Psalm
Psalm 1

BOOK I

Psalms 1–41

The Two Paths
(Matthew 5:3–12; Luke 6:20–23)

1Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners,

or sit in the seat of mockers.

2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,

and on His law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

yielding its fruit in season,

whose leaf does not wither,

and who prospers in all he does.

4Not so the wicked!

For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6For the LORD guards the path of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.


Psalm 2
Psalm 2

The Triumphant Messiah
(Acts 4:23–31)

1Why do the nations ragea

and the peoples plot in vain?

2The kings of the earth take their stand

and the rulers gather together,

against the LORD

and against His Anointed One:b

3“Let us break Their chains

and cast away Their cords.”

4The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord taunts them.

5Then He rebukes them in His anger,

and terrifies them in His fury:

6“I have installed My King on Zion,

upon My holy mountain.”

7I will proclaim the decree

spoken to Me by the LORD:

“You are My Son;

today I have become Your Father.c

8Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance,

the ends of the earth Your possession.

9You will break themd with an iron scepter;

You will shatter them like pottery.e

10Therefore be wise, O kings;

be admonished, O judges of the earth.

11Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12Kiss the Son, lest He be angry

and you perish in your rebellion,

when His wrath ignites in an instant.

Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

Footnotes:

1 a Or noisily assemble; see Revelation 11:18.
2 b Cited in Acts 4:25–26
7 c Literally today I have begotten You; cited in Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, and Hebrews 5:5
9 d LXX You will rule them or You will shepherd them
9 e Cited in Revelation 2:27; see also Revelation 12:5 and Revelation 19:15.

Psalm 3
Psalm 3

Deliver Me, O LORD!
(2 Samuel 15:13–29)

1A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.

1O LORD, how my foes have increased!

How many rise up against me!

2Many say of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

Selaha

3But You, O LORD, are a shield around me,

my glory, and the One who lifts my head.

4To the LORD I cry aloud,

and He answers me from His holy mountain.

Selah

5I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.

6I will not fear the myriads

set against me on every side.

7Arise, O LORD!

Save me, O my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

break the teeth of the wicked.

8Salvation belongs to the LORD;

may Your blessing be on Your people.

Selah

Footnotes:

2 a Selah or Interlude is probably a musical or literary term; here and throughout the Psalms.

Psalm 4
Psalm 4

Answer Me When I Call!

1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

1Answer me when I call,

O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved my distress;

show me grace and hear my prayer.

2How long, O men, will my honor be maligned?

How long will you love vanity and seek after liesa?

Selah

3Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself;

the LORD hears when I call to Him.

4Be angry, yet do not sin;b

on your bed, search your heart and be still.

Selah

5Offer the sacrifices of the righteous

and trust in the LORD.

6Many ask, “Who can show us the good?”

Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.

7You have filled my heart with more joy

than when grain and new wine abound.

8I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Footnotes:

2 a Or false gods
4 b Or In your anger do not sin or Tremble and do not sin; cited in Ephesians 4:26

Psalm 5
Psalm 5

Give Ear to My Words

1For the choirmaster, to be accompanied by flutes. A Psalm of David.

1Give ear to my words, O LORD;

consider my groaning.

2Attend to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

for to You I pray.

3In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice;

at daybreak I lay my plea before You

and wait in expectation.

4For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;

no evil can dwell with You.

5The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;

You hate all workers of iniquity.

6You destroy those who tell lies;

the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

7But I will enter Your house

by the abundance of Your loving devotion;a

in reverence I will bow down

toward Your holy temple.

8Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness

because of my enemies;

make straight Your way before me.

9For not a word they speak can be trusted;

destruction lies within them.

Their throats are open graves;

their tongues practice deceit.b

10Declare them guilty, O God;

let them fall by their own devices.

Drive them out for their many transgressions,

for they have rebelled against You.

11But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;

let them ever shout for joy.

May You shelter them,

that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.

12For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous;

You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

Footnotes:

7 a Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.
9 b Or flattery; cited in Romans 3:13

Psalm 6
Psalm 6

Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger
(Psalm 38:1–22)

1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments, according to Sheminith.a A Psalm of David.

1O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger

or discipline me in Your wrath.

2Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am frail;

heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in agony.

3My soul is deeply distressed.

How long, O LORD, how long?

4Turn, O LORD, and deliver my soul;

save me because of Your loving devotion.

5For there is no mention of You in death;

who can praise You from Sheol?

6I am weary from groaning;

all night I flood my bed with weeping

and drench my couch with tears.

7My eyes fail from grief;

they grow dim because of all my foes.

8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity,

for the LORD has heard my weeping.

9The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;

the LORD accepts my prayer.

10All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed;

they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

Footnotes:

1 a Sheminith is probably a musical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Psalm 12:1.

Psalm 7
Psalm 7

I Take Refuge in You

1A Shiggaiona of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

1O LORD my God, I take refuge in You;

save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,

2or they will shred my soul like a lion

and tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3O LORD my God, if I have done this,

if injustice is on my hands,

4if I have rewarded my allyb with evil,

if I have plundered my foe without cause,

5then may my enemy pursue me and overtake me;

may he trample me to the ground

and leave my honor in the dust.

Selah

6Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;

rise up against the fury of my enemies.

Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.

7Let the assembled peoples gather around You;

take Your seat over them on high.

8The LORD judges the peoples;

vindicate me, O LORD,

according to my righteousness and integrity.

9Put an end to the evil of the wicked,

but establish the righteous,

O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.c

10My shield is with God,

who saves the upright in heart.

11God is a righteous judge

and a God who feels indignation each day.

12If one does not repent,

God will sharpen His sword;

He has bent and strung His bow.

13He has prepared His deadly weapons;

He ordains His arrows with fire.

14Behold, the wicked man travails with evil;

he conceives trouble and births falsehood.

15He has dug a hole and hollowed it out;

he has fallen into a pit of his own making.

16His trouble recoils on himself,

and his violence falls on his own head.

17I will thank the LORD for His righteousness

and sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Footnotes:

1 a Shiggaion is probably a musical or liturgical term.
4 b Hebrew the one at peace with me
9 c Hebrew hearts and kidneys

Psalm 8
Psalm 8

How Majestic Is Your Name!

1For the choirmaster. According to Gittith.a A Psalm of David.

1O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

You have set Your glory

above the heavens.

2From the mouths of children and infants

You have ordained praiseb

on account of Your adversaries,

to silence the enemy and avenger.

3When I behold Your heavens,

the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You have set in place—

4what is man that You are mindful of him,

or the son of man that You care for him?

5You made him a little lower than the angels;c

You crowned him with glory and honor.

6You made him ruler of the works of Your hands;

You have placed everything under his feet:d

7all sheep and oxen,

and even the beasts of the field,

8the birds of the air and the fish of the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

9O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Footnotes:

1 a Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 81 and 84.
2 b Literally You have ordained strength; LXX You have prepared praise; cited in Matthew 21:16
5 c Or than God or than the heavenly beings; see also LXX.
6 d Cited in 1 Corinthians 15:27 and Hebrews 2:6–8

Psalm 9
Psalm 9

I Will Give Thanks to the LORD

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David.a

1I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;

I will recount all Your wonders.

2I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

3When my enemies retreat,

they stumble and perish before You.

4For You have upheld my just cause;

You sit on Your throne judging righteously.

5You have rebuked the nations;

You have destroyed the wicked;

You have erased their name forever and ever.

6The enemy has come to eternal ruin,

and You have uprooted their cities;

the very memory of them has vanished.

7But the LORD abides forever;

He has established His throne for judgment.

8He judges the world with justice;

He governs the people with equity.

9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

10Those who know Your name trust in You,

for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion;

proclaim His deeds among the nations.

12For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers;

He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

13Be merciful to me, O LORD;

see how my enemies afflict me!

Lift me up from the gates of death,

14that I may declare all Your praises—

that within the gates of Daughter Zion

I may rejoice in Your salvation.

15The nations have fallen into a pit of their making;

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

16The LORD is known by the justice He brings;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

Higgaion Selahb

17The wicked will return to Sheol—

all the nations who forget God.

18For the needy will not always be forgotten;

nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.

19Rise up, O LORD, do not let man prevail;

let the nations be judged in Your presence.

20Lay terror upon them, O LORD;

let the nations know they are but men.

