[Psalms 1]
The two ways
1 Happy are
those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path
that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their
delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law they meditate day and
night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which
yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not
wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not
so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the
wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of
the righteous;
6 for the LORD watches over the way of the
righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
[Psalm
2]
God's royal son
1 Why do the nations conspire,
and the
peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the
rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and his anointed,
saying,
3 "Let us burst their bonds asunder,
and cast their cords from
us."
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the LORD has them in
derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them
in his fury, saying,
6 "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill."
7 I
will tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to me, "You are my
son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the
nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9
You shall break them with a rod of iron,
and dash them in pieces like a
potter's vessel."
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O
rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
with trembling 12
kiss his feet,
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the
way;
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Happy are all who take
refuge in him.
[Psalm 3]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 O LORD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising
against me;
2 many are saying to me,
"There is no help for you in
God."
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the
one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the LORD,
and he answers me
from his holy hill.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the
LORD sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people
who
have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O
LORD!
Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the
cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to
the LORD;
may your blessing be on your people!
[Psalm
4]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 Answer me when I call, O
God of my right!
You gave me room when I was in distress.
Be
gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my
honor suffer shame?
How long will you love vain words, and seek after
lies?
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for
himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 When you are
disturbed, do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
5
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the LORD.
6 There
are many who say, "O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your
face shine on us, O LORD!"
7 You have put gladness in my heart
more
than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep
in peace;
for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in
safety.
[Psalm 5]
Prayer for access to the Temple
1 Give
ear to my words, O LORD;
give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the
sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 O
LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to
you, and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in
wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not
stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those
who speak lies;
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your
house,
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in awe of you.
8
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make
your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their
mouths;
their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open
graves;
they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their
guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of
their many transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against
you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever
sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who
love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O
LORD;
you cover them with favor as with a shield.
[Psalm
6]
Prayer for healing
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your
anger,
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD,
for I am languishing;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with
terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror,
while you, O LORD — how
long?
4 Turn, O LORD, save my life;
deliver me for the sake of
your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in
Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning;
every
night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7
My eyes waste away because of grief;
they grow weak because of all my
foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the LORD has
heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my
supplication;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be
ashamed and struck with terror;
they shall turn back, and in a moment be
put to shame.
[Psalm 7]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 O LORD my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from
all my pursuers, and deliver me,
2 or like a lion they will tear me
apart;
they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.
3 O LORD my
God, if I have done this,
if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have
repaid my ally with harm
or plundered my foe without cause,
5 then let
the enemy pursue and overtake me,
trample my life to the
ground,
and lay my soul in the dust.
6 Rise up, O LORD, in your
anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake, O
my God; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be
gathered around you,
and over it take your seat on high.
8 The LORD
judges the peoples;
judge me, O LORD, according to my
righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 O
let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the
righteous,
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous
God.
10 God is my shield,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is
a righteous judge,
and a God who has indignation every day.
12 If
one does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and strung his
bow;
13 he has prepared his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery
shafts.
14 See how they conceive evil,
and are pregnant with
mischief,
and bring forth lies.
15 They make a pit, digging it
out,
and fall into the hole that they have made.
16 Their mischief
returns upon their own heads,
and on their own heads their violence
descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his
righteousness,
and sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most
High.
[Psalm 8]
Praise of the creator
1 O LORD, our
Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have
set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and
infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to
silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the
work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have
established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of
them,
mortals that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a
little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You
have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all
things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of
the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever
passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Sovereign,
how
majestic is your name in all the earth!
[Psalm 9]
Victory over
enemies and petition for justice
1 I will give thanks to the LORD
with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will
be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most
High.
3 When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished
before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on
the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you
have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and
ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities
you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
7 But
the LORD sits enthroned forever,
he has established his throne for
judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the
peoples with equity.
9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a
stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their
trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek
you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his
deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of
them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious
to me, O LORD.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are
the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all
your praises,
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your
deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they
made;
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The
LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment;
the wicked are
snared in the work of their own hands.
17 The wicked shall depart to
Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not
always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19
Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail;
let the nations be judged
before you.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD;
let the nations know that
they are only human.
[Psalm 10]
1 Why, O LORD, do you stand
far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance
the wicked persecute the poor —
let them be caught in the schemes they
have devised.
3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their
heart,
those greedy for gain curse and renounce the LORD.
4 In the
pride of their countenance the wicked say, "God will not seek it
out";
all their thoughts are, "There is no God."
5 Their ways
prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of their
sight;
as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6 They think in their
heart, "We shall not be moved;
throughout all generations we shall not
meet adversity."
7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and
oppression;
under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
8 They sit
in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places they murder the
innocent.
Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 they
lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;
they lurk that they may seize
the poor;
they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.
10
They stoop, they crouch,
and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They
think in their heart, "God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will
never see it."
12 Rise up, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand;
do
not forget the oppressed.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God,
and say
in their hearts, "You will not call us to account"?
14 But you do see!
Indeed you note trouble and grief,
that you may take it into your
hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
you have been the
helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and
evildoers;
seek out their wickedness until you find none.
16 The LORD
is king forever and ever;
the nations shall perish from his
land.
17 O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek;
you will
strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
18 to do justice for the
orphan and the oppressed,
so that those from earth may strike terror no
more.
[Psalm 11]
The Lord, just protector of the
upright
1 In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to
me,
"Flee like a bird to the mountains;
2 for look, the wicked bend
the bow,
they have fitted their arrow to the string,
to shoot in
the dark at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are
destroyed,
what can the righteous do?"
4 The LORD is in his holy
temple;
the LORD's throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold, his gaze
examines humankind.
5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,
and
his soul hates the lover of violence.
6 On the wicked he will rain coals of
fire and sulfur;
a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7
For the LORD is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright
shall behold his face.
[Psalm 12]
Prayer for deliverance and divine
response
1 Help, O LORD, for there is no longer anyone who is
godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies
to each other;
with flattering lips and a double heart they
speak.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that
makes great boasts,
4 those who say, "With our tongues we will
prevail;
our lips are our own — who is our master?"
5 "Because the
poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up," says
the LORD;
"I will place them in the safety for which they long."
6 The
promises of the LORD are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a
furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O LORD, will
protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every
side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among
humankind.
[Psalm 13]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How
long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my
soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my
enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my
God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and
my enemy will say, "I have prevailed";
my foes will rejoice because I am
shaken.
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice
in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
because he has dealt
bountifully with me.
[Psalm 14]
Condemnation of foolish
evildoers
1 Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."
They
are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does
good.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there
are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3 They have all gone
astray, they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does
good,
no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, all the
evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call
upon the LORD?
5 There they shall be in great terror,
for God is
with the company of the righteous.
6 You would confound the plans of the
poor,
but the LORD is their refuge.
7 O that deliverance for
Israel would come from Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his
people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
[Psalm
15]
Ritual for admission into the Temple
1 O LORD, who may abide
in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill?
2 Those who walk
blamelessly, and do what is right,
and speak the truth from their
heart;
3 who do not slander with their tongue,
and do no evil to their
friends,
nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
4 in whose
eyes the wicked are despised,
but who honor those who fear the
LORD;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
5 who do not lend
money at interest,
and do not take a bribe against the
innocent.
Those who do these things shall never be
moved.
[Psalm 16]
A prayer for admission to the Temple
1
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, "You are my
Lord;
I have no good apart from you."
3 As for the holy ones in
the land, they are the noble,
in whom is all my delight.
4 Those who
choose another god multiply their sorrows;
their drink offerings of blood
I will not pour out
or take their names upon my lips.
5 The LORD
is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The boundary lines
have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.
7 I
bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs
me.
8 I keep 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 soul
rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
10 For you do not give me up to
Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
11 You show me the
path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your
right hand are pleasures forevermore.
[Psalm 17]
Prayer for
deliverance from enemies
1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my
cry;
give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2 From you let my
vindication come;
let your eyes see the right.
3 If you try my
heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no
wickedness in me;
my mouth does not transgress.
4 As for what others
do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me,
hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O savior of
those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
8
Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your
wings,
9 from the wicked who despoil me,
my deadly enemies who
surround me.
10 They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths
they speak arrogantly.
11 They track me down; now they surround
me;
they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
12 They are like a
lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Rise
up, O LORD, confront them, overthrow them!
By your sword deliver my life
from the wicked,
14 from mortals — by your hand, O LORD —
from
mortals whose portion in life is in this world.
May their bellies be
filled with what you have stored up for them;
may their children have
more than enough;
may they leave something over to their little
ones.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in
righteousness;
when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your
likeness.
[Psalm 18]
A royal thanksgiving hymn
1 I love
you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my
deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and
the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the LORD, who is
worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The
cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed
me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted
me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for
help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached
his ears.
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also
of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke
went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his
mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens,
and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a
cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He
made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with
water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his
clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the
heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
14 And he sent out his
arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed
them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations
of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast
of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high, he took
me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong
enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for
me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the LORD was
my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me,
because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my
righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed
me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly
departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me,
and
his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before
him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24 Therefore the LORD has
recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness
of my hands in his sight.
25 With the loyal you show yourself
loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26 with the
pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself
perverse.
27 For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you
bring down.
28 It is you who light my lamp;
the LORD, my God, lights
up my darkness.
29 By you I can crush a troop,
and by my God I can
leap over a wall.
30 This God — his way is perfect;
the promise of the
LORD proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31
For who is God except the LORD?
And who is a rock besides our God? —
32 the God who girded me with strength,
and made my way safe.
33
He made my feet like the feet of a deer,
and set me secure on the
heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow
of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your
right hand has supported me;
your help has made me great.
36 You gave
me a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I
pursued my enemies and overtook them;
and did not turn back until they
were consumed.
38 I struck them down, so that they were not able to
rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you girded me with strength for
the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.
40 You made my
enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the
LORD, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine, like dust before the
wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43 You
delivered me from strife with the peoples;
you made me head of the
nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they
heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45
Foreigners lost heart,
and came trembling out of their
strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be
the God of my salvation,
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued
peoples under me;
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
indeed, you
exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.
49
For this I will extol you, O LORD, among the nations,
and sing praises to
your name.
50 Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows steadfast
love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants
forever.
[Psalm 19]
Hymn to God the creator and
lawgiver
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the
firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth
speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech,
nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes
out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the
world.
In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes
out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs
its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and
its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hid from its
heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the
soul;
the decrees of the LORD are sure,
making wise the
simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the
heart;
the commandment of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the
eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the
ordinances of the LORD are true
and righteous altogether.
10 More to
be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also
than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is
your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who
can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
13 Keep back
your servant also from the insolent;
do not let them have dominion over
me.
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great
transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart
be acceptable to you,
O LORD, my rock and my
redeemer.
[Psalm 20]
Prayer for the king's victory in
battle
1 The LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
The name
of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the
sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your
offerings,
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.
4 May he
grant you your heart's desire,
and fulfill all your plans.
5 May we
shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our
banners.
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that
the LORD will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy
heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
7 Some take pride in
chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the LORD
our God.
8 They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand
upright.
9 Give victory to the king, O LORD;
answer us when we
call.
[Psalm 21]
Royal thanksgiving for victory
1 In
your strength the king rejoices, O LORD,
and in your help how greatly he
exults!
2 You have given him his heart's desire,
and have not withheld
the request of his lips.
3 For you meet him with rich
blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you
for life; you gave it to him —
length of days forever and ever.
5 His
glory is great through your help;
splendor and majesty you bestow on
him.
6 You bestow on him blessings forever;
you make him glad with the
joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD,
and through
the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand
will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who
hate you.
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace
when you
appear.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will
consume them.
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth,
and
their children from among humankind.
11 If they plan evil against
you,
if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will
put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your
power.
[Psalm 22]
Prayer of a person abandoned by God
1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping
me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not
answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
3 Yet you are
holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our ancestors
trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried,
and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
6
But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the
people.
7 All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me, they
shake their heads;
8 "Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver —
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!"
9 Yet it was you who
took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother's breast.
10 On
you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been
my God.
11 Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there
is no one to help.
12 Many bulls encircle me,
strong bulls of Bashan
surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and
roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are
out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my
breast;
15 my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks
to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs are all
around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet
have shriveled;
17 I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over
me;
18 they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing
they cast lots.
19 But you, O LORD, do not be far away!
O my help,
come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life
from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the
lion!
From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
22 I
will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the midst of the
congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the LORD, praise
him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him,
all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he did not despise or abhor
the
affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,
but
heard when I cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great
congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The
poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the
LORD.
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
shall remember
and turn to the LORD;
and all the families of the
nations
shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the
LORD,
and he rules over the nations.
