Psalm 23-31

New International Version

⁵ You prepare a table^(K) before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;^(L)
    my cup^(M) overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love^(N) will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

³ Who may ascend the mountain^(R) of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?^(S)
4 The one who has clean hands^(T) and a pure heart,^(U)
    who does not trust in an idol^(V)
    or swear by a false god.^[b]

⁵ They will receive blessing^(W) from the Lord
    and vindication^(X) from God their Savior.
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face,^(Y) God of Jacob.^[c][d]

⁷ Lift up your heads, you gates;^(Z)
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King^(AA) of glory^(AB) may come in.^(AC)
8 Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,^(AD)
    the Lord mighty in battle.^(AE)
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty^(AF)—
    he is the King of glory.

² I trust in you;^(AH)
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.
³ No one who hopes in you
    will ever be put to shame,^(AI)
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous^(AJ) without cause.

⁴ Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.^(AK)
5 Guide me in your truth^(AL) and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,^(AM)
    and my hope is in you^(AN) all day long.
⁶ Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,^(AO)
    for they are from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth^(AP)
    and my rebellious ways;^(AQ)
according to your love^(AR) remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.^(AS)

⁸ Good and upright^(AT) is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs^(AU) sinners in his ways.
⁹ He guides^(AV) the humble in what is right
    and teaches them^(AW) his way.
¹⁰ All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful^(AX)
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.^(AY)
11 For the sake of your name,^(AZ) Lord,
    forgive^(BA) my iniquity,^(BB) though it is great.

¹² Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?^(BC)
    He will instruct them in the ways^(BD) they should choose.^[f]
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,^(BE)
    and their descendants will inherit the land.^(BF)
14 The Lord confides^(BG) in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known^(BH) to them.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever on the Lord,^(BI)
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.^(BJ)

¹⁶ Turn to me^(BK) and be gracious to me,^(BL)
    for I am lonely^(BM) and afflicted.
¹⁷ Relieve the troubles^(BN) of my heart
    and free me from my anguish.^(BO)
18 Look on my affliction^(BP) and my distress^(BQ)
    and take away all my sins.^(BR)
19 See how numerous are my enemies^(BS)
    and how fiercely they hate me!^(BT)

²⁰ Guard my life^(BU) and rescue me;^(BV)
    do not let me be put to shame,^(BW)
    for I take refuge^(BX) in you.
²¹ May integrity^(BY) and uprightness^(BZ) protect me,
    because my hope, Lord,^[g] is in you.^(CA)

²² Deliver Israel,^(CB) O God,
    from all their troubles!

⁴ I do not sit^(CL) with the deceitful,
    nor do I associate with hypocrites.^(CM)
5 I abhor^(CN) the assembly of evildoers
    and refuse to sit with the wicked.
⁶ I wash my hands in innocence,^(CO)
    and go about your altar, Lord,
⁷ proclaiming aloud your praise^(CP)
    and telling of all your wonderful deeds.^(CQ)

⁸ Lord, I love^(CR) the house where you live,
    the place where your glory dwells.^(CS)
9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
    my life with those who are bloodthirsty,^(CT)
10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,^(CU)
    whose right hands are full of bribes.^(CV)
11 I lead a blameless life;
    deliver me^(CW) and be merciful to me.

¹² My feet stand on level ground;^(CX)
    in the great congregation^(CY) I will praise the Lord.

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour^[h] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.^(DD)
3 Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;^(DE)
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.^(DF)

⁴ One thing^(DG) I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,^(DH)
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble^(DI)
    he will keep me safe^(DJ) in his dwelling;
he will hide me^(DK) in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.^(DL)

⁶ Then my head will be exalted^(DM)
    above the enemies who surround me;^(DN)
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice^(DO) with shouts of joy;^(DP)
    I will sing^(DQ) and make music^(DR) to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice^(DS) when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.^(DT)
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!^(DU)”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face^(DV) from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;^(DW)
    you have been my helper.^(DX)
Do not reject me or forsake^(DY) me,
    God my Savior.^(DZ)
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way,^(EA) Lord;
    lead me in a straight path^(EB)
    because of my oppressors.^(EC)
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses^(ED) rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

¹³ I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord^(EE)
    in the land of the living.^(EF)
14 Wait^(EG) for the Lord;
    be strong^(EH) and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

³ Do not drag me away with the wicked,
    with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
    but harbor malice in their hearts.^(EO)
4 Repay them for their deeds
    and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done^(EP)
    and bring back on them what they deserve.^(EQ)

⁵ Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
    and what his hands have done,^(ER)
he will tear them down
    and never build them up again.