Selah

Footnotes:

1 a Psalms 9 and 10 together follow an acrostic pattern, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the LXX they form one psalm.
16 b Higgaion Selah or quiet interlude is probably a musical or liturgical term.

Psalm 10
Psalm 10

The Perils of the Pilgrim

1Why, O LORD, do You stand far off?

Why do You hide in times of trouble?

2In pride the wicked pursue the needy;

let them be caught in the schemes they devise.

3For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart;

he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

4In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him;

in all his schemes there is no God.

5He is secure in his ways at all times;

Your lofty judgments are far from him;

he sneers at all his foes.

6He says to himself, “I will not be moved;

from age to age I am free of distress.”

7His mouth is full of cursing, deceit,a and violence;

trouble and malice are under his tongue.

8He lies in wait near the villages;

in ambush he slays the innocent;

his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.

9He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket;

he lurks to seize the oppressed;

he catches the lowly in his net.

10They are crushed and beaten down;b

the hapless fall prey to his strength.

11He says to himself, “God has forgotten;

He hides His face and never sees.”

12Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God!

Do not forget the helpless.

13Why has the wicked man renounced God?

He says to himself, “You will never call me to account.”

14But You have regarded trouble and grief;

You see to repay it by Your hand.

The victim entrusts himself to You;

You are the helper of the fatherless.

15Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

call him to account for his wickedness

until none is left to be found.

16The LORD is King forever and ever;

the nations perish from His land.

17You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble;

You will strengthen their hearts.

You will incline Your ear,

18to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed,

that the men of the earth

may strike terror no more.

Footnotes:

7 a LXX bitterness; cited in Romans 3:14
10 b Or He crouches and lies low

Psalm 11
Psalm 11

In the LORD I Take Refuge
(Habakkuk 1:12–17)

1For the choirmaster. Of David.

1In the LORD I take refuge.

How then can you say to me:

“Flee like a bird to your mountain!

2For behold, the wicked bend their bows.

They set their arrow on the string

to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

3If the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

4The LORD is in His holy temple;

the LORD is on His heavenly throne.

His eyes are watching closely;

they examine the sons of men.

5The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked;

His soul hates the lover of violence.

6On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur;

a scorching wind will be their portion.

7For the LORD is righteous; He loves justice.

The upright will see His face.


Psalm 12
Psalm 12

The Godly Are No More

1For the choirmaster. According to Sheminith.a A Psalm of David.

1Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more;

the faithful have vanished from among men.

2They lie to one another;

they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.

3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips

and every boastful tongue.

4They say, “With our tongues we will prevail.

We own our lips—who can be our master?”

5“For the cause of the oppressed

and for the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise,” says the LORD.

“I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

6The words of the LORD are flawless,

like silver refined in a furnace,

like gold purified sevenfold.b

7You, O LORD, will keep us;

You will forever guard us from this generation.

8The wicked wander freely,

and vileness is exalted among men.

Footnotes:

1 a Sheminith is probably a musical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Psalm 6:1.
6 b Probable reading; MT like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified sevenfold

Psalm 13
Psalm 13

How Long, O LORD?

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1How long, O LORD?

Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2How long must I wrestle in my soul,

with sorrow in my heart each day?

How long will my enemy dominate me?

3Consider me and respond, O LORD my God.

Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,

4lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,”

and my foes rejoice when I fall.

5But I have trusted in Your loving devotion;

my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.

6I will sing to the LORD,

for He has been good to me.


Psalm 14
Psalm 14

The Fool Says There Is No God
(Psalm 53:1–6; Isaiah 59:1–17; Romans 3:9–20)

1For the choirmaster. Of David.

1The foola says in his heart,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt; their acts are vile.

There is no one who does good.

2The LORD looks down from heaven

upon the sons of men

to see if any understand,

if any seek God.

3All have turned away,

they have together become corrupt;b

there is no one who does good,

not even one.c

4Will the workers of iniquity never learn?

They devour my people like bread;

they refuse to call upon the LORD.

5There they are, overwhelmed with dread,

for God is in the company of the righteous.

6You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed,

yet the LORD is their shelter.

7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!

When the LORD restores His captive people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

Footnotes:

1 a The Hebrew words rendered fool throughout the Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.
3 b LXX worthless
3 c Cited in Romans 3:10–12

Psalm 15
Psalm 15

Who May Dwell on Your Holy Mountain?

1A Psalm of David.

1O LORD, who may abide in Your tent?

Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?

2He who walks with integrity

and practices righteousness,

who speaks the truth from his heart,

3who has no slander on his tongue,

who does no harm to his neighbor,

who casts no scorn on his friend,

4who despises the vile

but honors those who fear the LORD,

who does not revise a costly oath,

5who lends his money without interest

and refuses a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things

will never be shaken.


Psalm 16
Psalm 16

The Presence of the LORD
(Acts 2:14–36)

1A Miktama of David.

1Preserve me, O God,

for in You I take refuge.

2I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;

apart from You I have no good thing.”

3As for the saints in the land,

they are the excellence

in whom all my delight resides.

4Sorrows will multiply

to those who chase other gods.

I will not pour out their libations of blood,

or speak their names with my lips.

5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

You have made my lot secure.

6The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places;

surely my inheritance is delightful.

7I will bless the LORD who counsels me;

even at night my conscience instructs me.b

8I have setc the LORD always before me.

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will dwell securely.d

10For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.e

11You have made known to me the path of life;

You will fill me with joy in Your presence,f

with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Footnotes:

1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalm 16 and Psalms 56–60.
7 b Or my heart instructs me; Hebrew my kidneys instruct me
8 c LXX I foresaw
9 d LXX will dwell in hope
10 e Cited in Acts 13:35
11 f Cited in Acts 2:25–28

Psalm 17
Psalm 17

Hear My Righteous Plea

1A prayer of David.

1Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;

listen to my cry.

Give ear to my prayer—

it comes from lips free of deceit.

2May my vindication come from Your presence;

may Your eyes see what is right.

3You have tried my heart;

You have visited me in the night.

You have tested me and found no evil;

I have resolved not to sin with my mouth.

4As for the deeds of men—

by the word of Your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

5My steps have held to Your paths;

my feet have not slipped.

6I call on You, O God,

for You will answer me.

Incline Your ear to me;

hear my words.

7Show the wonders of Your loving devotion,

You who save by Your right hand

those who seek refuge from their foes.

8Keep me as the apple ofa Your eye;

hide me in the shadow of Your wings

9from the wicked who assail me,

from my mortal enemies who surround me.

10They have closed their callous hearts;

their mouths speak with arrogance.

11They have tracked us down, and now surround us;

their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,

12like a lion greedy for prey,

like a young lion lurking in ambush.

13Arise, O LORD, confront them!

Bring them to their knees;

deliver me from the wicked by Your sword,

14from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—

from men of the world

whose portion is in this life.

May You fill the bellies of Your treasured onesb and satisfy their sons,

so they leave their abundance to their children.

15As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness;

when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.

8 a Literally as the pupil, the daughter of
14 b Or May what You have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies

Psalm 18
Psalm 18

The LORD Is My Rock
(2 Samuel 22:1–51)

1For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1I love You, O LORD, my strength.

2The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.

My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold.

3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;

so shall I be saved from my enemies.

4The cords of death encompassed me;

the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

5The cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

6In my distress I called upon the LORD;

I cried to my God for help.

From His temple He heard my voice,

and my cry for His help reached His ears.

7Then the earth shook and quaked,

and the foundations of the mountains trembled;

they were shaken because He burned with anger.

8Smoke rose from His nostrils,

and consuming fire came from His mouth;

glowing coals blazed forth.

9He parted the heavens and came down

with dark clouds beneath His feet.

10He mounted a cherub and flew;

He soared on the wings of the wind.

11He made darkness His hiding place,

and storm clouds a canopy around Him.

12From the brightness of His presence

His clouds advanced—

hailstones and coals of fire.a

13The LORD thundered from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded—

hailstones and coals of fire.b

14He shot His arrows and scattered the foes;

He hurled lightning and routed them.

15The channels of the sea appeared,

and the foundations of the world were exposed,

at Your rebuke, O LORD,

at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

16He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

He drew me out of deep waters.

17He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from foes too mighty for me.

18They confronted me in my day of calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

19He brought me out into the open;

He rescued me because He delighted in me.