29 To him, indeed, shall all
who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to
the dust,
and I shall live for him.
30 Posterity will serve
him;
future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim
his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done
it.
[Psalm 23]
The Lord as Shepherd-king and host
1 The
LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green
pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my
soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
4 Even
though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you
are with me;
your rod and your staff —
they comfort me.
5
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you
anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the
house of the LORD
my whole life long.
[Psalm 24]
A liturgy
on entering the sanctuary
1 The earth is the LORD's and all that is
in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on
the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the
hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who
have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what
is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing
from the LORD,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such
is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of
Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient
doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of
glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in
battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient
doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of
glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of
glory.
[
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[Psalm 25]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
do not
let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not
let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are
wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know 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;
for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of
your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from
of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my
transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for
your goodness' sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore
he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is
right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD
are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and
his decrees.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD,
pardon my guilt, for
it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD?
He will teach them
the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity,
and
their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for
those who fear him,
and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My
eyes are ever toward the LORD,
for he will pluck my feet out of the
net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and
afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me out of my
distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my
sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent
hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me;
do not let me
be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness
preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O
God,
out of all its troubles.
[Psalm 26]
Prayer for divine
justice
1 Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have walked in my
integrity,
and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Prove
me, O LORD, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
3 For your steadfast
love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4 I do
not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I hate
the company of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I
wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O LORD,
7
singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous
deeds.
8 O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell,
and the place
where your glory abides.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my
life with the bloodthirsty,
10 those in whose hands are evil
devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for
me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My
foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the
LORD.
[Psalm 27]
Protection in the Temple of the trustworthy
God
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I
fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be
afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh —
my
adversaries and foes —
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army
encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up
against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the
LORD,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the
LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the
LORD,
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his
shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover
of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is
lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his
tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to
the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and
answer me!
8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!"
Your face, LORD,
do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your
servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me
off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and
mother forsake me,
the LORD will take me up.
11 Teach me your way,
O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have
risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13 I
believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the
living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take
courage;
wait for the LORD!
[Psalm 28]
Royal plea for
deliverance from enemies
1 To you, O LORD, I call;
my rock, do
not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me,
I shall be
like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my
supplication,
as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my
hands
toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with
the wicked,
with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace
with their neighbors,
while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them
according to their work,
and according to the evil of their
deeds;
repay them according to the work of their hands;
render
them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the
LORD,
or the work of his hands,
he will break them down and build
them up no more.
6 Blessed be the LORD,
for he has heard the sound
of my pleadings.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my
heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my
song I give thanks to him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his
people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people,
and bless your heritage;
be their shepherd, and carry them
forever.
[Psalm 29]
Hymn to the God of the storm
1
Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and
strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;
worship the
LORD in holy splendor.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the
God of glory thunders,
the LORD, over mighty 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 the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of
Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young
wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice
of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of
Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,
and
strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, "Glory!"
10 The
LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king
forever.
11 May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD
bless his people with peace!
[Psalm 30]
Thanksgiving after recovery
from illness
1 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me
up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried
to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3 O LORD, you brought up my
soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the
Pit.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones,
and give
thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
his
favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy
comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I
shall never be moved."
7 By your favor, O LORD,
you had established me
as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8
To you, O LORD, I cried,
and to the LORD I made supplication:
9 "What
profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the
dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD,
and be gracious to me!
O LORD, be my helper!"
11 You have turned
my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and
clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be
silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you
forever.
[Psalm 31]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be
put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to
me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a
strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my
fortress;
for your name's sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of
the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand
I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
6
You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the
LORD.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you
have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and
have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in
a broad place.
9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in
distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body
also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with
sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones
waste away.
11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horror to
my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who
see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have passed out of mind like one who
is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the
whispering of many —
terror all around! —
as they scheme
together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14 But I trust
in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your
hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16 Let
your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
17
Do not let me be put to shame, O LORD,
for I call on you;
let the
wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18 Let the
lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the
righteous
with pride and contempt.
19 O how abundant is your
goodness
that you have laid up for those who fear you,
and
accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of
everyone!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human
plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious
tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD,
for he has wondrously shown his
steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.
22 I had
said in my alarm,
"I am driven far from your sight."
But you heard
my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the
LORD, all you his saints.
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but
abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24 Be strong, and let your
heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD.
[Psalm
32]
The happiness of the penitent and forgiven
1 Happy are those
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are
those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is
no deceit.
3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away
through my
groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon
me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
5 Then I
acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I
said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
and you forgave the
guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer
to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not
reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from
trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
8 I will
instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with
my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without
understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and
bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the torments
of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the
LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for
joy, all you upright in heart.
[Psalm 33]
Praise of God, creator
and redeemer
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous.
Praise
befits the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to
him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play
skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the LORD
is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves
righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the
LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and all
their host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as
in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth
fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of
him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood
firm.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he
frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands
forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Happy is the
nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his
heritage.
13 The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all
humankind.
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the
inhabitants of the earth —
15 he who fashions the hearts of them
all,
and observes all their deeds.
16 A king is not saved by his great
army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war
horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot
save.
18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on
those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from
death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the
LORD;
he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in
him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O
LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
[Psalm 34]
Prayer
for deliverance from trouble
1 I will bless the LORD at all
times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes
its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify
the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought
the LORD, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5
Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
6
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the LORD,
and was saved from every
trouble.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him,
and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are
those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the LORD, you his holy
ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer
want and hunger,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good
thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the
fear of the LORD.
12 Which of you desires life,
and covets many days
to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from
speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and
pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears
are open to their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against
evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When
the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears,
and rescues them from all
their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves
the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the
righteous,
but the LORD rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all
their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil brings death to
the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The
LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in
him will be condemned.
[Psalm 35]
Royal prayer for
deliverance
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with
me;
fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield
and buckler,
and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and
javelin
against my pursuers;
say to my soul,
"I am your
salvation."
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor
who seek after
my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
who devise evil
against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel
of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and
slippery,
with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For without
cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug a pit for my
life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares.
And let the net that they hid
ensnare them;
let them fall in it — to their ruin.
9 Then my soul
shall rejoice in the LORD,
exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my
bones shall say,
"O LORD, who is like you?
You deliver the
weak
from those too strong for them,
the weak and needy from those
who despoil them."
11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me
about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good;
my soul is
forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick,
I wore
sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting.
I prayed with head
bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother;
I
went about as one who laments for a mother,
bowed down and in
mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee,
they
gathered together against me;
ruffians whom I did not know
tore at
me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more,
gnashing
at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look
on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my life from the lions!
18
Then I will thank you in the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I
will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over
me,
or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do
not speak peace,
but they conceive deceitful words
against those
who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against
me;
they say, "Aha, Aha,
our eyes have seen it."
22 You
have seen, O LORD; do not be silent!
O Lord, do not be far from me!
23
Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense,
for my cause, my God and my
Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God,
according to your
righteousness,
and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them
say to themselves,
"Aha, we have our heart's desire."
Do not let
them say, "We have swallowed you up."
26 Let all those who rejoice at my
calamity
be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt
themselves against me
be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those
who desire my vindication
shout for joy and be glad,
and say
evermore,
"Great is the LORD,
who delights in the welfare of his
servant."
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of
your praise all day long.
[Psalm 36]
Hymn of rejoicing in the
Temple
1 Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in their
hearts;
there is no fear of God
before their eyes.
2 For they
flatter themselves in their own eyes
that their iniquity cannot be found
out and hated.
3 The words of their mouths are mischief and
deceit;
they have ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 They plot
mischief while on their beds;
they are set on a way that is not
good;
they do not reject evil.
5 Your steadfast love, O LORD,
extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your
righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the
great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.
7 How
precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the
shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and
you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the
fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
10 O continue your
steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright
of heart!
11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
or the
hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the evildoers lie
prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
[Psalm
37]
The certainty of retribution
1 Do not fret because of the
wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2 for they will soon fade
like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the
LORD, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your
heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will
act.
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the
justice of your cause like the noonday.
7 Be still before the LORD, and wait
patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their
way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
8 Refrain from anger,
and forsake wrath.
Do not fret — it leads only to evil.
9 For the
wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit
the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no
more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be
there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight themselves
in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the
righteous,
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the LORD laughs at
the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.
14 The wicked
draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and
needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
15 their sword shall enter
their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a
little that the righteous person has
than the abundance 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
blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever;
19 they are not put
to shame in evil times,
in the days of famine they have
abundance.
20 But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the LORD
are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish — like smoke they vanish
away.
21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
but the righteous
are generous and keep giving;
22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit
the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 Our steps
are made firm by the LORD,
when he delights in our way;
24 though we
stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
for the LORD holds us by the
hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen
the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are
ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a
blessing.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide
forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his
faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but
the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit
the land,
and live in it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous utter
wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.
31 The law of their God is in
their hearts;
their steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watch for the
righteous,
and seek to kill them.
33 The LORD will not abandon them to
their power,
or let them be condemned when they are brought to
trial.
34 Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way,
and he will
exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the
wicked.
35 I have seen the wicked oppressing,
and towering like a
cedar of Lebanon.
36 Again I passed by, and they were no more;
though
I sought them, they could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless, and behold
the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38 But
transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked
shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the
LORD;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps
them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked, and saves
them,
because they take refuge in him.
[Psalm 38]
Prayer for
healing
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or
discipline me in your wrath.
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
and
your hand has come down on me.
3 There is no soundness in my
flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my
bones
because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my
head;
they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.
5 My wounds grow
foul and fester
because of my foolishness;
6 I am utterly bowed down
and prostrate;
all day long I go around mourning.
7 For my loins are
filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am
utterly spent and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my
heart.
9 O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
my sighing is not
hidden from you.
10 My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
as for the
light of my eyes — it also has gone from me.
11 My friends and companions
stand aloof from my affliction,
and my neighbors stand far off.
12
Those who seek my life lay their snares;
those who seek to hurt me speak
of ruin,
and meditate treachery all day long.
13 But I am like the
deaf, I do not hear;
like the mute, who cannot speak.
14 Truly, I am
like one who does not hear,
and in whose mouth is no retort.
15
But it is for you, O LORD, that I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who
will answer.
16 For I pray, "Only do not let them rejoice over
me,
those who boast against me when my foot slips."
17 For I am
ready to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my
iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin.
19 Those who are my foes without
cause are mighty,
and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 Those
who render me evil for good
are my adversaries because I follow after
good.
21 Do not forsake me, O LORD;
O my God, do not be far from
me;
22 make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.
[Psalm
39]
The brevity of human life
1 I said, "I will guard my
ways
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my
mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence."
2 I was silent and
still;
I held my peace to no avail;
my distress grew worse,
3
my heart became hot within me.
While I mused, the fire
burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 "LORD, let me know my
end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting
my life is.
5 You have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my
lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere
breath.
6 Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
Surely for nothing
they are in turmoil;
they heap up, and do not know who will
gather.
7 "And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in
you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn
of the fool.
9 I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
for it is you who
have done it.
10 Remove your stroke from me;
I am worn down by the
blows of your hand.
11 "You chastise mortals
in punishment for
sin,
consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
surely everyone
is a mere breath.
12 "Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and give ear to my
cry;
do not hold your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing
guest,
an alien, like all my forebears.
13 Turn your gaze away from
me, that I may smile again,
before I depart and am no
more."
[Psalm 40]
Thanksgiving for deliverance and prayer for
help
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and
heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,
out of the miry
bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He
put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will
see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Happy are those who
make
the LORD their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
to
those who go astray after false gods.
5 You have multiplied, O LORD my
God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can
compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would
be more than can be counted.
6 Sacrifice and offering you do not
desire,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin
offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, "Here I am;
in
the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do your will, O my
God;
your law is within my heart."
9 I have told the glad news of
deliverance
in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained
my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
10 I have not hidden your saving help
within my heart,
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your
salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your
faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11 Do not, O LORD,
withhold
your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your
faithfulness
keep me safe forever.
12 For evils have encompassed
me
without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
until I
cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart
fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
O LORD, make haste
to help me.
14 Let all those be put to shame and confusion
who seek to
snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to
dishonor
who desire my hurt.
15 Let those be appalled because of their
shame
who say to me, "Aha, Aha!"
16 But may all who seek
you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your
salvation
say continually, "Great is the LORD!"
17 As for me, I am
poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help
and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.
[Psalm 41]
Prayer
for healing
1 Happy are those who consider the poor;
the LORD
delivers them in the day of trouble.
2 The LORD protects them and keeps them
alive;
they are called happy in the land.
You do not give them up
to the will of their enemies.
3 The LORD sustains them on their
sickbed;
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
4 As for
me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned
against you."
