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Thursday, November 21st, 2024
the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Reading Plan

Daily Bible Reading

May 3 - Old & New Testament
csb

 

Psalms 52,57,142

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Psalm 52

God Judges the Proud

For the choir director. A Davidic Maskil. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, "David went to Ahimelech's house."(a)

1 Why brag about evil, you hero!(b)
God's faithful love is constant.(c)
2 Like a sharpened razor,
your tongue devises destruction,
working treachery.(d)
3 You love evil instead of good,
lying instead of speaking truthfully.(e) Selah
4 You love any words that destroy,
you treacherous tongue!(f)

5 This is why God will bring you down forever.
He will take you, ripping you out of your tent;
He will uproot you from the land of the living.(g) Selah
6 The righteous will look on with awe
and will ridicule him:(h)
7 "Here is the man
who would not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches,
taking refuge in his destructive behavior."[a](i)

8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree
in the house of God;(j)
I trust in God's faithful love forever and ever.(k)
9 I will praise You forever for what You have done.
In the presence of Your faithful people,
I will put my hope in Your name, for it is good.(l)

Psalm 53

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director: on Mahalath.[a](a) A Davidic Maskil.

1 The fool says in his heart, "God does not exist."
They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.(b)
2 God looks down from heaven on the human race
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.(c)
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.(d)

4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume My people as they consume bread;(e)
they do not call on God.(f)
5 Then they will be filled with terror—
terror like no other(g)
because God will scatter
the bones of those who besiege you.(h)
You will put them to shame,
for God has rejected them.(i)

6 Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of His people,[b]
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.(j)

Psalm 54

Prayer for Deliverance

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic Maskil. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, "Is David not hiding among us?"(a)

1 God, save me by Your name,
and vindicate me by Your might!(b)
2 God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my mouth.(c)
3 For strangers rise up against me,
and violent men seek my life.
They have no regard for God.[a](d) Selah

4 God is my helper;
the Lord is the sustainer of my life.[b](e)
5 He will repay my adversaries for their evil.
Because of Your faithfulness, annihilate them.(f)

6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You.(g)
I will praise Your name, Yahweh,
because it is good.(h)
7 For He has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked down on my enemies.(i)

Psalm 55

Betrayal by a Friend

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic Maskil.

1 God, listen to my prayer
and do not ignore[a] my plea for help.(a)
2 Pay attention to me and answer me.(b)
I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint,(c)
3 because of the enemy's voice,
because of the pressure[b] of the wicked.
For they bring down disaster on me[c]
and harass me in anger.(d)

4 My heart shudders within me;(e)
terrors of death sweep over me.
5 Fear and trembling grip me;
horror has overwhelmed me.(f)
6 I said, "If only I had[d] wings like a dove!
I would fly away and find rest.(g)
7 How far away I would flee;
I would stay in the wilderness.(h) Selah
8 I would hurry to my shelter
from the raging wind and the storm."(i)

9 Lord, confuse[e] and confound their speech,[f](j)
for I see violence and strife in the city;
10 day and night they make the rounds on its walls.
Crime and trouble are within it;(k)
11 destruction is inside it;
oppression and deceit never leave its marketplace.(l)

12 Now it is not an enemy who insults me—
otherwise I could bear it;
it is not a foe who rises up against me—
otherwise I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man who is my peer,
my companion and good friend!(m)
14 We used to have close fellowship;
we walked with the crowd into the house of God.(n)

15 Let death take them by surprise;(o)
let them go down to Sheol alive,
because evil is in their homes and within them.(p)
16 But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.(q)
17 I complain and groan morning, noon, and night,(r)
and He hears my voice.(s)
18 Though many are against me,
He will redeem me from my battle unharmed.(t)
19 God, the One enthroned from long ago,(u)
will hear and will humiliate them Selah
because they do not change
and do not fear God.(v)

20 My friend(w) acts violently
against those at peace with him;(x)
he violates his covenant.(y)
21 His buttery words are smooth,[g]
but war is in his heart.
His words are softer than oil,
but they are drawn swords.(z)

22 Cast your burden on the Lord ,
and He will sustain you;(aa)
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.(ab)

23 God, You will bring them down
to the Pit of destruction;(ac)
men of bloodshed and treachery
will not live out half their days.(ad)
But I will trust in You.(ae)

Psalm 56

A Call for God's Protection

For the choir director: according to "A Silent Dove Far Away."[a] A Davidic Miktam. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.(a)

1 Be gracious to me, God, for man tramples me;
he fights and oppresses me all day long.
2 My adversaries trample me all day,
for many arrogantly fight against me.[b](b)

3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in You.(c)
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?(d)

5 They twist my words all day long;
all their thoughts against me are evil.(e)
6 They stir up strife,[c] they lurk;
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.(f)
7 Will they escape in spite of such sin?
God, bring down the nations in wrath.(g)

8 You Yourself have recorded my wanderings.[d]
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your records?(h)
9 Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.(i)
This I know: God is for me.(j)

10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord , whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?(k)

12 I am obligated by vows[e] to You, God;
I will make my thank offerings to You.(l)
13 For You delivered me from death,
even my feet from stumbling,
to walk before God in the light of life.(m)

Psalm 57

Praise for God's Protection

For the choir director: "Do Not Destroy."[a] A Davidic Miktam. When he fled before Saul into the cave.(a)

1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in You.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings
until danger passes.(b)
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills His purpose for me.[b](c)
3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me.(d) Selah
God sends His faithful love and truth.(e)
4 I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down with those who devour men.
Their teeth are spears and arrows;
their tongues are sharp swords.(f)
5 God, be exalted above the heavens;
let Your glory be over the whole earth.(g)
6 They prepared a net for my steps;
I was despondent.
They dug a pit ahead of me,
but they fell into it!(h) Selah

7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.(i)
8 Wake up, my soul![c]
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.(j)
9 I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.(k)
10 For Your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches the clouds.(l)
11 God, be exalted above the heavens;(m)
let Your glory be over the whole earth.(n)

Psalm 58

A Cry against Injustice

For the choir director: "Do Not Destroy."[a] A Davidic Miktam.

1 Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[b]
Do you judge people fairly?(a)
2 No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(b)

3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars err from birth.(c)
4 They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(d)
5 that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(e)

6 God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord , tear out the young lions' fangs.(f)
7 They will vanish like water that flows by;
they will aim their useless arrows.[c][d](g)
8 Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman's miscarried child,
they will not see the sun.(h)

9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
He will sweep them away.[e](i)
10 The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;(j)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.(k)
11 Then people will say,
"Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!"(l)

Psalm 59

God Our Stronghold

For the choir director: "Do Not Destroy."[a] A Davidic Miktam. When Saul sent agents to watch the house and kill him.(a)

1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God;(b)
protect me from those who rise up against me.(c)
2 Deliver me from those who practice sin,
and save me from men of bloodshed.(d)
3  Lord , look! They set an ambush for me.(e)
Powerful men attack me,
but not because of any sin or rebellion of mine.(f)
4 For no fault of mine,
they run and take up a position.
Awake to help me, and take notice.(g)
5  Lord God of Hosts, You are the God of Israel,
rise up to punish all the nations;
do not show grace to any wicked traitors.(h) Selah

6 They return at evening, snarling like dogs
and prowling around the city.(i)
7 Look, they spew from their mouths—
sharp words from[b] their lips.(j)
"For who," they say, "will hear?"(k)
8 But You laugh at them, Lord ;
You ridicule all the nations.(l)
9 I will keep watch for You, my[c] strength,
because God is my stronghold.(m)
10 My faithful God[d] will come to meet me;
God will let me look down on my adversaries.(n)

11 Do not kill them; otherwise, my people will forget.
By Your power, make them homeless wanderers(o)
and bring them down,
Lord, our shield.(p)
12 For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
They utter curses and lies.(q)
13 Consume them in rage;
consume them until they are gone.(r)
Then people will know throughout[e] the earth
that God rules over Jacob.(s) Selah

14 And they return at evening, snarling like dogs
and prowling around the city.(t)
15 They scavenge for food;
they growl if they are not satisfied.(u)

16 But I will sing of Your strength
and will joyfully proclaim
Your faithful love in the morning.(v)
For You have been a stronghold for me,
a refuge in my day of trouble.(w)
17 To You, my strength, I sing praises,
because God is my stronghold—
my faithful God.(x)

Psalm 60

Prayer in Difficult Times

For the choir director: according to "The Lily of Testimony."[a] A Davidic Miktam for teaching. When he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck Edom in the Valley of Salt, killing 12,000.(a)

1 God, You have rejected us;
You have broken out[b] against us;
You have been angry. Restore us![c](b)
2 You have shaken the land and split it open.
Heal its fissures, for it shudders.(c)
3 You have made Your people suffer hardship;
You have given us wine to drink
that made us stagger.(d)
4 You have given a signal flag to those who fear You,
so that they can flee before the archers.[d](e) Selah
5 Save with Your right hand, and answer me,
so that those You love may be rescued.(f)

6 God has spoken in His sanctuary:[e]
"I will triumph! I will divide up Shechem.(g)
I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.(h)
7 Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine,
and Ephraim is My helmet;(i)
Judah is My scepter.(j)
8 Moab is My washbasin.(k)
I throw My sandal on Edom;(l)
I shout in triumph over Philistia."(m)

9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?(n)
10 God, haven't You rejected us?
God, You do not march out with our armies.(o)
11 Give us aid against the foe,
for human help is worthless.(p)
12 With God we will perform valiantly;(q)
He will trample our foes.(r)

Psalm 61

Security in God

For the choir director: on stringed instruments. Davidic.

1 God, hear my cry;
pay attention to my prayer.(a)
2 I call to You from the ends of the earth
when my heart is without strength.(b)
Lead me to a rock that is high above me,(c)
3 for You have been a refuge for me,
a strong tower(d) in the face of the enemy.
4 I will live in Your tent forever
and take refuge under the shelter of Your wings.(e) Selah

5 God, You have heard my vows;(f)
You have given a heritage
to those who fear Your name.(g)
6 Add days to the king's life;
may his years span many generations.(h)
7 May he sit enthroned before God forever;(i)
appoint faithful love and truth to guard him.(j)
8 Then I will continually sing of Your name,(k)
fulfilling my vows day by day.(l)

Psalm 62

Trust in God Alone

For the choir director: according to Jeduthun.(a) A Davidic psalm.

1 I am at rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from Him.(b)
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,(c)
my stronghold; I will never be shaken.(d)

3 How long will you threaten a man?
Will all of you attack[a]
as if he were a leaning wall
or a tottering stone fence?(e)
4 They only plan to bring him down
from his high position.
They take pleasure in lying;
they bless with their mouths,
but they curse inwardly.(f) Selah

5 Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from Him.(g)
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,(h)
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.(i)
7 My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.(j)
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our refuge.(k) Selah

9 Men are only a vapor;
exalted men, an illusion.
Weighed in the scales, they go up;
together they are less than a vapor.(l)
10 Place no trust in oppression,
or false hope in robbery.
If wealth increases,
pay no attention to it.[b](m)

11 God has spoken once;
I have heard this twice:
strength belongs to God,(n)
12 and faithful love belongs to You, Lord .
For You repay each according to his works.(o)

Psalm 63

Praise God Who Satisfies

A Davidic psalm. When he was in the Wilderness of Judah.(a)

1 God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You.
I thirst for You;
my body faints for You
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.(b)
2 So I gaze on You in the sanctuary
to see Your strength and Your glory.(c)

3 My lips will glorify You
because Your faithful love is better than life.(d)
4 So I will praise You as long as I live;
at Your name, I will lift up my hands.(e)
5 You satisfy me as with rich food;[a](f)
my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.(g)

6 When I think of You as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on You during the night watches(h)
7 because You are my helper;(i)
I will rejoice in the shadow of Your wings.(j)
8 I follow close to You;
Your right hand holds on to me.(k)

9 But those who seek to destroy my life
will go into the depths of the earth.(l)
10 They will be given over to the power of the sword;(m)
they will become the jackals' prey.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;(n)
all who swear by Him[b] will boast,
for the mouths of liars will be shut.(o)

Psalm 64

Protection from Evildoers

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1 God, hear my voice when I complain.(a)
Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.(b)
2 Hide me from the scheming of wicked people,(c)
from the mob of evildoers,(d)
3 who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim bitter words like arrows,(e)
4 shooting from concealed places at the innocent.
They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid.(f)
5 They encourage each other in an evil plan;[a][b]
they talk about hiding traps and say,
"Who will see them?"[c](g)
6 They devise crimes and say,
"We have perfected a secret plan."(h)
The inner man and the heart are mysterious.

7 But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly, they will be wounded.(i)
8 They will be made to stumble;
their own tongues work against them.
All who see them will shake their heads.(j)
9 Then everyone will fear
and will tell about God's work,
for they will understand what He has done.(k)

10 The righteous one rejoices in the Lord
and takes refuge in Him;
all those who are upright in heart
will offer praise.(l)

Psalm 65

God's Care for the Earth

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song.

1 Praise is rightfully Yours,[a]
God, in Zion;
vows to You will be fulfilled.(a)
2 All humanity will come to You,
the One who hears prayer.(b)
3 Iniquities overwhelm me;
only You can atone for[b] our rebellions.(c)
4 How happy is the one You choose
and bring near to live in Your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
the holiness of Your temple.[c](d)

5 You answer us in righteousness,
with awe-inspiring works,
God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the distant seas.(e)
6 You establish the mountains by Your[d] power,
robed with strength.(f)
7 You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.(g)
8 Those who live far away are awed by Your signs;
You make east and west shout for joy.(h)

9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God's stream is filled with water,
for You prepare the earth[e] in this way,
providing people with grain.(i)
10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.(j)
11 You crown the year with Your goodness;
Your ways overflow with plenty.[f](k)
12 The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.(l)
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.(m)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.(n)

Psalm 66

Praise for God's Mighty Acts

For the choir director. A song. A psalm.