⁶ Praise be to the Lord,^(ES)
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.^(ET)
7 The Lord is my strength^(EU) and my shield;
    my heart trusts^(EV) in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,^(EW)
    and with my song I praise him.^(EX)

⁸ The Lord is the strength^(EY) of his people,
    a fortress of salvation^(EZ) for his anointed one.^(FA)
9 Save your people^(FB) and bless your inheritance;^(FC)
    be their shepherd^(FD) and carry them^(FE) forever.

³ The voice^(FJ) of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory^(FK) thunders,^(FL)
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.^(FM)
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;^(FN)
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.^(FO)
6 He makes Lebanon leap^(FP) like a calf,
    Sirion^[j](FQ) like a young wild ox.^(FR)
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.^(FS)
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.^(FT)
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks^[k](FU)
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”^(FV)

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;^(FW)
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.^(FX)
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;^(FY)
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.^(FZ)

⁴ Sing^(GH) the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;^(GI)
    praise his holy name.^(GJ)
5 For his anger^(GK) lasts only a moment,^(GL)
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;^(GM)
weeping^(GN) may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.^(GO)

⁶ When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”^(GP)
7 Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain^[n] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,^(GQ)
    I was dismayed.

⁸ To you, Lord, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
⁹ “What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?^(GR)
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?^(GS)
10 Hear,^(GT) Lord, and be merciful to me;^(GU)
    Lord, be my help.^(GV)”

¹¹ You turned my wailing^(GW) into dancing;^(GX)
    you removed my sackcloth^(GY) and clothed me with joy,^(GZ)
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise^(HA) you forever.^(HB)

⁶ I hate those who cling to worthless idols;^(HO)
    as for me, I trust in the Lord.^(HP)
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction^(HQ)
    and knew the anguish^(HR) of my soul.
⁸ You have not given me into the hands^(HS) of the enemy
    but have set my feet in a spacious place.^(HT)

⁹ Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;^(HU)
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,^(HV)
    my soul and body^(HW) with grief.
¹⁰ My life is consumed by anguish^(HX)
    and my years by groaning;^(HY)
my strength fails^(HZ) because of my affliction,^[p](IA)
    and my bones grow weak.^(IB)
11 Because of all my enemies,^(IC)
    I am the utter contempt^(ID) of my neighbors^(IE)
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
    those who see me on the street flee from me.
¹² I am forgotten as though I were dead;^(IF)
    I have become like broken pottery.
¹³ For I hear many whispering,^(IG)
    “Terror on every side!”^(IH)
They conspire against me^(II)
    and plot to take my life.^(IJ)

¹⁴ But I trust^(IK) in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times^(IL) are in your hands;
    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
    from those who pursue me.
¹⁶ Let your face shine^(IM) on your servant;
    save me in your unfailing love.^(IN)
17 Let me not be put to shame,^(IO) Lord,
    for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
    and be silent^(IP) in the realm of the dead.
¹⁸ Let their lying lips^(IQ) be silenced,
    for with pride and contempt
    they speak arrogantly^(IR) against the righteous.

¹⁹ How abundant are the good things^(IS)
    that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,^(IT)
    on those who take refuge^(IU) in you.
²⁰ In the shelter^(IV) of your presence you hide^(IW) them
    from all human intrigues;^(IX)
you keep them safe in your dwelling
    from accusing tongues.

²¹ Praise be to the Lord,^(IY)
    for he showed me the wonders of his love^(IZ)
    when I was in a city under siege.^(JA)
22 In my alarm^(JB) I said,
    “I am cut off^(JC) from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry^(JD) for mercy
    when I called to you for help.

²³ Love the Lord, all his faithful people!^(JE)
    The Lord preserves those who are true to him,^(JF)
    but the proud he pays back^(JG) in full.
²⁴ Be strong and take heart,^(JH)
    all you who hope in the Lord.