20The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness;

He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

21For I have kept the ways of the LORD

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22For all His ordinances are before me;

I have not disregarded His statutes.

23And I have been blameless before Him

and kept myself from iniquity.

24So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25To the faithful You show Yourself faithful,

to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;

26to the pure You show Yourself pure,

but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.

27For You save an afflicted people,

but You humble those with haughty eyes.

28For You, O LORD, light my lamp;

my God lights up my darkness.

29For in You I can charge an army,

and with my God I can scale a wall.

30As for God, His way is perfect;

the word of the LORD is flawless.

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

31For who is God besides the LORD?

And who is the Rock except our God?

32It is God who arms me with strength

and makes my way clear.

33He makes my feet like those of a deer

and stations me upon the heights.

34He trains my hands for battle;

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35You have given me Your shield of salvation;

Your right hand upholds me,

and Your gentleness exalts me.c

36You broaden the path beneath me

so that my ankles do not give way.

37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;

I did not turn back until they were consumed.

38I crushed them so they could not rise;

they have fallen under my feet.

39You have armed me with strength for battle;

You have subdued my foes beneath me.

40You have made my enemies retreat before me;

I put an end to those who hated me.

41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—

to the LORD, but He did not answer.

42I ground them as dust in the face of the wind;

I trampled themd like mud in the streets.

43You have delivered me from the strife of the people;

You have made me the head of nations;

a people I had not known shall serve me.

44When they hear me, they obey me;

foreigners cower before me.

45Foreigners lose heart

and come trembling from their strongholds.

46The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock!

And may the God of my salvation be exalted—

47the God who avenges me

and subdues nations beneath me,

48who delivers me from my enemies.

You exalt me above my foes;

You rescue me from violent men.

49Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations;

I will sing praises to Your name.e

50Great salvation He brings to His king.

He shows loving devotion to His anointed,

to David and his descendants forever.

12 a Or bolts of lightning; also in verse 13
13 b Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX do not include —hailstones and coals of fire; see 2 Samuel 22:14.
35 c Or and Your help exalts me or and You stoop down to make me great
42 d Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); MT I poured them out
49 e Cited in Romans 15:9

Psalm 19
Psalm 19

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

2Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

3Without speech or language,

without a sound to be heard,a

4their voiceb has gone out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.c

In the heavens He has pitched

a tent for the sun.

5Like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course,

6it rises at one end of the heavens

and runs its circuit to the other;

nothing is deprived of its warmth.

7The Law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8The precepts of the LORD are right,

bringing joy to the heart;

the commandments of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

9The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever;

the judgments of the LORD are true,

being altogether righteous.

10They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.

11By them indeed Your servant is warned;

in keeping them is great reward.

12Who can discern his own errors?

Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

13Keep Your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then I will be blameless

and cleansed of great transgression.

14May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in Your sight,

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Footnotes:

3 a Or There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard
4 b LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew their measuring line
4 c Cited in Romans 10:18

Psalm 20
Psalm 20

The Day of Trouble

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;

may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

2May He send you help from the sanctuary

and sustain you from Zion.

3May He remember all your gifts

and look favorably on your burnt offerings.

Selah

4May He give you the desires of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

5May we shout for joy at your victory

and raise a banner in the name of our God.

May the LORD grant all your petitions.

6Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;

He answers him from His holy heaven

with the saving power of His right hand.

7Some trust in chariots and others in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

8They collapse and fall,

but we rise up and stand firm.

9O LORD, savea the king.

Answer us on the day we call.

9 a Or give victory to

Psalm 21
Psalm 21

After the Battle
(Proverbs 21:1–31)

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength.

How greatly he exults in Your salvation!

2You have granted his heart’s desire

and have not withheld the request of his lips.

Selah

3For You welcomed him with rich blessings;

You placed on his head a crown of pure gold.

4He asked You for life, and You granted it—

length of days, forever and ever.

5Great is his glory in Your salvation;

You bestow on him splendor and majesty.

6For You grant him blessings forever;

You cheer him with joy in Your presence.

7For the king trusts in the LORD;

through the loving devotion of the Most High,

he will not be shaken.

8Your hand will apprehend all Your enemies;

Your right hand will seize those who hate You.

9You will place them in a fiery furnace

at the time of Your appearing.

In His wrath the LORD will engulf them,

and the fire will consume them.

10You will wipe their descendants from the earth,

and their offspring from the sons of men.

11Though they intend You harm,

the schemes they devise will not prevail.

12For You will put them to flight

when Your bow is trained upon them.

13Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength;

we will sing and praise Your power.


Psalm 22
Psalm 22

The Psalm of the Cross
(Matthew 27:32–56; Mark 15:21–41; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–30)

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.

1My God, my God,

why have You forsaken me?a

Why are You so far from saving me,

so far from my words of groaning?

2I cry out by day, O my God,

but You do not answer,

and by night,

but I have no rest.

3Yet You are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4In You our fathers trusted;

they trusted and You delivered them.

5They cried out to You and were set free;

they trusted in You and were not disappointed.

6But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by men and despised by the people.

7All who see me mock me;

they sneer and shake their heads:

8“He trusts in the LORD,

let the LORD deliver him;

let the LORD rescue him,

since He delights in him.”b

9Yet You brought me forth from the womb;

You made me secure at my mother’s breast.

10From birth I was cast upon You;

from my mother’s womb You have been my God.

11Be not far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is no one to help.

12Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13They open their jaws against me

like lions that roar and maul.

14I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are disjointed.

My heart is like wax;

it melts away within me.

15My strengthc is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You lay me in the dust of death.

16For dogs surround me;

a band of evil men encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet.d

17I can count all my bones;

they stare and gloat over me.

18They divide my garments among them

and cast lots for my clothing.e

19But You, O LORD, be not far off;

O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

20Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of wild dogs.

21Save me from the mouth of the lion;

at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!

22I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;

I will praise You in the assembly.f

23You who fear the LORD, praise Him!

All descendants of Jacob, honor Him!

All offspring of Israel, revere Him!

24For He has not despised or detested

the torment of the afflicted.

He has not hidden His face from him,

but has attended to his cry for help.

25My praise for You resounds in the great assembly;

I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.

26The poor will eat and be satisfied;

those who seek the LORD will praise Him.

May your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth

will remember and turn to the LORD.

All the families of the nations

will bow down before Him.

28For dominion belongs to the LORD

and He rules over the nations.

29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;

all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—

even those unable to preserve their lives.

30Posterity will serve Him;

they will declare the Lord to a new generation.

31They will come and proclaim His righteousness

to a people yet unborn—

all that He has done.

Footnotes:

1 a Cited in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34
8 b Cited in Matthew 27:43
15 c MT; or My mouth, a possible reading of the original Hebrew text
16 d DSS, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most MT like a lion at my hands and feet
18 e Cited in John 19:24; see also Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, and Luke 23:34
22 f LXX I will sing Your praises in the assembly; cited in Hebrews 2:12.

Psalm 23
Psalm 23

The LORD Is My Shepherd
(Ezekiel 34:11–24; John 10:1–21)

1A Psalm of David.

1The LORD is my shepherd;a

I shall not want.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

for the sake of His name.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,b

I will fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely goodness and mercy will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

Footnotes:

1 a See Revelation 7:17.
4 b Or the valley of deep darkness

Psalm 24
Psalm 24

The Earth Is the LORD’s

1A Psalm of David.

1The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof,a

the world and all who dwell therein.

2For He has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters.

3Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?

Who may stand in His holy place?

4He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to an idolb

or swear deceitfully.

5He will receive blessing from the LORD

and vindication from the God of his salvation.

6Such is the generation of those who seek Him,

who seek Your face, O God of Jacob.c

Selah

7Lift up your heads, O gates!

Be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of Glory may enter!

8Who is this King of Glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

the LORD mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O gates!

Be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of Glory may enter!

10Who is He, this King of Glory?

The LORD of Hosts—

He is the King of Glory.

Selah

Footnotes:

1 a Cited in 1 Corinthians 10:26
4 b Or to falsehood or to vanity
6 c LXX, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; MT who seek your face, O Jacob

Psalm 25
Psalm 25

To You I Lift Up My Soul

1Of David.a

1To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2in You, my God, I trust.

Do not let me be put to shame;

do not let my enemies exult over me.

