit from my going to the grave?
Are dead people able to praise you?
    Can they proclaim your unfailing goodness?
¹⁰ Hear me, Lord, and be merciful!
    Help me, Lord!”

¹¹ You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance;
    you have taken away my sorrow
    and surrounded me with joy.
¹² So I will not be silent;
    I will sing praise to you.
Lord, you are my God;
    I will give you thanks forever.

³ You are my refuge and defense;
    guide me and lead me as you have promised.
⁴ Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me;
    shelter me from danger.
^5 (AJ)I place myself in your care.
You will save me, Lord;
    you are a faithful God.

⁶ You hate those who worship false gods,
    but I trust in you.
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice
    because of your constant love.
You see my suffering;
    you know my trouble.
⁸ You have not let my enemies capture me;
    you have given me freedom to go where I wish.

⁹ Be merciful to me, Lord,
    for I am in trouble;
my eyes are tired from so much crying;
    I am completely worn out.
¹⁰ I am exhausted by sorrow,
    and weeping has shortened my life.
I am weak from all my troubles;^[bb]
    even my bones are wasting away.

¹¹ All my enemies, and especially my neighbors,
    treat me with contempt.
Those who know me are afraid of me;
    when they see me in the street, they run away.
¹² Everyone has forgotten me, as though I were dead;
    I am like something thrown away.
¹³ I hear many enemies whispering;
    terror is all around me.
They are making plans against me,
    plotting to kill me.

¹⁴ But my trust is in you, O Lord;
    you are my God.
¹⁵ I am always in your care;
    save me from my enemies,
    from those who persecute me.
¹⁶ Look on your servant with kindness;
    save me in your constant love.
¹⁷ I call to you, Lord;
    don't let me be disgraced.
May the wicked be disgraced;
    may they go silently down to the world of the dead.
¹⁸ Silence those liars—
    all the proud and arrogant
    who speak with contempt about the righteous.

¹⁹ How wonderful are the good things
    you keep for those who honor you!
Everyone knows how good you are,
    how securely you protect those who trust you.
²⁰ You hide them in the safety of your presence
    from the plots of others;
in a safe shelter you hide them
    from the insults of their enemies.

²¹ Praise the Lord!
How wonderfully he showed his love for me
    when I was surrounded and attacked!
²² I was afraid and thought
    that he had driven me out of his presence.
But he heard my cry,
    when I called to him for help.

²³ Love the Lord, all his faithful people.
The Lord protects the faithful,
    but punishes the proud as they deserve.
²⁴ Be strong, be courageous,
    all you that hope in the Lord.

³ When I did not confess my sins,
    I was worn out from crying all day long.
⁴ Day and night you punished me, Lord;
    my strength was completely drained,
    as moisture is dried up by the summer heat.

⁵ Then I confessed my sins to you;
    I did not conceal my wrongdoings.
I decided to confess them to you,
    and you forgave all my sins.

⁶ So all your loyal people should pray to you in times of need;^[bd]
    when a great flood of trouble comes rushing in,
    it will not reach them.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
    you will save me from trouble.
I sing aloud of your salvation,
    because you protect me.

⁸ The Lord says, “I will teach you the way you should go;
    I will instruct you and advise you.
⁹ Don't be stupid like a horse or a mule,
    which must be controlled with a bit and bridle
    to make it submit.”

¹⁰ The wicked will have to suffer,
    but those who trust in the Lord
    are protected by his constant love.
¹¹ You that are righteous, be glad and rejoice
    because of what the Lord has done.
You that obey him, shout for joy!

⁴ The words of the Lord are true,
    and all his works are dependable.
⁵ The Lord loves what is righteous and just;
    his constant love fills the earth.

⁶ The Lord created the heavens by his command,
    the sun, moon, and stars by his spoken word.
⁷ He gathered all the seas into one place;
    he shut up the ocean depths in storerooms.

⁸ Worship the Lord, all the earth!
    Honor him, all peoples of the world!
⁹ When he spoke, the world was created;
    at his command everything appeared.

¹⁰ The Lord frustrates the purposes of the nations;
    he keeps them from carrying out their plans.
¹¹ But his plans endure forever;
    his purposes last eternally.
¹² Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord;
    happy are the people he has chosen for his own!

¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven
    and sees all of us humans.
¹⁴ From where he rules, he looks down
    on all who live on earth.
¹⁵ He forms all their thoughts
    and knows everything they do.

^16 (AL)A king does not win because of his powerful army;
    a soldier does not triumph because of his strength.
¹⁷ War horses are useless for victory;
    their great strength cannot save.

¹⁸ The Lord watches over those who obey him,
    those who trust in his constant love.
¹⁹ He saves them from death;
    he keeps them alive in times of famine.

²⁰ We put our hope in the Lord;
    he is our protector and our help.
²¹ We are glad because of him;
    we trust in his holy name.

²² May your constant love be with us, Lord,
    as we put our hope in you.

⁴ I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me;
    he freed me from all my fears.
⁵ The oppressed look to him and are glad;
    they will never be disappointed.
⁶ The helpless call to him, and he answers;
    he saves them from all their troubles.
⁷ His angel guards those who honor the Lord
    and rescues them from danger.

^8 (AN)Find out for yourself how good the Lord is.
    Happy are those who find safety with him.
⁹ Honor the Lord, all his people;
    those who obey him have all they need.
¹⁰ Even lions go hungry for lack of food,
    but those who obey the Lord lack nothing good.

¹¹ Come, my young friends, and listen to me,
    and I will teach you to honor the Lord.
^12 (AO)Would you like to enjoy life?
    Do you want long life and happiness?
¹³ Then keep from speaking evil
    and from telling lies.
¹⁴ Turn away from evil and do good;
    strive for peace with all your heart.

¹⁵ The Lord watches over the righteous
    and listens to their cries;
¹⁶ but he opposes those who do evil,
    so that when they die, they are soon forgotten.
¹⁷ The righteous call to the Lord, and he listens;
    he rescues them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to those who are discouraged;
    he saves those who have lost all hope.

¹⁹ Good people suffer many troubles,
    but the Lord saves them from them all;
^20 (AP)the Lord preserves them completely;
    not one of their bones is broken.
²¹ Evil will kill the wicked;
    those who hate the righteous will be punished.

²² The Lord will save his people;
    those who go to him for protection will be spared.

⁴ May those who try to kill me
    be defeated and disgraced!
May those who plot against me
    be turned back and confused!
⁵ May they be like straw blown by the wind
    as the angel of the Lord pursues them!
⁶ May their path be dark and slippery
    while the angel of the Lord strikes them down!

⁷ Without any reason they laid a trap for me
    and dug a deep hole to catch me.
⁸ But destruction will catch them before they know it;
    they will be caught in their own trap
    and fall to their destruction!

⁹ Then I will be glad because of the Lord;
    I will be happy because he saved me.
¹⁰ With all my heart I will say to the Lord,
    “There is no one like you.
    You protect the weak from the strong,
    the poor from the oppressor.”

¹¹ Evil people testify against me
    and accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
¹² They pay me back evil for good,
    and I sink in despair.
¹³ But when they were sick, I dressed in mourning;
    I deprived myself of food;
I prayed with my head bowed low,
¹⁴     as I would pray for a friend or a brother.
I went around bent over in mourning,
    as one who mourns for his mother.

¹⁵ But when I was in trouble, they were all glad
    and gathered around to make fun of me;
strangers beat me
    and kept striking me.
¹⁶ Like those who would mock a cripple,^[bg]
    they glared at me with hate.

¹⁷ How much longer, Lord, will you just look on?
    Rescue me from their attacks;
    save my life from these lions!
¹⁸ Then I will thank you in the assembly of your people;
    I will praise you before them all.

^19 (AQ)Don't let my enemies, those liars,
    gloat over my defeat.
Don't let those who hate me for no reason
    smirk with delight over my sorrow.

²⁰ They do not speak in a friendly way;
    instead they invent all kinds of lies about peace-loving people.
²¹ They accuse me, shouting,
    “We saw what you did!”
²² But you, O Lord, have seen this.
    So don't be silent, Lord;
    don't keep yourself far away!
²³ Rouse yourself, O Lord, and defend me;
    rise up, my God, and plead my cause.
²⁴ You are righteous, O Lord, so declare me innocent;
    don't let my enemies gloat over me.
²⁵ Don't let them say to themselves,
    “We are rid of him!
    That's just what we wanted!”