1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth!(a)
2 Sing about the glory of His name;
make His praise glorious.(b)
3 Say to God, "How awe-inspiring are Your works!
Your enemies will cringe before You
because of Your great strength.(c)
4 All the earth will worship You
and sing praise to You.
They will sing praise to Your name."(d) Selah

5 Come and see the wonders of God;(e)
His acts for humanity are awe-inspiring.
6 He turned the sea into dry land,
and they crossed the river on foot.(f)
There we rejoiced in Him.(g)
7 He rules forever by His might;
He keeps His eye on the nations.(h)
The rebellious should not exalt themselves.(i) Selah
8 Praise our God, you peoples;
let the sound of His praise be heard.(j)
9 He keeps us alive[a]
and does not allow our feet to slip.(k)

10 For You, God, tested us;
You refined us as silver is refined.(l)
11 You lured us into a trap;
You placed burdens on our backs.(m)
12 You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but You brought us out to abundance.[b](n)

13 I will enter Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows(o)
14 that my lips promised
and my mouth spoke during my distress.(p)
15 I will offer You fattened sheep as burnt offerings,
with the fragrant smoke of rams;
I will sacrifice oxen with goats.(q) Selah

16 Come and listen, all who fear God,
and I will tell what He has done for me.(r)
17 I cried out to Him with my mouth,
and praise was on my tongue.(s)
18 If I had been aware of malice in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.(t)
19 However, God has listened;
He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer.(u)
20 May God be praised!
He has not turned away my prayer
or turned His faithful love from me.(v)

Psalm 67

All Will Praise God

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us;
look on us with favor(a) Selah
2 so that Your way may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.(b)

3 Let the peoples praise You, God;
let all the peoples praise You.(c)
4 Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy,
for You judge the peoples with fairness
and lead the nations on earth.(d) Selah
5 Let the peoples praise You, God,
let all the peoples praise You.(e)

6 The earth has produced its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.(f)
7 God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.(g)

Psalm 68

God's Majestic Power

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song.

1 God arises. His enemies scatter,
and those who hate Him flee from His presence.(a)
2 As smoke is blown away,
so You blow them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.(b)
3 But the righteous are glad;
they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy.(c)

4 Sing to God! Sing praises to His name.
Exalt Him who rides on the clouds[a]
His name is Yahweh[b]—and rejoice before Him.(d)
5 God in His holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.(e)
6 God provides homes for those who are deserted.
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,[c]
but the rebellious live in a scorched land.(f)

7 God, when You went out before Your people,
when You marched through the desert, Selah
8 the earth trembled and the skies poured down rain
before God, the God of Sinai,[d]
before God, the God of Israel.(g)
9 You, God, showered abundant rain;
You revived Your inheritance when it languished.(h)
10 Your people settled in it;
God, You provided for the poor by Your goodness.(i)

11 The Lord gave the command;
a great company of women brought the good news:(j)
12 "The kings of the armies flee—they flee!"
She who stays at home divides the spoil.(k)
13 While[e] you lie among the sheepfolds,[f]
the wings of a dove are covered with silver,
and its feathers with glistening gold.(l)
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in the land,
it snowed on Zalmon.[g](m)

15 Mount Bashan is God's towering mountain;
Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.(n)
16 Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,
at the mountain[h] God desired for His dwelling?
The Lord will live there forever!(o)
17 God's chariots are tens of thousands,
thousands and thousands;(p)
the Lord is among them in the sanctuary[i]
as He was at Sinai.(q)
18 You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;
You received gifts from[j] people,
even from the rebellious,
so that the Lord God might live there.[k](r)

19 May the Lord be praised!
Day after day He bears our burdens;
God is our salvation.(s) Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and escape from death belongs to the Lord God .(t)
21 Surely God crushes the heads of His enemies,
the hairy head of one who goes on in his guilty acts.(u)
22 The Lord said, "I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea(v)
23 so that your foot may wade[l] in blood
and your dogs' tongues may have their share
from the enemies."(w)
24 People have seen Your procession, God,
the procession of my God,
my King, in the sanctuary.[m](x)
25 Singers[n] lead the way,
with musicians following;
among them are young women
playing tambourines.(y)
26 Praise God in the assemblies;
praise the Lord from the fountain of Israel.(z)
27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,
the rulers of Judah in their assembly,[o]
the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali.(aa)

28 Your God has decreed your strength.
Show Your strength, God,
You who have acted on our behalf.(ab)
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
kings will bring tribute to You.(ac)
30 Rebuke the beast[p] in the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.(ad)
Trample underfoot those with bars of silver.[q]
Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.(ae)
31 Ambassadors will come[r] from Egypt;
Cush will stretch out its hands[s] to God.(af)

32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
sing praise to the Lord,(ag) Selah
33 to Him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.(ah)
Look, He thunders with His powerful voice!(ai)
34 Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
His power among the clouds.(aj)
35 God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised!(ak)

Psalm 69

A Plea for Rescue

For the choir director: according to "The Lilies."[a] Davidic.

1 Save me, God,
for the water has risen to my neck.(a)
2 I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no footing;
I have come into deep waters,
and a flood sweeps over me.(b)
3 I am weary from my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.(c)
4 Those who hate me without cause
are more numerous than the hairs of my head;
my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,
are powerful.(d)
Though I did not steal, I must repay.(e)

5 God, You know my foolishness,
and my guilty acts are not hidden from You.(f)
6 Do not let those who put their hope in You
be disgraced because of me,
Lord God of Hosts;
do not let those who seek You
be humiliated because of me,
God of Israel.(g)
7 For I have endured insults because of You,
and shame has covered my face.(h)
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers
and a foreigner to my mother's sons(i)
9 because zeal for Your house has consumed me,(j)
and the insults of those who insult You
have fallen on me.(k)
10 I mourned and fasted,
but it brought me insults.(l)
11 I wore sackcloth as my clothing,
and I was a joke to them.
12 Those who sit at the city gate talk about me,
and drunkards make up songs about me.(m)

13 But as for me, Lord ,
my prayer to You is for a time of favor.
In Your abundant, faithful love, God,
answer me with Your sure salvation.(n)
14 Rescue me from the miry mud; don't let me sink.
Let me be rescued from those who hate me
and from the deep waters.(o)
15 Don't let the floodwaters sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up;
don't let the Pit close its mouth over me.(p)
16 Answer me, Lord ,
for Your faithful love is good;
in keeping with Your great compassion,
turn to me.(q)
17 Don't hide Your face from Your servant,
for I am in distress.
Answer me quickly!(r)
18 Draw near to me and redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies.(s)

19 You know the insults I endure—
my shame and disgrace.
You are aware of all my adversaries.(t)
20 Insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I waited for sympathy,
but there was none;
for comforters, but found no one.(u)
21 Instead, they gave me gall[b] for my food,
and for my thirst
they gave me vinegar to drink.(v)

22 Let their table set before them be a snare,
and let it be a trap for their allies.(w)
23 Let their eyes grow too dim to see,
and let their loins continually shake.(x)
24 Pour out Your rage on them,
and let Your burning anger overtake them.(y)
25 Make their fortification desolate;
may no one live in their tents.(z)
26 For they persecute the one You struck
and talk about the pain of those You wounded.(aa)
27 Add guilt to their guilt;
do not let them share in Your righteousness.(ab)
28 Let them be erased from the book of life
and not be recorded with the righteous.(ac)

29 But as for me—poor and in pain—
let Your salvation protect me, God.(ad)
30 I will praise God's name with song
and exalt Him with thanksgiving.(ae)
31 That will please Yahweh more than an ox,
more than a bull with horns and hooves.(af)
32 The humble will see it and rejoice.
You who seek God, take heart!(ag)
33 For the Lord listens to the needy
and does not despise
His own who are prisoners.(ah)

34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,
the seas and everything that moves in them,(ai)
35 for God will save Zion
and build up[c] the cities of Judah.
They will live there and possess it.(aj)
36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
and those who love His name will live in it.(ak)

Psalm 70

A Call for Deliverance

For the choir director. Davidic. To bring remembrance.(a)

1 God, deliver me.
Hurry to help me, Lord !(b)

2 Let those who seek my life
be disgraced and confounded;
let those who wish me harm
be driven back and humiliated.
3 Let those who say, "Aha, aha!"
retreat because of their shame.(c)

4 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
let those who love Your salvation
continually say, "God is great!"(d)
5 I am afflicted and needy;
hurry to me, God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Lord , do not delay.(e)

Psalm 71

God's Help in Old Age

1  Lord , I seek refuge in You;
let me never be disgraced.(a)
2 In Your justice, rescue and deliver me;
listen closely to me and save me.(b)
3 Be a rock of refuge for me,
where I can always go.
Give the command to save me,
for You are my rock and fortress.(c)
4 Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive.(d)
5 For You are my hope, Lord God ,
my confidence from my youth.(e)
6 I have leaned on You from birth;
You took me from my mother's womb.(f)
My praise is always about You.(g)
7 I have become an ominous sign to many,
but You are my strong refuge.(h)
8 My mouth is full of praise
and honor to You all day long.(i)

9 Don't discard me in my old age;
as my strength fails, do not abandon me.(j)
10 For my enemies talk about me,
and those who spy on me plot together,(k)
11 saying, "God has abandoned him;
chase him and catch him,
for there is no one to rescue him."(l)
12 God, do not be far from me;
my God, hurry to help me.(m)
13 May my adversaries be disgraced and destroyed;
may those who seek my harm
be covered with disgrace and humiliation.(n)
14 But I will hope continually
and will praise You more and more.(o)
15 My mouth will tell about Your righteousness
and Your salvation all day long,
though I cannot sum them up.(p)
16 I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God ;
I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone.(q)

17 God, You have taught me from my youth,
and I still proclaim Your wonderful works.(r)
18 Even when I am old and gray,
God, do not abandon me.(s)
Then I will[a] proclaim Your power
to another generation,
Your strength to all who are to come.(t)
19 Your righteousness reaches heaven, God,
You who have done great things;
God, who is like You?(u)
20 You caused me to experience
many troubles and misfortunes,(v)
but You will revive me again.(w)
You will bring me up again,
even from the depths of the earth.(x)
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.(y)
22 Therefore, I will praise You with a harp
for Your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing to You with a lyre,
Holy One of Israel.(z)
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to You
because You have redeemed me.(aa)
24 Therefore, my tongue will proclaim
Your righteousness all day long,
for those who seek my harm
will be disgraced and confounded.(ab)

Psalm 72

A Prayer for the King

Solomonic.(a)

1 God, give Your justice to the king
and Your righteousness to the king's son.(b)
2 He will judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted ones with justice.(c)
3 May the mountains bring prosperity[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(d)
4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(e)

5 May he continue[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(f)
6 May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(g)
7 May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and prosperity[d] abound
until the moon is no more.(h)

8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(i)
9 May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(j)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(k)
11 Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him.(l)

12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(m)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(n)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[e] precious[f] in his sight.(o)

15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(p)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(r)

18 May the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonders, be praised.(s)
19 May His glorious name be praised forever;
the whole earth is filled with His glory.(t)
Amen and amen.
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded.(u)

Psalm 73

God's Ways Vindicated

A psalm of Asaph.(a)

1 God is indeed good to Israel,
to the pure in heart.(b)
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my steps nearly went astray.(c)
3 For I envied the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(d)

4 They have an easy time until they die,[a]
and their bodies are well fed.[b](e)
5 They are not in trouble like others;
they are not afflicted like most people.(f)
6 Therefore, pride is their necklace,
and violence covers them like a garment.(g)
7 Their eyes bulge out from fatness;
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.(h)
8 They mock, and they speak maliciously;
they arrogantly threaten oppression.(i)
9 They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues strut across the earth.(j)
10 Therefore His people turn to them[c]
and drink in their overflowing words.[d](k)
11 The wicked say, "How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?"(l)
12 Look at them—the wicked!
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.(m)

13 Did I purify my heart
and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?(n)
14 For I am afflicted all day long
and punished every morning.(o)
15 If I had decided to say these things aloud,
I would have betrayed Your people.[e](p)
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless[f](q)
17 until I entered God's sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny.(r)
18 Indeed, You put them in slippery places;
You make them fall into ruin.(s)
19 How suddenly they become a desolation!
They come to an end, swept away by terrors.(t)
20 Like one waking from a dream,
Lord, when arising, You will despise their image.(u)

21 When I became embittered
and my innermost being[g] was wounded,(v)
22 I was stupid and didn't understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward You.(w)
23 Yet I am always with You;
You hold my right hand.(x)
24 You guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward You will take me up in glory.[h](y)
25 Who do I have in heaven but You?
And I desire nothing on earth but You.(z)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength[i] of my heart,
my portion forever.(aa)
27 Those far from You will certainly perish;
You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.(ab)
28 But as for me, God's presence is my good.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so I can tell about all You do.(ac)

Psalm 74

Prayer for Israel

A Maskil of Asaph.(a)

1 Why have You rejected us forever, God?
Why does Your anger burn
against the sheep of Your pasture?(b)
2 Remember Your congregation,
which You purchased long ago
and redeemed as the tribe for Your own possession.(c)
Remember Mount Zion where You dwell.(d)
3 Make Your way[a] to the everlasting ruins,
to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.(e)
4 Your adversaries roared in the meeting place
where You met with us.[b]
They set up their emblems as signs.(f)
5 It was like men in a thicket of trees,
wielding axes,(g)
6 then smashing all the carvings
with hatchets and picks.(h)
7 They set Your sanctuary on fire;
they utterly[c] desecrated
the dwelling place of Your name.(i)
8 They said in their hearts,
"Let us oppress them relentlessly."
They burned down every place throughout the land
where God met with us.[d](j)
9 There are no signs for us to see.
There is no longer a prophet.
And none of us knows how long this will last.(k)
10 God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult Your name forever?(l)
11 Why do You hold back Your hand?
Stretch out[e] Your right hand and destroy them!(m)

12 God my King is from ancient times,
performing saving acts on the earth.(n)
13 You divided the sea with Your strength;
You smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters;(o)
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
You fed him to the creatures of the desert.(p)
15 You opened up springs and streams;(q)
You dried up ever-flowing rivers.(r)
16 The day is Yours, also the night;
You established the moon and the sun.(s)
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth;
You made summer and winter.(t)

18 Remember this: the enemy has mocked Yahweh,
and a foolish people has insulted Your name.(u)
19 Do not give the life of Your dove to beasts;[f]
do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever.(v)
20 Consider the covenant,(w)
for the dark places of the land are full of violence.(x)
21 Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;
let the poor and needy praise Your name.(y)
22 Rise up, God, defend Your cause!(z)
Remember the insults
that fools bring against You all day long.(aa)
23 Do not forget the clamor of Your adversaries,
the tumult of Your opponents that goes up constantly.(ab)

Psalm 75

God Judges the Wicked

For the choir director: "Do Not Destroy."[a] A psalm of Asaph.(a) A song.

1 We give thanks to You, God;
we give thanks to You, for Your name is near.
People tell about Your wonderful works.(b)

2 "When I choose a time,
I will judge fairly.(c)
3 When the earth and all its inhabitants shake,
I am the One who steadies its pillars.(d) Selah
4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,'
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.(e)
5 Do not lift up your horn against heaven
or speak arrogantly.'"(f)

6 Exaltation does not come
from the east, the west, or the desert,
7 for God is the Judge:
He brings down one and exalts another.(g)
8 For there is a cup in the Lord 's hand,
full of wine blended with spices, and He pours from it.
All the wicked of the earth will drink,
draining it to the dregs.(h)

9 As for me, I will tell about Him forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.(i)

10 "I will cut off all the horns of the wicked,(j)
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up."(k)

Psalm 76

God, the Powerful Judge

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph.(a) A song.

