Study Desk

God, You ^(C1)have taught me from my youth, And I still ^(C2)declare Your wondrous deeds.

And even when I am ^(C1)old and gray, God, do not abandon me, Until I ^(C2)declare Your ^(F1)strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.

^(F1)For Your ^(C1)righteousness, God, reaches to the ^(F2)heavens, You who have ^(C2)done great things; God, ^(C3)who is like You?

You who have ^(C1)shown ^(F1)me many troubles and distresses Will ^(C2)revive ^(F1)me again, And will bring ^(F1)me up again ^(C3)from the depths of the earth.

May You increase my ^(C1)greatness And turn to ^(C2)comfort me.

I will also praise You with ^(F1)(C1)a harp, And Your ^(F2)truth, my God; I will sing praises to You with the ^(C2)lyre, ^(C3)Holy One of Israel.

My lips will ^(C1)shout for joy when I sing praises to You; And my ^(C2)soul, which You have redeemed.

My ^(C1)tongue also will tell of Your righteousness all day long; For they are ^(C2)put to shame, for they are humiliated who seek ^(F1)my harm.

Give the king ^(C1)Your judgments, God, And ^(C2)Your righteousness to the king's son.

^(F1)May ^(F2)he ^(C1)judge Your people with righteousness And ^(F3)(C2)Your afflicted with justice.

^(F1)May the mountains bring ^(F2)(C1)peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness.

^(F1)May he ^(C1)vindicate the ^(F2)afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy, And crush the oppressor.

^(F1)May they fear You ^(C1)while the sun shines, And ^(F2)as long as the moon shines, throughout all generations.

^(F1)May he come down ^(C1)like rain upon the mown grass, Like ^(C2)showers that water the earth.

^(F1)May the ^(C1)righteous flourish in his days, As well as an ^(C2)abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.

May he also rule ^(C1)from sea to sea, And from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

^(F1)May ^(C1)the nomads of the desert ^(C2)bow before him, And his enemies ^(C3)lick the dust.

^(F1)May the kings of ^(C1)Tarshish and of the ^(F2)(C2)islands bring gifts; May the kings of ^(C3)Sheba and ^(C4)Seba ^(C5)offer tributes.

^(F1)And may all ^(C1)kings bow down before him, All ^(C2)nations serve him.

For he will ^(C1)save the needy when he cries for help, The ^(F1)afflicted also, and him who has no helper.

He will have ^(C1)compassion on the poor and needy, And he will save the ^(F1)lives of the needy.

He will ^(F1)(C1)rescue their ^(F2)life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be ^(C2)precious in his sight;

So may he live, and may the ^(C1)gold of Sheba be given to him; And ^(F1)they are to pray for him continually; ^(F2)They are to bless him all day long.

May there be abundance of grain on the earth on top of the mountains; Its fruit will wave like the cedars of ^(C1)Lebanon; And may those from the city flourish like the ^(C2)vegetation of the earth.

May his ^(C1)name endure forever; May his name produce descendants ^(F1)(C2)as long as the sun shines; And may people ^(C3)wish blessings on themselves by him; ^(C4)May all nations call him blessed.

^(C1)Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone ^(C2)works wonders.

And blessed be His ^(C1)glorious name forever; And may the whole ^(C2)earth be filled with His glory. ^(C3)Amen and Amen.

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

God certainly is ^(C1)good to Israel, To those who are ^(C2)pure in heart!

But as for me, ^(C1)my feet came close to stumbling, My steps ^(F1)had almost slipped.

For I was ^(C1)envious of the ^(F1)arrogant As I saw the ^(C2)prosperity of the wicked.

For there are no pains in their death, And their belly is fat.

They are ^(C1)not ^(F1)in trouble like other people, Nor are they ^(C2)tormented together with the rest of mankind.

Therefore arrogance is ^(C1)their necklace; The ^(C2)garment of violence covers them.

Their eye ^(F1)bulges from ^(C1)fatness; The imaginations of their heart overflow.

They ^(C1)mock and ^(F1)wickedly speak of oppression; They ^(C2)speak from on high.

They have ^(C1)set their mouth ^(F1)against the heavens, And their tongue ^(F2)parades through the earth.

Therefore ^(F1)his people return here, And ^(C1)abundant waters are drunk by them.

They say, "^(C1)How does God know? And is there knowledge ^(F1)with the Most High?"

Behold, ^(C1)these are the wicked; And always ^(C2)at ease, they have increased in wealth.

Surely ^(C1)in vain I have ^(F1)kept my heart pure And ^(C2)washed my hands in innocence;

For I have been stricken ^(C1)all day long, And ^(F1)(C2)punished every morning.

If I had said, "I will speak this way," Behold, I would have betrayed the ^(C1)generation of Your children.

When I ^(C1)thought of understanding this, It was ^(F1)troublesome in my sight

Until I entered the ^(F1)(C1)sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their ^(C2)end.

You indeed put them on ^(C1)slippery ground; You dropped them into ^(F1)(C2)ruin.

How they are ^(F1)(C1)destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by ^(C2)sudden terrors!

Like a ^(C1)dream when one awakes, Lord, when ^(C2)stirred, You will ^(C3)despise their image.