5 My enemies wonder in malice
when I will die, and my
name perish.
6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty
words,
while their hearts gather mischief;
when they go out, they
tell it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me;
they
imagine the worst for me.
8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened
on me,
that I will not rise again from where I lie.
9 Even my bosom
friend in whom I trusted,
who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel
against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
and raise me up,
that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that you are pleased with
me;
because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
12 But you have upheld
me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence
forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from
everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
[Psalm 42]
Thirst for the living God
1 As a deer
longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul
thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and
behold
the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and
night,
while people say to me continually,
"Where is your
God?"
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how
I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of
God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude
keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you
disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise
him,
my help 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within
me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of
Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
at the thunder
of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
have gone over
me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his
song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God,
my rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about
mournfully
because the enemy oppresses me?"
10 As with a deadly wound
in my body,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me
continually,
"Where is your God?"
11 Why are you cast down, O my
soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I
shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
[Psalm
43]
Thirst for the living God
1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my
cause
against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and
unjust
deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take
refuge;
why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about
mournfully
because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out
your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to
your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
4 Then I will go to the altar of
God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the
harp,
O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my
soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I
shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
[Psalm
44]
Prayer for divine help after a national defeat
1 We have heard
with our ears, O God,
our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you
performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand
drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the
peoples,
but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they
win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your
right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for
you delighted in them.
4 You are my King and my God;
you command
victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push down our foes;
through your
name we tread down our assailants.
6 For not in my bow do I trust,
nor
can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes,
and have
put to confusion those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted
continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever.
9 Yet you
have rejected us and abased us,
and have not gone out with our
armies.
10 You made us turn back from the foe,
and our enemies have
gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
and have
scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a
trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the
taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14
You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the
peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has
covered my face
16 at the words of the taunters and revilers,
at the
sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon
us,
yet we have not forgotten you,
or been false to your
covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps
departed from your way,
19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of
jackals,
and covered us with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the
name of our God,
or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21 would
not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22
Because of you we are being killed all day long,
and accounted as sheep
for the slaughter.
23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O
Lord?
Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24 Why do you hide your
face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For we sink
down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up, come to
our help.
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
[Psalm
45]
A royal wedding song
1 My heart overflows with a goodly
theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen
of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men;
grace is
poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird
your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your glory and
majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously
for the cause of
truth and to defend the right;
let your right hand teach you dread
deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king's
enemies;
the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures
forever and ever.
Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you
love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has
anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your
robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory
palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among
your ladies of honor;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of
Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;
forget
your people and your father's house,
11 and the king will desire your
beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will
seek your favor with gifts,
the richest of the people 13 with all kinds
of wealth.
The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven
robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king;
behind her the
virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led
along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of
ancestors you, O king, shall have sons;
you will make them princes in all
the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all
generations;
therefore the peoples will praise you forever and
ever.
[Psalm 46]
Praise of Zion and its victorious
king
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in
trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should
change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though
its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its
tumult.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of
God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of
the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning
dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters
his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of
Jacob is our refuge.
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD;
see
what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the
end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he
burns the shields with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God!
I
am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth."
11 The LORD
of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
[Psalm
47]
God's enthronement
1 Clap your hands, all you
peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the LORD, the Most
High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued
peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage
for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
5 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 For God is the
king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.
8 God is king
over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the
peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the
shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly
exalted.
[Psalm 48]
Praise of Zion
1 Great is the LORD
and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy
mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the
earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great
King.
3 Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defense.
4
Then the kings assembled,
they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw
it, they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
6
trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labor,
7 as
when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard,
so have we seen
in the city of the LORD of hosts,
in the city of
our God,
which God establishes forever.
9 We ponder your steadfast
love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10 Your name, O God, like
your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is
filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns of Judah
rejoice
because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go all
around it,
count its towers,
13 consider well its ramparts;
go
through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
14 that
this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will be our guide
forever.
[Psalm 49]
Transcience of life and wealth
1
Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2
both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak
wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will
incline my ear to a proverb;
I will solve my riddle to the music of the
harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity
of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth
and
boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one's
life,
there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom
of life is costly,
and can never suffice,
9 that one should live on
forever
and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they
die;
fool and dolt perish together
and leave their wealth to
others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever,
their dwelling places
to all generations,
though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals
cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that
perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
the end of those who
are pleased with their lot.
14 Like sheep they are appointed for
Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they
descend,
and their form shall waste away;
Sheol shall be their
home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he
will receive me.
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich,
when
the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry
nothing away;
their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in
their lifetime they count themselves happy
— for you are praised when
you do well for yourself —
19 they will go to the company of their
ancestors,
who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide
in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.
[
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[Psalm
50]
Theophany of the divine judge
1 The mighty one, God the
LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to
its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines
forth.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silence,
before him is a
devouring fire,
and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the
heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5
"Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by
sacrifice!"
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself
is judge.
7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will
testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do
I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will
not accept a bull from your house,
or goats from your folds.
10 For
every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand
hills.
11 I know all the birds of the air,
and all that moves in the
field is mine.
12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the
world and all that is in it is mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of
bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of
thanksgiving,
and pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call on 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 recite my
statutes,
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate
discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18 You make friends with
a thief when you see one,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19
"You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames
deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your kin;
you slander your own
mother's child.
21 These things you have done and I have been
silent;
you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I
rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
22 "Mark this, then, you who
forget God,
or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to
deliver.
23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor
me;
to those who go the right way
I will show the salvation of
God."
[Psalm 51]
Prayer for forgiveness
1 Have mercy on
me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your
abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from
my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my
transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you
alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that
you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass
judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother
conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore
teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be
clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and
gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your
face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me
a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do
not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit
from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me
a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your
ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O
God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your
deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare
your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to
give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable
to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will
not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the
walls of Jerusalem,
19 then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in
burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on
your altar.
[Psalm 52]
Divine judgment against an
oppressor
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done
against the godly?
All day long 2 you are plotting
destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of
treachery.
3 You love evil more than good,
and lying more than
speaking the truth.
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful
tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear
you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6
The righteous will see, and fear,
and will laugh at the evildoer,
saying,
7 "See the one who would not take
refuge in God,
but
trusted in abundant riches,
and sought refuge in wealth!"
8 But I
am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the
steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
9 I will thank you
forever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the
faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
[Psalm
53]
Condemnation of foolish evildoers
1 Fools say in their hearts,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, they commit abominable
acts;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after
God.
3 They have all fallen away, they are all alike
perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4
Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
who eat up my people as they eat
bread,
and do not call upon God?
5 There they shall be in great
terror,
in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the
bones of the ungodly;
they will be put to shame, for God has rejected
them.
6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When
God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will
be glad.
[Psalm 54]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 Save me, O God, by your name,
and vindicate me by
your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
give ear to the words of my
mouth.
3 For the insolent have risen against me,
the ruthless seek
my life;
they do not set God before them.
4 But surely, God is my
helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will repay my
enemies for their evil.
In your faithfulness, put an end to
them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will
give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me
from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my
enemies.
[Psalm 55]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself
from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
I am troubled in
my complaint.
I am distraught 3 by the noise of the enemy,
because
of the clamor of the wicked.
For they bring trouble upon me,
and
in anger they cherish enmity against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within
me,
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling
come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, "O that I had
wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 truly, I would
flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;
8 I would hurry to
find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest."
9
Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech;
for I see violence and strife in
the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and
iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its
midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its
marketplace.
12 It is not enemies who taunt me —
I could bear
that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me —
I could
hide from them.
13 But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar
friend,
14 with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house
of God with the throng.
15 Let death come upon them;
let them go down
alive to Sheol;
for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16 But
I call upon God,
and the LORD will save me.
17 Evening and morning and
at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my
voice.
18 He will redeem me unharmed
from the battle that I
wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19 God, who is enthroned from
of old,
will hear, and will humble them —
because they do not
change,
and do not fear God.
20 My companion laid hands on a
friend
and violated a covenant with me
21 with speech smoother than
butter,
but with a heart set on war;
with words that were softer
than oil,
but in fact were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on
the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the
righteous to be moved.
23 But you, O God, will cast them down
into
the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
shall not live
out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
[Psalm
56]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 Be gracious to me, O
God, for people trample on me;
all day long foes oppress me;
2 my
enemies trample on me all day long,
for many fight against me.
O
Most High, 3 when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose
word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid;
what can flesh do
to me?
5 All day long they seek to injure my cause;
all their
thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they
lurk,
they watch my steps.
As they hoped to have my life,
7 so
repay them for their crime;
in wrath cast down the peoples, O
God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your
bottle.
Are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will
retreat
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for
me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I
praise,
11 in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do
to me?
12 My vows to you I must perform, O God;
I will render
thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from
death,
and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before
God
in the light of life.
[Psalm 57]
Prayer for deliverance
from enemies
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to
me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I
will take refuge,
until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God
Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from
heaven and save me,
he will put to shame those who trample on
me.
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4
I lie down among lions
that greedily devour human prey;
their
teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be
exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the
earth.
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed
down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen into it
themselves.
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is
steadfast.
I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my
soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
9 I will
give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you
among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the
heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O
God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the
earth.
[Psalm 58]
A curse upon enemies
1 Do you indeed
decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge people fairly?
2 No, in
your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on
earth.
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their
birth, speaking lies.
4 They have venom like the venom of a
serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it does not
hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, break
the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O
LORD!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
like grass let them
be trodden down and wither.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into
slime;
like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than
your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he
sweep them away!
10 The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance
done;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 People
will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a
God who judges on earth."
[Psalm 59]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me
from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work
evil;
from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait
for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no
transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and
make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD
God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the
nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.
6 Each
evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the
city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words
on their lips —
for "Who," they think, "will hear us?"
8 But you
laugh at them, O LORD;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my
strength, I will watch for you;
for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My
God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in
triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may
forget;
make them totter by your power, and bring them down,
O
Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their
lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies
that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath;
consume them until they are
no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God
rules over Jacob.
14 Each evening they come back,
howling like
dogs
and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for
food,
and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing
of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the
morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge in the
day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for
you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast
love.
[Psalm 60]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 O
God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; now
restore us!
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it
open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3 You have made
your people suffer hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made
us reel.
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
to rally
to it out of bowshot.
5 Give victory with your right hand, and answer
us,
so that those whom you love may be rescued.
6 God has promised
in his sanctuary:
"With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and
portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is
mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my
washbasin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in
triumph."
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead
me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O
God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe,
for human
help is worthless.
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who
will tread down our foes.
[Psalm 61]
Protection in the
Temple
1 Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2 From
the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is
faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I;
3 for you
are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me abide in
your tent forever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
5 For
you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those
who fear your name.
6 Prolong the life of the king;
may his years
endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before
God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8
So I will always sing praises to your name,
as I pay my vows day after
day.
[Psalm 62]
Trust in God
1 For God alone my soul
waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock
and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
3 How long
will you assail a person,
will you batter your victim, all of
you,
as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 Their only plan
is to bring down a person of prominence.
They take pleasure in
falsehood;
they bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they
curse.
5 For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is
from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall
not be shaken.
7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
my mighty
rock, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O
people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for
us.
9 Those of low estate are but a breath,
those of high estate
are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
they are together
lighter than a breath.
10 Put no confidence in extortion,
and set no
vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, do not set your heart on
them.
11 Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this:
that
power belongs to God,
12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O
Lord.
For you repay to all
according to their
work.
[Psalm 63]
Thirsting for God
1 O God, you are my
God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for
you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have
looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise
you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands
and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich
feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you
on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you
have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who
seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10
they shall be given over to the power of the sword,
they shall be prey
for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by
him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be
stopped.
[Psalm 64]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my
life from the dread enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the
wicked,
from the scheming of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like
swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at
the blameless;
they shoot suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast
to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares
secretly,
thinking, "Who can see us?
6 Who can search out our
crimes?
We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot."
For the
human heart and mind are deep.
7 But God will shoot his arrow at
them;
they will be wounded suddenly.
8 Because of their tongue he will
bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake with horror.
9 Then
everyone will fear;
they will tell what God has brought about,
and
ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the
LORD
and take refuge in him.
Let all the upright in heart
glory.
[Psalm 65]
Thanksgiving for agricultural bounty
1
Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be
performed,
2 O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall
come.
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our
transgressions.
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to
live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your
house,
your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with
deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the
ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you
established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
7 You silence
the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of
the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your
signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for
joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich
it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with
grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows
abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with
showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your
bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of
the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the
meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with
grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
[Psalm
66]
Praise of God the savior
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the
earth;
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.
3
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power,
your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you;
they
sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name."