1 God is known in Judah;
His name is great in Israel.(b)
2 His tent is in Salem,[a]
His dwelling place in Zion.(c)
3 There He shatters the bow's flaming arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.(d) Selah

4 You are resplendent and majestic
coming down from the mountains of prey.(e)
5 The brave-hearted have been plundered;
they have slipped into their final sleep.
None of the warriors was able to lift a hand.(f)
6 At Your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both chariot and horse lay still.(g)

7 And You—You are to be feared.[b]
When You are angry,
who can stand before You?(h)
8 From heaven You pronounced judgment.
The earth feared and grew quiet(i)
9 when God rose up to judge
and to save all the lowly of the earth.(j) Selah
10 Even human wrath will praise You;
You will clothe Yourself
with their remaining wrath.[c](k)

11 Make and keep your vows
to the Lord your God;(l)
let all who are around Him bring tribute
to the awe-inspiring One.[d](m)
12 He humbles the spirit of leaders;
He is feared by the kings of the earth.(n)

Psalm 77

Confidence in a Time of Crisis

For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph.(a) A psalm.

1 I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and He will hear me.(b)
2 I sought the Lord in my day of trouble.
My hands were continually lifted up
all night long;
I refused to be comforted.(c)
3 I think of God; I groan;
I meditate; my spirit becomes weak.(d) Selah

4 You have kept me from closing my eyes;
I am troubled and cannot speak.(e)
5 I consider days of old,
years long past.(f)
6 At night I remember my music;
I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders.(g)

7 "Will the Lord reject forever
and never again show favor?(h)
8 Has His faithful love ceased forever?
Is His promise at an end for all generations?(i)
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger withheld His compassion?"(j) Selah

10 So I say, "I am grieved[a]
that the right hand of the Most High has changed."(k)
11 I will remember the Lord 's works;
yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders.(l)
12 I will reflect on all You have done
and meditate on Your actions.(m)

13 God, Your way is holy.
What god is great like God?(n)
14 You are the God who works wonders;
You revealed Your strength among the peoples.(o)
15 With power You redeemed Your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.(p) Selah

16 The waters saw You, God.
The waters saw You; they trembled.
Even the depths shook.(q)
17 The clouds poured down water.
The storm clouds thundered;
Your arrows flashed back and forth.(r)
18 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
lightning lit up the world.(s)
The earth shook and quaked.(t)
19 Your way went through the sea
and Your path through the great waters,
but Your footprints were unseen.(u)
20 You led Your people like a flock(v)
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(w)

Psalm 78

Lessons from Israel's Past

A Maskil of Asaph.(a)

1 My people, hear my instruction;
listen to what I say.(b)
2 I will declare wise sayings;
I will speak mysteries from the past(c)
3 things we have heard and known
and that our fathers have passed down to us.(d)
4 We must not hide them from their children,
but must tell a future generation
the praises of the Lord ,
His might, and the wonderful works
He has performed.(e)
5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and set up a law in Israel,
which He commanded our fathers
to teach to their children(f)
6 so that a future generation—
children yet to be born—might know.
They were to rise and tell their children(g)
7 so that they might put their confidence in God
and not forget God's works,
but keep His commands.(h)
8 Then they would not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not loyal
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.(i)

9 The Ephraimite archers turned back
on the day of battle.(j)
10 They did not keep God's covenant
and refused to live by His law.(k)
11 They forgot what He had done,
the wonderful works He had shown them.(l)
12 He worked wonders in the sight of their fathers
in the land of Egypt, the region of Zoan.(m)
13 He split the sea and brought them across;
the water stood firm like a wall.(n)
14 He led them with a cloud by day
and with a fiery light throughout the night.(o)
15 He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as abundant as the depths.(p)
16 He brought streams out of the stone
and made water flow down like rivers.(q)

17 But they continued to sin against Him,
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.(r)
18 They deliberately[a] tested God,
demanding the food they craved.(s)
19 They spoke against God, saying,
"Is God able to provide food in the wilderness?
20 Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out;
torrents overflowed.(t)
But can He also provide bread
or furnish meat for His people?"(u)
21 Therefore, the Lord heard and became furious;
then fire broke out against Jacob,
and anger flared up against Israel(v)
22 because they did not believe God
or rely on His salvation.(w)
23 He gave a command to the clouds above
and opened the doors of heaven.(x)
24 He rained manna for them to eat;
He gave them grain from heaven.(y)
25 People[b] ate the bread of angels.[c]
He sent them an abundant supply of food.(z)
26 He made the east wind blow in the skies
and drove the south wind by His might.(aa)
27 He rained meat on them like dust,
and winged birds like the sand of the seas.
28 He made them fall in His camp,
all around His tent.[d][e](ab)
29 They ate and were completely satisfied,
for He gave them what they craved.(ac)
30 Before they had satisfied their desire,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God's anger flared up against them,
and He killed some of their best men.
He struck down Israel's choice young men.(ad)

32 Despite all this, they kept sinning
and did not believe His wonderful works.(ae)
33 He made their days end in futility,
their years in sudden disaster.(af)
34 When He killed some of them,
the rest began to seek Him;
they repented and searched for God.(ag)
35 They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God, their Redeemer.(ah)
36 But they deceived Him with their mouths,
they lied to Him with their tongues,(ai)
37 their hearts were insincere toward Him,
and they were unfaithful to His covenant.(aj)
38 Yet He was compassionate;
He atoned for[f] their guilt
and did not destroy them.
He often turned His anger aside
and did not unleash[g] all His wrath.(ak)
39 He remembered that they were only flesh,
a wind that passes and does not return.(al)

40 How often they rebelled against Him
in the wilderness
and grieved Him in the desert.
41 They constantly tested God(am)
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.(an)
42 They did not remember His power shown
on the day He redeemed them from the foe,(ao)
43 when He performed His miraculous signs in Egypt
and His wonders in the region of Zoan.(ap)
44 He turned their rivers into blood,
and they could not drink from their streams.(aq)
45 He sent among them swarms of flies,(ar)
which fed on them,
and frogs, which devastated them.(as)
46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.(at)
47 He killed their vines with hail
and their sycamore fig trees with a flood.
48 He handed over their livestock to hail
and their cattle to lightning bolts.(au)
49 He sent His burning anger against them:
fury, indignation, and calamity—
a band of deadly messengers.[h](av)
50 He cleared a path for His anger.
He did not spare them from death
but delivered their lives to the plague.(aw)
51 He struck all the firstborn(ax) in Egypt,
the first progeny of the tents of Ham.[i](ay)
52 He led His people out like sheep
and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.(az)
53 He led them safely, and they were not afraid;
but the sea covered their enemies.(ba)
54 He brought them to His holy land,
to the mountain His right hand acquired.(bb)
55 He drove out nations before them.(bc)
He apportioned their inheritance by lot
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.(bd)

56 But they rebelliously tested the Most High God,
for they did not keep His decrees.(be)
57 They treacherously turned away like their fathers;
they became warped like a faulty bow.(bf)
58 They enraged Him with their high places
and provoked His jealousy with their carved images.(bg)
59 God heard and became furious;
He completely rejected Israel.(bh)
60 He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh,
the tent where He resided among men.[j](bi)
61 He gave up His strength[k] to captivity
and His splendor to the hand of a foe.(bj)
62 He surrendered His people to the sword
because He was enraged with His heritage.(bk)
63 Fire consumed His chosen young men,
and His young women had no wedding songs.[l](bl)
64 His priests fell by the sword,
but the[m] widows could not lament.[n](bm)

65 Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep,
like a warrior from the effects of wine.(bn)
66 He beat back His foes;
He gave them lasting shame.(bo)
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 He chose instead the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which He loved.(bp)
69 He built His sanctuary like the heights,[o]
like the earth that He established forever.(bq)
70 He chose David His servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;(br)
71 He brought him from tending ewes
to be shepherd over His people Jacob—
over Israel, His inheritance.(bs)
72 He shepherded them with a pure heart
and guided them with his skillful hands.(bt)

Psalm 79

Faith amid Confusion

A psalm of Asaph.(a)

1 God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance,
desecrated Your holy temple,
and turned Jerusalem into ruins.(b)
2 They gave the corpses of Your servants
to the birds of the sky for food,
the flesh of Your godly ones
to the beasts of the earth.(c)
3 They poured out their blood
like water all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.(d)
4 We have become an object of reproach
to our neighbors,
a source of mockery and ridicule
to those around us.(e)

5 How long, Yahweh? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy keep burning like fire?(f)
6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations
that don't acknowledge You,
on the kingdoms that don't call on Your name,(g)
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.(h)
8 Do not hold past sins[a] against us;
let Your compassion come to us quickly,
for we have become weak.(i)

9 God of our salvation, help us(j)
for the glory of Your name.
Deliver us and atone for[b] our sins,
because of Your name.(k)
10 Why should the nations ask,
"Where is their God?"(l)
Before our eyes,
let vengeance for the shed blood of Your servants
be known among the nations.(m)
11 Let the groans of the prisoners reach You;
according to Your great power,
preserve those condemned to die.(n)

12 Pay back sevenfold to our neighbors(o)
the reproach they have hurled at You, Lord.(p)
13 Then we, Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,(q)
will thank You forever;
we will declare Your praise
to generation after generation.(r)

Psalm 80

A Prayer for Restoration

For the choir director: according to "The Lilies."[a] A testimony of Asaph.(a) A psalm.

1 Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;(b)
You who sit enthroned on the cherubim,(c)
rise up(d)
2 before Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.[b](e)
Rally Your power and come to save us.(f)
3 Restore us, God;
look on us with favor,
and we will be saved.(g)

4  Lord God of Hosts,
how long will You be angry
with Your people's prayers?(h)
5 You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure[c]
of tears to drink.(i)
6 You make us quarrel with our neighbors;
our enemies make fun of us.(j)
7 Restore us, God of Hosts;
look on us with favor, and we will be saved.(k)

8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt;
You drove out the nations and planted it.(l)
9 You cleared a place for it;
it took root and filled the land.(m)
10 The mountains were covered by its shade,
and the mighty cedars[d] with its branches.(n)
11 It sent out sprouts toward the Sea[e]
and shoots toward the River.[f](o)

12 Why have You broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its fruit?(p)
13 The boar from the forest tears it
and creatures of the field feed on it.(q)
14 Return, God of Hosts.(r)
Look down from heaven and see;
take care of this vine,
15 the root[g] Your right hand has planted,
the shoot[h] that You made strong for Yourself.(s)
16 It was cut down and burned up;[i]
they[j] perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.(t)
17 Let Your hand be with the man at Your right hand,
with the son of man
You have made strong for Yourself.(u)
18 Then we will not turn away from You;
revive us, and we will call on Your name.(v)
19 Restore us, Yahweh, the God of Hosts;(w)
look on us with favor, and we will be saved.(x)

Psalm 81

A Call to Obedience

For the choir director: on the Gittith. Of Asaph.(a)

1 Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.(b)
2 Lift up a song—play the tambourine,
the melodious lyre, and the harp.(c)
3 Blow the horn on the day of our feasts[a][b]
during the new moon(d)
and during the full moon.
4 For this is a statute for Israel,
a judgment of the God of Jacob.(e)
5 He set it up as an ordinance for Joseph
when He went throughout[c] the land of Egypt.(f)

I heard an unfamiliar language:
6 "I relieved his shoulder from the burden;
his hands were freed from carrying the basket.(g)
7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you;
I answered you from the thundercloud.(h)
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.(i) Selah
8 Listen, My people, and I will admonish you.
Israel, if you would only listen to Me!(j)
9 There must not be a strange god among you;
you must not bow down to a foreign god.(k)
10 I am Yahweh your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.(l)
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.(m)

11 "But My people did not listen to Me;
Israel did not obey Me.(n)
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own plans.(o)
13 If only My people would listen to Me
and Israel would follow My ways,(p)
14 I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn My hand against their foes."(q)
15 Those who hate the Lord
would pretend submission to Him;(r)
their doom would last forever.(s)
16 But He would feed Israel[d] with the best wheat.
"I would satisfy you with honey from the rock."(t)

Psalm 82

A Plea for Righteous Judgment

A psalm of Asaph.(a)

1 God has taken His place in the divine assembly;
He judges among the gods:[a](b)
2 "How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?(c) Selah
3 Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.(d)
4 Rescue the poor and needy;
save them from the power of the wicked."(e)

5 They do not know or understand;
they wander in darkness.(f)
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.(g)

6 I said, "You are gods;(h)
you are all sons of the Most High.(i)
7 However, you will die like men
and fall like any other ruler."(j)

8 Rise up, God, judge the earth,
for all the nations belong to You.(k)

Psalm 83

Prayer against Enemies

A song. A psalm of Asaph.(a)

1 God, do not keep silent.
Do not be deaf, God; do not be idle.(b)
2 See how Your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate You have acted arrogantly.[a](c)
3 They devise clever schemes against Your people;
they conspire against Your treasured ones.(d)
4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation
so that Israel's name will no longer be remembered."(e)
5 For they have conspired with one mind;
they form an alliance[b] against You(f)
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,(g)
Moab and the Hagrites,(h)
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,(i)
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.(j)
8 Even Assyria has joined them;
they lend support[c] to the sons of Lot.[d](k) Selah

9 Deal with them as You did with Midian,(l)
as You did with Sisera
and Jabin at the Kishon River.(m)
10 They were destroyed at En-dor;
they became manure for the ground.(n)
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,(o)
and all their tribal leaders like Zebah and Zalmunna,(p)
12 who said, "Let us seize God's pastures for ourselves."(q)

13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like straw before the wind.(r)
14 As fire burns a forest,
as a flame blazes through mountains,(s)
15 so pursue them with Your tempest
and terrify them with Your storm.(t)
16 Cover their faces with shame
so that they will seek Your name Yahweh.(u)
17 Let them be put to shame and terrified forever;
let them perish in disgrace.(v)
18 May they know that You alone—
whose name is Yahweh—
are the Most High over all the earth.(w)

Psalm 84

Longing for God's House

For the choir director: on the Gittith.(a) A psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 How lovely is Your dwelling place,
Lord of Hosts.(b)
2 I long and yearn
for the courts of the Lord ;
my heart and flesh cry out for[a] the living God.(c)

3 Even a sparrow finds a home,
and a swallow, a nest for herself
where she places her young—
near Your altars, Lord of Hosts,
my King and my God.(d)
4 How happy are those who reside in Your house,
who praise You continually.(e) Selah

5 Happy are the people whose strength is in You,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.(f)
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,[b]
they make it a source of springwater;
even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.[c](g)
7 They go from strength to strength;
each appears before God in Zion.(h)

8  Lord God of Hosts, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Jacob.(i) Selah
9 Consider our shield,[d] God;(j)
look on the face of Your anointed one.(k)

10 Better a day in Your courts
than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather be at the door of the house of my God
than to live in the tents of wicked people.(l)
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield.(m)
The Lord gives grace and glory;
He does not withhold the good
from those who live with integrity.(n)
12 Happy is the person who trusts in You,
Lord of Hosts!(o)

Psalm 85

Restoration of Favor

For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.