3Surely none who wait for You will be put to shame;

but those who are faithless without cause will be disgraced.

4Show me Your ways, O LORD;

teach me Your paths.

5Guide me in Your truth and teach me,

for You are the God of my salvation;

all day long I wait for You.

6Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and loving devotion,

for they are from age to age.

7Remember not the sins of my youth,

nor my rebellious acts;

remember me according to Your loving devotion,

because of Your goodness, O LORD.

8Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore He shows sinners the way.

9He guides the humble in what is right

and teaches them His way.

10All the LORD’s ways are loving and faithful

to those who keep His covenant and His decrees.

11For the sake of Your name, O LORD,

forgive my iniquity, for it is great.

12Who is the man who fears the LORD?

He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.

13His soul will dwell in prosperity,

and his descendants will inherit the land.

14The LORD confides in those who fear Him,

and reveals His covenant to them.

15My eyes are always on the LORD,

for He will free my feet from the mesh.

16Turn to me and be gracious,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

17The troubles of my heart increase;

free me from my distress.

18Consider my affliction and trouble,

and take away all my sins.

19Consider my enemies, for they are many,

and they hate me with vicious hatred.

20Guard my soul and deliver me;

let me not be put to shame,

for I take refuge in You.

21May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

because I wait for You.b

22Redeem Israel, O God,

from all its distress.

Footnotes:

1 a This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
21 b Or because my hope is in You; LXX because I wait for You, O Lord

Psalm 26
Psalm 26

Vindicate Me, O LORD

1Of David.

1Vindicate me, O LORD!

For I have walked with integrity;

I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

2Test me, O LORD, and try me;

examine my hearta and mind.

3For Your loving devotion is before my eyes,

and I have walked in Your truth.

4I do not sit with deceitful men,

nor keep company with hypocrites.

5I hate the mob of evildoers,

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

6I wash my hands in innocence

that I may go about Your altar, O LORD,

7to raise my voice in thanksgiving

and declare all Your wonderful works.

8O LORD, I love the house where You dwell,

the place where Your glory resides.

9Do not take my soul away with sinners,

or my life with men of bloodshed,

10in whose hands are wicked schemes,

whose right hands are full of bribes.

11But I will walk with integrity;

redeem me and be merciful to me.

12My feet stand on level ground;

in the congregations I will bless the LORD.

Footnotes:

2 a Hebrew my kidneys

Psalm 27
Psalm 27

The LORD Is My Salvation

1Of David.

1The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

whom shall I dread?

2When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh,

my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.

3Though an army encamps around me,

my heart will not fear;

though a war breaks out against me,

I will keep my trust.

4One thing I have asked of the LORD;

this is what I desire:

to dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD

and seek Him in His temple.

5For in the day of trouble

He will hide me in His shelter;

He will conceal me under the cover of His tent;

He will set me high upon a rock.

6Then my head will be held high

above my enemies around me.

At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call;

be merciful and answer me.

8My heart said, “Seek His face.”

Your face, O LORD, I will seek.

9Hide not Your face from me,

nor turn away Your servant in anger.

You have been my helper;

do not leave me or forsake me,

O God of my salvation.

10Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.

11Teach me Your way, O LORD,

and lead me on a level path,

because of my oppressors.

12Do not hand me over to the will of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

breathing out violence.

13Still I am certain to see

the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

14Wait patiently for the LORD;

be strong and courageous.

Wait patiently for the LORD!


Psalm 28
Psalm 28

The LORD Is My Strength

1Of David.

1To You, O LORD, I call;

be not deaf to me, O my Rock.

For if You remain silent,

I will be like those descending to the Pit.

2Hear my cry for mercy

when I call to You for help,

when I lift up my hands

toward Your holy sanctuary.a

3Do not drag me away with the wicked,

and with the workers of iniquity,

who speak peace to their neighbors

while malice is in their hearts.

4Repay them according to their deeds

and for their works of evil.

Repay them for what their hands have done;

bring back on them what they deserve.

5Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD

or what His hands have done,

He will tear them down

and never rebuild them.

6Blessed be the LORD,

for He has heard my cry for mercy.

7The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart rejoices,

and I give thanks to Him with my song.

8The LORD is the strength of His people,

a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.

9Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;

shepherd them and carry them forever.

Footnotes:

2 a Or Your innermost sanctuary or Your Most Holy Place

Psalm 29
Psalm 29

Ascribe Glory to the LORD

1A Psalm of David.

1Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,a

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

2Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;

worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.b

3The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders;

the LORD is heard over many waters.

4The voice of the LORD is powerful;

the voice of the LORD is majestic.

5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;

the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,

and Sirionc like a young wild ox.

7The voice of the LORD

strikes with flames of fire.

8The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;

the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.

9The voice of the LORD twists the oaksd

and strips the forests bare.

And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”

10The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;

the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

11The LORD gives His people strength;

the LORD blesses His people with peace.

Footnotes:

1 a Or sons of God or sons of might
2 b Or in holy attire
6 c That is, Mount Hermon
9 d Or LORD makes the deer to calve

Psalm 30
Psalm 30

You Turned My Mourning into Dancing

1A Psalm. A song for the dedication of the temple. Of David.

1I will exalt You, O LORD,

for You have lifted me up

and have not allowed my foes

to rejoice over me.

2O LORD my God, I cried to You for help,

and You healed me.

3O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol;

You spared me from descending into the Pit.

4Sing to the LORD, O you His saints,

and praise His holy name.a

5For His anger is fleeting,

but His favor lasts a lifetime.

Weeping may stay the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

6In prosperity I said,

“I will never be shaken.”

7O LORD, You favored me;

You made my mountain stand strong.

When You hid Your face,

I was dismayed.

8To You, O LORD, I called,

and I begged my Lord for mercy:

9“What gain is there in my bloodshed,b

in my descent to the Pit?c

Will the dust praise You?

Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?

10Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy;

O LORD, be my helper.”

11You turned my mourning into dancing;

You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.

Footnotes:

4 a Or and praise the memorial of His holiness; see Exodus 3:15.
9 b Or in my destruction
9 c Or to corruption

Psalm 31
Psalm 31

Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit
(Luke 23:44–49)

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

save me by Your righteousness.

2Incline Your ear to me;

come quickly to my rescue.

Be my rock of refuge,

the stronghold of my deliverance.

3For You are my rock and my fortress;

lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.

4You free me from the net laid out for me,

for You are my refuge.

5Into Your hands I commit my spirit;a

You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.

6I hateb those who cling to worthless idols,

but in the LORD I trust.

7I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion,

for You have seen my affliction;

You have known the anguish of my soul.

8You have not delivered me to the enemy;

You have set my feet in the open.

9Be merciful to me, O LORD,

for I am in distress;

my eyes fail from sorrow,

my soul and body as well.

10For my life is consumed with grief

and my years with groaning;

my iniquity has drained my strength,

and my bones are wasting away.

11Among all my enemies I am a disgrace,

and among my neighbors even more.

I am dreaded by my friends—

they flee when they see me on the street.

12I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind.

I am like a broken vessel.

13For I hear the slander of many;

there is terror on every side.

They conspire against me

and plot to take my life.

14But I trust in You, O LORD;

I say, “You are my God.”

15My times are in Your hands;

deliver me from my enemies

and from those who pursue me.

16Make Your face shine on Your servant;

save me by Your loving devotion.

17O LORD, let me not be ashamed,

for I have called on You.

Let the wicked be put to shame;

let them lie silent in Sheol.

18May lying lips be silenced—

lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous,

full of pride and contempt.

19How great is Your goodness

which You have laid up for those who fear You,

which You have bestowed before the sons of men

on those who take refuge in You!

20You hide them in the secret place of Your presence

from the schemes of men.

You conceal them in Your shelter

from accusing tongues.

21Blessed be the LORD,

for He has shown me His loving devotion

in a city under siege.

22In my alarm I said,

“I am cut off from Your sight!”

But You heard my plea for mercy

when I called to You for help.

23Love the LORD, all His saints.

The LORD preserves the faithful,

but fully repays the arrogant.

24Be strong and courageous,

all you who hope in the LORD.

Footnotes:

5 a Cited in Luke 23:46
6 b MT; one Hebrew manuscript, LXX, and Syriac You hate

Psalm 32
Psalm 32

The Joy of Forgiveness
(Romans 4:1–12)

1Of David. A Maskil.a

1Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered.b

2Blessed is the man

whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him,c

in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3When I kept silent, my bones became brittle

from my groaning all day long.