5 Come and see
what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6 He
turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on
foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might
forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations —
let the
rebellious not exalt themselves.
8 Bless our God, O peoples,
let
the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept us among the
living,
and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested
us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the
net;
you laid burdens on our backs;
12 you let people ride over our
heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have
brought us out to a spacious place.
13 I will come into your house with
burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows,
14 those that my lips
uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer
to you burnt offerings of fatlings,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of
rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats.
16 Come and
hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for
me.
17 I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
18
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have
listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the
words of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected
my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.
[Psalm
67]
Thanksgiving for agricultural bounty
1 May God be gracious to
us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
2 that your
way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise
you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the
peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
5 Let the
peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
6 The
earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
7 May
God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere
him.
[Psalm 68]
A victory hymn
1 Let God rise up, let
his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.
2 As
smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the
fire,
let the wicked perish before God.
3 But let the righteous be
joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with
joy.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to
him who rides upon the clouds —
his name is the LORD —
be
exultant before him.
5 Father of orphans and protector of
widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6 God gives the desolate a home
to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the
rebellious live in a parched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your
people,
when you marched through the wilderness,
8 the earth quaked,
the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of
Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance,
O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it
languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O
God, you provided for the needy.
11 The Lord gives the
command;
great is the company of those who bore the tidings:
12 "The
kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!"
The women at home divide the
spoil,
13 though they stay among the sheepfolds —
the wings of a dove
covered with silver,
its pinions with green gold.
14 When the Almighty
scattered kings there,
snow fell on Zalmon.
15 O mighty mountain,
mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why
do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God
desired for his abode,
where the LORD will reside forever?
17 With
mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
thousands upon
thousands,
the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.
18 You
ascended the high mount,
leading captives in your train
and
receiving gifts from people,
even from those who rebel against the LORD
God's abiding there.
19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us
up;
God is our salvation.
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and
to GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
21 But God will shatter the
heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty
ways.
22 The Lord said,
"I will bring them back from Bashan,
I
will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 so that you may bathe
your feet in blood,
so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share
from the foe."
24 Your solemn processions are seen, O God,
the
processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary —
25 the singers in
front, the musicians last,
between them girls playing tambourines:
26
"Bless God in the great congregation,
the LORD, O you who are of Israel's
fountain!"
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the
princes of Judah in a body,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of
Naphtali.
28 Summon your might, O God;
show your strength, O God,
as you have done for us before.
29 Because of your temple at
Jerusalem
kings bear gifts to you.
30 Rebuke the wild animals that
live among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the
peoples.
Trample under foot those who lust after tribute;
scatter
the peoples who delight in war.
31 Let bronze be brought from
Egypt;
let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out its hands to God.
32
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
33 O
rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his
voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is
over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God in his
sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his
people.
Blessed be God!
[Psalm 69]
Prayer for deliverance
from enemies
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to
my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I
have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary
with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with
waiting for my God.
4 More in number than the hairs of my head
are
those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy
me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not
steal
must I now restore?
5 O God, you know my folly;
the
wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6 Do not let those who hope
in you be put to shame because of me,
O Lord GOD of hosts;
do not
let those who seek you be dishonored because of me,
O God of Israel.
7
It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my
face.
8 I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my
mother's children.
9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed
me;
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10 When I
humbled my soul with fasting,
they insulted me for doing so.
11 When I
made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
12 I am the
subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make
songs about me.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.
At
an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love,
answer me.
With your faithful help 14 rescue me
from sinking in
the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep
waters.
15 Do not let the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me
up,
or the Pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O LORD, for
your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to
me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress —
make haste to answer me.
18 Draw near to me, redeem me,
set me free
because of my enemies.
19 You know the insults I receive,
and my
shame and dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
20 Insults have
broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but
there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me
poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to
drink.
22 Let their table be a trap for them,
a snare for their
allies.
23 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and
make their loins tremble continually.
24 Pour out your indignation upon
them,
and let your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp be a
desolation;
let no one live in their tents.
26 For they persecute
those whom you have struck down,
and those whom you have wounded, they
attack still more.
27 Add guilt to their guilt;
may they have no
acquittal from you.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the
living;
let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
29 But I am
lowly and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, protect me.
30 I
will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with
thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox
or a bull
with horns and hoofs.
32 Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
you who
seek God, let your hearts revive.
33 For the LORD hears the needy,
and
does not despise his own that are in bonds.
34 Let heaven and earth
praise him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God
will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah;
and his servants
shall live there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants shall
inherit it,
and those who love his name shall live in
it.
[Psalm 70]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 Be
pleased, O God, to deliver me.
O LORD, make haste to help me!
2 Let
those be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life.
Let those be
turned back and brought to dishonor
who desire to hurt me.
3 Let those
who say, "Aha, Aha!"
turn back because of their shame.
4 Let all
who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your
salvation
say evermore, "God is great!"
5 But I am poor and
needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my
deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay!
[Psalm 71]
Prayer in old
age
1 In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to
shame.
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your
ear to me and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress,
to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my
God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and
cruel.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my
youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
it was you who took me
from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.
7 I have
been like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth
is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all day long.
9 Do not
cast me off in the time of old age;
do not forsake me when my strength is
spent.
10 For my enemies speak concerning me,
and those who watch for
my life consult together.
11 They say, "Pursue and seize that
person
whom God has forsaken,
for there is no one to
deliver."
12 O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to
help me!
13 Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
let those
who seek to hurt me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 But I will
hope continually,
and will praise you yet more and more.
15 My mouth
will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all day
long,
though their number is past my knowledge.
16 I will come
praising the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD,
I will praise your
righteousness, yours alone.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught
me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age
and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your
might
to all the generations to come.
Your power 19 and your
righteousness, O God,
reach the high heavens.
You who have
done great things,
O God, who is like you?
20 You who have made me see
many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths
of the earth
you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my
honor,
and comfort me once again.
22 I will also praise you with
the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to
you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for
joy
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have
rescued.
24 All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous
help,
for those who tried to do me harm
have been put to shame,
and disgraced.
[Psalm 72]
The Davidic king and the
dynasty
1 Give the king your justice, O God,
and your
righteousness to a king's son.
2 May he judge your people with
righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains yield
prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4 May he
defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the
needy,
and crush the oppressor.
5 May he live while the sun
endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 May he
be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the
earth.
7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound,
until the moon is no more.
8 May he have dominion from sea to
sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May his foes bow
down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of
Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute,
may the kings of
Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before
him,
all nations give him service.
12 For he delivers the needy
when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
13 He has pity
on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From
oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their
blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold of Sheba be
given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually,
and
blessings invoked for him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in
the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit
be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the
grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever,
his fame continue
as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;
may they
pronounce him happy.
18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of
Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious
name forever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and
Amen.
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
[Psalm 73]
A meditation on the justice of
God
1 Truly God is good to the upright,
to those who are pure
in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had
nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant;
I saw the
prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pain;
their bodies
are sound and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are
not plagued like other people.
6 Therefore pride is their
necklace;
violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out
with fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and
speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their
mouths against heaven,
and their tongues range over the earth.
10
Therefore the people turn and praise them,
and find no fault in
them.
11 And they say, "How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the
Most High?"
12 Such are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in
riches.
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean
and washed my hands
in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued,
and am punished
every morning.
15 If I had said, "I will talk on in this way,"
I would
have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16 But when I thought how to
understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went
into the sanctuary of God;
then I perceived their end.
18 Truly you
set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they
are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 They are
like a dream when one awakes;
on awaking you despise their
phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in
heart,
22 I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like a brute beast toward
you.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with you;
you hold my right
hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will
receive me with honor.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is
nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26 My flesh and my heart may
fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion
forever.
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
you
put an end to those who are false to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near
God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
to tell of all your
works.
[Psalm 74]
Zion attacked, the Temple destroyed
1
O God, why do you cast us off forever?
Why does your anger smoke against
the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your congregation, which you acquired
long ago,
which you redeemed to be the tribe of your
heritage.
Remember Mount Zion, where you came to dwell.
3 Direct your
steps to the perpetual ruins;
the enemy has destroyed everything in the
sanctuary.
4 Your foes have roared within your holy place;
they
set up their emblems there.
5 At the upper entrance they hacked
the
wooden trellis with axes.
6 And then, with hatchets and hammers,
they
smashed all its carved work.
7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
they
desecrated the dwelling place of your name,
bringing it to the
ground.
8 They said to themselves, "We will utterly subdue them";
they
burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our
emblems;
there is no longer any prophet,
and there is no one among
us who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
Is the
enemy to revile your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your
hand;
why do you keep your hand in your bosom?
12 Yet God my King
is from of old,
working salvation in the earth.
13 You divided the sea
by your might;
you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14
You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you gave him as food for the
creatures of the wilderness.
15 You cut openings for springs and
torrents;
you dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day,
yours also the night;
you established the luminaries and the sun.
17
You have fixed all the bounds of the earth;
you made summer and
winter.
18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs,
and an
impious people reviles your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to
the wild animals;
do not forget the life of your poor forever.
20
Have regard for your covenant,
for the dark places of the land are full
of the haunts of violence.
21 Do not let the downtrodden be put to
shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Rise up, O God,
plead your cause;
remember how the impious scoff at you all day
long.
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
the uproar of your
adversaries that goes up continually.
[
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[Psalm 75]
Thanksgiving for
divine victory over evil
1 We give thanks to you, O God;
we
give thanks; your name is near.
People tell of your wondrous
deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with
equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants,
it is I
who keep its pillars steady.
4 I say to the boastful, "Do not
boast,"
and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up
your horn on high,
or speak with insolent neck."
6 For not from
the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting
up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and
lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup
with
foaming wine, well mixed;
he will pour a draught from it,
and all
the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will
rejoice forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All
the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous
shall be exalted.
[Psalm 76]
Praise of Zion
1 In Judah
God is known,
his name is great in Israel.
2 His abode has been
established in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There he broke the
flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.
4
Glorious are you, more majestic
than the everlasting mountains.
5 The
stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
they sank into
sleep;
none of the troops
was able to lift a hand.
6 At your
rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both rider and horse lay stunned.
7 But
you indeed are awesome!
Who can stand before you
when once your
anger is roused?
8 From the heavens you uttered judgment;
the earth
feared and was still
9 when God rose up to establish judgment,
to save
all the oppressed of the earth.
10 Human wrath serves only to praise
you,
when you bind the last bit of your wrath around you.
11 Make vows
to the LORD your God, and perform them;
let all who are around him bring
gifts
to the one who is awesome,
12 who cuts off the spirit of
princes,
who inspires fear in the kings of the earth.
[Psalm
77]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 I cry aloud to
God,
aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I
seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without
wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I
moan;
I meditate, and my spirit faints.
4 You keep my eyelids from
closing;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days
of old,
and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune with my heart
in the night;
I meditate and search my spirit:
7 "Will the Lord spurn
forever,
and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased
forever?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten
to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?"
10 And I say,
"It is my grief
that the right hand of the Most High has changed."
11
I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD;
I will remember your wonders
of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty
deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our
God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your
might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your
people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 When the waters
saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
the
very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies
thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your
thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the
world;
the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the
sea,
your path, through the mighty waters;
yet your footprints
were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses
and Aaron.
[Psalm 78]
Israel's rebellion in the
wilderness
1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline
your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a
parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have
heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide
them from their children;
we will tell to the coming
generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the
wonders that he has done.
5 He established a decree in Jacob,
and
appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to
teach to their children;
6 that the next generation might know
them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their
children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget
the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should
not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious
generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose
spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites, armed with the
bow,
turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God's
covenant,
but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot
what he had done,
and the miracles that he had shown them.
12 In the
sight of their ancestors he worked marvels
in the land of Egypt, in the
fields of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and let them pass through
it,
and made the waters stand like a heap.
14 In the daytime he led
them with a cloud,
and all night long with a fiery light.
15 He split
rocks open in the wilderness,
and gave them drink abundantly as from the
deep.
16 He made streams come out of the rock,
and caused waters to
flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned still more against
him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They tested God
in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke
against God, saying,
"Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20
Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed out
and torrents
overflowed,
can he also give bread,
or provide meat for his
people?"
21 Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of rage;
a
fire was kindled against Jacob,
his anger mounted against Israel,
22
because they had no faith in God,
and did not trust his saving
power.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above,
and opened the doors of
heaven;
24 he rained down on them manna to eat,
and gave them the
grain of heaven.
25 Mortals ate of the bread of angels;
he sent them
food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the
heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained
flesh upon them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28
he let them fall within their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29 And
they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
30
But before they had satisfied their craving,
while the food was still in
their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them
and he killed the
strongest of them,
and laid low the flower of Israel.
