Psalm 1:1-69:4
New King James Version
BOOK ONE
Psalms 1–41
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly
1 Blessed (A)is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
(B)Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But (C)his delight is in the law of the Lord,
(D)And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
(E)Planted by the [c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall (F)prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are (G)like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For (H)the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom(I)
2 Why (J)do the [d]nations [e]rage,
And the people plot a [f]vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the (K)rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His (L)Anointed,[g] saying,
3 “Let (M)us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens (N)shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have [h]set My King
[i]On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the [j]decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
(O)‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 (P)You shall [k]break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 [l]Kiss the Son, lest [m]He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When (Q)His wrath is kindled but a little.
(R)Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
The Lord Helps His Troubled People
A Psalm of David (S)when he fled from Absalom his son.
3 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah
3 But You, O Lord, are (T)a shield [n]for me,
My glory and (U)the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And (V)He heard me from His (W)holy hill. Selah
5 (X)I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
6 (Y)I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
(Z)For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 (AA)Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
The Safety of the Faithful
To the [o]Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
[p]Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
3 But know that (AB)the Lord has [q]set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 (AC)Be[r] angry, and do not sin.
(AD)Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer (AE)the sacrifices of righteousness,
And (AF)put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
(AG)Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put (AH)gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 (AI)I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
(AJ)For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
A Prayer for Guidance
To the Chief Musician. With [s]flutes. A Psalm of David.
5 Give (AK)ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my [t]meditation.
2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
(AL)In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil [u]dwell with You.
5 The (AM)boastful shall not (AN)stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the (AO)bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward [v]Your holy temple.
8 (AP)Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.
9 For there is no [w]faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
(AQ)Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.
11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You [x]defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
A Prayer of Faith in Time of Distress
To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. (AR)On [y]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
6 O Lord, (AS)do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, (AT)heal me, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly (AU)troubled;
But You, O Lord—how long?
4 Return, O Lord, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
5 (AV)For in death there is no remembrance of You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?
6 I am weary with my groaning;
[z]All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.
7 (AW)My eye wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies.
8 (AX)Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;
For the Lord has (AY)heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication;
The Lord will receive my prayer.
10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;
Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.
Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies
A (AZ)Meditation[aa] of David, which he sang to the Lord (BA)concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.
7 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
(BB)Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me,
2 (BC)Lest they tear me like a lion,
(BD)Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, (BE)if I have done this:
If there is (BF)iniquity in my hands,
4 If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or (BG)have plundered my enemy without cause,
5 Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah
6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
(BH)Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
(BI)Rise up [ab]for me to the judgment You have commanded!
7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
8 The Lord shall judge the peoples;
(BJ)Judge me, O Lord, (BK)according to my righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.
9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
(BL)For the righteous God tests the hearts and [ac]minds.
10 [ad]My defense is of God,
Who saves the (BM)upright in heart.
11 God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he does not turn back,
He will (BN)sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
13 He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
14 (BO)Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit and dug it out,
(BP)And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 (BQ)His trouble shall return upon his own head,
And his violent dealing shall come down on [ae]his own crown.
17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
The Glory of the Lord in Creation
To the Chief Musician. [af]On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.
8 O Lord, our Lord,
How (BR)excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have (BS)set Your glory above the heavens!
2 (BT)Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have [ag]ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence (BU)the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I (BV)consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 (BW)What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You (BX)visit[ah] him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than [ai]the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 (BY)You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
(BZ)You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
9 (CA)O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Prayer and Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Righteous Judgments
To the Chief Musician. To the tune of [aj]“Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David.
9 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
2 I will be glad and (CB)rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, (CC)O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
4 For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
5 You have rebuked the [ak]nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have (CD)blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has (CE)perished.
7 (CF)But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
8 (CG)He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
9 The Lord also will be a (CH)refuge[al] for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And those who (CI)know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
(CJ)Declare His deeds among the people.
12 (CK)When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the [am]humble.
13 Have mercy on me, O Lord!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all Your praise
In the gates of [an]the daughter of Zion.
I will (CL)rejoice in Your salvation.
15 (CM)The [ao]nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
16 The Lord is (CN)known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
(CO)Meditation.[ap] Selah
17 The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the [aq]nations (CP)that forget God.
18 (CQ)For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
(CR)The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.
19 Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the [ar]nations be judged in Your sight.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the [as]nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah
A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph over Evil
10 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
2 The wicked in his pride [at]persecutes the poor;
(CS)Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked (CT)boasts of his heart’s desire;
[au]He (CU)blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.
4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
[av]God is in none of his (CV)thoughts.
5 His ways [aw]are always prospering;
Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
6 (CW)He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
(CX)I shall never be in adversity.”
7 (CY)His mouth is full of cursing and (CZ)deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.
8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
In the secret places he murders the innocent;
His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.
9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;
He lies in wait to catch the poor;
He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 So [ax]he crouches, he lies low,
That the helpless may fall by his [ay]strength.
11 He has said in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
He hides His face;
He will never see.”
12 Arise, O Lord!
O God, (DA)lift up Your hand!
Do not forget the (DB)humble.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
“You will not require an account.”
14 But You have (DC)seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
To repay it by Your hand.
The helpless (DD)commits[az] himself to You;
(DE)You are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
16 (DF)The Lord is King forever and ever;
The nations have perished out of His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear,
18 To [ba]do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the man of the earth may [bb]oppress no more.
Faith in the Lord’s Righteousness
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
11 In (DG)the Lord I put my trust;
How can you say to my soul,
“Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
2 For look! (DH)The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the string,
That they may shoot [bc]secretly at the upright in heart.
3 (DI)If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?
4 The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s (DJ)throne is in heaven;
(DK)His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord (DL)tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
(DM)Shall be [bd]the portion of their cup.
Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy
To the Chief Musician. (DO)On [bf]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
12 Help,[bg] Lord, for the godly man (DP)ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 (DQ)They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and [bh]a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord [bi]cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks [bj]proud things,
4 Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”
5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”
6 The words of the Lord are (DR)pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
7 You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.
8 The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Trust in the Salvation of the Lord
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
(DS)How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
(DT)Enlighten my eyes,
(DU)Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph(DV)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
14 The (DW)fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.
2 (DX)The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 (DY)They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And (DZ)do not call on the Lord?
5 There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the Lord is his (EA)refuge.
7 (EB)Oh,[bk] that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
(EC)When the Lord brings back [bl]the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
The Character of Those Who May Dwell with the Lord
A Psalm of David.
2 He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the (EE)truth in his heart;
3 He who (EF)does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
(EG)Nor does he [bn]take up a reproach against his friend;
4 (EH)In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord;
He who (EI)swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He who does not put out his money at usury,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things (EJ)shall never be moved.
The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory
A (EK)Michtam of David.
16 Preserve[bo] me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
(EL)My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
3 As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in (EM)whom is all my delight.”
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of (EN)blood I will not offer,
(EO)Nor take up their names on my lips.
5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You [bp]maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My [bq]heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 (EP)I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will [br]rest in hope.
10 (EQ)For You will not leave my soul in [bs]Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to [bt]see corruption.
11 You will show me the (ER)path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
3 You have tested my heart;
You have visited me in the night;
(ES)You have [bu]tried me and have found [bv]nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth shall not (ET)transgress.
4 Concerning the works of men,
By the word of Your lips,
I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
5 (EU)Uphold my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.
6 (EV)I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who [bw]save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the [bx]apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have closed up their (EW)fat hearts;
With their mouths they (EX)speak proudly.
11 They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
And like a young lion lurking in secret places.