4For day and night

Your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was drainedd

as in the summer heat.

Selah

5Then I acknowledged my sin to You

and did not hide my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”

and You forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah

6Therefore let all the godly pray to You

while You may be found.

Surely when great waters rise,

they will not come near.

7You are my hiding place.

You protect me from trouble;

You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah

8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;

I will give you counsel and watch over you.

9Do not be like the horse or mule,

which have no understanding;

they must be controlled with bit and bridle

to make them come to you.

10Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.

11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones;

shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Footnotes:

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
1 b LXX Blessed is he whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered; cited in Romans 4:7
2 c LXX Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him; cited in Romans 4:8
4 d Or my vitality was turned

Psalm 33
Psalm 33

Praise to the Creator
(Psalm 148:1–14)

1Rejoice in the LORD, O righteous ones;

it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.

2Praise the LORD with the harp;

make music to Him with ten strings.

3Sing to Him a new song;

play skillfully with a shout of joy.

4For the word of the LORD is upright,

and all His work is trustworthy.

5The LORD loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of His loving devotion.

6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.

7He piles up the waters of the sea;

He puts the depths into storehouses.

8Let all the earth fear the LORD;

let all the people of the world revere Him.

9For He spoke, and it came to be;

He commanded, and it stood firm.

10The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations;

He thwarts the devices of the peoples.

11The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

the purposes of His heart to all generations.

12Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people He has chosen as His inheritance!

13The LORD looks down from heaven;

He sees all the sons of men.

14From His dwelling place He gazes

on all who inhabit the earth.

15He shapes the hearts of each;

He considers all their works.

16No king is saved by his vast army;

no warrior is delivered by his great strength.

17A horse is a vain hope for salvation;

even its great strength cannot save.

18Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him,

on those whose hope is in His loving devotion

19to deliver them from death

and keep them alive in famine.

20Our soul waits for the LORD;

He is our help and our shield.

21For our hearts rejoice in Him,

since we trust in His holy name.

22May Your loving devotion rest on us, O LORD,

as we put our hope in You.


Psalm 34
Psalm 34

Taste and See That the LORD Is Good
(1 Samuel 21:8–15)

1Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech,a so that the king drove him away.b

1I will bless the LORD at all times;

His praise will always be on my lips.

2My soul boasts in the LORD;

let the oppressed hear and rejoice.

3Magnify the LORD with me;

let us exalt His name together.

4I sought the LORD, and He answered me;

He delivered me from all my fears.

5Those who look to Him are radiant with joy;

their faces shall never be ashamed.

6This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him;

He saved him from all his troubles.

7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,

and he delivers them.

8Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

9Fear the LORD, you His saints,

for those who fear Him lack nothing.

10Young lions go lacking and hungry,

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

11Come, children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12Who is the man who delights in life,

who desires to see good days?

13Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from deceitful speech.

14Turn away from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,

and His ears are inclined to their cry.c

16But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,d

to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.

17The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears;

He delivers them from all their troubles.

18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted;

He saves the contrite in spirit.

19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him from them all.

20He protects all his bones;

not one of them will be broken.e

21Evil will slay the wicked,

and the haters of the righteous will be condemned.

22The LORD redeems His servants,

and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Footnotes:

1 a Abimelech is another name for Achish; see 1 Samuel 21–29 and 1 Kings 2:39.
1 b This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
15 c LXX to their prayer
16 d Cited in 1 Peter 3:10–12
20 e Cited in John 19:36

Psalm 35
Psalm 35

Contend with My Opponents, O LORD

1Of David.

1Contend with my opponents, O LORD;

fight against those who fight against me.

2Take up Your shield and buckler;

arise and come to my aid.

3Draw the spear and javelina against my pursuers;

say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”

4May those who seek my life

be disgraced and put to shame;

may those who plan to harm me

be driven back and confounded.

5May they be like chaff in the wind,

as the angel of the LORD drives them away.

6May their path be dark and slick,

as the angel of the LORD pursues.

7For without cause they laid their net for me;

without reason they dug a pit for my soul.

8May ruin befall them by surprise;

may the net they hid ensnare them;

may they fall into the hazard they created.

9Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD

and exult in His salvation.

10All my bones will exclaim,

“Who is like You, O LORD,

who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor,

the poor and needy from the robber?”

11Hostile witnesses come forward;

they make charges I know nothing about.

12They repay me evil for good,

to the bereavement of my soul.

13Yet when they were ill,

I put on sackcloth;

I humbled myself with fasting,

but my prayers returned unanswered.b

14I paced about

as for my friend or brother;

I was bowed down with grief,

like one mourning for his mother.

15But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee;

they gathered together against me.

Assailants I did not know

slandered me without ceasing.

16Like godless jesters at a feast,c

they gnashed their teeth at me.

17How long, O Lord, will You look on?

Rescue my soul from their ravages,

my precious life from these lions.

18Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly;

I will praise You among many people.

19Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause,

nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.d

20For they do not speak peace,

but they devise deceitful schemes

against those who live quietly in the land.

21They gape at me and say,

“Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”

22O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent.

O Lord, be not far from me.

23Awake and rise to my defense,

to my cause, my God and my Lord!

24Vindicate me by Your righteousness, O LORD my God,

and do not let them gloat over me.

25Let them not say in their hearts,

“Aha, just what we wanted!”

Let them not say,

“We have swallowed him up!”

26May those who gloat in my distress

be ashamed and confounded;

may those who exalt themselves over me

be clothed in shame and reproach.

27May those who favor my vindication

shout for joy and gladness;

may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD

who delights in His servant’s well-being.”

28Then my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness

and Your praises all day long.

Footnotes:

3 a Or and close the way
13 b Literally returned to my bosom
16 c Or Like a godless circle of mockers,
19 d See John 15:25.

Psalm 36
Psalm 36

The Transgression of the Wicked

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD.

1An oracle is in my heart

regarding the transgression of the wicked man:

There is no fear of God

before his eyes.a

2For his eyes are too full of conceit

to detect or hate his own sin.

3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;

he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.

4Even on his bed he plots wickedness;

he sets himself on a path that is not good;

he fails to reject evil.

5Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,

Your faithfulness to the clouds.

6Your righteousness is like the highest mountains;

Your judgments are like the deepest sea.

O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

7How precious is Your loving devotion, O God,

that the children of men take refuge

in the shadow of Your wings!

8They feast on the abundance of Your house,

and You give them drink from Your river of delights.

9For with You is the fountain of life;

in Your light we see light.

10Extend Your loving devotion to those who know You,

and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

11Let not the foot of the proud come against me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12There the evildoers lie fallen,

thrown down and unable to rise.

1 a Cited in Romans 3:18

Psalm 37
Psalm 37

Delight Yourself in the LORD
(1 Kings 2:1–9)

1Of David.a

1Do not fret over those who do evil;

do not envy those who do wrong.

2For they wither quickly like grass

and wilt like tender plants.

3Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4Delight yourself in the LORD,

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in Him, and He will do it.

6He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn,

your justice like the noonday sun.

7Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for Him;

do not fret when men prosper in their ways,

when they carry out wicked schemes.

8Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;

do not fret—it can only bring harm.

9For the evildoers will be cut off,

but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

11But the meek will inherit the landb

and delight in abundant prosperity.

12The wicked scheme against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them,

13but the Lord laughs,

seeing that their day is coming.

14The wicked have drawn the sword

and bent the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16Better is the little of the righteous

than the abundance of many who are wicked.

17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18The LORD knows the days of the blameless,

and their inheritance will last forever.

19In the time of evil they will not be ashamed,

and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

20But the wicked and enemies of the LORD

will perish like the glory of the fields.

They will vanish;

like smoke they will fade away.

21The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous are gracious and giving.

22Surely those He blesses will inherit the land,

but the cursed will be destroyed.

23The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD

who takes delight in his journey.

24Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,

for the LORD is holding his hand.c

25I once was young and now am old,

yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned

or their children begging for bread.

26They are ever generous and quick to lend,

and their children are a blessing.

27Turn away from evil and do good,

so that you will abide forever.

28For the LORD loves justice

and will not forsake His saints.