32 In spite
of all this they still sinned;
they did not believe in his wonders.
33
So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in
terror.
34 When he killed them, they sought for him;
they repented and
sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their rock,
the
Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their
mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not
steadfast toward him;
they were not true to his covenant.
38 Yet he,
being compassionate,
forgave their iniquity,
and did not destroy
them;
often he restrained his anger,
and did not stir up all his
wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes
and does not come again.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the
wilderness
and grieved him in the desert!
41 They tested God again and
again,
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not keep in
mind his power,
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;
43 when
he displayed his signs in Egypt,
and his miracles in the fields of
Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers to blood,
so that they could not drink
of their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured
them,
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to the
caterpillar,
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He
destroyed their vines with hail,
and their sycamores with frost.
48 He
gave over their cattle to the hail,
and their flocks to
thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his fierce anger,
wrath,
indignation, and distress,
a company of destroying angels.
50 He made
a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death,
but gave
their lives over to the plague.
51 He struck all the firstborn in
Egypt,
the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 Then
he led out his people like sheep,
and guided them in the wilderness like
a flock.
53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid;
but
the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his holy
hill,
to the mountain that his right hand had won.
55 He drove out
nations before them;
he apportioned them for a possession
and
settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tested the Most
High God,
and rebelled against him.
They did not observe his
decrees,
57 but turned away and were faithless like their
ancestors;
they twisted like a treacherous bow.
58 For they provoked
him to anger with their high places;
they moved him to jealousy with
their idols.
59 When God heard, he was full of wrath,
and he utterly
rejected Israel.
60 He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh,
the tent
where he dwelt among mortals,
61 and delivered his power to
captivity,
his glory to the hand of the foe.
62 He gave his people to
the sword,
and vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 Fire devoured
their young men,
and their girls had no marriage song.
64 Their
priests fell by the sword,
and their widows made no lamentation.
65
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a warrior shouting because of
wine.
66 He put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting
disgrace.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph,
he did not choose the
tribe of Ephraim;
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion,
which he loves.
69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like
the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He chose his servant
David,
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from tending the nursing
ewes he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of
Israel, his inheritance.
72 With upright heart he tended them,
and
guided them with skillful hand.
[Psalm 79]
The Temple
destroyed
1 O God, the nations have come into your
inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple;
they have laid
Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants
to
the birds of the air for food,
the flesh of your faithful to the wild
animals of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like
water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury
them.
4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
mocked and derided by
those around us.
5 How long, O LORD? Will you be angry
forever?
Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger
on the nations
that do not know you,
and on the
kingdoms
that do not call on your name.
7 For they have devoured
Jacob
and laid waste his habitation.
8 Do not remember against us
the iniquities of our ancestors;
let your compassion come speedily to
meet us,
for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our
salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and forgive our
sins,
for your name's sake.
10 Why should the nations
say,
"Where is their God?"
Let the avenging of the outpoured blood
of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes.
11
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great
power preserve those doomed to die.
12 Return sevenfold into the bosom of our
neighbors
the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!
13 Then we
your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give thanks to you
forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your
praise.
[Psalm 80]
Prayer for deliverance from national
enemies
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph
like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2
before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and
come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we
may be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angry
with your people's prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of
tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us
the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
7
Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be
saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the
nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep
root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its
shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
11 it sent out its
branches to the sea,
and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you
broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its
fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in
the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down
from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that
your right hand planted.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it
down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
17 But let
your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made
strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you;
give us
life, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of
hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
[Psalm
81]
A hymn for the feast of booths
1 Sing aloud to God our
strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, sound the
tambourine,
the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the
new moon,
at the full moon, on our festal day.
4 For it is a statute
for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in
Joseph,
when he went out over the land of Egypt.
I hear a
voice I had not known:
6 "I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your
hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued
you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you
at the waters of Meribah.
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you;
O
Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among
you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your
God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth
wide and I will fill it.
11 "But my people did not listen to my
voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their
stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
13 O that my people
would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would
quickly subdue their enemies,
and turn my hand against their foes.
15
Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him,
and their doom would
last forever.
16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and
with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
[Psalm 82]
A vision
of the divine judge
1 God has taken his place in the divine
council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 "How long will
you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?
3 Give justice
to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the
destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand
of the wicked."
5 They have neither knowledge nor
understanding,
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations
of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, "You are gods,
children of the
Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,
and
fall like any prince."
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth;
for all the
nations belong to you!
[Psalm 83]
Prayer for deliverance from
national enemies
1 O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold
your peace or be still, O God!
2 Even now your enemies are in
tumult;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
3 They lay crafty
plans against your people;
they consult together against those you
protect.
4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the
name of Israel be remembered no more."
5 They conspire with one
accord;
against you they make a covenant —
6 the tents of Edom and
the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and
Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has
joined them;
they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.
9 Do
to them as you did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi
Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at En-dor,
who became dung for the
ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes
like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, "Let us take the pastures of
God
for our own possession."
13 O my God, make them like whirling
dust,
like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the
forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with
your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane.
16 Fill their faces
with shame,
so that they may seek your name, O LORD.
17 Let them be
put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace.
18 Let
them know that you alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are the Most
High over all the earth.
[Psalm 84]
Pilgrimage to Zion
1
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs,
indeed it faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh
sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a
home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her
young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
4
Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your
praise.
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart
are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca
they
make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with
pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be
seen in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O
God of Jacob!
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your
anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand
elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my
God
than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun
and shield;
he bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does the
LORD withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of
hosts,
happy is everyone who trusts in you.
[Psalm
85]
Prayer for divine favor and blessing
1 LORD, you were
favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You
forgave the iniquity of your people;
you pardoned all their sin.
3
You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.
4
Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation
toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your
anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
so that your
people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and
grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will
speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to
those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for
those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will
kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and
righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is
good,
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go
before him,
and will make a path for his steps.
[Psalm
86]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 Incline your ear, O
LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for
I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are
my God; 3 be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all day
long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift
up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in
steadfast love to all who call on you.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my
prayer;
listen to my cry of supplication.
7 In the day of my trouble I
call on you,
for you will answer me.
8 There is none like you
among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the
nations you have made shall come
and bow down before you, O
Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do
wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O
LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart to
revere your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole
heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your
steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of
Sheol.
14 O God, the insolent rise up against me;
a band of
ruffians seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.
15 But
you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding
in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to
me;
give your strength to your servant;
save the child of your
serving girl.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate
me may see it and be put to shame,
because you, LORD, have helped me and
comforted me.
[Psalm 87]
Praise of Zion
1 On the holy
mount stands the city he founded;
2 the LORD loves the gates of
Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are
spoken of you,
O city of God.
4 Among those who know me I mention
Rahab and Babylon;
Philistia too, and Tyre, with Ethiopia —
"This
one was born there," they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be
said,
"This one and that one were born in it";
for the Most High
himself will establish it.
6 The LORD records, as he registers the
peoples,
"This one was born there."
7 Singers and dancers alike
say,
"All my springs are in you."
[Psalm 88]
A Job-like
lament
1 O LORD, God of my salvation,
when, at night, I cry
out in your presence,
2 let my prayer come before you;
incline your
ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life
draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the
Pit;
I am like those who have no help,
5 like those forsaken among the
dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you
remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put
me in the depths of the Pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your
wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your
waves.
8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made
me a thing of horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9
my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call on you, O
LORD;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the
dead?
Do the shades rise up to praise you?
11 Is your steadfast love
declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your
wonders known in the darkness,
or your saving help in the land of
forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
in the morning my
prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast me off?
Why do you
hide your face from me?
15 Wretched and close to death from my youth
up,
I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.
16 Your wrath has swept
over me;
your dread assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a
flood all day long;
from all sides they close in on me.
18 You have
caused friend and neighbor to shun me;
my companions are in
darkness.
[Psalm 89]
The king defeated, the dynasty at an
end
1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD,
forever;
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all
generations.
2 I declare that your steadfast love is established
forever;
your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
3 You said,
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to my servant
David:
4 'I will establish your descendants forever,
and build your
throne for all generations.'"
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O
LORD,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in
the skies can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the heavenly beings is
like the LORD,
7 a God feared in the council of the holy ones,
great
and awesome above all that are around him?
8 O LORD God of hosts,
who
is as mighty as you, O LORD?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You
rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
10
You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your
mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours;
the
world and all that is in it — you have founded them.
12 The north and the
south — you created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your
name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right
hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your
throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Happy are
the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of
your countenance;
16 they exult in your name all day long,
and extol
your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
by
your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the
LORD,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Then you spoke in a
vision to your faithful one, and said:
"I have set the crown on one who
is mighty,
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found
my servant David;
with my holy oil I have anointed him;
21 my hand
shall always remain with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The
enemy shall not outwit him,
the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will
crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My
faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him;
and in my name his
horn shall be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right
hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father,
my God,
and the Rock of my salvation!'
27 I will make him the firstborn,
the
highest of the kings of the earth.
28 Forever I will keep my steadfast love
for him,
and my covenant with him will stand firm.
29 I will establish
his line forever,
and his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 If
his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my
ordinances,
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my
commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the
rod
and their iniquity with scourges;
33 but I will not remove from
him my steadfast love,
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not
violate my covenant,
or alter the word that went forth from my
lips.
35 Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie
to David.
36 His line shall continue forever,
and his throne endure
before me like the sun.
37 It shall be established forever like the
moon,
an enduring witness in the skies."
38 But now you have
spurned and rejected him;
you are full of wrath against your
anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
you
have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his
walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by
plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have
exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies
rejoice.
43 Moreover, you have turned back the edge of his sword,
and
you have not supported him in battle.
44 You have removed the scepter from
his hand,
and hurled his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short
the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame.
46 How
long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath
burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is —
for what vanity
you have created all mortals!
48 Who can live and never see death?
Who
can escape the power of Sheol?
49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of
old,
which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O
Lord, how your servant is taunted;
how I bear in my bosom the insults of
the peoples,
51 with which your enemies taunt, O LORD,
with which they
taunted the footsteps of your anointed.
52 Blessed be the LORD
forever.
Amen and Amen.
[Psalm 90]
The eternity of God and the brevity of human
life
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all
generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you
had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you
are God.
3 You turn us back to dust,
and say, "Turn back, you
mortals."
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday when
it is past,
or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they
are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the
morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and
withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger;
by your wrath we are
overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins
in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your
wrath;
our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life
are seventy years,
or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then
their span is only toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly
away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger?
Your wrath is as
great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our
days
that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How
long?
Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning
with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our
days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us,
and as
many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your
servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor
of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the work of our hands
—
O prosper the work of our hands!
[Psalm 91]
God the
protector from demonic foes
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most
High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD,
"My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."
3 For he will
deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly
pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings
you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You
will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by
day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction
that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten
thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will
only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9
Because you have made the LORD your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling
place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your
tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in
all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you
will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and
the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under
foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those
who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will
be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With
long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my
salvation.
[Psalm 92]
Thanksgiving for deliverance from
enemies
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing
praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the
morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute
and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD, have made
me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5
How great are your works, O LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The
dullard cannot know,
the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the
wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are
doomed to destruction forever,
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9
For your enemies, O LORD,
for your enemies shall perish;
all
evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that
of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have
seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil
assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow
like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the
LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still
produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that
the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in
him.
[Psalm 93]
The LORD's Enthronement
1 The LORD is
king, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed, he is girded with
strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2
your throne is established from of old;
you are from
everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
the floods have
lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More
majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
more majestic than the waves
of the sea,
majestic on high is the LORD!
5 Your decrees are very
sure;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD,
forevermore.
[Psalm 94]
Prayer for deliverance from
evildoers
1 O LORD, you God of vengeance,
you God of
vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;
give to the
proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked,
how long
shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words;
all
the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD,
and afflict
your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger,
they murder the
orphan,
7 and they say, "The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob does
not perceive."
8 Understand, O dullest of the people;
fools, when
will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who
formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations,
he
who teaches knowledge to humankind,
does he not chastise?
11 The LORD
knows our thoughts,
that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are
those whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your
law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug
for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people;
he will
not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the
righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who
rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against
evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help,
my soul would soon
have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, "My foot is
slipping,"
your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares
of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked
rulers be allied with you,
those who contrive mischief by statute?
21
They band together against the life of the righteous,
and condemn the
innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold,
and my
God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their
iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the LORD our God
will wipe them out.
[Psalm 95]
God's kingship
1 O come,
let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our
salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us
make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great
God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of
the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is
his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have
formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before
the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his
pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen
to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the
day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me,
and
put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I
loathed that generation
and said, "They are a people whose hearts go
astray,
and they do not regard my ways."