²⁶ May those who gloat over my suffering
    be completely defeated and confused;
may those who claim to be better than I am
    be covered with shame and disgrace.

²⁷ May those who want to see me acquitted
    shout for joy and say again and again,
“How great is the Lord!
    He is pleased with the success of his servant.”
²⁸ Then I will proclaim your righteousness,
    and I will praise you all day long.

⁷ How precious, O God, is your constant love!
    We find^[bi] protection under the shadow of your wings.
⁸ We feast on the abundant food you provide;
    you let us drink from the river of your goodness.
⁹ You are the source of all life,
    and because of your light we see the light.

¹⁰ Continue to love those who know you
    and to do good to those who are righteous.
¹¹ Do not let proud people attack me
    or the wicked make me run away.

¹² See where evil people have fallen.
    There they lie, unable to rise.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    live in the land and be safe.
⁴ Seek your happiness in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart's desire.

⁵ Give yourself to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will help you;
⁶ he will make your righteousness shine like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be patient and wait for the Lord to act;
    don't be worried about those who prosper
    or those who succeed in their evil plans.

⁸ Don't give in to worry or anger;
    it only leads to trouble.
⁹ Those who trust in the Lord will possess the land,
    but the wicked will be driven out.

¹⁰ Soon the wicked will disappear;
    you may look for them, but you won't find them;
^11 (AS)but the humble will possess the land
    and enjoy prosperity and peace.

¹² The wicked plot against good people
    and glare at them with hate.
¹³ But the Lord laughs at wicked people,
    because he knows they will soon be destroyed.

¹⁴ The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows
    to kill the poor and needy,
    to slaughter those who do what is right;
¹⁵ but they will be killed by their own swords,
    and their bows will be smashed.

¹⁶ The little that a good person owns
    is worth more than the wealth of all the wicked,
¹⁷ because the Lord will take away the strength of the wicked,
    but protect those who are good.

¹⁸ The Lord takes care of those who obey him,
    and the land will be theirs forever.
¹⁹ They will not suffer when times are bad;
    they will have enough in time of famine.
²⁰ But the wicked will die;
    the enemies of the Lord will vanish like wild flowers;
    they will disappear like smoke.

²¹ The wicked borrow and never pay back,
    but good people are generous with their gifts.
²² Those who are blessed by the Lord will possess the land,
    but those who are cursed by him will be driven out.

²³ The Lord guides us in the way we should go
    and protects those who please him.
²⁴ If they fall, they will not stay down,
    because the Lord will help them up.

²⁵ I am old now; I have lived a long time,
    but I have never seen good people abandoned by the Lord
    or their children begging for food.
²⁶ At all times they give freely and lend to others,
    and their children are a blessing.

²⁷ Turn away from evil and do good,
    and your descendants will always live in the land;
²⁸ for the Lord loves what is right
    and does not abandon his faithful people.
He protects them forever,
    but the descendants of the wicked will be driven out.
²⁹ The righteous will possess the land
    and live in it forever.

³⁰ The words of good people are wise,
    and they are always fair.
³¹ They keep the law of their God in their hearts
    and never depart from it.

³² Wicked people watch good people
    and try to kill them;
³³ but the Lord will not abandon them to their enemy's power
    or let them be condemned when they are on trial.

³⁴ Put your hope in the Lord and obey his commands;
    he will honor you by giving you the land,
    and you will see the wicked driven out.

³⁵ I once knew someone wicked who was a tyrant;
    he towered over everyone like a cedar of Lebanon;^[bk]
36 but later I^[bl] passed by, and he wasn't there;
    I looked for him, but couldn't find him.

³⁷ Notice good people, observe the righteous;
    peaceful people have descendants,
³⁸ but sinners are completely destroyed,
    and their descendants are wiped out.

³⁹ The Lord saves the righteous
    and protects them in times of trouble.
⁴⁰ He helps them and rescues them;
    he saves them from the wicked,
    because they go to him for protection.

³ Because of your anger, I am in great pain;
    my whole body is diseased because of my sins.
⁴ I am drowning in the flood of my sins;
    they are a burden too heavy to bear.