1  Lord , You showed favor to Your land;(a)
You restored Jacob's prosperity.[a](b)
2 You took away Your people's guilt;
You covered all their sin.(c) Selah
3 You withdrew all Your fury;
You turned from Your burning anger.(d)

4 Return to us, God of our salvation,
and abandon Your displeasure with us.(e)
5 Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger for all generations?(f)
6 Will You not revive us again
so that Your people may rejoice in You?(g)
7 Show us Your faithful love, Lord ,
and give us Your salvation.(h)

8 I will listen to what God will say;
surely the Lord will declare peace
to His people, His godly ones,
and not let them go back to foolish ways.(i)
9 His salvation is very near those who fear Him,
so that glory may dwell in our land.(j)

10 Faithful love and truth will join together;
righteousness and peace will embrace.(k)
11 Truth will spring up from the earth,
and righteousness will look down from heaven.(l)
12 Also, the Lord will provide what is good,
and our land will yield its crops.(m)
13 Righteousness will go before Him
to prepare the way for His steps.(n)

Psalm 86

Lament and Petition

A Davidic prayer.

1 Listen, Lord , and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.(a)
2 Protect my life, for I am faithful.(b)
You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.(c)
3 Be gracious to me, Lord,
for I call to You all day long.(d)
4 Bring joy to Your servant's life,
because I turn to You, Lord.(e)

5 For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive,(f)
rich in faithful love to all who call on You.(g)
6  Lord , hear my prayer;
listen to my plea for mercy.(h)
7 I call on You in the day of my distress,
for You will answer me.(i)

8 Lord, there is no one like You among the gods,
and there are no works like Yours.(j)
9 All the nations You have made
will come and bow down before You, Lord,
and will honor Your name.(k)
10 For You are great and perform wonders;
You alone are God.(l)

11 Teach me Your way, Yahweh,
and I will live by Your truth.
Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name.(m)
12 I will praise You with all my heart, Lord my God,
and will honor Your name forever.(n)
13 For Your faithful love for me is great,
and You deliver my life from the depths of Sheol.(o)

14 God, arrogant people have attacked me;
a gang of ruthless men seeks my life.
They have no regard for You.(p)
15 But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth.(q)
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give Your strength to Your servant;
save the son of Your female servant.(r)
17 Show me a sign of Your goodness;
my enemies will see and be put to shame
because You, Lord , have helped and comforted me.(s)

Psalm 87

Zion, the City of God

A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.

1 His foundation is on the holy mountains.(a)
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.(b)
3 Glorious things are said about you,
city of God.(c) Selah

4 "I will mention those who know Me:
Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush—
each one was born there."(d)
5 And it will be said of Zion,
"This one and that one were born in her."
The Most High Himself will establish her.(e)
6 When He registers the peoples,
the Lord will record,
"This one was born there."(f) Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike will say,
"My whole source of joy is[a] in you."(g)

Psalm 88

A Cry of Desperation

A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.(a)

1  Lord , God of my salvation,
I cry out before You day and night.(b)
2 May my prayer reach Your presence;
listen to my cry.(c)

3 For I have had enough troubles,
and my life is near Sheol.(d)
4 I am counted among those going down to the Pit.(e)
I am like a man without strength,(f)
5 abandoned[a] among the dead.
I am like the slain lying in the grave,(g)
whom You no longer remember,
and who are cut off from Your care.[b](h)

6 You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit,
in the darkest places, in the depths.(i)
7 Your wrath weighs heavily on me;(j)
You have overwhelmed me with all Your waves.(k) Selah
8 You have distanced my friends from me;
You have made me repulsive to them.(l)
I am shut in and cannot go out.
9 My eyes are worn out from crying.(m)
Lord , I cry out to You all day long;(n)
I spread out my hands to You.(o)

10 Do You work wonders for the dead?
Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?(p) Selah
11 Will Your faithful love be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in Abaddon?(q)
12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness
or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?(r)

13 But I call to You for help, Lord ;
in the morning my prayer meets You.(s)
14  Lord , why do You reject me?(t)
Why do You hide Your face from me?(u)
15 From my youth,
I have been afflicted and near death.
I suffer Your horrors; I am desperate.(v)
16 Your wrath sweeps over me;
Your terrors destroy me.(w)
17 They surround me like water all day long;
they close in on me from every side.(x)
18 You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me;
darkness is my only friend.[c](y)

Psalm 89

Perplexity about God's Promises

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.(a)

1 I will sing about the Lord 's faithful love forever;(b)
I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations
with my mouth.(c)
2 For I will declare,
"Faithful love is built up forever;
You establish Your faithfulness in the heavens."(d)

3 The Lord said,
"I have made a covenant with My chosen one;
I have sworn an oath to David My servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever
and build up your throne for all generations.'"(e) Selah

5  Lord , the heavens praise Your wonders(f)
Your faithfulness also—
in the assembly of the holy ones.(g)
6 For who in the skies can compare with the Lord ?
Who among the heavenly beings[a] is like the Lord ?(h)
7 God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
more awe-inspiring than[b] all who surround Him.(i)
8  Lord God of Hosts,
who is strong like You, Lord ?(j)
Your faithfulness surrounds You.
9 You rule the raging sea;
when its waves surge, You still them.(k)
10 You crushed Rahab like one who is slain;(l)
You scattered Your enemies with Your powerful arm.(m)
11 The heavens are Yours; the earth also is Yours.
The world and everything in it—You founded them.(n)
12 North and south—You created them.(o)
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.(p)
13 You have a mighty arm;
Your hand is powerful;
Your right hand is lifted high.(q)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation
of Your throne;(r)
faithful love and truth go before You.(s)
15 Happy are the people who know the joyful shout;(t)
Yahweh, they walk in the light of Your presence.(u)
16 They rejoice in Your name all day long,
and they are exalted by Your righteousness.(v)
17 For You are their magnificent strength;(w)
by Your favor our horn is exalted.(x)
18 Surely our shield[c] belongs to the Lord ,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.(y)

19 You once spoke in a vision to Your loyal ones
and said: "I have granted help to a warrior;
I have exalted one chosen[d] from the people.(z)
20 I have found David My servant;
I have anointed him with My sacred oil.(aa)
21 My hand will always be with him,
and My arm will strengthen him.(ab)
22 The enemy will not afflict[e] him;
no wicked man will oppress him.(ac)
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike those who hate him.(ad)
24 My faithfulness and love will be with him,
and through My name
his horn will be exalted.(ae)
25 I will extend his power to the sea
and his right hand to the rivers.(af)
26 He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father,(ag)
my God, the rock of my salvation.'(ah)
27 I will also make him My firstborn,
greatest of the kings of the earth.(ai)
28 I will always preserve My faithful love for him,
and My covenant with him will endure.(aj)
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as heaven lasts.[f](ak)
30 If his sons forsake My instruction
and do not live by My ordinances,(al)
31 if they dishonor My statutes
and do not keep My commands,(am)
32 then I will call their rebellion
to account with the rod,
their sin with blows.(an)
33 But I will not withdraw
My faithful love from him
or betray My faithfulness.(ao)
34 I will not violate My covenant
or change what My lips have said.(ap)
35 Once and for all
I have sworn an oath by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.(aq)
36 His offspring will continue forever,
his throne like the sun before Me,(ar)
37 like the moon, established forever,
a faithful witness in the sky."(as) Selah

38 But You have spurned and rejected him;
You have become enraged with Your anointed.(at)
39 You have repudiated the covenant with Your servant;
You have completely dishonored his crown.[g](au)
40 You have broken down all his walls;
You have reduced his fortified cities to ruins.(av)
41 All who pass by plunder him;(aw)
he has become an object of ridicule
to his neighbors.(ax)
42 You have lifted high the right hand of his foes;
You have made all his enemies rejoice.(ay)
43 You have also turned back his sharp sword
and have not let him stand in battle.(az)
44 You have made his splendor[h] cease
and have overturned his throne.(ba)
45 You have shortened the days of his youth;
You have covered him with shame.(bb) Selah

46 How long, Lord ? Will You hide Yourself forever?
Will Your anger keep burning like fire?(bc)
47 Remember how short my life is.
Have You created everyone for nothing?(bd)
48 What man can live and never see death?
Who can save himself from the power of Sheol?(be) Selah
49 Lord, where are the former acts of Your faithful love
that You swore to David in Your faithfulness?(bf)
50 Remember, Lord, the ridicule against Your servants—
in my heart I carry abuse from all the peoples—
51 how Your enemies have ridiculed, Lord ,
how they have ridiculed every step of Your anointed.(bg)

52 May the Lord be praised forever.
Amen and amen.(bh)

Psalm 90

Eternal God and Mortal Man

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1 Lord, You have been our refuge[a]
in every generation.(a)
2 Before the mountains were born,
before You gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity, You are God.(b)

3 You return mankind to the dust,
saying, "Return, descendants of Adam."(c)
4 For in Your sight a thousand years
are like yesterday that passes by,
like a few hours of the night.(d)
5 You end their lives;[b] they sleep.(e)
They are like grass that grows in the morning—
6 in the morning it sprouts and grows;
by evening it withers and dries up.(f)

7 For we are consumed by Your anger;
we are terrified by Your wrath.(g)
8 You have set our unjust ways before You,
our secret sins in the light of Your presence.(h)
9 For all our days ebb away under Your wrath;
we end our years like a sigh.(i)
10 Our lives last[c] seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
Even the best of them are[d] struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.(j)
11 Who understands the power of Your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due You.(k)
12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.[e](l)

13  Lord —how long?
Turn and have compassion on Your servants.(m)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.(n)
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as You have humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen adversity.(o)
16 Let Your work be seen by Your servants,
and Your splendor by their children.(p)
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
establish the work of our hands!(q)

Psalm 91

The Protection of the Most High

1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High
dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.(a)

2 I will say[a] to the Lord , "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."(b)

3 He Himself will deliver you from the hunter's net,(c)
from the destructive plague.
4 He will cover you with His feathers;
you will take refuge under His wings.(d)
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.(e)
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,(f)
6 the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.(g)
7 Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.(h)
8 You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.(i)

9 Because you have made the Lord —my refuge,(j)
the Most High—your dwelling place,(k)
10 no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.(l)
11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.(m)
12 They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.(n)
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.(o)

14 Because he is lovingly devoted to Me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows My name.(p)
15 When he calls out to Me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will rescue him and give him honor.(q)
16 I will satisfy him with a long life(r)
and show him My salvation.(s)

Psalm 92

God's Love and Faithfulness

A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.

1 It is good to praise Yahweh,
to sing praise to Your name, Most High,(a)
2 to declare Your faithful love in the morning
and Your faithfulness at night,(b)
3 with a ten-stringed harp
and the music of a lyre.(c)

4 For You have made me rejoice, Lord ,
by what You have done;
I will shout for joy
because of the works of Your hands.(d)
5 How magnificent are Your works, Lord ,
how profound Your thoughts!(e)
6 A stupid person does not know,
a fool does not understand this:(f)
7 though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be eternally destroyed.(g)
8 But You, Lord , are exalted forever.(h)
9 For indeed, Lord , Your enemies—
indeed, Your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.(i)
10 You have lifted up my horn(j)
like that of a wild ox;
I have been anointed[a] with oil.(k)
11 My eyes look down on my enemies;
my ears hear evildoers when they attack me.(l)

12 The righteous thrive like a palm tree
and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.(m)
13 Planted in the house of the Lord ,
they thrive in the courts of our God.(n)
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
healthy and green,(o)
15 to declare: "The Lord is just;
He is my rock,
and there is no unrighteousness in Him."(p)

Psalm 93

God's Eternal Reign

1 The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty;
The Lord is robed, enveloped in strength.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be shaken.(a)
2 Your throne has been established
from the beginning;[a]
You are from eternity.(b)
3 The floods have lifted up, Lord ,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their pounding waves.(c)
4 Greater than the roar of many waters—
the mighty breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is majestic.(d)

5  Lord , Your testimonies are completely reliable;(e)
holiness is the beauty of[b] Your house
for all the days to come.(f)

Psalm 94

The Just Judge

1  Lord , God of vengeance—
God of vengeance, appear.(a)
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
repay the proud what they deserve.(b)
3  Lord , how long will the wicked—
how long will the wicked gloat?(c)

4 They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.(d)
5  Lord , they crush Your people;
they afflict Your heritage.(e)
6 They kill the widow and the foreigner
and murder the fatherless.(f)
7 They say, "The Lord doesn't see it.
The God of Jacob doesn't pay attention."(g)

8 Pay attention, you stupid people!
Fools, when will you be wise?(h)
9 Can the One who shaped the ear not hear,
the One who formed the eye not see?(i)
10 The One who instructs nations,
the One who teaches man knowledge—
does He not discipline?(j)
11 The Lord knows man's thoughts;
they are meaningless.(k)

12  Lord , happy is the man You discipline
and teach from Your law(l)
13 to give him relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug for the wicked.(m)
14 The Lord will not forsake His people
or abandon His heritage,(n)
15 for justice will again be righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow[a] it.(o)

16 Who stands up for me against the wicked?
Who takes a stand for me against evildoers?(p)
17 If the Lord had not been my helper,
I would soon rest in the silence of death.(q)
18 If I say, "My foot is slipping,"
Your faithful love will support me, Lord .(r)
19 When I am filled with cares,
Your comfort brings me joy.(s)

20 Can a corrupt throne—
one that creates trouble by law—
become Your ally?(t)
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.(u)
22 But the Lord is my refuge;
my God is the rock of my protection.(v)
23 He will pay them back for their sins
and destroy them for their evil.
The Lord our God will destroy them.(w)

Psalm 95

Worship and Warning

1 Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord ,
shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!(a)
2 Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving;
let us shout triumphantly to Him in song.(b)

3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.(c)
4 The depths of the earth are in His hand,
and the mountain peaks are His.(d)
5 The sea is His; He made it.
His hands formed the dry land.(e)

6 Come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.(f)
7 For He is our God,
and we are the people of His pasture,
the sheep under His care.[a](g)

Today, if you hear His voice:(h)
8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the wilderness(i)
9 where your fathers tested Me;
they tried Me, though they had seen what I did.(j)
10 For 40 years I was disgusted with that generation;
I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray;
they do not know My ways."(k)
11 So I swore in My anger,
"They will not enter My rest."(l)

Psalm 96(a)

King of the Earth

1 Sing a new song to the Lord ;
sing to the Lord , all the earth.(b)
2 Sing to Yahweh, praise His name;
proclaim His salvation from day to day.(c)
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonderful works among all peoples.(d)

4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised;
He is feared above all gods.(e)
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.(f)
6 Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.(g)

7 Ascribe to the Lord , you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.(h)
8 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name;(i)
bring an offering and enter His courts.(j)
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness;(k)
tremble before Him, all the earth.(l)

10 Say among the nations: "The Lord reigns.(m)
The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.(n)
He judges the peoples fairly."(o)
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and all that fills it resound.(p)
12 Let the fields and everything in them exult.
Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy(q)
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 faithfulness.(r)

Psalm 97

The Majestic King

1 The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coasts and islands be glad.(a)

2 Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.(b)
3 Fire goes before Him
and burns up His foes on every side.(c)
4 His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.(d)
5 The mountains melt like wax
at the presence of the Lord
at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.(e)

6 The heavens proclaim His righteousness;(f)
all the peoples see His glory.(g)

7 All who serve carved images,
those who boast in idols, will be put to shame.(h)
All the gods[a] must worship Him.(i)

8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the towns[b] of Judah rejoice
because of Your judgments, Lord .(j)
9 For You, Lord ,
are the Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted above all the gods.(k)

10 You who love the Lord , hate evil!(l)
He protects the lives of His godly ones;(m)
He rescues them from the power of the wicked.(n)
11 Light dawns[c][d] for the righteous,
gladness for the upright in heart.(o)
12 Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous ones,
and praise His holy name.[e](p)

Psalm 98

Praise the King

A psalm.