11 Therefore in my anger I
swore,
"They shall not enter my rest."
[Psalm 96]
The LORD's
enthronement
1 O sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the
LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his
salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his
marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly
to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods
of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honor and
majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory
and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an
offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in holy
splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the
nations, "The LORD is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall
never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity."
11 Let the
heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all
that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then
shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD; for he is
coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the
world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his
truth.
[Psalm 97]
The LORD's enthronement
1 The LORD is
king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds
and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the
foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
and consumes his
adversaries on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the
earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the
LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his
righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
7 All worshipers
of images are put to shame,
those who make their boast in worthless
idols;
all gods bow down before him.
8 Zion hears and is
glad,
and the towns of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O
God.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are
exalted far above all gods.
10 The LORD loves those who hate
evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from
the hand of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for
the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and
give thanks to his holy name!
[Psalm 98]
God's
kingship
1 O sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done
marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him
victory.
2 The LORD has made known his victory;
he has revealed his
vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast
love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the
earth have seen
the victory of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to
the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing
praises.
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and
the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a
joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that
fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap
their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
9 at the presence of
the LORD, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the
world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
[Psalm
99]
The LORD's enthronement
1 The LORD is king; let the peoples
tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2
The LORD is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let
them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!
4 Mighty King,
lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed
justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the LORD our
God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!
6 Moses and
Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called on
his name.
They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to
them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept his decrees,
and the
statutes that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered
them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their
wrongdoings.
9 Extol the LORD our God,
and worship at his holy
mountain;
for the LORD our God is holy.
[
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[Psalm 100]
Praise
of God from the nations
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the
earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come into his presence with
singing.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he that made us, and
we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with
praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the LORD is
good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to
all generations.
[Psalm 101]
The king as wise ruler
1 I
will sing of loyalty and of justice;
to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I
will study the way that is blameless.
When shall I attain
it?
I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
3
I will not set before my eyes
anything that is base.
I hate the
work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness
of heart shall be far from me;
I will know nothing of evil.
5 One
who secretly slanders a neighbor
I will destroy.
A haughty look
and an arrogant heart
I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with
favor on the faithful in the land,
so that they may live with
me;
whoever walks in the way that is blameless
shall minister to
me.
7 No one who practices deceit
shall remain in my
house;
no one who utters lies
shall continue in my
presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in
the land,
cutting off all evildoers
from the city of the
LORD.
[Psalm 102]
Prayer for personal and national
restoration
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry come to
you.
2 Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my
distress.
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day
when I call.
3 For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn
like a furnace.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass;
I am
too wasted to eat my bread.
5 Because of my loud groaning
my bones
cling to my skin.
6 I am like an owl of the wilderness,
like a little
owl of the waste places.
7 I lie awake;
I am like a lonely bird on the
housetop.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use
my name for a curse.
9 For I eat ashes like bread,
and mingle tears
with my drink,
10 because of your indignation and anger;
for you have
lifted me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like an evening
shadow;
I wither away like grass.
12 But you, O LORD, are
enthroned forever;
your name endures to all generations.
13 You will
rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to favor
it;
the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants hold its stones
dear,
and have pity on its dust.
15 The nations will fear the name of
the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For the LORD
will build up Zion;
he will appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the
prayer of the destitute,
and will not despise their prayer.
18 Let
this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet unborn
may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height,
from
heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the
prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die;
21 so that the
name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,
and his praise in
Jerusalem,
22 when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship
the LORD.
23 He has broken my strength in midcourse;
he has
shortened my days.
24 "O my God," I say, "do not take me away
at the
midpoint of my life,
you whose years endure
throughout all
generations."
25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the
earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will
perish, but you endure;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You
change them like clothing, and they pass away;
27 but you are the same, and
your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall live
secure;
their offspring shall be established in your
presence.
[Psalm 103]
Praise of the savior God
1 Bless
the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy
name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits
—
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love
and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that
your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The LORD works
vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his
ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is
merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast
love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger
forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay
us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the
earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as
far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions
from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children,
so the LORD
has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were
made;
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for mortals, their days
are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 for the
wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no
more.
17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to
everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to
children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to
do his commandments.
19 The LORD has established his throne in the
heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the LORD, O you his
angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
obedient to his spoken
word.
21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
his ministers that do his
will.
22 Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places of his
dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
[Psalm 104]
God the
creator and sustainer
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my
God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2
wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a
tent,
3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the
clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind,
4 you make the
winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.
5 You set
the earth on its foundations,
so that it shall never be shaken.
6 You
cover it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the
mountains.
7 At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder
they take to flight.
8 They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the
valleys
to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary
that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the
earth.
10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow
between the hills,
11 giving drink to every wild animal;
the wild
asses quench their thirst.
12 By the streams the birds of the air have their
habitation;
they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you
water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your
work.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
and plants
for people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
15 and wine to
gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
and bread to
strengthen the human heart.
16 The trees of the LORD are watered
abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the
birds build their nests;
the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the
coneys.
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows
its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
when all
the animals of the forest come creeping out.
21 The young lions roar for
their prey,
seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they
withdraw
and lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their
work
and to their labor until the evening.
24 O LORD, how manifold
are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is
full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping
things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
26
There go the ships,
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in
it.
27 These all look to you
to give them their food in due
season;
28 when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open
your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they
are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return
to their dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit, they are
created;
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of
the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works —
32 who
looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they
smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing
praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to
him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the
earth,
and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, O my
soul.
Praise the LORD!
[Psalm 105]
Recital of God's saving
acts for Israel
1 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his
name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing
praises to him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy
name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the
LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the
wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he has
uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his
chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all
the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever,
of the word that
he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with
Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as
a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, "To you I
will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an
inheritance."
12 When they were few in number,
of little account,
and strangers in it,
13 wandering from nation to nation,
from one
kingdom to another people,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them;
he
rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, "Do not touch my anointed
ones;
do my prophets no harm."
16 When he summoned famine against
the land,
and broke every staff of bread,
17 he had sent a man ahead
of them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with
fetters,
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until what he had
said came to pass,
the word of the LORD kept testing him.
20 The king
sent and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21 He
made him lord of his house,
and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to
instruct his officials at his pleasure,
and to teach his elders
wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt;
Jacob lived as an alien in
the land of Ham.
24 And the LORD made his people very fruitful,
and
made them stronger than their foes,
25 whose hearts he then turned to hate
his people,
to deal craftily with his servants.
26 He sent his
servant Moses,
and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his
signs among them,
and miracles in the land of Ham.
28 He sent
darkness, and made the land dark;
they rebelled against his words.
29
He turned their waters into blood,
and caused their fish to die.
30
Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings.
31
He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their
country.
32 He gave them hail for rain,
and lightning that flashed
through their land.
33 He struck their vines and fig trees,
and
shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts
came,
and young locusts without number;
35 they devoured all the
vegetation in their land,
and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 He
struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the first issue of all their
strength.
37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and
there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they
departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud
for a covering,
and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he
brought quails,
and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He
opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like
a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his
servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones
with singing.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took
possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45 that they might keep his
statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the LORD!
[Psalm
106]
Confession of national sin
1 Praise the LORD!
O give
thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures
forever.
2 Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD,
or declare all
his praise?
3 Happy are those who observe justice,
who do
righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to
your people;
help me when you deliver them;
5 that I may see the
prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of
your nation,
that I may glory in your heritage.
6 Both we and our
ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done
wickedly.
7 Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider
your wonderful works;
they did not remember the abundance of your
steadfast love,
but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
8
Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
so that he might make known his
mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry;
he led them
through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of
the foe,
and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters
covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12 Then they
believed his words;
they sang his praise.
13 But they soon forgot
his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton
craving in the wilderness,
and put God to the test in the desert;
15
he gave them what they asked,
but sent a wasting disease among
them.
16 They were jealous of Moses in the camp,
and of Aaron, the
holy one of the LORD.
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and
covered the faction of Abiram.
18 Fire also broke out in their
company;
the flame burned up the wicked.
19 They made a calf at
Horeb
and worshiped a cast image.
20 They exchanged the glory of
God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their
Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the
land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said he
would destroy them —
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the
breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
24
Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his
promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents,
and did not obey the voice
of the LORD.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
that he
would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would disperse their
descendants among the nations,
scattering them over the lands.
28 Then
they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered
to the dead;
29 they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,
and
a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and
interceded,
and the plague was stopped.
31 And that has been reckoned
to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.
32
They angered the LORD at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with
Moses on their account;
33 for they made his spirit bitter,
and he
spoke words that were rash.
34 They did not destroy the
peoples,
as the LORD commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the
nations
and learned to do as they did.
36 They served their
idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their
sons
and their daughters to the demons;
38 they poured out innocent
blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed
to the idols of Canaan;
and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus
they became unclean by their acts,
and prostituted themselves in their
doings.
40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his
people,
and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of
the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their
enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their
power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in
their purposes,
and were brought low through their iniquity.
44
Nevertheless he regarded their distress
when he heard their cry.
45
For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and showed compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be
pitied
by all who held them captive.
47 Save us, O LORD our
God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks
to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the
LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
And let
all the people say, "Amen."
Praise the LORD!
BOOK V (PSALMS
107–150)
[Psalm 107]
Thanksgiving for return from exile
1 O
give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures
forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
those he redeemed from
trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the
west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert
wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and
thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD
in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led
them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let
them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to
humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills
with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners
in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of
God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were
bowed down with hard labor;
they fell down, with no one to help.
13
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from
their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and
broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast
love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the
doors of bronze,
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were
sick through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities endured
affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to
the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their
trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his
word and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them
thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to
humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
and tell of
his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in
ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of
the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and
raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They
mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted
away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like
drunkards,
and were at their wits' end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD
in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he
made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then
they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their
desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for
his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation
of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He
turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a
fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its
inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land
into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live,
and they
establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant
vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply
greatly,
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they
are diminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and
sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in
trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress,
and
makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are
glad;
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise
give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the
LORD.
[Psalm 108]
Request for victory over national
enemies
1 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is
steadfast;
I will sing and make melody.
Awake, my soul!
2
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
3 I will give thanks to
you, O LORD, among the peoples,
and I will sing praises to you among the
nations.
4 For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
and
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the
heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
6 Give victory with
your right hand, and answer me,
so that those whom you love may be
rescued.
7 God has promised in his sanctuary:
"With exultation I
will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
8 Gilead
is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my
scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over
Philistia I shout in triumph."
10 Who will bring me to the fortified
city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have you not rejected us, O
God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
12 O grant us help
against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
13 With God we shall do
valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
[Psalm
109]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 Do not be silent, O God
of my praise.
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against
me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They beset me with words
of hate,
and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they
accuse me,
even while I make prayer for them.
5 So they reward me evil
for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 They say, "Appoint a wicked
man against him;
let an accuser stand on his right.
7 When he is
tried, let him be found guilty;
let his prayer be counted as sin.
8
May his days be few;
may another seize his position.
9 May his
children be orphans,
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander
about and beg;
may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit.
11
May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits
of his toil.
12 May there be no one to do him a kindness,
nor anyone
to pity his orphaned children.
13 May his posterity be cut off;
may
his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14 May the iniquity of his
father be remembered before the LORD,
and do not let the sin of his
mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually,
and
may his memory be cut off from the earth.
16 For he did not remember to show
kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted to
their death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come on him.
He did not
like blessing; may it be far from him.
18 He clothed himself with cursing as
his coat,
may it soak into his body like water,
like oil into his
bones.
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself,
like
a belt that he wears every day."
20 May that be the reward of my accusers
from the LORD,
of those who speak evil against my life.
21 But you, O
LORD my Lord,
act on my behalf for your name's sake;
because your
steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my
heart is pierced within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I
am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting;
my
body has become gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when
they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O LORD my God!
Save
me according to your steadfast love.
27 Let them know that this is your
hand;
you, O LORD, have done it.
28 Let them curse, but you will
bless.
Let my assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad.
29
May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their
own shame as in a mantle.
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the
LORD;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands
at the right hand of the needy,
to save them from those who would condemn
them to death.
[Psalm 110]
The Davidic king
1 The LORD
says to my lord,
"Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
your footstool."
2 The LORD sends out from Zion
your mighty
scepter.
Rule in the midst of your foes.
3 Your people will offer
themselves willingly
on the day you lead your forces
on the holy
mountains.
From the womb of the morning,
like dew, your youth will
come to you.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind,
"You
are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
5 The Lord
is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his
wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with
corpses;
he will shatter heads
over the wide earth.