13 Arise, O Lord,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
14 With Your hand from men, O Lord,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.
15 As for me, (EY)I will see Your face in righteousness;
(EZ)I shall be satisfied when I (FA)awake in Your likeness.
God the Sovereign Savior(FB)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David (FC)the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of (FD)this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:
18 I (FE)will love You, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my [by]strength, (FF)in whom I will trust;
My shield and the [bz]horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the Lord, (FG)who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 (FH)The pangs of death surrounded me,
And the floods of [ca]ungodliness made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.
7 (FI)Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
8 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
9 (FJ)He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
10 (FK)And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
(FL)He flew upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His secret place;
(FM)His canopy around Him was dark waters
And thick clouds of the skies.
12 (FN)From the brightness before Him,
His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered (FO)His voice,
[cb]Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 (FP)He sent out His arrows and scattered [cc]the foe,
Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered
At Your rebuke, O Lord,
At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
16 (FQ)He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
19 (FR)He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.
20 (FS)The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His judgments were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23 I was also blameless [cd]before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 (FT)Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25 (FU)With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And (FV)with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
27 For You will save the humble people,
But will bring down (FW)haughty looks.
28 (FX)For You will light my lamp;
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by You I can [ce]run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
30 As for God, (FY)His way is perfect;
(FZ)The word of the Lord is [cf]proven;
He is a shield (GA)to all who trust in Him.
31 (GB)For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
32 It is God who (GC)arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
33 (GD)He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And (GE)sets me on my high places.
34 (GF)He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
36 You enlarged my path under me,
(GG)So my feet did not slip.
37 I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
38 I have wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
39 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have [cg]subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried out, but there was none to save;
(GH)Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
42 Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;
I (GI)cast them out like dirt in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
(GJ)You have made me the head of the [ch]nations;
(GK)A people I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they obey me;
The foreigners [ci]submit to me.
45 (GL)The foreigners fade away,
And come frightened from their hideouts.
46 The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God who avenges me,
(GM)And subdues the peoples under me;
48 He delivers me from my enemies.
(GN)You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the violent man.
49 (GO)Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the [cj]Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.
50 (GP)Great deliverance He gives to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
To David and his [ck]descendants forevermore.
The Perfect Revelation of the Lord
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
19 The (GQ)heavens declare the glory of God;
And the (GR)firmament[cl] shows [cm]His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 (GS)Their [cn]line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a [co]tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
(GT)And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 (GU)The law of the Lord is perfect, [cp]converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making (GV)wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than (GW)gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the [cq]honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors?
(GX)Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from (GY)presumptuous sins;
Let them not have (GZ)dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of [cr]great transgression.
14 (HA)Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my [cs]strength and my (HB)Redeemer.
The Assurance of God’s Saving Work
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob [ct]defend you;
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
3 May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And (HC)fulfill all your [cu]purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord saves His [cv]anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in (HD)horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.
9 Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.
Joy in the Salvation of the Lord
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
21 The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire,
And have not withheld the (HE)request of his lips. Selah
3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness;
You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
4 (HF)He asked life from You, and You gave it to him—
Length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great in Your salvation;
Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.
6 For You have made him most blessed forever;
(HG)You have made him [cw]exceedingly glad with Your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord,
And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be [cx]moved.
8 Your hand will find all Your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate You.
9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger;
The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath,
And the fire shall devour them.
10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth,
And their [cy]descendants from among the sons of men.
11 For they intended evil against You;
They devised a plot which they are not able to (HH)perform.
12 Therefore You will make them turn their back;
You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces.
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power.
The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah
To the Chief Musician. Set to [cz]“The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.
22 My (HI)God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But You are holy,
Enthroned in the (HJ)praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
5 They cried to You, and were delivered;
(HK)They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
6 But I am (HL)a worm, and no man;
(HM)A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
7 (HN)All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They [da]shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 “He(HO) [db]trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;
(HP)Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
9 (HQ)But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb
(HR)You have been My God.
11 Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12 (HS)Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of (HT)Bashan have encircled Me.
13 (HU)They [dc]gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
(HV)And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted [dd]within Me.
15 (HW)My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And (HX)My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
(HY)They[de] pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones.
(HZ)They look and stare at Me.
18 (IA)They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
20 Deliver Me from the sword,
(IB)My[df] precious life from the power of the dog.
21 (IC)Save Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild oxen!
(ID)You have answered Me.
22 (IE)I will declare Your name to (IF)My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 (IG)You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All you [dg]descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But (IH)when He cried to Him, He heard.
25 (II)My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
(IJ)I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!
27 All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the [dh]nations
Shall worship before [di]You.
28 (IK)For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.
29 (IL)All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
(IM)All those who go down to [dj]the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.
30 A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this.
The Lord the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is (IN)my shepherd;
(IO)I shall not [dk]want.
2 (IP)He makes me to lie down in [dl]green pastures;
(IQ)He leads me beside the [dm]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
(IR)He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of (IS)the shadow of death,
(IT)I will fear no evil;
(IU)For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You (IV)prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You (IW)anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will [dn]dwell in the house of the Lord
[do]Forever.
The King of Glory and His Kingdom
A Psalm of David.
24 The (IX)earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
2 For He has (IY)founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the [dp]waters.
3 (IZ)Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has (JA)clean hands and (JB)a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor (JC)sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who (JD)seek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah
7 (JE)Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
(JF)And the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in (JG)battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah
A Plea for Deliverance and Forgiveness
A Psalm of David.
25 To (JH)You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I (JI)trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
(JJ)Let not my enemies triumph over me.
3 Indeed, let no one who [dq]waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.
4 (JK)Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, (JL)Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
7 Do not remember (JM)the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
(JN)According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
9 The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
11 (JO)For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12 Who is the man that fears the Lord?
(JP)Him shall [dr]He teach in the way He chooses.
13 (JQ)He himself shall dwell in [ds]prosperity,
And (JR)his descendants shall inherit the earth.
14 (JS)The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
15 (JT)My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall [dt]pluck my feet out of the net.
16 (JU)Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am [du]desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!
18 (JV)Look on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins.
19 Consider my enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with [dv]cruel hatred.
20 Keep my soul, and deliver me;
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
22 (JW)Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all their troubles!
A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption
A Psalm of David.
26 Vindicate (JX)me, O Lord,
For I have (JY)walked in my integrity.
(JZ)I have also trusted in the Lord;
I shall not slip.
2 (KA)Examine me, O Lord, and [dw]prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And (KB)I have walked in Your truth.
4 I have not (KC)sat with idolatrous mortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
5 I have (KD)hated the assembly of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence;
So I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
And tell of all Your wondrous works.
8 Lord, (KE)I have loved the habitation of Your house,
And the place [dx]where Your glory dwells.
9 (KF)Do[dy] not gather my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 In whose hands is a sinister scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (KG)bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me.
12 (KH)My foot stands in an even place;
In the congregations I will bless the Lord.
An Exuberant Declaration of Faith
A Psalm of David.
27 The Lord is my (KI)light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The (KJ)Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To (KK)eat[dz] up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 (KL)Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
4 (KM)One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may (KN)dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the [ea]beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
5 For (KO)in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall (KP)set me high upon a rock.
6 And now (KQ)my head shall be [eb]lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of [ec]joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
9 (KR)Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
10 (KS)When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.
11 (KT)Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For (KU)false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
(KV)In the land of the living.
14 (KW)Wait[ed] on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Rejoicing in Answered Prayer
A Psalm of David.
28 To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock:
(KX)Do not be silent to me,
(KY)Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
(KZ)When I lift up my hands (LA)toward Your holy sanctuary.
