Psalm 15-21
English Standard Version
Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?
A Psalm of David.
2 He who (D)walks blamelessly and (E)does what is right
and (F)speaks truth in his heart;
3 who (G)does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor (H)takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 (I)in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who (J)swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who (K)does not put out his money at interest
and (L)does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be (M)moved.
You Will Not Abandon My Soul
A (N)Miktam[a] of David.
16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I (O)take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
(P)I have no good apart from you.”
4 The sorrows of those who run after[c] another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or (R)take their names on my lips.
5 The Lord is (S)my chosen portion and my (T)cup;
you hold my (U)lot.
6 (V)The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I bless the Lord who (W)gives me counsel;
in (X)the night also my (Y)heart instructs me.[d]
8 (Z)I have (AA)set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my (AB)right hand, I shall not be (AC)shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my (AD)whole being[e] rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to (AE)Sheol,
(AF)or let your (AG)holy one see (AH)corruption.[f]
11 You make known to me (AI)the path of life;
in your presence there is (AJ)fullness of joy;
at your right hand are (AK)pleasures forevermore.
In the Shadow of Your Wings
A (AL)Prayer of David.
17 Hear a just cause, O Lord; (AM)attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
2 From your presence (AN)let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!
3 You have (AO)tried my heart, you have (AP)visited me by (AQ)night,
you have (AR)tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have (AS)held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I (AT)call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
(AU)incline your ear to me; hear my words.
7 (AV)Wondrously show[g] your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from (AW)their adversaries at your right hand.
8 Keep me as (AX)the apple of your eye;
hide me in (AY)the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who (AZ)surround me.
10 (BA)They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they (BB)speak arrogantly.
11 They have now surrounded our (BC)steps;
they set their eyes to (BD)cast us to the ground.
12 He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion (BE)lurking in ambush.
13 Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O Lord,
from (BF)men of the world whose (BG)portion is in this life.[h]
You fill their womb with treasure;[i]
they are satisfied with (BH)children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
15 As for me, I shall (BI)behold your face in righteousness;
when I (BJ)awake, I shall be (BK)satisfied with your likeness.
The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, (BL)the servant of the Lord, (BM)who addressed the words of this (BN)song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
18 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my (BO)rock and my (BP)fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my (BQ)rock, in (BR)whom I take refuge,
my (BS)shield, and (BT)the horn of my salvation, my (BU)stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is (BV)worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 (BW)The cords of death encompassed me;
(BX)the torrents of destruction assailed me;[j]
5 (BY)the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 (BZ)In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his (CA)temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth (CB)reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,[k]
and devouring (CC)fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He (CD)bowed the heavens and (CE)came down;
(CF)thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on (CG)the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his (CH)canopy around him,
thick clouds (CI)dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
(CJ)hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13 The Lord also (CK)thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his (CL)voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his (CM)arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and (CN)routed them.
15 Then (CO)the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your (CP)rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of (CQ)the breath of your nostrils.
16 He (CR)sent from on high, he took me;
he (CS)drew me out of (CT)many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were (CU)too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into (CV)a broad place;
he rescued me, because he (CW)delighted in me.
20 The Lord dealt with me (CX)according to my righteousness;
according to (CY)the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have (CZ)kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For (DA)all his rules[l] were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was (DB)blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 With (DC)the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with (DD)the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save (DE)a humble people,
but (DF)the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my (DG)lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can (DH)leap over (DI)a wall.
30 This God—his way is (DJ)perfect;[m]
the word of the Lord (DK)proves true;
he is (DL)a shield for all those who (DM)take refuge in him.
31 For (DN)who is God, but the Lord?
And who is (DO)a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who (DP)equipped me with strength
and made my way (DQ)blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a (DR)deer
and set me secure on (DS)the heights.
34 He (DT)trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand (DU)supported me,
and your (DV)gentleness made me great.
36 You (DW)gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies (DX)turn their backs to me,[n]
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 (DY)They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as (DZ)dust before the wind;
I cast them out like (EA)the mire of the streets.
43 You delivered me from (EB)strife with the people;
you made me (EC)the head of the nations;
(ED)people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
(EE)foreigners (EF)came cringing to me.
45 (EG)Foreigners lost heart
and (EH)came trembling out of their fortresses.
46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and (EI)subdued peoples under me,
48 who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you (EJ)exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from (EK)the man of violence.
49 (EL)For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and (EM)sing to your name.
50 Great (EN)salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his (EO)anointed,
to (EP)David and his offspring forever.
The Law of the Lord Is Perfect
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
19 (EQ)The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above[o] proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 (ER)Their (ES)voice[p] goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for (ET)the sun,
5 (EU)which comes out like (EV)a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 (EW)The law of the Lord is perfect,[q]
(EX)reviving the soul;
(EY)the testimony of the Lord is (EZ)sure,
(FA)making wise (FB)the simple;
8 (FC)the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is (FD)pure,
(FE)enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules[r] of the Lord are (FF)true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than (FG)gold,
even much (FH)fine gold;
(FI)sweeter also than honey
and drippings of (FJ)the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
(FK)in keeping them there is great reward.
12 (FL)Who can discern his errors?
(FM)Declare me innocent from (FN)hidden faults.
13 (FO)Keep back your servant also from (FP)presumptuous sins;
let them not have (FQ)dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my (FR)rock and my (FS)redeemer.
Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
20 May the Lord (FT)answer you in the day of trouble!
May (FU)the name of the God of Jacob (FV)protect you!
2 May he send you help from (FW)the sanctuary
and give you support from (FX)Zion!
3 May he (FY)remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
4 May he (FZ)grant you your heart's desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over (GA)your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our (GB)banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with (GC)the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in (GD)chariots and some in (GE)horses,
(GF)but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
9 O Lord, save (GG)the king!
May he answer us when we call.
The King Rejoices in the Lord's Strength
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
21 O Lord, in your (GH)strength the king rejoices,
and in your (GI)salvation how greatly he exults!
2 You have (GJ)given him his heart's desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you (GK)meet him with rich blessings;
you set (GL)a crown of (GM)fine gold upon his head.
4 He asked life of you; you (GN)gave it to him,
(GO)length of days forever and ever.
5 His (GP)glory is great through your salvation;
(GQ)splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 For you make him most blessed forever;[s]
you make him glad with the (GR)joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be (GS)moved.
8 Your hand will (GT)find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them as (GU)a blazing oven
when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his (GV)wrath,
and (GW)fire will consume them.
10 You (GX)will destroy their (GY)descendants from the earth,
and their offspring from among the children of man.
11 Though they plan evil against you,
though they (GZ)devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them (HA)to flight;
you will (HB)aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
Footnotes
- Psalm 16:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 16:3 Or To the saints in the land, the excellent in whom is all my delight, I say:
- Psalm 16:4 Or who acquire
- Psalm 16:7 Hebrew my kidneys instruct me
- Psalm 16:9 Hebrew my glory
- Psalm 16:10 Or see the pit
- Psalm 17:7 Or Distinguish me by
- Psalm 17:14 Or from men whose portion in life is of the world
- Psalm 17:14 Or As for your treasured ones, you fill their womb
- Psalm 18:4 Or terrified me
- Psalm 18:8 Or in his wrath
- Psalm 18:22 Or just decrees
- Psalm 18:30 Or blameless
- Psalm 18:40 Or You gave me my enemies' necks
- Psalm 19:1 Hebrew the expanse; compare Genesis 1:6–8
- Psalm 19:4 Or Their measuring line
- Psalm 19:7 Or blameless
- Psalm 19:9 Or just decrees
- Psalm 21:6 Or make him a source of blessing forever
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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