7 He will
drink from the stream by the path;
therefore he will lift up his
head.
[Psalm 111]
Praise of God for his wondrous deeds
1
Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole
heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are
the works of the LORD,
studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of
honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures
forever.
4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the LORD is
gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
he
is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his
works,
in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his
hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They
are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and
uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his
covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the
LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good
understanding.
His praise endures forever.
[Psalm 112]
The
contrasting fates of the righteous and the wicked
1 Praise the
LORD!
Happy are those who fear the LORD,
who greatly delight in
his commandments.
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the
generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their
houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
4 They rise in the
darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and
righteous.
5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who
conduct their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be
moved;
they will be remembered forever.
7 They are not afraid of evil
tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD.
8 Their hearts are
steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on
their foes.
9 They have distributed freely, they have given to the
poor;
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn is exalted
in honor.
10 The wicked see it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth
and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to
nothing.
[Psalm 113]
Praise of the divine name
1 Praise
the LORD!
Praise, O servants of the LORD;
praise the name of the
LORD.
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD
from this time on and
forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting
the name of
the LORD is to be praised.
4 The LORD is high above all nations,
and
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God,
who
is seated on high,
6 who looks far down
on the heavens and the
earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust,
and lifts the needy from
the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his
people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous
mother of children.
Praise the LORD!
[Psalm 114]
Praise of
God of the Exodus
1 When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house
of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became God's
sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and
fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like
rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 Why is it, O sea, that you
flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like
rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of
the LORD,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock
into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.
[Psalm
115]
The LORD's supremacy over the gods
1 Not to us, O LORD, not
to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love
and your faithfulness.
2 Why should the nations say,
"Where is their
God?"
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does whatever he
pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human
hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not
see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
they make
no sound in their throats.
8 Those who make them are like them;
so are
all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD!
He is their
help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
He is
their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the
LORD!
He is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD has been
mindful of us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of
Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who
fear the LORD,
both small and great.
14 May the LORD give you
increase,
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the
LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
16 The heavens are the LORD's
heavens,
but the earth he has given to human beings.
17 The dead do
not praise the LORD,
nor do any that go down into silence.
18 But we
will bless the LORD
from this time on and forevermore.
Praise the
LORD!
[Psalm 116]
Thanksgiving for healing
1 I love the
LORD, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he
inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I
live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid
hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the
name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I pray, save my life!"
5 Gracious is
the LORD, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects the
simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to
your rest,
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For you
have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet
from stumbling.
9 I walk before the LORD
in the land of the
living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said,
"I am greatly
afflicted";
11 I said in my consternation,
"Everyone is a
liar."
12 What shall I return to the LORD
for all his bounty to
me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the
LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his
people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his
faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the
child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer
to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I
will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people,
19 in
the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O
Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
[Psalm 117]
Praise of God from
the nations
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol him, all
you peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the
faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the
LORD!
[Psalm 118]
Thanksgiving for victory in battle
1 O
give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures
forever!
2 Let Israel say,
"His steadfast love endures forever."
3
Let the house of Aaron say,
"His steadfast love endures forever."
4
Let those who fear the LORD say,
"His steadfast love endures
forever."
5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD
answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 With the LORD on my side I do not
fear.
What can mortals do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side to help
me;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to
take refuge in the LORD
than to put confidence in mortals.
9 It is
better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put confidence in
princes.
10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the LORD I
cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in
the name of the LORD I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like
bees;
they blazed like a fire of thorns;
in the name of the LORD I
cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the
LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my might;
he has become
my salvation.
15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the
righteous:
"The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
16 the right
hand of the LORD is exalted;
the right hand of the LORD does
valiantly."
17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the
deeds of the LORD.
18 The LORD has punished me severely,
but he did
not give me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of
righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to
the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter
through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have
become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has
become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD's doing;
it is
marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made;
let
us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!
O
LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in
the name of the LORD.
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The
LORD is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession
with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God,
and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
29 O
give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures
forever.
[Psalm 119]
Meditation on God's law
1 Happy are
those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 Happy
are those who keep his decrees,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways.
4 You have commanded your
precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 O that my ways may be
steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to
shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise
you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous ordinances.
8 I
will observe your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me.
9 How can
young people keep their way pure?
By guarding it according to your
word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your
commandments.
11 I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I may not
sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your
statutes.
13 With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your
mouth.
14 I delight in the way of your decrees
as much as in all
riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts,
and fix my eyes on your
ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your
word.
17 Deal bountifully with your servant,
so that I may live
and observe your word.
18 Open my eyes, so that I may behold
wondrous
things out of your law.
19 I live as an alien in the land;
do not hide
your commandments from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for
your ordinances at all times.
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed
ones,
who wander from your commandments;
22 take away from me their
scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your decrees.
23 Even though
princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your
statutes.
24 Your decrees are my delight,
they are my
counselors.
25 My soul clings to the dust;
revive me according to
your word.
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your
statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will
meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for
sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
29 Put false ways far
from me;
and graciously teach me your law.
30 I have chosen the way of
faithfulness;
I set your ordinances before me.
31 I cling to your
decrees, O LORD;
let me not be put to shame.
32 I run the way of your
commandments,
for you enlarge my understanding.
33 Teach me, O
LORD, the way of your statutes,
and I will observe it to the end.
34
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my
whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I
delight in it.
36 Turn my heart to your decrees,
and not to selfish
gain.
37 Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
give me life in your
ways.
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,
which is for those who
fear you.
39 Turn away the disgrace that I dread,
for your ordinances
are good.
40 See, I have longed for your precepts;
in your
righteousness give me life.
41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O
LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
42 Then I shall have
an answer for those who taunt me,
for I trust in your word.
43 Do not
take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
for my hope is in your
ordinances.
44 I will keep your law continually,
forever and
ever.
45 I shall walk at liberty,
for I have sought your
precepts.
46 I will also speak of your decrees before kings,
and shall
not be put to shame;
47 I find my delight in your
commandments,
because I love them.
48 I revere your commandments,
which I love,
and I will meditate on your statutes.
49 Remember
your word to your servant,
in which you have made me hope.
50 This is
my comfort in my distress,
that your promise gives me life.
51 The
arrogant utterly deride me,
but I do not turn away from your law.
52
When I think of your ordinances from of old,
I take comfort, O
LORD.
53 Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
those who
forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
wherever I make
my home.
55 I remember your name in the night, O LORD,
and keep your
law.
56 This blessing has fallen to me,
for I have kept your
precepts.
57 The LORD is my portion;
I promise to keep your
words.
58 I implore your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me
according to your promise.
59 When I think of your ways,
I turn my
feet to your decrees;
60 I hurry and do not delay
to keep your
commandments.
61 Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
I do not
forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to praise you,
because of your
righteous ordinances.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you,
of
those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast
love;
teach me your statutes.
65 You have dealt well with your
servant,
O LORD, according to your word.
66 Teach me good judgment and
knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
67 Before I was humbled
I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
68 You are good and do
good;
teach me your statutes.
69 The arrogant smear me with
lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts.
70 Their hearts
are fat and gross,
but I delight in your law.
71 It is good for me
that I was humbled,
so that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of
your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver
pieces.
73 Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me
understanding that I may learn your commandments.
74 Those who fear you shall
see me and rejoice,
because I have hoped in your word.
75 I know, O
LORD, that your judgments are right,
and that in faithfulness you have
humbled me.
76 Let your steadfast love become my comfort
according to
your promise to your servant.
77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may
live;
for your law is my delight.
78 Let the arrogant be put to
shame,
because they have subverted me with guile;
as for me, I
will meditate on your precepts.
79 Let those who fear you turn to
me,
so that they may know your decrees.
80 May my heart be blameless
in your statutes,
so that I may not be put to shame.
81 My soul
languishes for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
82 My eyes fail
with watching for your promise;
I ask, "When will you comfort me?"
83
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten
your statutes.
84 How long must your servant endure?
When will you
judge those who persecute me?
85 The arrogant have dug pitfalls for
me;
they flout your law.
86 All your commandments are
enduring;
I am persecuted without cause; help me!
87 They have almost
made an end of me on earth;
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88
In your steadfast love spare my life,
so that I may keep the decrees of
your mouth.
89 The LORD exists forever;
your word is firmly fixed
in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have
established the earth, and it stands fast.
91 By your appointment they stand
today,
for all things are your servants.
92 If your law had not been
my delight,
I would have perished in my misery.
93 I will never forget
your precepts,
for by them you have given me life.
94 I am yours; save
me,
for I have sought your precepts.
95 The wicked lie in wait to
destroy me,
but I consider your decrees.
96 I have seen a limit to all
perfection,
but your commandment is exceedingly broad.
97 Oh, how
I love your law!
It is my meditation all day long.
98 Your commandment
makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is always with me.
99 I have
more understanding than all my teachers,
for your decrees are my
meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your
precepts.
101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to
keep your word.
102 I do not turn away from your ordinances,
for you
have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter
than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get
understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
105 Your word
is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an
oath and confirmed it,
to observe your righteous ordinances.
107 I
am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your
word.
108 Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your
ordinances.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not
forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do
not stray from your precepts.
111 Your decrees are my heritage
forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to
perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
113 I hate the
double-minded,
but I love your law.
114 You are my hiding place and
my shield;
I hope in your word.
115 Go away from me, you
evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me
according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be put to
shame in my hope.
117 Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard
for your statutes continually.
118 You spurn all who go astray from your
statutes;
for their cunning is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the
earth you count as dross;
therefore I love your decrees.
120 My
flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your
judgments.
121 I have done what is just and right;
do not leave
me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee your servant's well-being;
do not
let the godless oppress me.
123 My eyes fail from watching for your
salvation,
and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
124
Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,
and teach me
your statutes.
125 I am your servant; give me understanding,
so that
I may know your decrees.
126 It is time for the LORD to act,
for
your law has been broken.
127 Truly I love your commandments
more
than gold, more than fine gold.
128 Truly I direct my steps by all your
precepts;
I hate every false way.
129 Your decrees are
wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The unfolding of your
words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
131 With
open mouth I pant,
because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to
me and be gracious to me,
as is your custom toward those who love your
name.
133 Keep my steps steady according to your promise,
and never
let iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from human
oppression,
that I may keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine
upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
136 My eyes shed
streams of tears
because your law is not kept.
137 You are
righteous, O LORD,
and your judgments are right.
138 You have
appointed your decrees in righteousness
and in all faithfulness.
139
My zeal consumes me
because my foes forget your words.
140 Your
promise is well tried,
and your servant loves it.
141 I am small and
despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your righteousness
is an everlasting righteousness,
and your law is the truth.
143
Trouble and anguish have come upon me,
but your commandments are my
delight.
144 Your decrees are righteous forever;
give me
understanding that I may live.
145 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O
LORD.
I will keep your statutes.
146 I cry to you; save
me,
that I may observe your decrees.
147 I rise before dawn and cry
for help;
I put my hope in your words.
148 My eyes are awake before
each watch of the night,
that I may meditate on your promise.
149 In
your steadfast love hear my voice;
O LORD, in your justice preserve my
life.
150 Those who persecute me with evil purpose draw near;
they
are far from your law.
151 Yet you are near, O LORD,
and all your
commandments are true.
152 Long ago I learned from your decrees
that
you have established them forever.
153 Look on my misery and rescue
me,
for I do not forget your law.
154 Plead my cause and redeem
me;
give me life according to your promise.
155 Salvation is far
from the wicked,
for they do not seek your statutes.
156 Great is
your mercy, O LORD;
give me life according to your justice.
157 Many
are my persecutors and my adversaries,
yet I do not swerve from your
decrees.
158 I look at the faithless with disgust,
because they do
not keep your commands.
159 Consider how I love your
precepts;
preserve my life according to your steadfast love.
160 The
sum of your word is truth;
and every one of your righteous ordinances
endures forever.
161 Princes persecute me without cause,
but my
heart stands in awe of your words.
162 I rejoice at your word
like
one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I
love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous
ordinances.
165 Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing
can make them stumble.
166 I hope for your salvation, O LORD,
and I
fulfill your commandments.
167 My soul keeps your decrees;
I love
them exceedingly.
168 I keep your precepts and decrees,
for all my
ways are before you.
169 Let my cry come before you, O
LORD;
give me understanding according to your word.
170 Let my
supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your
promise.
171 My lips will pour forth praise,
because you teach me
your statutes.
172 My tongue will sing of your promise,
for all your
commandments are right.
173 Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I
have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, O
LORD,
and your law is my delight.
175 Let me live that I may praise
you,
and let your ordinances help me.
176 I have gone astray like a
lost sheep; seek out your servant,
for I do not forget your
commandments.