They are preserved forever,

but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.

29The righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it forever.

30The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.

31The law of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not falter.

32Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

and seek to slay them,

33the LORD will not leave them in their power

or let them be condemned under judgment.

34Wait for the LORD and keep His way,

and He will raise you up to inherit the land.

When the wicked are cut off,

you will see it.

35I have seen a wicked, ruthless man

flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,

36yet he passed away and was no more;

though I searched, he could not be found.

37Consider the blameless and observe the upright,

for posterity awaits the man of peace.d

38But the transgressors will all be destroyed;

the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40The LORD helps and delivers them;

He rescues and saves them from the wicked,

because they take refuge in Him.

Footnotes:

1 a This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
11 b Or the earth; see Matthew 5:5.
24 c Or upholds him with His hand
37 d Or for there is a future for the man of peace

Psalm 38
Psalm 38

Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger
(Psalm 6:1–10)

1A Psalm of David, for remembrance.

1O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger

or discipline me in Your wrath.

2For Your arrows have pierced me deeply,

and Your hand has pressed down on me.

3There is no soundness in my body

because of Your anger;

there is no rest in my bones

because of my sin.

4For my iniquities have overwhelmed me;

they are a burden too heavy to bear.

5My wounds are foul and festering

because of my sinful folly.

6I am bent and brought low;

all day long I go about mourning.

7For my loins are full of burning pain,

and no soundness remains in my body.

8I am numb and badly crushed;

I groan in anguish of heart.

9O Lord, my every desire is before You;

my groaning is not hidden from You.

10My heart pounds, my strength fails,

and even the light of my eyes has faded.

11My beloved and friends shun my disease,

and my kinsmen stand at a distance.

12Those who seek my life lay snares;

those who wish me harm speak destruction,

plotting deceit all day long.

13But like a deaf man, I do not hear;

and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth.

14I am like a man who cannot hear,

whose mouth offers no reply.

15I wait for You, O LORD;

You will answer, O Lord my God.

16For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—

those who taunt me when my foot slips.”

17For I am ready to fall,

and my pain is ever with me.

18Yes, I confess my iniquity;

I am troubled by my sin.

19Many are my enemies without cause,a

and many hate me without reason.b

20Those who repay my good with evil

attack me for pursuing the good.

21Do not forsake me, O LORD;

be not far from me, O my God.

22Come quickly to help me,

O Lord my Savior.

Footnotes:

19 a One DSS manuscript; MT My enemies are vigorous and strong
19 b See John 15:25

Psalm 39
Psalm 39

I Will Watch My Ways

1For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1I said, “I will watch my ways

so that I will not sin with my tongue;

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle

as long as the wicked are present.”

2I was speechless and still;

I remained silent, even from speaking good,

and my sorrow was stirred.

3My heart grew hot within me;

as I mused, the fire burned.

Then I spoke with my tongue:

4“Show me, O LORD, my end

and the measure of my days.

Let me know how fleeting my life is.

5You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths,

and my lifetime as nothing before You.

Truly each man at his best

exists as but a breath.

Selah

6Surely every man goes about like a phantom;

surely he bustles in vain;

he heaps up riches

not knowing who will haul them away.

7And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?

My hope is in You.

8Deliver me from all my transgressions;

do not make me the reproach of fools.

9I have become mute;

I do not open my mouth

because of what You have done.

10Remove Your scourge from me;

I am perishing by the force of Your hand.

11You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity,

consuming like a moth what he holds dear;

surely each man is but a vapor.

Selah

12Hear my prayer, O LORD,

and give ear to my cry for help;

do not be deaf to my weeping.

For I am a foreigner dwelling with You,

a stranger like all my fathers.

13Turn Your gaze away from me,

that I may again be cheered

before I depart and am no more.”


Psalm 40
Psalm 40

I Waited Patiently for the LORD
(Psalm 70:1–5; Hebrews 10:1–18)

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1I waited patiently for the LORD;

He inclined to me and heard my cry.

2He lifted me up from the pit of despair,

out of the miry clay;

He set my feet upon a rock,

and made my footsteps firm.

3He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the LORD.

4Blessed is the man

who has made the LORD his trust,

who has not turned to the proud,

nor to those who lapse into falsehood.a

5Many, O LORD my God,

are the wonders You have done,

and the plans You have for us—

none can compare to You—

if I proclaim and declare them,

they are more than I can count.

6Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,

but my ears You have opened.b

Burnt offerings and sin offerings

You did not require.

7Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—

it is written about me in the scroll:

8I delight to do Your will, O my God;c

Your law is within my heart.”

9I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;

behold, I do not seal my lips,

as You, O LORD, do know.

10I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart;

I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation;

I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness

from the great assembly.

11O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me;

Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.

12For evils without number surround me;

my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see.

They are more than the hairs of my head,

and my heart has failed within me.

13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;

hurry, O LORD, to help me.

14May those who seek my life

be ashamed and confounded;

may those who wish me harm

be repelled and humiliated.

15May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”

be appalled at their own shame.

16May all who seek You

rejoice and be glad in You;

may those who love Your salvation

always say, “The LORD be magnified!”

17But I am poor and needy;

may the Lord think of me.

You are my helper and deliverer;

O my God, do not delay.

Footnotes:

4 a Or who turn aside to false gods or who run after lies
6 b Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts but a body You prepared for me
8 c Cited in Hebrews 10:5–7

Psalm 41
Psalm 41

Victory over Betrayal
(John 13:18–30)

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1Blessed is the one who cares for the poor;

the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble.

2The LORD will protect and preserve him;

He will bless him in the land

and refuse to surrender him

to the will of his foes.

3The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness

and restore him from his bed of sickness.

4I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;

heal me, for I have sinned against You.”

5My enemies say with malice:

“When will he die and be forgotten?”

6My visitor speaks falsehood;

he gathers slander in his heart;

he goes out and spreads it abroad.

7All who hate me whisper against me;

they imagine the worst for me:

8“A vile disease has been poured into him;

he will never get up from where he lies!”

9Even my close friend whom I trusted,

the one who shared my bread,

has lifted up his heel against me.a

10But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up,

that I may repay them.

11By this I know that You delight in me,

for my enemy does not triumph over me.

12In my integrity You uphold me

and set me in Your presence forever.

13Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and Amen.

9 a Cited in John 13:18

Psalm 42
Psalm 42

BOOK II

Psalms 42–72

As the Deer Pants for the Water

1For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.a

1As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul longs after You, O God.

2My soul thirsts for God, the living God.

When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?b

3My tears have been my food

both day and night,

while men ask me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

4These things come to mind as I pour out my soul:

how I walked with the multitude,

leading the procession to the house of God

with shouts of joy and praise.

5Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why the unease within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him

for the salvation of His presence.

6O my God, my soul despairs within me.

Therefore I remember You

from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—

even from Mount Mizar.

7Deep calls to deep

in the roar of Your waterfalls;

all Your breakers and waves

have rolled over me.

8The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day,

and at night His song is with me

as a prayer to the God of my life.

9I say to God my Rock,

“Why have You forgotten me?

Why must I walk in sorrow

because of the enemy’s oppression?”

10Like the crushing of my bones,

my enemies taunt me,

while they say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

11Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why the unease within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God.

Footnotes:

1 a In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm. Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
2 b Or and see the face of God?

Psalm 43
Psalm 43

Send Out Your Light

1Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case

against an ungodly nation;

deliver me from deceitful and unjust men.

2For You are the God of my refuge.

Why have You rejected me?

Why must I walk in sorrow

because of the enemy’s oppression?

3Send out Your light and Your truth;

let them lead me.

Let them bring me to Your holy mountain,

and to the place where You dwell.

4Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God, my greatest joy.

I will praise You with the harp,

O God, my God.

5Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why the unease within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God.


Psalm 44
Psalm 44

Redeem Us, O God
(Romans 8:35–39)

1For the choirmaster. A Maskila of the sons of Korah.

1We have heard with our ears, O God;

our fathers have told us

the work You did in their days,

in the days of old.

2With Your hand You drove out the nations

and planted our fathers there;

You crushed the peoples

and cast them out.

3For it was not by their sword that they took the land;

their arm did not bring them victory.

It was by Your right hand,

Your arm, and the light of Your face,

because You favored them.

4You are my King, O God,

who ordains victories for Jacob.