1 Sing a new song to the Lord ,(a)
for He has performed wonders;
His right hand and holy arm
have won Him victory.(b)
2 The Lord has made His victory known;
He has revealed His righteousness
in the sight of the nations.(c)
3 He has remembered His love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen our God's victory.(d)

4 Shout to the Lord , all the earth;
be jubilant, shout for joy, and sing.(e)
5 Sing to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious song.(f)
6 With trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn
shout triumphantly
in the presence of the Lord , our King.(g)

7 Let the sea and all that fills it,
the world and those who live in it, resound.(h)
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the mountains shout together for joy(i)
9 before the Lord ,
for He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world righteously
and the peoples fairly.(j)

Psalm 99

The King Is Holy

1 The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble.
He is enthroned above the cherubim.(a)
Let the earth quake.(b)
2 Yahweh is great in Zion;
He is exalted above all the peoples.(c)
3 Let them praise Your great
and awe-inspiring name.(d)
He is holy.(e)

4 The mighty King loves justice.
You have established fairness;
You have administered justice
and righteousness in Jacob.(f)
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
bow in worship at His footstool.(g)
He is holy.(h)

6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests;(i)
Samuel also was among those calling on His name.
They called to Yahweh and He answered them.(j)
7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud;(k)
they kept His decrees and the statutes He gave them.
8  Lord our God, You answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,(l)
an avenger of their sinful actions.(m)

9 Exalt the Lord our God;
bow in worship at His holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.(n)

Psalm 100

Be Thankful

A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Shout triumphantly to the Lord , all the earth.(a)
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.(b)
3 Acknowledge that Yahweh is God.
He made us, and we are His[a](c)
His people, the sheep of His pasture.(d)
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving(e)
and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.(f)
5 For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal;
His faithfulness endures through all generations.

Psalm 101

A Vow of Integrity

A Davidic psalm.

1 I will sing of faithful love and justice;
I will sing praise to You, Lord .(a)
2 I will pay attention to the way of integrity.
When will You come to me?
I will live with a heart of integrity in my house.(b)
3 I will not set anything worthless before my eyes.
I hate the practice of transgression;
it will not cling to me.(c)
4 A devious heart will be far from me;
I will not be involved with[a] evil.(d)

5 I will destroy anyone
who secretly slanders his neighbor;(e)
I cannot tolerate anyone
with haughty eyes or an arrogant heart.(f)
6 My eyes favor the faithful of the land
so that they may sit down with me.
The one who follows the way of integrity
may serve me.(g)
7 No one who acts deceitfully
will live in my palace;
no one who tells lies
will remain in my presence.[b](h)
8 Every morning I will destroy
all the wicked of the land,
eliminating all evildoers from the Lord 's city.(i)

Psalm 102

Affliction in Light of Eternity

A prayer of an afflicted person who is weak and pours out his lament before the Lord .(a)

1  Lord , hear my prayer;
let my cry for help come before You.(b)
2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble.
Listen closely to me;
answer me quickly when I call.(c)

3 For my days vanish like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.(d)
4 My heart is afflicted, withered like grass;(e)
I even forget to eat my food.(f)
5 Because of the sound of my groaning,
my flesh sticks to my bones.(g)
6 I am like a desert owl,[a]
like an owl among the ruins.(h)
7 I stay awake;(i)
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
8 My enemies taunt me all day long;
they ridicule and curse me.(j)
9 I eat ashes like bread
and mingle my drinks with tears(k)
10 because of Your indignation and wrath;
for You have picked me up and thrown me aside.(l)
11 My days are like a lengthening shadow,
and I wither away like grass.(m)

12 But You, Lord , are enthroned forever;(n)
Your fame endures to all generations.(o)
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her—
the appointed time has come.(p)
14 For Your servants take delight in its stones
and favor its dust.(q)

15 Then the nations will fear the name of Yahweh,
and all the kings of the earth Your glory,(r)
16 for the Lord will rebuild Zion;
He will appear in His glory.(s)
17 He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute
and will not despise their prayer.(t)

18 This will be written for a later generation,
and a newly created people will praise the Lord :(u)
19 He looked down from His holy heights—
the Lord gazed out from heaven to earth(v)
20 to hear a prisoner's groaning,
to set free those condemned to die,[b](w)
21 so that they might declare
the name of Yahweh in Zion
and His praise in Jerusalem,(x)
22 when peoples and kingdoms are assembled
to serve the Lord .(y)

23 He has broken my[c] strength in midcourse;
He has shortened my days.(z)
24 I say: "My God, do not take me
in the middle of my life![d]
Your years continue through all generations.(aa)
25 Long ago You established the earth,
and the heavens are the work of Your hands.(ab)
26 They will perish, but You will endure;
all of them will wear out like clothing.
You will change them like a garment,
and they will pass away.(ac)
27 But You are the same,
and Your years will never end.(ad)
28 Your servants' children will dwell securely,
and their offspring will be established before You."(ae)

Psalm 103

The Forgiving God

Davidic.

1 My soul, praise Yahweh,
and all that is within me, praise His holy name.(a)
2 My soul, praise the Lord ,
and do not forget all His benefits.(b)

3 He forgives all your sin;(c)
He heals all your diseases.(d)
4 He redeems your life from the Pit;(e)
He crowns you with faithful love and compassion.(f)
5 He satisfies you[a] with goodness;(g)
your youth is renewed like the eagle.(h)

6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.(i)
7 He revealed His ways to Moses,(j)
His deeds to the people of Israel.(k)
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love.(l)
9 He will not always accuse us
or be angry forever.(m)
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our offenses.(n)

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His faithful love
toward those who fear Him.(o)
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed
our transgressions from us.(p)
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.(q)
14 For He knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust.(r)

15 As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;(s)
16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes,
and its place is no longer known.[b](t)
17 But from eternity to eternity
the Lord 's faithful love is toward those who fear Him,
and His righteousness toward the grandchildren(u)
18 of those who keep His covenant,
who remember to observe His precepts.(v)
19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
and His kingdom rules over all.(w)

20 Praise the Lord ,
all His angels of great strength,
who do His word,
obedient to His command.(x)
21 Praise the Lord , all His armies,
His servants who do His will.(y)
22 Praise the Lord , all His works
in all the places where He rules.(z)
My soul, praise Yahweh!

Psalm 104

God the Creator

1 My soul, praise Yahweh!
Lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with majesty and splendor.(a)
2 He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe,
spreading out the sky like a canopy,(b)
3 laying the beams of His palace
on the waters above,(c)
making the clouds His chariot,(d)
walking on the wings of the wind,(e)
4 and making the winds His messengers,[a]
flames of fire His servants.(f)

5 He established the earth on its foundations;
it will never be shaken.(g)
6 You covered it with the deep
as if it were a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.(h)
7 At Your rebuke the waters fled;
at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away(i)
8 mountains rose and valleys sank[b]
to the place You established for them.(j)
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
they will never cover the earth again.(k)

10 He causes the springs to gush into the valleys;
they flow between the mountains.(l)
11 They supply water for every wild beast;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.(m)
12 The birds of the sky live beside the springs;
they sing among the foliage.(n)
13 He waters the mountains from His palace;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of Your labor.(o)

14 He causes grass to grow for the livestock
and provides crops for man to cultivate,
producing food from the earth,(p)
15 wine that makes man's heart glad—
making his face shine with oil—
and bread that sustains man's heart.(q)

16 The trees of the Lord flourish,[c]
the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.(r)
17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork makes its home in the pine trees.(s)
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes.(t)

19 He made the moon to mark the[d] festivals;[e]
the sun knows when to set.(u)
20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals stir.(v)
21 The young lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.(w)
22 The sun rises; they go back
and lie down in their dens.(x)
23 Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until evening.(y)

24 How countless are Your works, Lord !
In wisdom You have made them all;
the earth is full of Your creatures.[f](z)
25 Here is the sea, vast and wide,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.(aa)
26 There the ships move about,
and Leviathan, which You formed to play there.(ab)

27 All of them wait for You
to give them their food at the right time.(ac)
28 When You give it to them,
they gather it;
when You open Your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.(ad)
29 When You hide Your face,
they are terrified;
when You take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.(ae)
30 When You send Your breath,[g]
they are created,
and You renew the face of the earth.(af)

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in His works.(ag)
32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the mountains,
and they pour out smoke.(ah)
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.(ai)
34 May my meditation be pleasing to Him;
I will rejoice in the Lord .(aj)
35 May sinners vanish from the earth
and wicked people be no more.(ak)
My soul, praise Yahweh!
Hallelujah!

Psalm 105

God's Faithfulness to His People

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, call on His name;
proclaim His deeds among the peoples.(a)
2 Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;
tell about all His wonderful works!(b)
3 Honor His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.(c)
4 Search for the Lord and for His strength;
seek His face always.(d)
5 Remember the wonderful works He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced,[a](e)
6 you offspring of Abraham His servant,
Jacob's descendants—His chosen ones.(f)

7 He is the Lord our God;
His judgments govern the whole earth.(g)
8 He remembers His covenant forever,
the promise He ordained
for a thousand generations(h)
9 the covenant He made with Abraham,
swore[b] to Isaac,(i)
10 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree
and to Israel as an everlasting covenant:(j)
11 "I will give the land of Canaan to you
as your inherited portion."(k)

12 When they were few in number,
very few indeed,
and temporary residents in Canaan,(l)
13 wandering from nation to nation
and from one kingdom to another,(m)
14 He allowed no one to oppress them;
He rebuked kings on their behalf:(n)
15 "Do not touch My anointed ones,(o)
or harm My prophets."(p)

16 He called down famine against the land
and destroyed the entire food supply.(q)
17 He had sent a man ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.(r)
18 They hurt his feet with shackles;
his neck was put in an iron collar.(s)
19 Until the time his prediction came true,
the word of the Lord tested him.(t)
20 The king sent for him and released him;
the ruler of peoples set him free.(u)
21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all his possessions(v)
22 binding[c] his officials at will
and instructing his elders.(w)

23 Then Israel went to Egypt;
Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.[d](x)
24 The Lord [e] made His people very fruitful;
He made them more numerous than their foes,(y)
25 whose hearts He turned to hate His people
and to deal deceptively with His servants.(z)
26 He sent Moses His servant,
and Aaron, whom He had chosen.(aa)
27 They performed His miraculous signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.[f](ab)
28 He sent darkness, and it became dark—
for did they not defy[g] His commands?(ac)
29 He turned their water into blood
and caused their fish to die.(ad)
30 Their land was overrun with frogs,
even in their royal chambers.(ae)
31 He spoke, and insects came(af)
gnats throughout their country.(ag)
32 He gave them hail for rain,
and lightning throughout their land.(ah)
33 He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their territory.(ai)
34 He spoke, and locusts came—
young locusts without number.
35 They devoured all the vegetation in their land
and consumed the produce of their land.(aj)
36 He struck all the firstborn in their land,
all their first progeny.(ak)

37 Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and no one among His tribes stumbled.(al)
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
for the dread of Israel[h] had fallen on them.(am)
39 He spread a cloud as a covering
and gave a fire to light up the night.(an)
40 They asked, and He brought quail
and satisfied them with bread from heaven.(ao)
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a stream in the desert.(ap)
42 For He remembered His holy promise
to Abraham His servant.(aq)
43 He brought His people out with rejoicing,
His chosen ones with shouts of joy.(ar)
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited
what other peoples had worked for.(as)

45 All this happened
so that they might keep His statutes
and obey His instructions.(at)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 106

Israel's Unfaithfulness to God

1 Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord , for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.(a)
2 Who can declare the Lord 's mighty acts
or proclaim all the praise due Him?(b)
3 How happy are those who uphold justice,
who practice righteousness at all times.(c)

4 Remember me, Lord ,
when You show favor to Your people.(d)
Come to me with Your salvation
5 so that I may enjoy the prosperity
of Your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of Your nation,
and boast about Your heritage.(e)

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;
we have done wrong and have acted wickedly.(f)
7 Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp
the significance of Your wonderful works
or remember Your many acts of faithful love;
instead, they rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.(g)
8 Yet He saved them because of His name,
to make His power known.(h)
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
He led them through the depths as through a desert.(i)
10 He saved them from the hand of the adversary;
He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.(j)
11 Water covered their foes;
not one of them remained.(k)
12 Then they believed His promises
and sang His praise.(l)

13 They soon forgot His works
and would not wait for His counsel.(m)
14 They were seized with craving in the wilderness
and tested God in the desert.(n)
15 He gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease among them.(o)

16 In the camp they were envious of Moses
and of Aaron, the Lord 's holy one.(p)
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it covered the assembly of Abiram.(q)
18 Fire blazed throughout their assembly;
flames consumed the wicked.(r)

19 At Horeb they made a calf
and worshiped the cast metal image.(s)
20 They exchanged their glory[a][b]
for the image of a grass-eating ox.(t)
21 They forgot God their Savior,
who did great things in Egypt,(u)
22 wonderful works in the land of Ham,[c]
awe-inspiring acts at the Red Sea.(v)
23 So He said He would have destroyed them—
if Moses His chosen one
had not stood before Him in the breach
to turn His wrath away from destroying them.(w)