3 Do not [ee]take me away with the wicked
And with the workers of iniquity,
(LB)Who speak peace to their neighbors,
But evil is in their hearts.
4 (LC)Give them according to their deeds,
And according to the wickedness of their endeavors;
Give them according to the work of their hands;
Render to them what they deserve.
5 Because (LD)they do not regard the works of the Lord,
Nor the operation of His hands,
He shall destroy them
And not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
7 The Lord is (LE)my strength and my shield;
My heart (LF)trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.
8 The Lord is [ef]their strength,
And He is the (LG)saving refuge of His [eg]anointed.
9 Save Your people,
And bless (LH)Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
(LI)And bear them up forever.
Praise to God in His Holiness and Majesty
A Psalm of David.
29 Give[eh] (LJ)unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2 [ei]Give unto the Lord the glory [ej]due to His name;
Worship the Lord in (LK)the [ek]beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
(LL)The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks (LM)the cedars,
Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 (LN)He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and (LO)Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord [el]divides the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the Wilderness of (LP)Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the (LQ)deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
10 The (LR)Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And (LS)the Lord sits as King forever.
11 (LT)The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.
The Blessedness of Answered Prayer
A Psalm. A Song (LU)at the dedication of the house of David.
30 I will extol You, O Lord, for You have (LV)lifted me up,
And have not let my foes (LW)rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried out to You,
And You (LX)healed me.
3 O Lord, (LY)You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, [em]that I should not go down to the pit.
4 (LZ)Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of [en]His holy name.
5 For (MA)His anger is but for a moment,
(MB)His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But [eo]joy comes in the morning.
6 Now in my prosperity I said,
“I shall never be [ep]moved.”
7 Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
(MC)You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
8 I cried out to You, O Lord;
And to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my blood,
When I go down to the pit?
(MD)Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth?
10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;
Lord, be my helper!”
11 (ME)You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off [eq]my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12 To the end that my [er]glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
The Lord a Fortress in Adversity
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
31 In (MF)You, O Lord, I [es]put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
2 (MG)Bow down Your ear to me,
Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of [et]refuge,
A [eu]fortress of defense to save me.
3 (MH)For You are my rock and my fortress;
Therefore, (MI)for Your name’s sake,
Lead me and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
5 (MJ)Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord God of (MK)truth.
6 I have hated those (ML)who regard useless idols;
But I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy,
For You have considered my trouble;
You have (MM)known my soul in [ev]adversities,
8 And have not (MN)shut[ew] me up into the hand of the enemy;
(MO)You have set my feet in a wide place.
9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
(MP)My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes, my soul and my [ex]body!
10 For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
11 (MQ)I am a [ey]reproach among all my enemies,
But (MR)especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
(MS)Those who see me outside flee from me.
12 (MT)I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a [ez]broken vessel.
13 (MU)For I hear the slander of many;
(MV)Fear is on every side;
While they (MW)take counsel together against me,
They scheme to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your (MX)hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
16 (MY)Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
17 (MZ)Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You;
Let the wicked be ashamed;
(NA)Let them be silent in the grave.
18 (NB)Let the lying lips be put to silence,
Which (NC)speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19 (ND)Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
20 (NE)You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
(NF)You shall keep them secretly in a [fa]pavilion
From the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
For (NG)He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a [fb]strong city!
22 For I said in my haste,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried out to You.
23 Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!
For the Lord preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.
24 (NH)Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.
The Joy of Forgiveness
A Psalm of David. A [fc]Contemplation.
32 Blessed is he whose (NI)transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord (NJ)does not [fd]impute iniquity,
And (NK)in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your (NL)hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
(NM)I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 (NN)For this cause everyone who is godly shall (NO)pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
7 (NP)You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with (NQ)songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the (NR)horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.
10 (NS)Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But (NT)he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
11 (NU)Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
The Sovereignty of the Lord in Creation and History
33 Rejoice (NV)in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
[fe]Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the Lord is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6 (NW)By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the (NX)host of them (NY)by the breath of His mouth.
7 (NZ)He gathers the waters of the sea together [ff]as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For (OA)He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 (OB)The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 (OC)The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has (OD)chosen as His own inheritance.
13 (OE)The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually;
(OF)He [fg]considers all their works.
16 (OG)No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 (OH)A horse is a [fh]vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
18 (OI)Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
19 To deliver their soul from death,
And (OJ)to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.
The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God
A Psalm of David (OK)when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
34 I will (OL)bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4 I (OM)sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 (ON)The [fi]angel of the Lord (OO)encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
8 Oh, (OP)taste and see that the Lord is good;
(OQ)Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no [fj]want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
(OR)But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me;
(OS)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 (OT)Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking (OU)deceit.
14 (OV)Depart from evil and do good;
(OW)Seek peace and pursue it.
15 (OX)The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 (OY)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
(OZ)To [fk]cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and (PA)the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 (PB)The Lord is near (PC)to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as [fl]have a contrite spirit.
19 (PD)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
(PE)But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones;
(PF)Not one of them is broken.
21 (PG)Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be [fm]condemned.
22 The Lord (PH)redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
The Lord the Avenger of His People
A Psalm of David.
35 Plead[fn] my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and [fo]buckler,
And stand up for my help.
3 Also draw out the spear,
And stop those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
4 (PI)Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
Who seek after my life;
Let those be (PJ)turned back and brought to confusion
Who plot my hurt.
5 (PK)Let them be like chaff before the wind,
And let the [fp]angel of the Lord chase them.
6 Let their way be (PL)dark and slippery,
And let the angel of the Lord pursue them.
7 For without cause they have (PM)hidden their net for me in a pit,
Which they have dug without cause for my life.
8 [fq]Let (PN)destruction come upon him unexpectedly,
And let his net that he has hidden catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.
9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.
10 (PO)All my bones shall say,
“Lord, (PP)who is like You,
Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,
Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”
11 Fierce witnesses rise up;
They ask me things that I do not know.
12 (PQ)They reward me evil for good,
To the sorrow of my soul.
13 But as for me, (PR)when they were sick,
My clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled myself with fasting;
And my prayer would return to my own [fr]heart.
14 I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;
I bowed down [fs]heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.
15 But in my [ft]adversity they rejoiced
And gathered together;
Attackers gathered against me,
And I did not know it;
They tore at me and did not cease;
16 With ungodly mockers at feasts
They gnashed at me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long will You (PS)look on?
Rescue me from their destructions,
My precious life from the lions.
18 I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among [fu]many people.
19 (PT)Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies;
Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.
20 For they do not speak peace,
But they devise deceitful matters
Against the quiet ones in the land.
21 They also opened their mouth wide against me,
And said, “Aha, aha!
Our eyes have seen it.”
22 This You have seen, O Lord;
Do not keep silence.
O Lord, do not be far from me.
23 Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication,
To my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness;
And let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who rejoice at my hurt;
Let them be (PU)clothed with shame and dishonor
Who exalt themselves against me.
27 (PV)Let them shout for joy and be glad,
Who favor my righteous cause;
And let them say continually,
“Let the Lord be magnified,
Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
28 And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness
And of Your praise all the day long.
Man’s Wickedness and God’s Perfections
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
(PW)There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
(PX)He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 (PY)He devises wickedness on his bed;
He sets himself (PZ)in a way that is not good;
He does not [fv]abhor (QA)evil.
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the [fw]great mountains;
(QB)Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men (QC)put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 (QD)They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from (QE)the river of Your pleasures.
9 (QF)For with You is the fountain of life;
(QG)In Your light we see light.
10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the workers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked
A Psalm of David.