5Through You we repel our foes;

through Your name we trample our enemies.

6For I do not trust in my bow,

nor does my sword save me.b

7For You save us from our enemies;

You put those who hate us to shame.

8In God we have boasted all day long,

and Your name we will praise forever.

Selah

9But You have rejected and humbled us;

You no longer go forth with our armies.

10You have made us retreat from the foe,

and those who hate us have plundered us.

11You have given us up as sheep to be devoured;

You have scattered us among the nations.

12You sell Your people for nothing;

no profit do You gain from their sale.

13You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,

a mockery and derision to those around us.

14You have made us a byword among the nations,

a laughingstockc among the peoples.

15All day long my disgrace is before me,

and shame has covered my face,

16at the voice of the scorner and reviler,

because of the enemy, bent on revenge.

17All this has come upon us,

though we have not forgotten You

or betrayed Your covenant.

18Our hearts have not turned back;

our steps have not strayed from Your path.

19But You have crushed us in the lair of jackals;d

You have covered us with deepest darkness.

20If we had forgotten the name of our God

or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

21would not God have discovered,

since He knows the secrets of the heart?

22Yet for Your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.e

23Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping?

Arise! Do not reject us forever.

24Why do You hide Your face

and forget our affliction and oppression?

25For our soul has sunk to the dust;

our bodies cling to the earth.

26Rise up; be our help!

Redeem us on account of Your loving devotion.

Footnotes:

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
6 b Or give me victory; similarly in verse 7
14 c Literally a shaking of the head
19 d Or serpents or dragons
22 e Cited in Romans 8:36

Psalm 45
Psalm 45

My Heart Is Stirred by a Noble Theme
(1 Kings 3:1–15; 2 Chronicles 1:1–13; Psalm 72:1–20)

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies.” A Maskila of the sons of Korah. A love song.

1My heart is stirred by a noble theme

as I recite my verses to the king;b

my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

2You are the most handsome of men;

grace has anointed your lips,

since God has blessed you forever.

3Strap your sword at your side, O mighty warrior;

appear in your majesty and splendor.

4In your splendor ride forth in victory

on behalf of truth and humility and justice;

may your right hand show your awesome deeds.

5Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s foes;

the nations fall beneath your feet.

6Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever,

and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.

7You have loved righteousness

and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

above your companions with the oil of joy.c

8All your garments are fragrant

with myrrh and aloes and cassia;

from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad.

9The daughters of kings are among your honored women;

the queen stands at your right hand,

adorned with the gold of Ophir.

10Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear:

Forget your people and your father’s house,

11and the king will desire your beauty;

bow to him, for he is your lord.

12The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;

men of wealth will seek your favor.

13All glorious is the princess in her chamber;

her gown is embroidered with gold.

14In colorful garments she is led to the king;

her virgin companions are brought before you.

15They are led in with joy and gladness;

they enter the palace of the king.

16Your sons will succeed your fathers;

you will make them princes throughout the land.

17I will commemorate your name through all generations;

therefore the nations will praise you forever and ever.

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
1 b Or King; here and throughout Psalm 45
7 c Cited in Hebrews 1:8–9

Psalm 46
Psalm 46

God Is Our Refuge and Strength
(2 Kings 18:13–16; 2 Chronicles 32:1–8)

1For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.a A song.

1God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in times of trouble.

2Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth is transformed

and the mountains are toppled

into the depths of the seas,

3though their waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake in the surge.

Selah

4There is a river whose streams delight the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5God is within her; she will not be moved.

God will help her when morning dawns.

6Nations rage, kingdoms crumble;

the earth melts when He lifts His voice.

7The LORD of Hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

8Come, see the works of the LORD,

who brings devastation upon the earth.

9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth;

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

He burns the shieldsb in the fire.

10“Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted over the earth.”

11The LORD of Hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

Footnotes:

1 a Alamoth is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:20.
9 b Or chariots

Psalm 47
Psalm 47

Clap Your Hands, All You Peoples

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1Clap your hands, all you peoples;

shout unto God with a voice of triumph.

2How awesome is the LORD Most High,

the great King over all the earth!

3He subdues nations beneath us,

and peoples under our feet.

4He chooses our inheritance for us,

the pride of Jacob, whom He loves.

Selah

5God has ascended amid shouts of joy,

the LORD with the sound of the horn.

6Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7For God is King of all the earth;

sing profound praises to Him.a

8God reigns over the nations;

God is seated on His holy throne.

9The nobles of the nations have assembled

as the people of the God of Abraham;

for the shields of the earth belong to God;

He is highly exalted.

Footnotes:

7 a Or sing a Maskil of praise or sing praises with understanding

Psalm 48
Psalm 48

Broken Bondage

1A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1Great is the LORD,

and greatly to be praised

in the city of our God,

His holy mountain.

2Beautiful in loftiness,

the joy of all the earth,

like the peaks of Zaphona is Mount Zion,

the city of the great King.

3God is in her citadels;

He has shown Himself to be a fortress.

4For behold, the kings assembled;

they all advanced together.

5They saw and were astounded;

they fled in terror.

6Trembling seized them there,

anguish like a woman in labor.

7With a wind from the east

You wrecked the ships of Tarshish.b

8As we have heard, so we have seen

in the city of the LORD of Hosts,

in the city of our God:

God will establish her forever.

Selah

9Within Your temple, O God,

we contemplate Your loving devotion.

10Your name, O God, like Your praise,

reaches to the ends of the earth;

Your right hand is full of righteousness.

11Mount Zion is glad,

the daughtersc of Judah rejoice,

on account of Your judgments.

12March around Zion, encircle her,

count her towers,

13consider her ramparts, tour her citadels,

that you may tell the next generation.

14For this God is our God forever and ever;

He will be our guide even till death.d

Footnotes:

2 a Or in the far north; the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites was Zaphon
7 b Or a fleet of trading ships
11 c Or the villages
14 d Or He will guide us beyond death

Psalm 49
Psalm 49

The Evanescence of Wealth
(Ecclesiastes 5:8–20)

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1Hear this, all you peoples;

listen, all inhabitants of the world,

2both low and high,

rich and poor alike.

3My mouth will impart wisdom,

and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

4I will incline my ear to a proverb;

I will express my riddle with the harp:

5Why should I fear in times of trouble,

when wicked usurpers surround me?

6They trust in their wealth

and boast in their great riches.

7No man can possibly redeem his brothera

or pay his ransom to God.

8For the redemption of his soul is costly,

and never can payment suffice,

9that he should live on forever

and not see decay.

10For it is clear that wise men die,

and the foolish and the senseless both perish

and leave their wealth to others.

11Their gravesb are their eternal homes—

their dwellings for endless generations—

even though their lands were their namesakes.

12But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure;

he is like the beasts that perish.

13This is the fate of the self-confidentc

and their followers who endorse their sayings.

Selah

14Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.

Death will be their shepherd.

The upright will rule them in the morning,

and their form will decay in Sheol,

far from their lofty abode.

15But God will redeem my life from Sheol,

for He will surely take me to Himself.

Selah

16Do not be amazed when a man grows rich,

when the splendor of his house increases.

17For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;

his abundance will not follow him down.

18Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—

and men praise you when you prosper—

19he will join the generation of his fathers,

who will never see the light of day.

20A man who has riches without understanding

is like the beasts that perish.

Footnotes:

7 a Or redeem another
11 b LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic Targum; Hebrew Their inward thoughts
13 c Or the way of the foolish

Psalm 50
Psalm 50

The Mighty One Calls

1A Psalm of Asaph.

1The Mighty One, God the LORD,

speaks and summons the earth

from where the sun rises to where it sets.

2From Zion, perfect in beauty,

God shines forth.

3Our God approaches and will not be silent!

Consuming fire precedes Him,

and a tempest rages around Him.

4He summons the heavens above,

and the earth, that He may judge His people:

5“Gather to Me My saints,

who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

6And the heavens proclaim His righteousness,

for God Himself is Judge.a

Selah

7“Hear, O My people, and I will speak,

O Israel, and I will testify against you:

I am God, your God.

8I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices,

and your burnt offerings are ever before Me.

9I have no need for a bull from your stall

or goats from your pens,

10for every beast of the forest is Mine—

the cattle on a thousand hills.

11I know every bird in the mountains,

and the creatures of the field are Mine.

12If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.