⁵ Because I have been foolish,
    my sores stink and rot.
⁶ I am bent over, I am crushed;
    I mourn all day long.
⁷ I am burning with fever
    and I am near death.
⁸ I am worn out and utterly crushed;
    my heart is troubled, and I groan with pain.

⁹ O Lord, you know what I long for;
    you hear all my groans.
¹⁰ My heart is pounding, my strength is gone,
    and my eyes have lost their brightness.
¹¹ My friends and neighbors will not come near me,
    because of my sores;
    even my family keeps away from me.
¹² Those who want to kill me lay traps for me,
    and those who want to hurt me threaten to ruin me;
    they never stop plotting against me.

¹³ I am like the deaf and cannot hear,
    like the dumb and cannot speak.
¹⁴ I am like those who do not answer,
    because they cannot hear.

¹⁵ But I trust in you, O Lord;
    and you, O Lord my God, will answer me.
¹⁶ Don't let my enemies gloat over my distress;
    don't let them boast about my downfall!
¹⁷ I am about to fall
    and am in constant pain.

¹⁸ I confess my sins;
    they fill me with anxiety.
¹⁹ My enemies are healthy and strong;
    there are many who hate me for no reason.
²⁰ Those who pay back evil for good
    are against me because I try to do right.

²¹ Do not abandon me, O Lord;
    do not stay away, my God!
²² Help me now, O Lord my savior!

⁵ How short you have made my life!
    In your sight my lifetime seems nothing.
Indeed every living being is no more than a puff of wind,
⁶     no more than a shadow.
All we do is for nothing;
    we gather wealth, but don't know who will get it.

⁷ What, then, can I hope for, Lord?
    I put my hope in you.
⁸ Save me from all my sins,
    and don't let fools make fun of me.
⁹ I will keep quiet, I will not say a word,
    for you are the one who made me suffer like this.
¹⁰ Don't punish me any more!
    I am about to die from your blows.
¹¹ You punish our sins by your rebukes,
    and like a moth you destroy what we love.
Indeed we are no more than a puff of wind!

¹² Hear my prayer, Lord,
    and listen to my cry;
    come to my aid when I weep.
Like all my ancestors
    I am only your guest for a little while.
¹³ Leave me alone so that I may have some happiness
    before I go away and am no more.

⁴ Happy are those who trust the Lord,
    who do not turn to idols
    or join those who worship false gods.
⁵ You have done many things for us, O Lord our God;
    there is no one like you!
    You have made many wonderful plans for us.
I could never speak of them all—
    their number is so great!

^6 (AT)You do not want sacrifices and offerings;
    you do not ask for animals burned whole on the altar
    or for sacrifices to take away sins.
Instead, you have given me ears to hear you,
⁷     and so I answered, “Here I am;
    your instructions for me are in the book of the Law.^[bp]
8 How I love to do your will, my God!
    I keep your teaching in my heart.”

⁹ In the assembly of all your people, Lord,
    I told the good news that you save us.
    You know that I will never stop telling it.
¹⁰ I have not kept the news of salvation to myself;
    I have always spoken of your faithfulness and help.
In the assembly of all your people I have not been silent
    about your loyalty and constant love.

¹¹ Lord, I know you will never stop being merciful to me.
    Your love and loyalty will always keep me safe.

¹⁶ May all who come to you
    be glad and joyful.
May all who are thankful for your salvation
    always say, “How great is the Lord!”

¹⁷ I am weak and poor, O Lord,
    but you have not forgotten me.
You are my savior and my God—
    hurry to my aid!

⁴ I said, “I have sinned against you, Lord;
    be merciful to me and heal me.”
⁵ My enemies say cruel things about me.
    They want me to die and be forgotten.
⁶ Those who come to see me are not sincere;
    they gather bad news about me
    and then go out and tell it everywhere.
⁷ All who hate me whisper to each other about me,
    they imagine the worst about^[br] me.
⁸ They say, “He is fatally ill;
    he will never leave his bed again.”
^9 (AV)Even my best friend, the one I trusted most,
    the one who shared my food,
    has turned against me.

¹⁰ Be merciful to me, Lord, and restore my health,
    and I will pay my enemies back.
¹¹ They will not triumph over me,
    and I will know that you are pleased with me.
¹² You will help me, because I do what is right;
    you will keep me in your presence forever.

^13 (AW)Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
Praise him now and forever!

Amen! Amen!