24 They despised the pleasant land
and did not believe His promise.(x)
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not listen to the Lord 's voice.(y)
26 So He raised His hand against them with an oath
that He would make them fall in the desert(z)
27 and would disperse their descendants[d]
among the nations,
scattering them throughout the lands.(aa)

28 They aligned themselves with Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.[e](ab)
29 They provoked the Lord with their deeds,
and a plague broke out against them.(ac)
30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stopped.(ad)
31 It was credited to him as righteousness
throughout all generations to come.(ae)

32 They angered the Lord at the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered[f] because of them;(af)
33 for they embittered his spirit,[g]
and he spoke rashly with his lips.(ag)

34 They did not destroy the peoples
as the Lord had commanded them(ah)
35 but mingled with the nations
and adopted their ways.(ai)
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.(aj)
37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.(ak)
38 They shed innocent blood—
the blood of their sons and daughters
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
so the land became polluted with blood.(al)
39 They defiled themselves by their actions
and prostituted themselves by their deeds.(am)

40 Therefore the Lord 's anger burned against His people,
and He abhorred His own inheritance.(an)
41 He handed them over to the nations;
those who hated them ruled them.(ao)
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were subdued under their power.(ap)
43 He rescued them many times,
but they continued to rebel deliberately
and were beaten down by their sin.(aq)

44 When He heard their cry,
He took note of their distress,(ar)
45 remembered His covenant with them,
and relented according to the riches
of His faithful love.(as)
46 He caused them to be pitied
before all their captors.(at)

47 Save us, Yahweh our God,
and gather us from the nations,
so that we may give thanks to Your holy name
and rejoice in Your praise.(au)

48 May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised
from everlasting to everlasting.(av)
Let all the people say, "Amen!"
Hallelujah!(aw)

Psalm 107

Thanksgiving for God's Deliverance

1 Give thanks to the Lord , for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.(a)
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe(b)
3 and has gathered them from the lands—
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.(c)

4 Some[a] wandered in the desolate wilderness,
finding no way to a city where they could live.(d)
5 They were hungry and thirsty;
their spirits failed[b] within them.(e)
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He rescued them from their distress.(f)
7 He led them by the right path
to go to a city where they could live.(g)
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for His faithful love
and His wonderful works for all humanity.(h)
9 For He has satisfied the thirsty
and filled the hungry with good things.(i)

10 Others[c] sat in darkness and gloom[d]
prisoners in cruel chains(j)
11 because they rebelled against God's commands
and despised the counsel of the Most High.(k)
12 He broke their spirits[e] with hard labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.(l)
13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distress.(m)
14 He brought them out of darkness and gloom[f]
and broke their chains apart.(n)
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for His faithful love
and His wonderful works for all humanity.(o)
16 For He has broken down the bronze gates
and cut through the iron bars.(p)

17 Fools suffered affliction
because of their rebellious ways and their sins.(q)
18 They loathed all food
and came near the gates of death.(r)
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them from their distress.(s)
20 He sent His word and healed them;
He rescued them from the Pit.(t)
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for His faithful love
and His wonderful works for all humanity.(u)
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and announce His works with shouts of joy.(v)

23 Others[g] went to sea in ships,
conducting trade on the vast waters.(w)
24 They saw the Lord 's works,
His wonderful works in the deep.(x)
25 He spoke and raised a tempest
that stirred up the waves of the sea.[h](y)
26 Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths,
their courage[i] melting away in anguish,(z)
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men,
and all their skill was useless.(aa)
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and He brought them out of their distress.(ab)
29 He stilled the storm to a murmur,
and the waves of the sea[j] were hushed.(ac)
30 They rejoiced when the waves[k] grew quiet.
Then He guided them to the harbor they longed for.(ad)
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord
for His faithful love
and His wonderful works for all humanity.(ae)
32 Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people
and praise Him in the council of the elders.(af)

33 He turns rivers into desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,(ag)
34 and fruitful land into salty wasteland,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.(ah)
35 He turns a desert into a pool of water,
dry land into springs of water.(ai)
36 He causes the hungry to settle there,
and they establish a city where they can live.(aj)
37 They sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.(ak)
38 He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;(al)
He does not let their livestock decrease.(am)

39 When they are diminished and are humbled
by cruel oppression and sorrow,(an)
40 He pours contempt on nobles(ao)
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.(ap)
41 But He lifts the needy out of their suffering(aq)
and makes their families multiply like flocks.(ar)
42 The upright see it and rejoice,(as)
and all injustice shuts its mouth.(at)

43 Let whoever is wise pay attention to these things
and consider[l] the Lord 's acts of faithful love.(au)

Psalm 108

A Plea for Victory

A song. A Davidic psalm.

1 My heart is confident, God;[a]
I will sing; I will sing praises
with the whole of my being.[b](a)
2 Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.(b)
3 I will praise You, Lord , among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.(c)
4 For Your faithful love is higher than the heavens,
and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.(d)
5 God, be exalted above the heavens,(e)
and let Your glory be over the whole earth.(f)
6 Save with Your right hand and answer me
so that those You love may be rescued.(g)

7 God has spoken in His sanctuary:[c]
"I will triumph!
I will divide up Shechem.(h)
I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.(i)
8 Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine,
and Ephraim is My helmet;(j)
Judah is My scepter.(k)
9 Moab is My washbasin;(l)
I throw My sandal on Edom.(m)
I shout in triumph over Philistia."(n)

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?(o)
11 God, haven't You rejected us?
God, You do not march out with our armies.(p)
12 Give us aid against the foe,
for human help is worthless.(q)
13 With God we will perform valiantly;(r)
He will trample our foes.(s)

Psalm 109

Prayer against an Enemy

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1 God of my praise, do not be silent.(a)

2 For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me;
they speak against me with lying tongues.(b)
3 They surround me with hateful words
and attack me without cause.(c)
4 In return for my love they accuse me,
but I continue to pray.[a](d)
5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.(e)

6 Set a wicked person over him;
let an accuser[b] stand at his right hand.(f)
7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
and let his prayer be counted as sin.(g)
8 Let his days be few;
let another take over his position.(h)
9 Let his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.(i)
10 Let his children wander as beggars,
searching for food far[c] from their demolished homes.(j)
11 Let a creditor seize all he has;
let strangers plunder what he has worked for.(k)
12 Let no one show him kindness,
and let no one be gracious to his fatherless children.(l)
13 Let the line of his descendants be cut off;
let their name be blotted out in the next generation.(m)
14 Let his ancestors' guilt
be remembered before the Lord ,(n)
and do not let his mother's sin be blotted out.(o)
15 Let their sins[d] always remain before the Lord ,
and let Him erase[e] all memory of them from the earth.(p)

16 For he did not think to show kindness,
but pursued the afflicted, poor, and brokenhearted
in order to put them to death.(q)
17 He loved cursing—let it fall on him;
he took no delight in blessing—let it be far from him.(r)
18 He wore cursing like his coat—
let it enter his body like water
and go into his bones like oil.(s)
19 Let it be like a robe he wraps around himself,
like a belt he always wears.(t)
20 Let this be the Lord 's payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil against me.(u)

21 But You, Yahweh my Lord,
deal kindly with me because of Your name;(v)
deliver me because of the goodness of Your faithful love.(w)
22 For I am afflicted and needy;(x)
my heart is wounded within me.(y)
23 I fade away like a lengthening shadow;(z)
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting,
and my body is emaciated.[f](aa)
25 I have become an object of ridicule to my accusers;[g]
when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.(ab)

26 Help me, Lord my God;
save me according to Your faithful love(ac)
27 so they may know that this is Your hand
and that You, Lord , have done it.(ad)
28 Though they curse, You will bless.
When they rise up, they will be put to shame,
but Your servant will rejoice.(ae)
29 My accusers will be clothed with disgrace;
they will wear their shame like a cloak.(af)
30 I will fervently thank the Lord with my mouth;
I will praise Him in the presence of many.(ag)
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy
to save him from those who would condemn him.(ah)

Psalm 110

The Priestly King

A Davidic psalm.

1 This is the declaration of the Lord
to my Lord:
"Sit at My right hand
until I make Your enemies Your footstool."(a)
2 The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion.
Rule[a] over Your surrounding[b] enemies.(b)
3 Your people will volunteer
on Your day of battle.[c](c)
In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn,
the dew of Your youth belongs to You.[d](d)
4 The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back:
"Forever, You are a priest
like Melchizedek."(e)

5 The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will crush kings on the day of His anger.(f)
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up corpses;(g)
He will crush leaders over the entire world.(h)
7 He will drink from the brook by the road;(i)
therefore, He will lift up His head.(j)

Psalm 111

Praise for the Lord's Works

1 Hallelujah![a]
I will praise the Lord with all my heart
in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.(a)

2 The Lord 's works are great,
studied by all who delight in them.(b)
3 All that He does is splendid and majestic;(c)
His righteousness endures forever.(d)
4 He has caused His wonderful works to be remembered.(e)
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.(f)
5 He has provided food for those who fear Him;(g)
He remembers His covenant forever.(h)
6 He has shown His people the power of His works
by giving them the inheritance of the nations.(i)
7 The works of His hands are truth and justice;
all His instructions are trustworthy.(j)
8 They are established forever and ever,
enacted in truth and in what is right.(k)
9 He has sent redemption to His people.(l)
He has ordained His covenant forever.
His name is holy and awe-inspiring.(m)

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;(n)
all who follow His instructions[b] have good insight.(o)
His praise endures forever.(p)

Psalm 112

The Traits of the Righteous

1 Hallelujah![a]
Happy is the man who fears the Lord ,
taking great delight in His commands.(a)

2 His descendants will be powerful in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.(b)
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,(c)
and his righteousness endures forever.(d)
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright.(e)
He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.(f)
5 Good will come to a man who lends generously
and conducts his business fairly.(g)
6 He will never be shaken.(h)
The righteous man will be remembered forever.(i)
7 He will not fear bad news;
his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord .(j)
8 His heart is assured; he will not fear.(k)
In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.(l)
9 He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.(m)
His horn will be exalted in honor.(n)

10 The wicked man will see it and be angry;
he will gnash his teeth in despair.(o)
The desire of the wicked man will come to nothing.(p)

Psalm 113

Praise to the Merciful God

1 Hallelujah!
Give praise, servants of Yahweh;
praise the name of Yahweh.(a)
2 Let the name of Yahweh be praised
both now and forever.(b)
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
let the name of Yahweh be praised.(c)

4 Yahweh is exalted above all the nations,(d)
His glory above the heavens.(e)
5 Who is like Yahweh our God—
the One enthroned on high,(f)
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?(g)
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the garbage pile(h)
8 in order to seat them with nobles—
with the nobles of His people.(i)
9 He gives the childless woman a household,
making her the joyful mother of children.(j)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 114

God's Deliverance of Israel

1 When Israel came out of Egypt—
the house of Jacob from a people
who spoke a foreign language(a)
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
Israel, His dominion.(b)

3 The sea looked and fled;(c)
the Jordan turned back.(d)
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills, like lambs.(e)
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you turned back?(f)
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
Hills, like lambs?(g)

7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,(h)
8 who turned the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.(i)

Psalm 115

Glory to God Alone

1 Not to us, Yahweh, not to us,
but to Your name give glory
because of Your faithful love, because of Your truth.(a)
2 Why should the nations say,
"Where is their God?"(b)
3 Our God is in heaven
and does whatever He pleases.(c)

4 Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.(d)
5 They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.(e)
7 They have hands but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.(f)
They cannot make a sound with their throats.(g)
8 Those who make them are[a] just like them,
as are all who trust in them.(h)

9 Israel,[b] trust in the Lord !(i)
He is their help and shield.(j)
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord !(k)
He is their help and shield.(l)
11 You who fear the Lord , trust in the Lord !(m)
He is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron;(n)
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord
small and great alike.(o)

14 May the Lord add to your numbers,
both yours and your children's.(p)
15 May you be blessed by the Lord ,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(q)
16 The heavens are the Lord 's,[c]
but the earth He has given to the human race.(r)
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord ,
nor any of those descending into the silence of death.(s)
18 But we will praise the Lord ,
both now and forever.(t)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 116

Thanks to God for Deliverance

1 I love the Lord because He has heard
my appeal for mercy.(a)
2 Because He has turned His ear to me,
I will call out to Him as long as I live.(b)

3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.(c)
4 Then I called on the name of Yahweh:
"Yahweh, save me!"(d)

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is compassionate.(e)
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and He saved me.(f)
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.(g)
8 For You, Lord , rescued me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.(h)
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.(i)
10 I believed, even when I said,
"I am severely afflicted."(j)
11 In my alarm I said,
"Everyone is a liar."(k)

12 How can I repay the Lord
for all the good He has done for me?(l)
13 I will take the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Yahweh.(m)
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all His people.(n)

15 The death of His faithful ones
is valuable in the Lord 's sight.(o)
16  Lord , I am indeed Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant.
You have loosened my bonds.(p)

17 I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of Yahweh.(q)
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all His people,(r)
19 in the courts of the Lord 's house—
within you, Jerusalem.(s)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 117

Universal Call to Praise

1 Praise the Lord , all nations!
Glorify Him, all peoples!(a)
2 For His faithful love to us is great;
the Lord 's faithfulness endures forever.(b)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 118

Thanksgiving for Victory

1 Give thanks to the Lord , for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.(a)
2 Let Israel say,
"His faithful love endures forever."(b)
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
"His faithful love endures forever."(c)
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
"His faithful love endures forever."(d)

5 I called to the Lord in distress;(e)
the Lord answered me
and put me in a spacious place.[a](f)
6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?(g)
7 The Lord is my helper,
Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.(h)

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.(i)
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in nobles.(j)

10 All the nations surrounded me;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.(k)
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.(l)
12 They surrounded me like bees;(m)
they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;
in the name of Yahweh I destroyed them.(n)
13 You[b] pushed me[c] hard to make me fall,
but the Lord helped me.(o)
14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.(p)

15 There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
"The Lord 's right hand performs valiantly!(q)
16 The Lord 's right hand is raised.
The Lord 's right hand performs valiantly!"(r)
17 I will not die, but I will live
and proclaim what the Lord has done.(s)
18 The Lord disciplined me severely
but did not give me over to death.(t)

19 Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord .(u)
20 This is the gate of the Lord ;
the righteous will enter through it.(v)
21 I will give thanks to You
because You have answered me
and have become my salvation.(w)
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.(x)
23 This came from the Lord ;
it is wonderful in our eyes.(y)
24 This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.(z)

25  Lord , save us!
Lord , please grant us success!(aa)
26 He who comes in the name
of the Lord is blessed.(ab)
From the house of the Lord we bless you.(ac)
27 The Lord is God and has given us light.
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords
to the horns of the altar.(ad)
28 You are my God, and I will give You thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt You.(ae)
29 Give thanks to the Lord , for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever.(af)

Psalm 119

Delight in God's Word

א Alef

1 How[a] happy are those whose way is blameless,(a)
who live according to the Lord 's instruction!(b)
2 Happy are those who keep His decrees(c)
and seek Him with all their heart.(d)
3 They do nothing wrong;(e)
they follow His ways.
4 You have commanded that Your precepts(f)
be diligently kept.
5 If only my ways were committed
to keeping Your statutes!(g)
6 Then I would not be ashamed(h)
when I think about all Your commands.
7 I will praise You with a sincere heart(i)
when I learn Your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep Your statutes;
never abandon me.(j)

ב Bet

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping Your[b] word.(k)
10 I have sought You with all my heart;(l)
don't let me wander from Your commands.(m)
11 I have treasured Your word in my heart(n)
so that I may not sin against You.
12  Lord , may You be praised;
teach me Your statutes.(o)
13 With my lips I proclaim
all the judgments from Your mouth.(p)
14 I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees(q)
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts(r)
and think about Your ways.(s)
16 I will delight in Your statutes;(t)
I will not forget Your word.