37 Do(QH) not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down (QI)like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 (QJ)Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your (QK)heart.
5 (QL)Commit[fx] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 (QM)He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, (QN)and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who (QO)prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 (QP)Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
(QQ)Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be [fy]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall (QR)inherit the earth.
10 For (QS)yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, (QT)you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 (QU)But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
(QV)And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 (QW)The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that (QX)his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16 (QY)A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But (QZ)the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 (RA)For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be [fz]cut off.
23 (RB)The steps of a good man are [ga]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 (RC)Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 (RD)He is [gb]ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 (RE)The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
30 (RF)The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall [gc]slide.
32 The wicked (RG)watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The Lord (RH)will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 (RI)Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet [gd]he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38 (RJ)But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (RK)in the time of trouble.
40 And (RL)the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
(RM)Because they trust in Him.
Prayer in Time of Chastening
A Psalm of David. (RN)To bring to remembrance.
38 O Lord, do not (RO)rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.
6 I am [ge]troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.
11 My loved ones and my friends (RP)stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.
13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.
15 For [gf]in You, O Lord, (RQ)I hope;
You will [gg]hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”
17 (RR)For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will (RS)declare my iniquity;
I will be (RT)in [gh]anguish over my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20 Those also (RU)who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, (RV)be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!
Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my (RW)tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.”
2 (RX)I was mute with silence,
I held my peace even from good;
And my sorrow was stirred up.
3 My heart was hot within me;
While I was [gi]musing, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, (RY)make me to know my end,
And what is the measure of my days,
That I may know how frail I am.
5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but (RZ)vapor. Selah
6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they [gj]busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My (SA)hope is in You.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me (SB)the reproach of the foolish.
9 (SC)I was mute, I did not open my mouth,
Because it was (SD)You who did it.
10 (SE)Remove Your plague from me;
I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.
11 When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity,
You make his beauty (SF)melt away like a moth;
Surely every man is vapor. Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, (SG)as all my fathers were.
13 (SH)Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength,
Before I go away and (SI)am no more.”
Faith Persevering in Trial(SJ)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
40 I (SK)waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of (SL)the miry clay,
And (SM)set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 (SN)He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
4 (SO)Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 (SP)Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
(SQ)And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
6 (SR)Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 (SS)I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is (ST)within my heart.”
9 (SU)I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, (SV)I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You Yourself know.
10 (SW)I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;
(SX)Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
(SY)My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.
13 (SZ)Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
14 (TA)Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my [gk]life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
15 Let them be (TB)confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 (TC)Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation (TD)say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17 (TE)But I am poor and needy;
(TF)Yet the Lord thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
The Blessing and Suffering of the Godly
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
41 Blessed is he who considers the [gl]poor;
The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
2 The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth;
(TG)You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
3 The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;
You will [gm]sustain him on his sickbed.
4 I said, “Lord, be merciful to me;
(TH)Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”
5 My enemies speak evil of me:
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
6 And if he comes to see me, he speaks [gn]lies;
His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
When he goes out, he tells it.
7 All who hate me whisper together against me;
Against me they [go]devise my hurt.
8 “An[gp] evil disease,” they say, “clings to him.
And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”
9 (TI)Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
(TJ)Who ate my bread,
Has [gq]lifted up his heel against me.
10 But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up,
That I may repay them.
11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me,
Because my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
And (TK)set me before Your face forever.
13 (TL)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.
BOOK TWO
Psalms 42–72
Yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses
To the Chief Musician. A [gr]Contemplation of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [gs]pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 (TM)My soul thirsts for God, for the (TN)living God.
When shall I come and [gt]appear before God?
3 (TO)My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
(TP)“Where is your God?”
4 When I remember these things,
(TQ)I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
(TR)I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
5 (TS)Why are you [gu]cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
(TT)Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
[gv]For the help of His countenance.
6 [gw]O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From [gx]the Hill Mizar.
7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
(TU)All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
8 The Lord will (TV)command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And (TW)in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my Rock,
(TX)“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a [gy]breaking of my bones,
My enemies [gz]reproach me,
(TY)While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 (TZ)Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The [ha]help of my countenance and my God.
Prayer to God in Time of Trouble
43 Vindicate (UA)me, O God,
And (UB)plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
2 For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
(UC)Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 (UD)Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to (UE)Your holy hill
And to Your [hb]tabernacle.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.
5 (UF)Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The [hc]help of my countenance and my God.
Redemption Remembered in Present Dishonor
To the Chief Musician. A (UG)Contemplation[hd] of the sons of Korah.
44 We have heard with our ears, O God,
(UH)Our fathers have told us,
The deeds You did in their days,
In days of old:
2 (UI)You drove out the [he]nations with Your hand,
But them You planted;
You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.
3 For (UJ)they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them;
But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
(UK)Because You favored them.
4 (UL)You are my King, [hf]O God;
[hg]Command victories for Jacob.
5 Through You (UM)we will push down our enemies;
Through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.
6 For (UN)I will not trust in my bow,
Nor shall my sword save me.
7 But You have saved us from our enemies,
And have put to shame those who hated us.
8 (UO)In God we boast all day long,
And praise Your name forever. Selah
9 But (UP)You have cast us off and put us to shame,
And You do not go out with our armies.
10 You make us (UQ)turn back from the enemy,
And those who hate us have taken [hh]spoil for themselves.
11 (UR)You have given us up like sheep intended for food,
And have (US)scattered us among the nations.
12 (UT)You sell Your people for next to nothing,
And are not enriched by selling them.
13 (UU)You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
A scorn and a derision to those all around us.
14 (UV)You make us a byword among the nations,
(UW)A shaking of the head among the peoples.
15 My dishonor is continually before me,
And the shame of my face has covered me,
16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
(UX)Because of the enemy and the avenger.
17 (UY)All this has come upon us;
But we have not forgotten You,
Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
(UZ)Nor have our steps departed from Your way;
19 But You have severely broken us in (VA)the place of jackals,
And covered us (VB)with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or (VC)stretched[hi] out our hands to a foreign god,
21 (VD)Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 (VE)Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 (VF)Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord?
Arise! Do not cast us off forever.
24 (VG)Why do You hide Your face,
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For (VH)our soul is bowed down to the [hj]dust;
Our body clings to the ground.
26 Arise for our help,
And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.
The Glories of the Messiah and His Bride
To the Chief Musician. (VI)Set to [hk]“The Lilies.” A [hl]Contemplation of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.
45 My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a [hm]ready writer.
2 You are fairer than the sons of men;
(VJ)Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.
3 [hn]Gird Your (VK)sword upon Your thigh, (VL)O Mighty One,
With Your (VM)glory and Your majesty.
4 (VN)And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;
And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;
The peoples fall under You.
6 (VO)Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A (VP)scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has (VQ)anointed You
With the oil of (VR)gladness more than Your companions.
8 All Your garments are (VS)scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,
Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.
9 (VT)Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women;
(VU)At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.
10 Listen, O daughter,
Consider and incline your ear;
(VV)Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;
11 So the King will greatly desire your beauty;
(VW)Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
12 And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
(VX)The rich among the people will seek your favor.
13 The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
14 (VY)She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace.
16 Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
(VZ)Whom You shall make princes in all the earth.
17 (WA)I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.
God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song (WB)for Alamoth.
46 God is our (WC)refuge and strength,
(WD)A[ho] very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the [hp]midst of the sea;
3 (WE)Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
4 There is a (WF)river whose streams shall make glad the (WG)city of God,
The holy place of the [hq]tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is (WH)in the midst of her, she shall not be [hr]moved;
God shall help her, just [hs]at the break of dawn.
