Psalm 16:4-19:14

English Standard Version

⁴The sorrows of those who run after^[a] another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or ^(A)take their names on my lips.

⁵The Lord is ^(B)my chosen portion and my ^(C)cup;
you hold my ^(D)lot.
⁶^(E)The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

⁷I bless the Lord who ^(F)gives me counsel;
in ^(G)the night also my ^(H)heart instructs me.^[b]
⁸^(I)I have ^(J)set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my ^(K)right hand, I shall not be ^(L)shaken.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my ^(M)whole being^[c] rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
¹⁰For you will not abandon my soul to ^(N)Sheol,
^(O)or let your ^(P)holy one see ^(Q)corruption.^[d]

¹¹You make known to me ^(R)the path of life;
in your presence there is ^(S)fullness of joy;
at your right hand are ^(T)pleasures forevermore.

In the Shadow of Your Wings

A ^(U)Prayer of David.

17 Hear a just cause, O Lord; ^(V)attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
²From your presence ^(W)let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!

³You have ^(X)tried my heart, you have ^(Y)visited me by ^(Z)night,
    you have ^(AA)tested me, and you will find nothing;
    I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
⁴With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
    I have avoided the ways of the violent.
⁵My steps have ^(AB)held fast to your paths;
    my feet have not slipped.

⁶I ^(AC)call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    ^(AD)incline your ear to me; hear my words.
⁷^(AE)Wondrously show^[e] your steadfast love,
    O Savior of those who seek refuge
    from ^(AF)their adversaries at your right hand.

⁸Keep me as ^(AG)the apple of your eye;
hide me in ^(AH)the shadow of your wings,
⁹from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who ^(AI)surround me.

¹⁰^(AJ)They close their hearts to pity;
    with their mouths they ^(AK)speak arrogantly.
¹¹They have now surrounded our ^(AL)steps;
    they set their eyes to ^(AM)cast us to the ground.
¹²He is like a lion eager to tear,
    as a young lion ^(AN)lurking in ambush.

¹³Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
    Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
¹⁴from men by your hand, O Lord,
    from ^(AO)men of the world whose ^(AP)portion is in this life.^[f]
You fill their womb with treasure;^[g]
    they are satisfied with ^(AQ)children,
    and they leave their abundance to their infants.

¹⁵As for me, I shall ^(AR)behold your face in righteousness;
when I ^(AS)awake, I shall be ^(AT)satisfied with your likeness.

The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, ^(AU)the servant of the Lord, ^(AV)who addressed the words of this ^(AW)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.
²The Lord is my ^(AX)rock and my ^(AY)fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my ^(AZ)rock, in ^(BA)whom I take refuge,
    my ^(BB)shield, and ^(BC)the horn of my salvation, my ^(BD)stronghold.
³I call upon the Lord, who is ^(BE)worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴^(BF)The cords of death encompassed me;
^(BG)the torrents of destruction assailed me;^[h]
⁵^(BH)the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

⁶^(BI)In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his ^(BJ)temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

⁷Then the earth ^(BK)reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸Smoke went up from his nostrils,^[i]
    and devouring ^(BL)fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹He ^(BM)bowed the heavens and ^(BN)came down;
    ^(BO)thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he came swiftly on ^(BP)the wings of the wind.
¹¹He made darkness his covering, his ^(BQ)canopy around him,
    thick clouds ^(BR)dark with water.
¹²Out of the brightness before him
    ^(BS)hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

¹³The Lord also ^(BT)thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his ^(BU)voice,
    hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴And he sent out his ^(BV)arrows and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings and ^(BW)routed them.
¹⁵Then ^(BX)the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your ^(BY)rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of ^(BZ)the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶He ^(CA)sent from on high, he took me;
    he ^(CB)drew me out of ^(CC)many waters.
¹⁷He rescued me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me,
    for they were ^(CD)too mighty for me.
¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹He brought me out into ^(CE)a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he ^(CF)delighted in me.

²⁰The Lord dealt with me ^(CG)according to my righteousness;
    according to ^(CH)the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
²¹For I have ^(CI)kept the ways of the Lord,
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²²For ^(CJ)all his rules^[j] were before me,
    and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²³I was ^(CK)blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from my guilt.
²⁴So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵With ^(CL)the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁶with the purified you show yourself pure;
    and with ^(CM)the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
²⁷For you save ^(CN)a humble people,
    but ^(CO)the haughty eyes you bring down.
²⁸For it is you who light my ^(CP)lamp;
    the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
²⁹For by you I can run against a troop,
    and by my God I can ^(CQ)leap over ^(CR)a wall.
³⁰This God—his way is ^(CS)perfect;^[k]
    the word of the Lord ^(CT)proves true;
    he is ^(CU)a shield for all those who ^(CV)take refuge in him.

³¹For ^(CW)who is God, but the Lord?
    And who is ^(CX)a rock, except our God?—
³²the God who ^(CY)equipped me with strength
    and made my way ^(CZ)blameless.
³³He made my feet like the feet of a ^(DA)deer
    and set me secure on ^(DB)the heights.
³⁴He ^(DC)trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your right hand ^(DD)supported me,
    and your ^(DE)gentleness made me great.
³⁶You ^(DF)gave a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet did not slip.
³⁷I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
    and did not turn back till they were consumed.
³⁸I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
    they fell under my feet.
³⁹For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
    you made those who rise against me sink under me.
⁴⁰You made my enemies ^(DG)turn their backs to me,^[l]
    and those who hated me I destroyed.
⁴¹^(DH)They cried for help, but there was none to save;
    they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
⁴²I beat them fine as ^(DI)dust before the wind;
    I cast them out like ^(DJ)the mire of the streets.

⁴³You delivered me from ^(DK)strife with the people;
    you made me ^(DL)the head of the nations;
    ^(DM)people whom I had not known served me.
⁴⁴As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
    ^(DN)foreigners ^(DO)came cringing to me.
⁴⁵^(DP)Foreigners lost heart
    and ^(DQ)came trembling out of their fortresses.

⁴⁶The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be the God of my salvation—
⁴⁷the God who gave me vengeance
    and ^(DR)subdued peoples under me,
⁴⁸who rescued me from my enemies;
    yes, you ^(DS)exalted me above those who rose against me;
    you delivered me from ^(DT)the man of violence.

⁴⁹^(DU)For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
    and ^(DV)sing to your name.
⁵⁰Great ^(DW)salvation he brings to his king,
    and shows steadfast love to his ^(DX)anointed,
    to ^(DY)David and his offspring forever.

The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

19 ^(DZ)The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above^[m] proclaims his handiwork.
²Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
³There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.
⁴^(EA)Their ^(EB)voice^[n] goes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for ^(EC)the sun,
⁵    ^(ED)which comes out like ^(EE)a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
⁶Its 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^(EF)The law of the Lord is perfect,^[o]
    ^(EG)reviving the soul;
^(EH)the testimony of the Lord is ^(EI)sure,
    ^(EJ)making wise ^(EK)the simple;
⁸^(EL)the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is ^(EM)pure,
    ^(EN)enlightening the eyes;
⁹the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
the rules^[p] of the Lord are ^(EO)true,
    and righteous altogether.
¹⁰More to be desired are they than ^(EP)gold,
    even much ^(EQ)fine gold;
^(ER)sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of ^(ES)the honeycomb.
¹¹Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    ^(ET)in keeping them there is great reward.

¹²^(EU)Who can discern his errors?
    ^(EV)Declare me innocent from ^(EW)hidden faults.
¹³^(EX)Keep back your servant also from ^(EY)presumptuous sins;
    let them not have ^(EZ)dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
    and innocent of great transgression.