ג Gimel

17 Deal generously with Your servant(u)
so that I might live;
then I will keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes so that I may contemplate
wonderful things from Your instruction.
19 I am a stranger on earth;(v)
do not hide Your commands from me.
20 I am continually overcome
with longing for Your judgments.(w)
21 You rebuke the proud,
the ones under a curse,(x)
who wander from Your commands.(y)
22 Take insult and contempt away from me,(z)
for I have kept Your decrees.
23 Though princes sit together speaking against me,(aa)
Your servant will think about Your statutes;(ab)
24 Your decrees are my delight
and my counselors.(ac)

ד Dalet

25 My life is down in the dust;(ad)
give me life(ae) through Your word.
26 I told You about my life,
and You listened to me;
teach me Your statutes.(af)
27 Help me understand
the meaning of Your precepts
so that I can meditate on Your wonders.(ag)
28 I am weary[c] from grief;
strengthen me through Your word.(ah)
29 Keep me from the way of deceit
and graciously give me Your instruction.
30 I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set Your ordinances before me.(ai)
31 I cling to Your decrees;
Lord , do not put me to shame.(aj)
32 I pursue the way of Your commands,
for You broaden my understanding.[d](ak)

ה He

33 Teach me, Lord , the meaning[e] of Your statutes,
and I will always keep them.[f](al)
34 Help me understand Your instruction,(am)
and I will obey it
and follow it with all my heart.(an)
35 Help me stay on the path of Your commands,(ao)
for I take pleasure in it.(ap)
36 Turn my heart to Your decrees(aq)
and not to material gain.(ar)
37 Turn my eyes
from looking at what is worthless;(as)
give me life in Your ways.[g](at)
38 Confirm what You said to Your servant,(au)
for it produces reverence for You.
39 Turn away the disgrace I dread;(av)
indeed, Your judgments are good.
40 How I long for Your precepts!(aw)
Give me life through Your righteousness.

ו Vav

41 Let Your faithful love come to me, Lord ,(ax)
Your salvation, as You promised.(ay)
42 Then I can answer the one who taunts me,(az)
for I trust in Your word.
43 Never take the word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in Your judgments.(ba)
44 I will always obey Your instruction,
forever and ever.(bb)
45 I will walk freely in an open place(bc)
because I seek Your precepts.(bd)
46 I will speak of Your decrees before kings
and not be ashamed.(be)
47 I delight in Your commands,
which I love.(bf)
48 I will lift up my hands(bg) to Your commands,
which I love,
and will meditate on Your statutes.(bh)

ז Zayin

49 Remember Your word to Your servant;
You have given me hope through it.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction:(bi)
Your promise has given me life.
51 The arrogant constantly ridicule me,
but I do not turn away from Your instruction.(bj)
52  Lord , I remember Your judgments from long ago
and find comfort.
53 Rage seizes me(bk) because of the wicked
who reject Your instruction.(bl)
54 Your statutes are the theme of my song
during my earthly life.[h]
55 Yahweh, I remember Your name(bm) in the night,(bn)
and I obey Your instruction.
56 This is my practice:
I obey Your precepts.(bo)

ח Khet

57 The Lord is my portion;[i](bp)
I have promised to keep Your words.
58 I have sought Your favor(bq) with all my heart;
be gracious to me(br) according to Your promise.
59 I thought about my ways(bs)
and turned my steps back to Your decrees.
60 I hurried, not hesitating
to keep Your commands.
61 Though the ropes of the wicked(bt)
were wrapped around me,
I did not forget Your instruction.(bu)
62 I rise at midnight to thank You(bv)
for Your righteous judgments.(bw)
63 I am a friend to all who fear You,(bx)
to those who keep Your precepts.
64  Lord , the earth is filled with Your faithful love;(by)
teach me Your statutes.(bz)

ט Tet

65  Lord , You have treated Your servant well,
just as You promised.
66 Teach me good judgment and discernment,(ca)
for I rely on Your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,(cb)
but now I keep Your word.
68 You are good,(cc) and You do what is good;(cd)
teach me Your statutes.
69 The arrogant have smeared me with lies,(ce)
but I obey Your precepts with all my heart.(cf)
70 Their hearts are hard and insensitive,(cg)
but I delight in Your instruction.(ch)
71 It was good for me to be afflicted(ci)
so that I could learn Your statutes.
72 Instruction from Your lips(cj) is better for me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

י Yod

73 Your hands made me and formed me;(ck)
give me understanding
so that I can learn Your commands.(cl)
74 Those who fear You will see me and rejoice,(cm)
for I put my hope in Your word.(cn)
75 I know, Lord , that Your judgments are just
and that You have afflicted me fairly.(co)
76 May Your faithful love comfort me
as You promised Your servant.
77 May Your compassion come to me(cp)
so that I may live,
for Your instruction is my delight.(cq)
78 Let the arrogant be put to shame(cr)
for slandering me with lies;
I will meditate on Your precepts.
79 Let those who fear You,
those who know Your decrees, turn to me.
80 May my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes(cs)
so that I will not be put to shame.

כ Kaf

81 I long for Your salvation;(ct)
I put my hope in Your word.(cu)
82 My eyes grow weary
looking for what You have promised;(cv)
I ask, "When will You comfort me?"
83 Though I have become like a wineskin dried by smoke,
I do not forget Your statutes.
84 How many days must Your servant wait?
When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?(cw)
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me;(cx)
they violate Your instruction.
86 All Your commands are true;
people persecute me with lies—help me!(cy)
87 They almost ended my life on earth,
but I did not abandon Your precepts.
88 Give me life in accordance with Your faithful love,
and I will obey the decree You have spoken.

ל Lamed

89  Lord , Your word is forever;(cz)
it is firmly fixed in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness is for all generations;(da)
You established the earth, and it stands firm.(db)
91 They stand today in accordance with Your judgments,(dc)
for all things are Your servants.(dd)
92 If Your instruction had not been my delight,
I would have died in my affliction.(de)
93 I will never forget Your precepts,
for You have given me life through them.(df)
94 I am Yours; save me,(dg)
for I have sought Your precepts.(dh)
95 The wicked hope to destroy me,(di)
but I contemplate Your decrees.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but Your command is without limit.

מ Mem

97 How I love Your instruction!(dj)
It is my meditation all day long.(dk)
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,(dl)
for they are always with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers
because Your decrees are my meditation.(dm)
100 I understand more than the elders(dn)
because I obey Your precepts.(do)
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path(dp)
to follow Your word.
102 I have not turned from Your judgments,(dq)
for You Yourself have instructed me.
103 How sweet Your word is(dr) to my taste—
sweeter than honey in my mouth.
104 I gain understanding from Your precepts;(ds)
therefore I hate every false way.(dt)

נ Nun

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet(du)
and a light on my path.
106 I have solemnly sworn(dv)
to keep Your righteous judgments.
107 I am severely afflicted;
Lord , give me life through Your word.(dw)
108  Lord , please accept my willing offerings of praise,(dx)
and teach me Your judgments.(dy)
109 My life is constantly in danger,[j]
yet I do not forget Your instruction.(dz)
110 The wicked have set a trap for me,(ea)
but I have not wandered from Your precepts.(eb)
111 I have Your decrees as a heritage forever;
indeed, they are the joy of my heart.(ec)
112 I am resolved to obey Your statutes
to the very end.[k](ed)

ס Samek

113 I hate those who are double-minded,(ee)
but I love Your instruction.(ef)
114 You are my shelter and my shield;(eg)
I put my hope in Your word.(eh)
115 Depart from me,(ei) you evil ones,
so that I may obey my God's commands.(ej)
116 Sustain me as You promised,(ek) and I will live;
do not let me be ashamed of my hope.(el)
117 Sustain me so that I can be safe(em)
and always be concerned about Your statutes.(en)
118 You reject all who stray from Your statutes,(eo)
for their deceit is a lie.
119 You remove all the wicked on earth
as if they were[l] dross;(ep)
therefore, I love Your decrees.(eq)
120 I tremble[m] in awe of You;(er)
I fear Your judgments.

ע Ayin

121 I have done what is just and right;(es)
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee Your servant's well-being;(et)
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes grow weary(eu) looking for Your salvation
and for Your righteous promise.
124 Deal with Your servant based on Your faithful love;(ev)
teach me Your statutes.
125 I am Your servant;(ew) give me understanding(ex)
so that I may know Your decrees.
126 It is time for the Lord to act,(ey)
for they have violated Your instruction.
127 Since I love Your commands(ez)
more than gold, even the purest gold,
128 I carefully follow[n] all Your precepts(fa)
and hate every false way.(fb)

פ Pe

129 Your decrees are wonderful;(fc)
therefore I obey them.(fd)
130 The revelation of Your words(fe) brings light
and gives understanding to the inexperienced.(ff)
131 I open my mouth and pant(fg)
because I long for Your commands.
132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,(fh)
as is Your practice toward those who love Your name.
133 Make my steps steady through Your promise;(fi)
don't let any sin dominate me.(fj)
134 Redeem me from human oppression,(fk)
and I will keep Your precepts.
135 Show favor to Your servant,(fl)
and teach me Your statutes.(fm)
136 My eyes pour out streams of tears(fn)
because people do not follow Your instruction.

צ Tsade

137 You are righteous, Lord ,(fo)
and Your judgments are just.
138 The decrees You issue are righteous
and altogether trustworthy.(fp)
139 My anger overwhelms me
because my foes forget Your words.(fq)
140 Your word is completely pure,(fr)
and Your servant loves it.(fs)
141 I am insignificant and despised,(ft)
but I do not forget Your precepts.(fu)
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
and Your instruction is true.(fv)
143 Trouble and distress have overtaken me,
but Your commands are my delight.(fw)
144 Your decrees are righteous forever.(fx)
Give me understanding, and I will live.

ק Qof

145 I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord .
I will obey Your statutes.(fy)
146 I call to You; save me,
and I will keep Your decrees.(fz)
147 I rise before dawn and cry out for help;(ga)
I put my hope in Your word.
148 I am awake through each watch of the night
to meditate on Your promise.(gb)
149 In keeping with Your faithful love, hear my voice.
Lord , give me life in keeping with Your justice.(gc)
150 Those who pursue evil plans[o](gd) come near;
they are far from Your instruction.
151 You are near, Lord ,(ge)
and all Your commands are true.(gf)
152 Long ago I learned from Your decrees
that You have established them forever.(gg)

ר Resh

153 Consider my affliction and rescue me,(gh)
for I have not forgotten Your instruction.(gi)
154 Defend my cause and redeem me;(gj)
give me life as You promised.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked
because they do not seek Your statutes.(gk)
156 Your compassions are many, Lord ;(gl)
give me life according to Your judgments.
157 My persecutors and foes are many.(gm)
I have not turned from Your decrees.(gn)
158 I have seen the disloyal(go) and feel disgust(gp)
because they do not keep Your word.
159 Consider how I love Your precepts;
Lord , give me life according to Your faithful love.(gq)
160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.(gr)

Sin/ Shin

161 Princes have persecuted me without cause,
but my heart fears only Your word.(gs)
162 I rejoice over Your promise(gt)
like one who finds vast treasure.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood,(gu)
but I love Your instruction.(gv)
164 I praise You seven times a day
for Your righteous judgments.(gw)
165 Abundant peace belongs to those(gx)
who love Your instruction;
nothing makes them stumble.(gy)
166  Lord , I hope for Your salvation(gz)
and carry out Your commands.
167 I obey Your decrees
and love them greatly.(ha)
168 I obey Your precepts and decrees,
for all my ways are before You.(hb)

ת Tav

169 Let my cry reach You, Lord ;(hc)
give me understanding according to Your word.(hd)
170 Let my plea reach You;(he)
rescue me according to Your promise.(hf)
171 My lips pour out praise,(hg)
for You teach me Your statutes.(hh)
172 My tongue sings about Your promise,(hi)
for all Your commands are righteous.(hj)
173 May Your hand be ready to help me,(hk)
for I have chosen Your precepts.(hl)
174 I long for Your salvation, Lord ,
and Your instruction is my delight.(hm)
175 Let me live, and I will praise You;(hn)
may Your judgments help me.
176 I wander like a lost sheep;(ho)
seek Your servant,(hp)
for I do not forget Your commands.(hq)

Psalm 120

A Cry for Truth and Peace

A song of ascents.

1 In my distress I called to the Lord ,
and He answered me.(a)
2 " Lord , deliver me from lying lips
and a deceitful tongue."(b)

3 What will He give you,
and what will He do to you,
you deceitful tongue?(c)
4 A warrior's sharp arrows
with burning charcoal![a](d)

5 What misery that I have stayed in Meshech,[b](e)
that I have lived among the tents of Kedar![c](f)
6 I have lived too long
with those who hate peace.(g)
7 I am for peace; but when I speak,
they are for war.(h)

Psalm 121

The Lord Our Protector

A song of ascents.

1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?(a)
2 My help comes from the Lord ,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(b)

3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.(c)
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.(d)

5 The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.[a](e)
6 The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.(f)

7 The Lord will protect you from all harm;
He will protect your life.(g)
8 The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.(h)

Psalm 122

A Prayer for Jerusalem

A Davidic song of ascents.

1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the Lord ."(a)
2 Our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem(b)

3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be,
solidly joined together,(c)
4 where the tribes, Yahweh's tribes, go up
to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.(d)
(This is an ordinance for Israel.(e))
5 There, thrones for judgment are placed,
thrones of the house of David.(f)

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you prosper;(g)
7 may there be peace within your walls,
prosperity within your fortresses."(h)
8 Because of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be with you."(i)
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.(j)

Psalm 123

Looking for God's Favor

A song of ascents.