6 (WI)The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
7 The (WJ)Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 (WK)He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
(WL)He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
(WM)He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
(WN)I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Praise to God, the Ruler of the Earth
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
47 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome;
He is a great (WO)King over all the earth.
3 (WP)He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
4 He will choose our (WQ)inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah
5 (WR)God has gone up with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 (WS)For God is the King of all the earth;
(WT)Sing praises with understanding.
8 (WU)God reigns over the nations;
God (WV)sits on His (WW)holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have gathered together,
(WX)The people of the God of Abraham.
(WY)For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.
The Glory of God in Zion
A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
48 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the (WZ)city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
2 (XA)Beautiful in [ht]elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
3 God is in her palaces;
He is known as her refuge.
4 For behold, (XB)the kings assembled,
They passed by together.
5 They saw it, and so they marveled;
They were troubled, they hastened away.
6 Fear (XC)took hold of them there,
And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,
7 As when You break the (XD)ships of Tarshish
With an east wind.
8 As we have heard,
So we have seen
In the city of the Lord of hosts,
In the city of our God:
God will (XE)establish it forever. Selah
9 We have thought, O God, on (XF)Your lovingkindness,
In the midst of Your temple.
10 According to (XG)Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Let Mount Zion rejoice,
Let the daughters of Judah be glad,
Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion,
And go all around her.
Count her towers;
13 Mark well her bulwarks;
Consider her palaces;
That you may (XH)tell it to the generation following.
14 For this is God,
Our God forever and ever;
(XI)He will be our guide
[hu]Even to death.
The Confidence of the Foolish
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
49 Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will disclose my [hv]dark saying on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil,
When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6 Those who (XJ)trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor (XK)give to God a ransom for him—
8 For (XL)the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever—
9 That he should continue to live eternally,
And (XM)not [hw]see the Pit.
10 For he sees wise men die;
Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish,
And leave their wealth to others.
11 [hx]Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever,
Their dwelling places to all generations;
They (XN)call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not [hy]remain;
He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the way of those who are (XO)foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
Death shall feed on them;
(XP)The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
(XQ)And their beauty shall be consumed in [hz]the grave, far from their dwelling.
15 But God (XR)will redeem my soul from the power of [ia]the grave,
For He shall (XS)receive me. Selah
16 Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives (XT)he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see (XU)light.[ib]
20 A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,
(XV)Is like the beasts that perish.
God the Righteous Judge
A Psalm of Asaph.
50 The (XW)Mighty One, God the Lord,
Has spoken and called the earth
From the rising of the sun to its going down.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
(XX)God will shine forth.
3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
(XY)A fire shall devour before Him,
And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
4 (XZ)He shall call to the heavens from above,
And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
5 “Gather (YA)My saints together to Me,
(YB)Those who have [ic]made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
6 Let the (YC)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (YD)God Himself is Judge. Selah
7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
(YE)I am God, your God!
8 (YF)I will not [id]rebuke you (YG)for your sacrifices
Or your burnt offerings,
Which are continually before Me.
9 (YH)I will not take a bull from your house,
Nor goats out of your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the mountains,
And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
(YI)For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13 (YJ)Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
14 (YK)Offer to God thanksgiving,
And (YL)pay your vows to the Most High.
15 (YM)Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
16 But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to declare My statutes,
Or take My covenant in your mouth,
17 (YN)Seeing you hate instruction
And cast My words behind you?
18 When you saw a thief, you (YO)consented[ie] with him,
And have been a (YP)partaker with adulterers.
19 You give your mouth to evil,
And (YQ)your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done, and I kept silent;
(YR)You thought that I was altogether like you;
But I will rebuke you,
And (YS)set them in order before your eyes.
22 “Now consider this, you who (YT)forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces,
And there be none to deliver:
23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
And (YU)to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God.”
A Prayer of Repentance
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David (YV)when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
51 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
(YW)Blot out my transgressions.
2 (YX)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 (YY)Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil (YZ)in Your sight—
(ZA)That You may be found just [if]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5 (ZB)Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 (ZC)Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be (ZD)whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken (ZE)may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 (ZF)Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your (ZG)Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your (ZH)generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For (ZI)You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 (ZJ)The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You shall be pleased with (ZK)the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
The End of the Wicked and the Peace of the Godly
To the Chief Musician. A [ig]Contemplation of David (ZL)when Doeg the Edomite went and (ZM)told Saul, and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”
52 Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The goodness of God endures continually.
2 Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 You love evil more than good,
Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
4 You love all devouring words,
You deceitful tongue.
5 God shall likewise destroy you forever;
He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,
And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous also shall see and fear,
And shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
And strengthened himself in his [ih]wickedness.”
8 But I am (ZN)like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
9 I will praise You forever,
Because You have done it;
And in the presence of Your saints
I will wait on Your name, for it [ii]is good.
Folly of the Godless, and the Restoration of Israel(ZO)
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A [ij]Contemplation of David.
53 The (ZP)fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
(ZQ)There is none who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who (ZR)seek God.
3 Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.
4 Have the workers of iniquity (ZS)no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon God?
5 (ZT)There they are in great fear
Where no fear was,
For God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you;
You have put them to shame,
Because God has despised them.
6 (ZU)Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God brings back [ik]the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
Answered Prayer for Deliverance from Adversaries
To the Chief Musician. With [il]stringed instruments. A [im]Contemplation of David (ZV)when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”
54 Save me, O God, by Your name,
And vindicate me by Your strength.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen up against me,
And oppressors have sought after my life;
They have not set God before them. Selah
4 Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who [in]uphold my life.
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil.
[io]Cut them off in Your [ip]truth.
6 I will freely sacrifice to You;
I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
(ZW)And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.
Trust in God Concerning the Treachery of Friends
To the Chief Musician. With [iq]stringed instruments. A [ir]Contemplation of David.
55 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and hear me;
I (ZX)am[is] restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
(ZY)For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.
4 (ZZ)My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their [it]tongues,
For I have seen (AAA)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it on its walls;
(AAB)Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
11 Destruction is in its midst;
(AAC)Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.
12 (AAD)For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has (AAE)exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
13 But it was you, a man my equal,
(AAF)My companion and my acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together,
And (AAG)walked to the house of God in the throng.
15 Let death seize them;
Let them (AAH)go down alive into [iu]hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
16 As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.
17 (AAI)Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For (AAJ)there were many against me.
19 God will hear, and afflict them,
(AAK)Even He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.
20 He has (AAL)put forth his hands against those who (AAM)were at peace with him;
He has broken his [iv]covenant.
21 (AAN)The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.
22 (AAO)Cast your burden on the Lord,
And (AAP)He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be [iw]moved.
23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
(AAQ)Bloodthirsty and deceitful men (AAR)shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.
Prayer for Relief from Tormentors
To the Chief Musician. Set to [ix]“The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A Michtam of David when the (AAS)Philistines captured him in Gath.
56 Be (AAT)merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
Fighting all day he oppresses me.
2 My enemies would (AAU)hound me all day,
For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3 Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
4 In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
(AAV)I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?
5 All day they twist my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They gather together,
They hide, they mark my steps,
When they lie in wait for my life.
7 Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
(AAW)Are they not in Your book?
9 When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because (AAX)God is for me.
10 In God (I will praise His word),
In the Lord (I will praise His word),
11 In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render praises to You,
13 (AAY)For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the (AAZ)light of the living?
Prayer for Safety from Enemies(ABA)
To the Chief Musician. Set to [iy]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David (ABB)when he fled from Saul into the cave.
57 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
(ABC)And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
(ABD)Until these calamities have passed by.