[Psalm 120]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 In my distress I cry to the LORD,
that he may answer
me:
2 "Deliver me, O LORD,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful
tongue."
3 What shall be given to you?
And what more shall be done
to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4 A warrior's sharp arrows,
with
glowing coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe is me, that I am an alien in
Meshech,
that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6 Too long have I
had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7 I am for
peace;
but when I speak,
they are for war.
[Psalm
121]
On pilgrimage to Jerusalem
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills —
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the
LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be
moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps
Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your
keeper;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not
strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you
from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will
keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and
forevermore.
[Psalm 122]
Praise of Zion
1 I was glad
when they said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet
are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem — built
as a city
that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go
up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel,
to
give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there the thrones for judgment
were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem:
"May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within
your walls,
and security within your towers."
8 For the sake of my
relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you."
9 For the
sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your
good.
[Psalm 123]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As
the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes
of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the
LORD our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O
LORD, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of
contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those
who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
[Psalm
124]
Thanksgiving for national deliverance
1 If it had not been
the LORD who was on our side
— let Israel now say —
2 if it had not
been the LORD who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled
against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent
would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging
waters.
6 Blessed be the LORD,
who has not given us
as prey
to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the
fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8 Our
help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and
earth.
[
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[Psalm 125]
A psalm of trust
1 Those who trust in
the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides
forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds
his people,
from this time on and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of
wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the
righteous,
so that the righteous might not stretch out
their hands
to do wrong.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to those
who are upright in their hearts.
5 But those who turn aside to their own
crooked ways
the LORD will lead away with evildoers.
Peace be upon
Israel!
[Psalm 126]
Thanksgiving from returning exiles
1
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who
dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with
shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has
done great things for them."
3 The LORD has done great things for
us,
and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like
the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears
reap with
shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for
sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their
sheaves.
[Psalm 127]
The blessings of family life
1
Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in
vain.
Unless the LORD guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in
vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to
rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives sleep to his
beloved.
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of
the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons
of one's youth.
5 Happy is the man who has
his quiver full of
them.
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies
in the gate.
[Psalm 128]
The blessings of family life
1
Happy is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways.
2 You
shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and
it shall go well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful
vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive
shoots
around your table.
4 Thus shall the man be blessed
who
fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion.
May you see the
prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you see your
children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
[Psalm
129]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 "Often have they
attacked me from my youth"
— let Israel now say —
2 "often have they
attacked me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3
The plowers plowed on my back;
they made their furrows long."
4 The
LORD is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who
hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward.
6 Let them be like the
grass on the housetops
that withers before it grows up,
7 with which
reapers do not fill their hands
or binders of sheaves their arms,
8
while those who pass by do not say,
"The blessing of the LORD be upon
you!
We bless you in the name of the LORD!"
[Psalm 130]
A
cry from the depths
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
2
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my
supplications!
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who
could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be
revered.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I
hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the
morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel,
hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and
with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem
Israel
from all its iniquities.
[Psalm 131]
A prayer of
humble trust
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are
not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great
and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my
soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the
weaned child that is with me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
from
this time on and forevermore.
[Psalm 132]
The LORD's choice of
David and Zion
1 O LORD, remember in David's favor
all the
hardships he endured;
2 how he swore to the LORD
and vowed to the
Mighty One of Jacob,
3 "I will not enter my house
or get into my
bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5
until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of
Jacob."
6 We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields
of Jaar.
7 "Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his
footstool."
8 Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting place,
you
and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with
righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.
10 For your
servant David's sake
do not turn away the face of your anointed
one.
11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not
turn back:
"One of the sons of your body
I will set on your
throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my decrees that I shall
teach them,
their sons also, forevermore,
shall sit on your
throne."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for
his habitation:
14 "This is my resting place forever;
here I will
reside, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless its
provisions;
I will satisfy its poor with bread.
16 Its priests I will
clothe with salvation,
and its faithful will shout for joy.
17 There I
will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my
anointed one.
18 His enemies I will clothe with disgrace,
but on him,
his crown will gleam."
[Psalm 133]
Prayer for national
unity
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live
together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running
down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the
collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on
the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained his
blessing,
life forevermore.
[Psalm 134]
A
doxology
1 Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the
LORD,
who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
2 Lift up your
hands to the holy place,
and bless the LORD.
3 May the LORD, maker
of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
[Psalm 135]
A hymn
of praise
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the name of the
LORD;
give praise, O servants of the LORD,
2 you that stand in the
house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the
LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing to his name, for he is gracious.
4
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own
possession.
5 For I know that the LORD is great;
our Lord is above
all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases he does,
in heaven and on
earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise
at the end of the earth;
he makes lightnings for the rain
and
brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8 He it was who struck down the
firstborn of Egypt,
both human beings and animals;
9 he sent signs and
wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his
servants.
10 He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings —
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and
all the kingdoms of Canaan —
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a
heritage to his people Israel.
13 Your name, O LORD, endures
forever,
your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages.
14 For the LORD
will vindicate his people,
and have compassion on his servants.
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human
hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but
they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear,
and there is
no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them
and all who trust
them
shall become like them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the
LORD!
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD!
20 O house of Levi, bless the
LORD!
You that fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
21 Blessed be the LORD
from Zion,
he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the
LORD!
[Psalm 136]
Praise of God, creator and redeemer
1
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures
forever.
2 O give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love
endures forever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his
steadfast love endures forever;
4 who alone does great wonders,
for
his steadfast love endures forever;
5 who by understanding made the
heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 who spread out the
earth on the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 who
made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the
sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures
forever;
10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
for his
steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among
them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand
and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13
who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures
forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his
steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the
Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 who led his people
through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
17 who
struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18
and killed famous kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures
forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures
forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love
endures forever;
22 a heritage to his servant Israel,
for his
steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low
estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from
our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 who gives food to
all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 O give thanks to
the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures
forever.
[Psalm 137]
Remembering Zion
1 By the rivers of
Babylon —
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered
Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up our harps.
3 For there our
captors
asked us for songs,
and our tormentors asked for mirth,
saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How could we sing
the LORD's song
in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O
Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof
of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set
Jerusalem
above my highest joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, against the
Edomites
the day of Jerusalem's fall,
how they said, "Tear it
down! Tear it down!
Down to its foundations!"
8 O daughter Babylon,
you devastator!
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have
done to us!
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash
them against the rock!
[Psalm 138]
Thanksgiving in the
Temple
1 I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole
heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your
holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your
faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word
above
everything.
3 On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my
strength of soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O
LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing
of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 For
though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly;
but the haughty he
perceives from far away.
7 Though I walk in the midst of
trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you
stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD
will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures
forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
[Psalm
139]
Prayer for deliverance from enemies
1 O LORD, you have
searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise
up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path
and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before
a word is on my tongue,
O LORD, you know it completely.
5 You hem me
in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is
too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your
presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in
Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle
at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead
me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the
darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,"
12
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the
day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For it was you who formed
my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise
you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your
works;
that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from
you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the
depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In
your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when
none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O
God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them — they are
more than the sand;
I come to the end — I am still with you.
19 O
that you would kill the wicked, O God,
and that the bloodthirsty would
depart from me —
20 those who speak of you maliciously,
and lift
themselves up against you for evil!
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O
LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate
them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O
God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
24 See if there
is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way
everlasting.
[Psalm 140]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 Deliver me, O LORD, from evildoers;
protect me from
those who are violent,
2 who plan evil things in their minds
and stir
up wars continually.
3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake's,
and
under their lips is the venom of vipers.
4 Guard me, O LORD, from the
hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent
who have planned
my downfall.
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords
they have spread a net,
along the road they have set snares for me.
6
I say to the LORD, "You are my God;
give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my
supplications."
7 O LORD, my Lord, my strong deliverer,
you have
covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of
the wicked;
do not further their evil plot.
9 Those who surround
me lift up their heads;
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm
them!
10 Let burning coals fall on them!
Let them be flung into pits,
no more to rise!
11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the
land;
let evil speedily hunt down the violent!
12 I know that the
LORD maintains the cause of the needy,
and executes justice for the
poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the
upright shall live in your presence.
[Psalm 141]
Prayer for
deliverance from enemies
1 I call upon you, O LORD; come quickly to
me;
give ear to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be
counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as an
evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD;
keep watch
over the door of my lips.
4 Do not turn my heart to any evil,
to busy
myself with wicked deeds
in company with those who work
iniquity;
do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the
righteous strike me;
let the faithful correct me.
Never let the
oil of the wicked anoint my head,
for my prayer is continually against
their wicked deeds.
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn
them,
then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
7 Like a rock
that one breaks apart and shatters on the land,
so shall their bones be
strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O GOD,
my Lord;
in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me
from the trap that they have laid for me,
and from the snares of
evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I alone
escape.
[Psalm 142]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 With my voice I cry to the LORD;
with my voice I
make supplication to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I
tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint,
you know my
way.
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for
me.
4 Look on my right hand and see —
there is no one who takes
notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for
me.
5 I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my refuge,
my
portion in the land of the living."
6 Give heed to my cry,
for I am
brought very low.
Save me from my persecutors,
for they are
too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison,
so that I may give thanks
to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal
bountifully with me.
[Psalm 143]
Prayer for deliverance from
enemies
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD;
give ear to my supplications
in your faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter
into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous before
you.
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing my life to the
ground,
making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my
spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5 I
remember the days of old,
I think about all your deeds,
I meditate
on the works of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul
thirsts for you like a parched land.
7 Answer me quickly, O
LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I
shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear of your steadfast
love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I
should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Save me, O LORD, from
my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your
will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a
level path.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life.
In
your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
12 In your steadfast love cut off
my enemies,
and destroy all my adversaries,
for I am your
servant.
[Psalm 144]
Royal prayer for deliverance
1
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for war, and my fingers
for battle;
2 my rock and my fortress,
my stronghold and my
deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues the
peoples under me.
3 O LORD, what are human beings that you regard
them,
or mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a
breath;
their days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow your heavens,
O LORD, and come down;
touch the mountains so that they smoke.
6 Make
the lightning flash and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout
them.
7 Stretch out your hand from on high;
set me free and rescue me
from the mighty waters,
from the hand of aliens,
8 whose mouths speak
lies,
and whose right hands are false.
9 I will sing a new song to
you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 the one
who gives victory to kings,
who rescues his servant David.
11 Rescue
me from the cruel sword,
and deliver me from the hand of
aliens,
whose mouths speak lies,
and whose right hands are
false.
12 May our sons in their youth
be like plants full
grown,
our daughters like corner pillars,
cut for the building of
a palace.
13 May our barns be filled,
with produce of every
kind;
may our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in
our fields,
14 and may our cattle be heavy with young.
May there be no
breach in the walls, no exile,
and no cry of distress in our
streets.
15 Happy are the people to whom such blessings
fall;
happy are the people whose God is the LORD.
[Psalm
145]
Praise of the divine king
1 I will extol you, my God and
King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless
you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and
greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One
generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your
mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your
wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be
proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall celebrate
the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your
righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger
and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all,
and his
compassion is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks
to you, O LORD,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall
speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
12 to make
known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your
kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion
endures throughout all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his
words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The LORD upholds all who are
falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look
to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your
hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is just
in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to
all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills
the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves
them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he
will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
and
all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.
[Psalm
146]
Praise of God, creator and savior
1 Praise the
LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as
I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not
put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day
their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of
Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and
earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith
forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to
the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the
eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the
LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
he
upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to
ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all
generations.
Praise the LORD!
[Psalm 147]
Praise of God,
creator and savior
1 Praise the LORD!
How good it is to sing
praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is
fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of
Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
4
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their
names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding
is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the
wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make
melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with
clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the
hills.
9 He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens
when they cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor
his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in
those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he
strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within
you.
14 He grants peace within your borders;
he fills you with the
finest of wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word
runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like
ashes.
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs —
who can stand before his
cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind
blow, and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his
statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other
nation;
they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the
LORD!
[Psalm 148]
Praise of God from heaven and earth
1
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in
the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his
host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining
stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the
heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded
and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever;
he
fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the LORD from the
earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and
frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all
hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all
cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and
all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and
women alike,
old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name
of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above
earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise
for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to
him.
Praise the LORD!
[Psalm 149]
Praise of Israel's creator
and king
1 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new
song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Israel be glad
in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let
them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine
and lyre.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the
humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing
for joy on their couches.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their
throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on
the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with
fetters
and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the
judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise
the LORD!
[Psalm 150]
Praise of God in the Temple
1
Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his
mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him
according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet
sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and
dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging
cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that
breathes praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!