1 I lift my eyes to You,
the One enthroned in heaven.(a)
2 Like a servant's eyes on his master's hand,
like a servant girl's eyes on her mistress's hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
until He shows us favor.(b)

3 Show us favor, Lord , show us favor,
for we've had more than enough contempt.(c)
4 We've had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
and contempt from the proud.(d)

Psalm 124

The Lord Is on Our Side

A Davidic song of ascents.

1 If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
2 If the Lord had not been on our side(a)
when men attacked us,(b)
3 then they would have swallowed us alive
in their burning anger against us.(c)
4 Then the waters would have engulfed us;
the torrent would have swept over us;
5 the raging waters would have swept over us.(d)

6 Praise the Lord ,
who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.(e)
7 We have escaped like a bird from the hunter's net;
the net is torn, and we have escaped.(f)
8 Our help is in the name of Yahweh,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(g)

Psalm 125

Israel's Stability

A song of ascents.

1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion.
It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.(a)
2 Jerusalem—the mountains surround her.
And the Lord surrounds His people,
both now and forever.(b)

3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice.(c)
4 Do what is good, Lord , to the good,
to those whose hearts are upright.(d)
5 But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
the Lord will banish them with the evildoers.(e)

Peace be with Israel.(f)

Psalm 126

Zion's Restoration

A song of ascents.

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
we were like those who dream.(a)
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter then,(b)
and our tongues with shouts of joy.(c)
Then they said among the nations,
"The Lord has done great things for them."(d)
3 The Lord had done great things for us;
we were joyful.(e)

4 Restore our fortunes,[b] Lord ,
like watercourses in the Negev.(f)
5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with shouts of joy.(g)
6 Though one goes along weeping,
carrying the bag of seed,
he will surely come back with shouts of joy,
carrying his sheaves.(h)

Psalm 127

The Blessing of the Lord

A Solomonic song of ascents.

1 Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;(a)
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain.(b)
2 In vain you get up early and stay up late,
working hard to have enough food—
yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.[a](c)

3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord ,
children, a reward.(d)
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons born in one's youth.(e)
5 Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.(f)
Such men will never be put to shame
when they speak with their enemies at the city gate.(g)

Psalm 128

Blessings for Those Who Fear God

A song of ascents.

1 How happy is everyone who fears the Lord ,
who walks in His ways!(a)
2 You will surely eat
what your hands have worked for.(b)
You will be happy,
and it will go well for you.(c)
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house,
your sons, like young olive trees
around your table.(d)
4 In this very way
the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed.(e)

5 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
so that you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life(f)
6 and will see your children's children!

Peace be with Israel.(g)

Psalm 129

Protection of the Oppressed

A song of ascents.

1 Since my youth they have often attacked me—
let Israel say—
2 Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not prevailed against me.(a)
3 Plowmen plowed over my back;
they made their furrows long.(b)
4 The Lord is righteous;
He has cut the ropes of the wicked.(c)

5 Let all who hate Zion
be driven back in disgrace.(d)
6 Let them be like grass on the rooftops,
which withers before it grows up[a](e)
7 and can't even fill the hands of the reaper
or the arms of the one who binds sheaves.(f)
8 Then none who pass by will say,
"May the Lord 's blessing be on you."

We bless you in the name of Yahweh.(g)

Psalm 130

Awaiting Redemption

A song of ascents.

1 Out of the depths I call to You, Yahweh!(a)
2 Lord, listen to my voice;
let Your ears be attentive
to my cry for help.(b)

3 Yahweh, if You considered sins,
Lord, who could stand?(c)
4 But with You there is forgiveness,
so that You may be revered.(d)

5 I wait for Yahweh; I wait
and put my hope in His word.(e)
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning—
more than watchmen for the morning.(f)

7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord .(g)
For there is faithful love with the Lord ,
and with Him is redemption in abundance.(h)
8 And He will redeem Israel
from all its sins.(i)

Psalm 131

A Childlike Spirit

A Davidic song of ascents.

1  Lord , my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.(a)
I do not get involved with things
too great or too difficult for me.(b)
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself
like a little weaned child with its mother;
I am like a little child.(c)

3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord ,
both now and forever.(d)

Psalm 132

David and Zion Chosen

A song of ascents.

1  Lord , remember David
and all the hardships he endured,(a)
2 and how he swore an oath to the Lord ,
making a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(b)
3 "I will not enter my house[a]
or get into my bed,[b]
4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep
or my eyelids to slumber(c)
5 until I find a place for the Lord ,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."(d)

6 We heard of the ark in Ephrathah;[c](e)
we found it in the fields of Jaar.[d](f)
7 Let us go to His dwelling place;
let us worship at His footstool.(g)
8 Rise up, Lord , come to Your resting place,
You and Your powerful ark.(h)
9 May Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and may Your godly people shout for joy.(i)
10 Because of Your servant David,
do not reject Your anointed one.[e](j)

11 The Lord swore an oath to David,
a promise He will not abandon:
"I will set one of your descendants[f]
on your throne.(k)
12 If your sons keep My covenant
and My decrees that I will teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever."(l)

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His home:(m)
14 "This is My resting place forever;
I will make My home here
because I have desired it.(n)
15 I will abundantly bless its food;
I will satisfy its needy with bread.(o)
16 I will clothe its priests with salvation,
and its godly people will shout for joy.(p)
17 There I will make a horn grow for David;(q)
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.(r)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(s)
but the crown he wears[g] will be glorious."(t)

Psalm 133

Living in Harmony

A Davidic song of ascents.

1 How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony!(a)
2 It is like fine oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down Aaron's beard
onto his robes.(b)
3 It is like the dew of Hermon[a]
falling on the mountains of Zion.(c)
For there the Lord has appointed the blessing—
life forevermore.(d)

Psalm 134

Call to Evening Worship

A song of ascents.

1 Now praise the Lord ,
all you servants of the Lord
who stand in the Lord 's house at night!(a)
2 Lift up your hands in the holy place
and praise the Lord !(b)

3 May the Lord ,
Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.(c)

Psalm 135

Yahweh Is Great

1 Hallelujah!
Praise the name of Yahweh.
Give praise, you servants of Yahweh(a)
2 who stand in the house of Yahweh,
in the courts of the house of our God.(b)
3 Praise Yahweh, for Yahweh is good;
sing praise to His name, for it is delightful.(c)
4 For Yahweh has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel as His treasured possession.(d)

5 For I know that Yahweh is great;
our Lord is greater than all gods.(e)
6 Yahweh does whatever He pleases
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all the depths.(f)
7 He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings the wind from His storehouses.(g)

8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both man and beast.(h)
9 He sent signs and wonders against you, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his officials.(i)
10 He struck down many nations
and slaughtered mighty kings:(j)
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.(k)
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to His people Israel.(l)

13 Yahweh, Your name endures forever,
Your reputation, Yahweh,
through all generations.(m)
14 For Yahweh will vindicate His people
and have compassion on His servants.(n)

15 The idols of the nations are of silver and gold,
made by human hands.(o)
16 They have mouths but cannot speak,(p)
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears but cannot hear;
indeed, there is no breath in their mouths.(q)
18 Those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.(r)

19 House of Israel, praise Yahweh!(s)
House of Aaron, praise Yahweh!(t)
20 House of Levi, praise Yahweh!
You who revere the Lord , praise the Lord !(u)
21 May the Lord be praised from Zion;(v)
He dwells in Jerusalem.(w)
Hallelujah!

Psalm 136

God's Love Is Eternal

1 Give thanks to the Lord , for He is good.(a)
         His love is eternal.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
         His love is eternal.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.(b)
         His love is eternal.
4 He alone does great wonders.(c)
         His love is eternal.
5 He made the heavens skillfully.(d)
         His love is eternal.
6 He spread the land on the waters.(e)
         His love is eternal.
7 He made the great lights:(f)
         His love is eternal.
8 the sun to rule by day,
         His love is eternal.
9 the moon and stars to rule by night.(g)
         His love is eternal.
10 He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians(h)
         His love is eternal.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
         His love is eternal.
12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm.(i)
         His love is eternal.
13 He divided the Red Sea(j)
         His love is eternal.
14 and led Israel through,(k)
         His love is eternal.
15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.(l)
         His love is eternal.
16 He led His people in the wilderness.(m)
         His love is eternal.
17 He struck down great kings
         His love is eternal.
18 and slaughtered famous kings—
         His love is eternal.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
         His love is eternal.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
         His love is eternal.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
         His love is eternal.
22 an inheritance to Israel His servant.(n)
         His love is eternal.
23 He remembered us in our humiliation(o)
         His love is eternal.
24 and rescued us from our foes.(p)
         His love is eternal.
25 He gives food to every creature.(q)
         His love is eternal.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!(r)
         His love is eternal.

Psalm 137

Lament of the Exiles

1 By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and wept
when we remembered Zion.(a)
2 There we hung up our lyres
on the poplar trees,(b)
3 for our captors there asked us for songs,
and our tormentors, for rejoicing:
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion."(c)

4 How can we sing the Lord 's song
on foreign soil?(d)
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.(e)
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!(f)

7 Remember, Lord , what the Edomites said
that day[a] at Jerusalem:
"Destroy it! Destroy it
down to its foundations!"(g)
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who pays you back
what you have done to us.(h)
9 Happy is he who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rocks.(i)

Psalm 138

A Thankful Heart

Davidic.

1 I will give You thanks with all my heart;(a)
I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.[a](b)
2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name
for Your constant love and truth.
You have exalted Your name
and Your promise above everything else.(c)
3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You increased strength within me.[b](d)

4 All the kings on earth will give You thanks, Lord ,
when they hear what You have promised.[c](e)
5 They will sing of the Lord 's ways,
for the Lord 's glory is great.(f)
6 Though the Lord is exalted,
He takes note of the humble;
but He knows the haughty from a distance.(g)

7 If I walk into the thick of danger,
You will preserve my life
from the anger of my enemies.(h)
You will extend Your hand;
Your right hand will save me.(i)
8 The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.(j)
Lord , Your love is eternal;
do not abandon the work of Your hands.(k)

Psalm 139

The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1  Lord , You have searched me and known me.(a)
2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.(b)
3 You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.(c)
4 Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, Lord .(d)
5 You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me.(e)
6 This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.(f)

7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?(g)
8 If I go up to heaven, You are there;(h)
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.(i)
9 If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,[a]
10 even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me.(j)
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night"(k)
12 even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You.(l)

13 For it was You who created my inward parts;[b]
You knit me together in my mother's womb.(m)
14 I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.[c][d]
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.(n)
15 My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.(o)
16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began.(p)

17 God, how difficult[e] Your thoughts are
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
18 If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;(q)
when I wake up,[f] I am still with You.(r)

19 God, if only You would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me(s)
20 who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely.(t)
21  Lord , don't I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
22 I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.(u)

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.(v)
24 See if there is any offensive[g] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.(w)

Psalm 140

Prayer for Rescue

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1 Rescue me, Lord , from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men(a)
2 who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.(b)
3 They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake's bite;
viper's venom is under their lips.(c) Selah

4 Protect me, Lord ,
from the clutches of the wicked.(d)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.[a](e)
5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.(f) Selah

6 I say to the Lord , "You are my God."
Listen, Lord , to my cry for help.(g)
7 Lord God , my strong Savior,
You shield my head on the day of battle.(h)
8  Lord , do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.(i) Selah

9 When those who surround me rise up,[b]
may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them.(j)
10 Let hot coals fall on them.
Let them be thrown into the fire,
into the abyss, never again to rise.(k)
11 Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.
Let evil relentlessly[c] hunt down a violent man.(l)

12 I[d] know that the Lord upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy.(m)
13 Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
the upright will live in Your presence.(n)

Psalm 141

Protection from Sin and Sinners

A Davidic psalm.

1  Lord , I call on You; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on You.(a)
2 May my prayer be set before You as incense,(b)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(c)

3  Lord , set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(d)
4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts
with men who commit sin.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(e)
5 Let the righteous one strike me—
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me[a] not refuse it.(f)
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.[b](g)
6 When their rulers[c] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people[d] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.(h)

7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
turning up rocks,
so our[e] bones have been scattered
at the mouth of Sheol.(i)

8 But my eyes look to You, Lord God .
I seek refuge in You; do not let me die.[f](j)
9 Protect me from[g] the trap they have set for me,
and from the snares of evildoers.(k)
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.(l)

Psalm 142

A Cry of Distress

A Davidic Maskil. When he was in the cave.(a) A prayer.

1 I cry aloud to the Lord ;(b)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(c)
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.(d)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
You know my way.(e)

Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(f)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(g)

5 I cry to You, Lord ;
I say, "You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living."(h)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(i)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(j)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because You deal generously with me.(k)

Luke 22:24-46

Resource Toolbox

Chapter 22

24 Then a dispute also arose among them about who should be considered the greatest.(ab) 25 But He said to them,(ac) "The kings of the Gentiles dominate them, and those who have authority over them are called[d] ‘Benefactors.'[e] 26 But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever is greatest among you must become like the youngest,(ad) and whoever leads, like the one serving. 27 For who is greater, the one at the table or the one serving? Isn't it the one at the table? But I am among you as the One who serves. (ae) 28 You are the ones who stood by Me in My trials. (af) 29 I bestow on you a kingdom,(ag) just as My Father bestowed one on Me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom.(ah) And you will sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. (ai)

Peter's Denial Predicted

31 "Simon, Simon,[f] look out! Satan(aj) has asked to sift you[g] like wheat. (ak) 32 But I have prayed(al) for you[h] that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen(am) your brothers."

33 "Lord,"(an) he told Him, "I'm ready to go with You both to prison and to death!"

34 "I tell you, Peter," He said, "the rooster will not crow today until[i] you deny three times that you know Me!"

Be Ready for Trouble

35 He also said to them, "When I sent you out(ao) without money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?"

"Not a thing," they said.

36 Then He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn't have a sword should sell his robe and buy one. 37 For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in Me: And He was counted among the outlaws. (ap)[j] Yes, what is written about Me is coming to its fulfillment." (aq)

38 "Lord," they said, "look, here are two swords."

"Enough of that!" [k] He told them.

The Prayer in the Garden

39 He went out and made His way(ar) as usual(as) to the Mount of Olives,(at) and the disciples followed Him. 40 When He reached the place,(au) He told them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." (av) 41 Then He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and began to pray,(aw) 42 "Father, if You are willing, take this cup(ax) away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."

[43 Then an angel from heaven(ay) appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 Being in anguish,(az) He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.][l] 45 When He got up from prayer and came to the disciples, He found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief.[m] 46 "Why are you sleeping?" He asked them. "Get up and pray, so that you won't enter into temptation."

 
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