2 I will cry out to God Most High,
To God (ABE)who performs all things for me.
3 (ABF)He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who [iz]would swallow me up. Selah
God (ABG)shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
4 My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
(ABH)Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 (ABI)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 (ABJ)They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah
7 (ABK)My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, (ABL)my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (ABM)I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the [ja]nations.
10 (ABN)For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.
11 (ABO)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
The Just Judgment of the Wicked
To the Chief Musician. Set to [jb]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David.
58 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
2 No, in heart you work wickedness;
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
3 (ABP)The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4 (ABQ)Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5 Which will not (ABR)heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully.
6 (ABS)Break[jc] their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 (ABT)Let them flow away as waters which run continually;
When he bends his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes,
(ABU)Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
9 Before your (ABV)pots can feel the burning thorns,
He shall take them away (ABW)as with a whirlwind,
As in His living and burning wrath.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the (ABX)vengeance;
(ABY)He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11 (ABZ)So that men will say,
“Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who (ACA)judges in the earth.”
The Assured Judgment of the Wicked
To the Chief Musician. Set to [jd]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David (ACB)when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.
59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
[je]Defend me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.
3 For look, they lie in wait for my life;
(ACC)The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord.
4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.
(ACD)Awake to help me, and behold!
5 You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Awake to punish all the [jf]nations;
Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah
6 (ACE)At evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth;
(ACF)Swords are in their lips;
For they say, (ACG)“Who hears?”
8 But (ACH)You, O Lord, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the [jg]nations in derision.
9 I will wait for You, O You [jh]his Strength;
(ACI)For God is my [ji]defense.
10 [jj]My God of mercy shall (ACJ)come to meet me;
God shall let (ACK)me see my desire on my enemies.
11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
Scatter them by Your power,
And bring them down,
O Lord our shield.
12 (ACL)For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be taken in their pride,
And for the cursing and lying which they speak.
13 (ACM)Consume them in wrath, consume them,
That they may not be;
And (ACN)let them know that God rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth. Selah
14 And (ACO)at evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
15 They (ACP)wander up and down for food,
And [jk]howl if they are not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 To You, (ACQ)O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.
Urgent Prayer for the Restored Favor of God(ACR)
To the Chief Musician. (ACS)Set to [jl]“Lily of the Testimony.” A Michtam of David. For teaching. (ACT)When he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
60 O God, (ACU)You have cast us off;
You have broken us down;
You have been displeased;
Oh, restore us again!
2 You have made the earth tremble;
You have broken it;
(ACV)Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.
3 (ACW)You have shown Your people hard things;
(ACX)You have made us drink the wine of [jm]confusion.
4 (ACY)You have given a banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
5 (ACZ)That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and hear me.
6 God has (ADA)spoken in His holiness:
“I will rejoice;
I will (ADB)divide (ADC)Shechem
And measure out (ADD)the Valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
(ADE)Ephraim also is the [jn]helmet for My head;
(ADF)Judah is My lawgiver.
8 (ADG)Moab is My washpot;
(ADH)Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
(ADI)Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.”
9 Who will bring me to the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Is it not You, O God, (ADJ)who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did (ADK)not go out with our armies?
11 Give us help from trouble,
(ADL)For the help of man is useless.
12 Through God (ADM)we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
Assurance of God’s Eternal Protection
To the Chief Musician. On [jo]a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.
61 Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a shelter for me,
(ADN)A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your [jp]tabernacle forever;
(ADO)I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5 For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy (ADP)and truth, which may [jq]preserve him!
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my vows.
A Calm Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God
To the Chief Musician. To (ADQ)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 Truly (ADR)my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my [jr]defense;
I shall not be greatly (ADS)moved.[js]
3 How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
(ADT)Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
4 They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They (ADU)delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah
5 My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my [jt]expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be [ju]moved.
7 (ADV)In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;
(ADW)Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
9 (ADX)Surely men of low degree are [jv]a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
10 Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
(ADY)If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.
11 God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For (ADZ)You [jw]render to each one according to his work.
Joy in the Fellowship of God
A Psalm of David (AEA)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
63 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
(AEB)My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see (AEC)Your power and Your glory.
3 (AED)Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will (AEE)lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with [jx]marrow and [jy]fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
6 When (AEF)I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall [jz]fall by the sword;
They shall be [ka]a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
(AEG)Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the Lord
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
64 Hear my voice, O God, in my [kb]meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
(AEH)And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
(AEI)They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.
7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
(AEJ)All who see them shall flee away.
9 All men shall fear,
And shall (AEK)declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.
10 (AEL)The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.
Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
65 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;
And to You the [kc]vow shall be performed.
2 O You who hear prayer,
(AEM)To You all flesh will come.
3 Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will (AEN)provide atonement for them.
4 (AEO)Blessed is the man You (AEP)choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
(AEQ)We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of the far-off seas;
6 Who established the mountains by His strength,
(AER)Being clothed with power;
7 (AES)You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
(AET)And the tumult of the peoples.
8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;
You make the outgoings of the morning and evening [kd]rejoice.
9 You [ke]visit the earth and (AEU)water it,
You greatly enrich it;
(AEV)The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
12 They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;
(AEW)The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.
Praise to God for His Awesome Works
To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm.
66 Make (AEX)a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2 Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God,
“How (AEY)awesome are Your works!
(AEZ)Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
4 (AFA)All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah
5 Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
6 (AFB)He turned the sea into dry land;
(AFC)They went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
7 He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9 Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to [kf]be moved.
10 For (AFD)You, O God, have tested us;
(AFE)You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 (AFF)You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
12 (AFG)You have caused men to ride over our heads;
(AFH)We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to [kg]rich fulfillment.
13 (AFI)I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
(AFJ)I will pay You my [kh]vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was [ki]extolled with my tongue.
18 (AFK)If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
19 But certainly God (AFL)has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
An Invocation and a Doxology
To the Chief Musician. On [kj]stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
67 God be merciful to us and bless us,
And (AFM)cause His face to shine upon us, Selah
2 That (AFN)Your way may be known on earth,
(AFO)Your salvation among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!
For (AFP)You shall judge the people righteously,
And govern the nations on earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6 (AFQ)Then the earth shall [kk]yield her increase;
God, our own God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us,
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
The Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 Let (AFR)God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2 (AFS)As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
(AFT)As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But (AFU)let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
(AFV)Extol[kl] Him who rides on the [km]clouds,
(AFW)By His name [kn]Yah,
And rejoice before Him.
5 (AFX)A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6 (AFY)God sets the solitary in families;
(AFZ)He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But (AGA)the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, (AGB)when You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 The earth shook;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 (AGC)You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.
10 Your congregation dwelt in it;
(AGD)You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gave the word;
Great was the [ko]company of those who proclaimed it:
12 “Kings(AGE) of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home divides the [kp]spoil.
13 (AGF)Though you lie down among the [kq]sheepfolds,
(AGG)You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And her feathers with yellow gold.”
14 (AGH)When the Almighty scattered kings in it,
It was white as snow in Zalmon.
15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you [kr]fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks?
(AGI)This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in;
Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.
17 (AGJ)The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
Even thousands of thousands;
The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
18 (AGK)You have ascended on high,
(AGL)You have led captivity captive;
(AGM)You have received gifts among men,
Even from (AGN)the rebellious,
(AGO)That the Lord God might dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah
20 Our God is the God of salvation;
And (AGP)to God the Lord belong escapes from death.
