Psalm 21-25

Contemporary English Version

⁵ The king is highly honored.
You have let him win victories
    that have made him famous.
⁶ You have given him blessings
    that will last forever,
and you have made him glad
    by being so near to him.
⁷ Lord Most High,
    the king trusts you,
and your kindness
    keeps him from defeat.

⁸ With your mighty arm, Lord,
you will strike down all
    of your hateful enemies.
⁹ They will be destroyed by fire
    once you are here,
and because of your anger,
    flames will swallow them.
¹⁰ You will wipe their families
from the earth,
    and they will disappear.
¹¹ All their plans to harm you
    will come to nothing.
¹² You will make them run away
by shooting your arrows
    at their faces.

¹³ Show your strength, Lord,
so that we may sing
    and praise your power.

³ Yet you are the holy God,
ruling from your throne
    and praised by Israel.
^4 (B) Our ancestors trusted you,
    and you rescued them.
⁵ When they cried out for help,
    you saved them,
and you did not let them down
    when they depended on you.

⁶ But I am merely a worm,
    far less than human,
and I am hated and rejected
    by people everywhere.
^7 (C) Everyone who sees me
    makes fun and sneers.
They shake their heads,
^{8     (D)} and say, “Trust the Lord!
If you are his favorite,
let him protect you
    and keep you safe.”

⁹ You, Lord, brought me
    safely through birth,
and you protected me
when I was a baby
    at my mother's breast.
¹⁰ From the day I was born,
    I have been in your care,
and from the time of my birth,
    you have been my God.

¹¹ Don't stay far off
when I am in trouble
    with no one to help me.
¹² Enemies are all around
    like a herd of wild bulls.
Powerful bulls from Bashan^[a]
    are everywhere.
¹³ My enemies are like lions
roaring and attacking
    with jaws open wide.

¹⁴ I have no more strength
    than a few drops of water.
All my bones are out of joint;
    my heart is like melted wax.
¹⁵ My strength has dried up
    like a broken clay pot,
and my tongue sticks
    to the roof of my mouth.
You, God, have left me
    to die in the dirt.

¹⁶ Brutal enemies attack me
    like a pack of dogs,
tearing at^[b] my hands
    and my feet.
¹⁷ I can count all my bones,
and my enemies just stare
    and sneer at me.
^18 (E) They took my clothes
    and gambled for them.

¹⁹ Don't stay far away, Lord!
My strength comes from you,
    so hurry and help.
²⁰ Rescue me from enemy swords
and save me from those dogs.
²¹     Don't let lions eat me.

You rescued me from the horns
    of wild bulls,
^22 (F) and when your people meet,
    I will praise you, Lord.

²³ All who worship the Lord,
    now praise him!
You belong to Jacob's family
and to the people of Israel,
    so fear and honor the Lord!
²⁴ The Lord doesn't hate
or despise the helpless
    in all of their troubles.
When I cried out, he listened
    and did not turn away.

²⁵ When your people meet,
you will fill my heart
    with your praises, Lord,
and everyone will see me
    keep my promises to you.
²⁶ The poor will eat and be full,
and all who worship you
    will be thankful
    and live in hope.

²⁷ Everyone on this earth
    will remember you, Lord.
People all over the world
    will turn and worship you,
²⁸ because you are in control,
    the ruler of all nations.

²⁹ All who are rich
and have more than enough
    will bow down to you, Lord.
Even those who are dying
and almost in the grave
    will come and bow down.
³⁰ In the future, everyone
will worship and learn
    about you, our Lord.
³¹ People not yet born
will be told,
    “The Lord has saved us!”

You are true to your name,
and you lead me
    along the right paths.
⁴ I may walk through valleys
as dark as death,
    but I won't be afraid.
You are with me,
and your shepherd's rod^[c]
    makes me feel safe.

⁵ You treat me to a feast,
    while my enemies watch.
You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup
    until it overflows.
⁶ Your kindness and love
will always be with me
    each day of my life,
and I will live forever
    in your house, Lord.

³ Who may climb the Lord's hill^[d]
    or stand in his holy temple?
^4 (I) Only those who do right
    for the right reasons,
and don't worship idols
    or tell lies under oath.
⁵ The Lord God, who saves them,
    will bless and reward them,
⁶ because they worship and serve
    the God of Jacob.^[e]
7 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
    may come in.

⁸ Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord, a strong
    and mighty warrior.

⁹ Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
    may come in.

¹⁰ Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord,
    the All-Powerful!

⁶ Please, Lord, remember,
you have always
    been patient and kind.
⁷ Forget each wrong I did
    when I was young.
Show how truly kind you are
    and remember me.
⁸ You are honest and merciful,
and you teach sinners
    how to follow your path.

⁹ You lead humble people
to do what is right
    and to stay on your path.
¹⁰ In everything you do,
    you are kind and faithful
to everyone who keeps
    our agreement with you.

¹¹ Be true to your name, Lord,
by forgiving each one
    of my terrible sins.
¹² You will show the right path
    to all who worship you.
¹³ Then they will have plenty,
and their children
    will receive the land.

¹⁴ Our Lord, you are the friend
    of your worshipers,
and you make an agreement
    with all of us.
¹⁵ I always look to you,
because you rescue me
    from every trap.
¹⁶ I am lonely and troubled.
Show that you care
    and have pity on me.
¹⁷ My awful worries keep growing.
    Rescue me from sadness.
¹⁸ See my troubles and misery
    and forgive my sins.

¹⁹ Look at all my enemies!
    See how much they hate me.
²⁰ I come to you for shelter.
Protect me, keep me safe,
    and don't disappoint me.
²¹ I obey you with all my heart,
and I trust you, knowing
    that you will save me.

²² Our God, please save Israel
    from all its troubles.