21 But (AGQ)God will wound the head of His enemies,
(AGR)The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring (AGS)back from Bashan,
I will bring them back (AGT)from the depths of the sea,
23 (AGU)That [ks]your foot may crush them in blood,
(AGV)And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen Your [kt]procession, O God,
The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
25 (AGW)The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
26 Bless God in the congregations,
The Lord, from (AGX)the fountain of Israel.
27 (AGY)There is little Benjamin, their leader,
The princes of Judah and their [ku]company,
The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 [kv]Your God has (AGZ)commanded your strength;
Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
(AHA)Kings will bring presents to You.
30 Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,
(AHB)The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Till everyone (AHC)submits himself with pieces of silver.
Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31 (AHD)Envoys will come out of Egypt;
(AHE)Ethiopia will quickly (AHF)stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you (AHG)kingdoms of the earth;
Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 To Him (AHH)who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!
Indeed, He sends out His voice, a (AHI)mighty voice.
34 (AHJ)Ascribe strength to God;
His excellence is over Israel,
And His strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, (AHK)You are more awesome than Your holy places.
The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.
Blessed be God!
An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble
To the Chief Musician. Set to [kw]“The Lilies.” A Psalm of David.
69 Save me, O God!
For (AHL)the waters have come up to my [kx]neck.
2 (AHM)I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
3 (AHN)I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
(AHO)My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 Those who (AHP)hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
Footnotes
- Psalm 1:1 wicked
- Psalm 1:2 ponders by talking to himself
- Psalm 1:3 channels
- Psalm 2:1 Gentiles
- Psalm 2:1 throng tumultuously
- Psalm 2:1 worthless or empty
- Psalm 2:2 Christ, Commissioned One, Heb. Messiah
- Psalm 2:6 Lit. installed
- Psalm 2:6 Lit. Upon Zion, the hill of My holiness
- Psalm 2:7 Or decree of the Lord: He said to Me
- Psalm 2:9 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. rule (cf. Rev. 2:27)
- Psalm 2:12 LXX, Vg. Embrace discipline; Tg. Receive instruction
- Psalm 2:12 LXX the Lord
- Psalm 3:3 Lit. around
- Psalm 4:1 Choir Director
- Psalm 4:1 Be gracious to me
- Psalm 4:3 Many Heb. mss., LXX, Tg., Vg. made wonderful
- Psalm 4:4 Lit. Tremble or Be agitated
- Psalm 5:1 Heb. nehiloth
- Psalm 5:1 Lit. groaning
- Psalm 5:4 Lit. sojourn
- Psalm 5:7 Lit. the temple of Your holiness
- Psalm 5:9 uprightness
- Psalm 5:11 protect, lit. cover
- Psalm 6:1 Heb. sheminith
- Psalm 6:6 Or Every night
- Psalm 7:1 Heb. Shiggaion
- Psalm 7:6 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX O Lord my God
- Psalm 7:9 Lit. kidneys, the most secret part of man
- Psalm 7:10 Lit. My shield is upon God
- Psalm 7:16 The crown of his own head
- Psalm 8:1 Heb. Al Gittith
- Psalm 8:2 established
- Psalm 8:4 give attention to or care for
- Psalm 8:5 Heb. Elohim, God; LXX, Syr., Tg., Jewish tradition angels
- Psalm 9:1 Heb. Muth Labben
- Psalm 9:5 Gentiles
- Psalm 9:9 Lit. secure height
- Psalm 9:12 afflicted
- Psalm 9:14 Jerusalem
- Psalm 9:15 Gentiles
- Psalm 9:16 Heb. Higgaion
- Psalm 9:17 Gentiles
- Psalm 9:19 Gentiles
- Psalm 9:20 Gentiles
- Psalm 10:2 hotly pursues
- Psalm 10:3 Or The greedy man curses and spurns the Lord
- Psalm 10:4 Or All his thoughts are, “There is no God”
- Psalm 10:5 Lit. are strong
- Psalm 10:10 Or he is crushed, is bowed
- Psalm 10:10 Or mighty ones
- Psalm 10:14 Lit. leaves, entrusts
- Psalm 10:18 vindicate
- Psalm 10:18 terrify
- Psalm 11:2 Lit. in darkness
- Psalm 11:6 Their allotted portion or serving
- Psalm 11:7 Or The upright beholds His countenance
- Psalm 12:1 Heb. sheminith
- Psalm 12:1 Save
- Psalm 12:2 An inconsistent mind
- Psalm 12:3 destroy
- Psalm 12:3 great
- Psalm 14:7 Lit. Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel?
- Psalm 14:7 Or His captive people
- Psalm 15:1 sojourn
- Psalm 15:3 receive
- Psalm 16:1 Watch over
- Psalm 16:5 Lit. uphold
- Psalm 16:7 Mind, lit. kidneys
- Psalm 16:9 Or dwell securely
- Psalm 16:10 The abode of the dead
- Psalm 16:10 undergo
- Psalm 17:3 examined
- Psalm 17:3 Nothing evil
- Psalm 17:7 deliver
- Psalm 17:8 pupil
- Psalm 18:2 Lit. rock
- Psalm 18:2 Strength
- Psalm 18:4 Lit. Belial
- Psalm 18:13 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; a few Heb. mss., LXX omit Hailstones and coals of fire
- Psalm 18:14 Lit. them
- Psalm 18:23 with
- Psalm 18:29 Or run through
- Psalm 18:30 Lit. refined
- Psalm 18:39 Lit. caused to bow
- Psalm 18:43 Gentiles
- Psalm 18:44 feign submission
- Psalm 18:49 nations
- Psalm 18:50 Lit. seed
- Psalm 19:1 expanse of heaven
- Psalm 19:1 the work of His hands
- Psalm 19:4 LXX, Syr., Vg. sound; Tg. business
- Psalm 19:4 tent
- Psalm 19:7 restoring
- Psalm 19:10 honey in the combs
- Psalm 19:13 Or much
- Psalm 19:14 Lit. rock
- Psalm 20:1 Lit. set you on high
- Psalm 20:4 counsel
- Psalm 20:6 Commissioned one, Heb. messiah
- Psalm 21:6 Lit. joyful with gladness
- Psalm 21:7 shaken
- Psalm 21:10 Lit. seed
- Psalm 22:1 Heb. Aijeleth Hashahar
- Psalm 22:7 Show contempt with their mouth
- Psalm 22:8 LXX, Syr., Vg. hoped; Tg. praised
- Psalm 22:13 Lit. have opened their mouths at Me
- Psalm 22:14 Lit. in the midst of My bowels
- Psalm 22:16 So with some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg.; MT Like a lion instead of They pierced
- Psalm 22:20 Lit. My only one
- Psalm 22:23 Lit. seed
- Psalm 22:27 Gentiles
- Psalm 22:27 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Arab., Syr., Vg. Him
- Psalm 22:29 Death
- Psalm 23:1 lack
- Psalm 23:2 Lit. pastures of tender grass
- Psalm 23:2 Lit. waters of rest
- Psalm 23:6 So with LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT return
- Psalm 23:6 Or To the end of my days, lit. For length of days
- Psalm 24:2 Lit. rivers
- Psalm 25:3 Waits for You in faith
- Psalm 25:12 Or he
- Psalm 25:13 Lit. goodness
- Psalm 25:15 Lit. bring out
- Psalm 25:16 lonely
- Psalm 25:19 violent hatred
- Psalm 26:2 test me
- Psalm 26:8 Lit. of the tabernacle of Your glory
- Psalm 26:9 Do not take away
- Psalm 27:2 devour
- Psalm 27:4 delightfulness
- Psalm 27:6 Lifted up in honor
- Psalm 27:6 joyous shouts
- Psalm 27:14 Wait in faith
- Psalm 28:3 drag
- Psalm 28:8 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. the strength of His people
- Psalm 28:8 Commissioned one, Heb. messiah
- Psalm 29:1 Ascribe
- Psalm 29:2 Ascribe
- Psalm 29:2 Lit. of His name
- Psalm 29:2 majesty
- Psalm 29:7 stirs up, lit. hews out
- Psalm 30:3 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt., LXX, Syr., Vg. from those who descend to the pit
- Psalm 30:4 Or His holiness
- Psalm 30:5 a shout of joy
- Psalm 30:6 shaken
- Psalm 30:11 The sackcloth of my mourning
- Psalm 30:12 soul
- Psalm 31:1 have taken refuge
- Psalm 31:2 strength
- Psalm 31:2 Lit. house of fortresses
- Psalm 31:7 troubles
- Psalm 31:8 given me over
- Psalm 31:9 Lit. belly
- Psalm 31:11 despised thing
- Psalm 31:12 Lit. perishing
- Psalm 31:20 shelter
- Psalm 31:21 fortified
- Psalm 32:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 32:2 charge his account with
- Psalm 33:2 Lit. Sing to Him
- Psalm 33:7 LXX, Tg., Vg. in a vessel
- Psalm 33:15 understands
- Psalm 33:17 false
- Psalm 34:7 Or Angel
- Psalm 34:9 lack
- Psalm 34:16 destroy
- Psalm 34:18 are crushed in spirit
- Psalm 34:21 held guilty
- Psalm 35:1 Contend for me
- Psalm 35:2 A small shield
- Psalm 35:5 Or Angel
- Psalm 35:8 Lit. Let destruction he does not know come upon him,
- Psalm 35:13 Lit. bosom
- Psalm 35:14 in mourning
- Psalm 35:15 limping, stumbling
- Psalm 35:18 a mighty
- Psalm 36:4 reject, loathe
- Psalm 36:6 Lit. mountains of God
- Psalm 37:5 Lit. Roll off onto
- Psalm 37:9 destroyed
- Psalm 37:22 destroyed
- Psalm 37:23 established
- Psalm 37:26 Lit. all the day
- Psalm 37:31 slip
- Psalm 37:36 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Syr., Vg. I passed by
- Psalm 38:6 Lit. bent down
- Psalm 38:15 I wait for You, O Lord
- Psalm 38:15 answer
- Psalm 38:18 anxiety
- Psalm 39:3 meditating
- Psalm 39:6 make an uproar for nothing
- Psalm 40:14 Lit. soul
- Psalm 41:1 helpless or powerless
- Psalm 41:3 restore
- Psalm 41:6 empty words
- Psalm 41:7 plot
- Psalm 41:8 Lit. A thing of Belial
- Psalm 41:9 Acted as a traitor
- Psalm 42:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 42:1 Lit. longs for
- Psalm 42:2 So with MT, Vg.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Tg. I see the face of God
- Psalm 42:5 Lit. bowed down
- Psalm 42:5 So with MT, Tg.; a few Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg. The help of my countenance, my God
- Psalm 42:6 So with MT, Tg.; a few Heb. mss., LXX, Syr., Vg. put my God at the end of v. 5
- Psalm 42:6 Or Mount
- Psalm 42:10 Lit. shattering
- Psalm 42:10 revile
- Psalm 42:11 Lit. salvation
- Psalm 43:3 dwelling places
- Psalm 43:5 Lit. salvation
- Psalm 44:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 44:2 Gentiles, heathen
- Psalm 44:4 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. and my God
- Psalm 44:4 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. Who commands
- Psalm 44:10 plunder
- Psalm 44:20 Worshiped
- Psalm 44:25 Ground, in humiliation
- Psalm 45:1 Heb. Shoshannim
- Psalm 45:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 45:1 skillful
- Psalm 45:3 Belt on
- Psalm 46:1 An abundantly available help
- Psalm 46:2 Lit. heart
- Psalm 46:4 dwelling places
- Psalm 46:5 shaken
- Psalm 46:5 Lit. at the turning of the morning
- Psalm 48:2 height
- Psalm 48:14 So with MT, Syr.; LXX, Vg. Forever
- Psalm 49:4 riddle
- Psalm 49:9 experience corruption
- Psalm 49:11 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Their graves shall be their houses forever
- Psalm 49:12 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. understand (cf. v. 20)
- Psalm 49:14 Or Sheol
- Psalm 49:15 Or Sheol
- Psalm 49:19 The light of life
- Psalm 50:5 Lit. cut
- Psalm 50:8 reprove
- Psalm 50:18 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. ran
- Psalm 51:4 LXX, Tg., Vg. in Your words
- Psalm 52:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 52:7 Lit. desire, in evil sense
- Psalm 52:9 Or has a good reputation
- Psalm 53:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 53:6 Or His captive people
- Psalm 54:1 Heb. neginoth
- Psalm 54:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 54:4 sustain my soul
- Psalm 54:5 Destroy them
- Psalm 54:5 Or faithfulness
- Psalm 55:1 Heb. neginoth
- Psalm 55:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 55:2 wander
- Psalm 55:9 speech, their counsel
- Psalm 55:15 Or Sheol
- Psalm 55:20 treaty
- Psalm 55:22 shaken
- Psalm 56:1 Heb. Jonath Elem Rechokim
- Psalm 57:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 57:3 snaps at or hounds me, or crushes me
- Psalm 57:9 Gentiles
- Psalm 58:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 58:6 Break away
- Psalm 59:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 59:1 Lit. Set me on high
- Psalm 59:5 Gentiles
- Psalm 59:8 Gentiles
- Psalm 59:9 So with MT, Syr.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Tg., Vg. my Strength
- Psalm 59:9 Lit. fortress
- Psalm 59:10 So with Qr.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Vg. My God, His mercy; Kt., some Heb. mss., Tg. O God, my mercy; Syr. O God, Your mercy
- Psalm 59:15 So with LXX, Vg.; MT, Syr., Tg. spend the night
- Psalm 60:1 Heb. Shushan Eduth
- Psalm 60:3 staggering
- Psalm 60:7 Lit. protection
- Psalm 61:1 Heb. neginah
- Psalm 61:4 tent
- Psalm 61:7 Lit. guard or keep
- Psalm 62:2 strong tower
- Psalm 62:2 shaken
- Psalm 62:5 hope
- Psalm 62:6 shaken
- Psalm 62:9 vanity
- Psalm 62:12 reward
- Psalm 63:5 Lit. fat
- Psalm 63:5 Abundance
- Psalm 63:10 Lit. pour him out by the hand of the sword
- Psalm 63:10 Prey
- Psalm 64:1 complaint
- Psalm 65:1 A promised deed
- Psalm 65:8 shout for joy
- Psalm 65:9 give attention to
- Psalm 66:9 slip
- Psalm 66:12 abundance
- Psalm 66:13 Promised deeds
- Psalm 66:17 praised
- Psalm 67:1 Heb. neginoth
- Psalm 67:6 give her produce
- Psalm 68:4 Praise
- Psalm 68:4 MT deserts; Tg. heavens (cf. v. 34 and Is. 19:1)
- Psalm 68:4 Lit. Lord, a shortened Heb. form
- Psalm 68:11 host
- Psalm 68:12 plunder
- Psalm 68:13 Or saddlebags
- Psalm 68:16 Lit. stare
- Psalm 68:23 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. you may dip your foot
- Psalm 68:24 Lit. goings
- Psalm 68:27 throng
- Psalm 68:28 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Command, O God
- Psalm 69:1 Heb. Shoshannim
- Psalm 69:1 Lit. soul
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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