13Do I eat the flesh of bulls,

or drink the blood of goats?

14Sacrifice a thank offering to God,

and fulfill your vows to the Most High.

15Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

16To the wicked, however, God says,

“What right have you to recite My statutes

and to bear My covenant on your lips?

17For you hate My instruction

and cast My words behind you.

18When you see a thief, you befriend him,

and throw in your lot with adulterers.

19You unleash your mouth for evil

and unharness your tongue for deceit.

20You sit and malign your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son.

21You have done these things, and I kept silent;

you thought I wasb just like you.

But now I rebuke you

and accuse you to your face.c

22Now consider this, you who forget God,

lest I tear you to pieces,

with no one to rescue you:

23He who sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,

and to him who rights his way,

I will show the salvation of God.”

Footnotes:

6 a Or He is a God of justice
21 b Or you thought the ‘I AM’ was
21 c Literally and I set it in order before your eyes

Psalm 51
Psalm 51

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
(2 Samuel 12:1–12)

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba.

1Have mercy on me,a O God,

according to Your loving devotion;

according to Your great compassion,

blot out my transgressions.

2Wash me clean of my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

3For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

4Against You, You only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in Your sight,

so that You may be proved right when You speak

and blameless when You judge.b

5Surely I was brought forth in iniquity;

I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

6Surely You desire truth in the inmost being;

You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones You have crushed rejoice.

9Hide Your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquities.

10Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

11Cast me not away from Your presence;

take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

and sustain me with a willing spirit.

13Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

and sinners will return to You.

14Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,

the God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.

15O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare Your praise.

16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and a contrite heart,

O God, You will not despise.

18In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper;

build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,

in whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

Footnotes:

1 a Or Be gracious to me
4 b LXX and victorious when You judge; cited in Romans 3:4

Psalm 52
Psalm 52

Why Do You Boast of Evil?
(1 Samuel 22:6–23)

1For the choirmaster. A Maskila of David. After Doeg the Edomite went to Saul and told him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”

1Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?

The loving devotion of God endures all day long.

2Your tongue devises destruction

like a sharpened razor,

O worker of deceit.

3You love evil more than good,

falsehood more than speaking truth.

Selah

4You love every word that devours,

O deceitful tongue.

5Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin;

He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent;

He will uproot you from the land of the living.

Selah

6The righteous will see and fear;

they will mock the evildoer, saying,

7“Look at the man

who did not make God his refuge,

but trusted in the abundance of his wealth

and strengthened himself by destruction.”

8But I am like an olive tree

flourishing in the house of God;

I trust in the loving devotion of God

forever and ever.

9I will praise You forever,

because You have done it.

I will wait on Your name—

for it is good—

in the presence of Your saints.

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

Psalm 53
Psalm 53

The Fool Says There Is No God
(Psalm 14:1–7; Isaiah 59:1–17; Romans 3:9–20)

1For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath.a A Maskilb of David.

1The fool says in his heart,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt; their ways are vile.

There is no one who does good.

2God looks down from heaven

upon the sons of men

to see if any understand,

if any seek God.

3All have turned away,

they have together become corrupt;c

there is no one who does good,

not even one.d

4Will the workers of iniquity never learn?

They devour my people like bread;

they refuse to call upon God.

5There they are, overwhelmed with dread,

where there was nothing to fear.

For God has scattered the bones

of those who besieged you.

You put them to shame,

for God has despised them.

6Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!

When God restores His captive people,e

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

Footnotes:

1 a Mahalath is probably a musical or liturgical term; see also Psalm 88:1.
1 b Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
3 c LXX worthless
3 d Cited in Romans 3:10–12
6 e Or the fortunes of His people

Psalm 54
Psalm 54

Save Me by Your Name
(1 Samuel 23:7–29)

1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskila of David. When the Ziphites went to Saul and said, “Is David not hiding among us?”

1Save me, O God, by Your name,

and vindicate me by Your might!

2Hear my prayer, O God;

listen to the words of my mouth.

3For strangers rise up against me,

and ruthless men seek my life—

men with no regard for God.

Selah

4Surely God is my helper;

the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.

5He will reward my enemies with evil.

In Your faithfulness, destroy them.

6Freely I will sacrifice to You;

I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.

7For He has delivered me from every trouble,

and my eyes have stared down my foes.

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

Psalm 55
Psalm 55

Cast Your Burden upon the LORD
(2 Samuel 17:15–29)

1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskila of David.

1Listen to my prayer, O God,

and do not ignore my plea.

2Attend to me and answer me.

I am restless in my complaint,

and distraught 3at the voice of the enemy,

at the pressure of the wicked.

For they release disaster upon me

and revile me in their anger.

4My heart murmurs within me,

and the terrors of death assail me.

5Fear and trembling grip me,

and horror has overwhelmed me.

6I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and find rest.

7How far away I would flee!

In the wilderness I would remain.

Selah

8I would hurry to my shelter,

far from this raging tempest.”

9O Lord, confuse and confound their speech,

for I see violence and strife in the city.

10Day and night they encircle the walls,

while malice and trouble lie within.

11Destruction is within;

oppression and deceit never leave the streets.

12For it is not an enemy who insults me;

that I could endure.

It is not a foe who rises against me;

from him I could hide.

13But it is you, a man like myself,

my companion and close friend.

14We shared sweet fellowship together;

we walked with the crowd into the house of God.

15Let death seize them by surprise;

let them go down to Sheol alive,

for evil is with them in their homes.

16But I call to God,

and the LORD saves me.

17Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress,

and He hears my voice.

18He redeems my soul in peace

from the battle waged against me,

even though many oppose me.

19God will hear and humiliate them—

the One enthroned for the ages—

Selah

because they do not change

and they have no fear of God.

20My companion attacks his friends;

he violates his covenant.

21His speech is smooth as butter,

but war is in his heart.

His words are softer than oil,

yet they are swords unsheathed.

22Cast your burden upon the LORD

and He will sustain you;

He will never let the righteous be shaken.

23But You, O God, will bring them down

to the Pit of destruction;

men of bloodshed and deceit

will not live out half their days.

But I will trust in You.

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

Psalm 56
Psalm 56

Be Merciful to Me, O God
(1 Samuel 21:8–15)

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktama of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

1Be merciful to me, O God,

for men are hounding me;

all day they press their attack.

2My enemies pursue me all day long,

for many proudly assail me.

3When I am afraid,

I put my trust in You.

4In God, whose word I praise—

in God I trust.

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

5All day long they twist my words;

all their thoughts are on my demise.

6They conspire, they lurk,

they watch my steps

while they wait to take my life.

7In spite of such sin, will they escape?b

In Your anger, O God, cast down the nations.

8You have taken account of my wanderings.c

Put my tears in Your bottle—

are they not in Your book?

9Then my enemies will retreat

on the day I cry for help.

By this I will know that God is on my side.

10In God, whose word I praise,

in the LORD, whose word I praise,

11in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

12Your vows are upon me, O God;

I will render thank offerings to You.

13For You have delivered my soul from death,

and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before God

in the light of life.

Footnotes:

1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
7 b Or do not let them escape; MT does not include do not.
8 c Or sorrows

Psalm 57
Psalm 57

In You My Soul Takes Refuge
(1 Samuel 22:1–5; Psalm 108:1–13; Psalm 142:1–7)

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktama of David, when he fled from Saul into the cave.

1Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy,

for in You my soul takes refuge.

In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter

until the danger has passed.

2I cry out to God Most High,b

to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

3He reaches down from heaven and saves me;

He rebukes those who trample me.

Selah

God sends forth

His loving devotion and His truth.

4My soul is among the lions;

I lie down with ravenous beasts—

with men whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp swords.

5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

may Your glory cover all the earth.

6They spread a net for my feet;

my soul was despondent.

They dug a pit before me,

but they themselves have fallen into it!

Selah

7My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.

I will sing and make music.

8Awake, my glory!c

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

9I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing Your praises among the peoples.

10For Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens,

and Your faithfulness to the clouds.

11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

may Your glory cover all the earth.

1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
2 b Hebrew Elohim-Elyon
8 c Or Awake, my soul!

Psalm 58
Psalm 58

God Judges the Earth

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktama of David.

1Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers?

Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

2No, in your hearts you devise injustice;

with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.

3The wicked are estranged from the womb;

the liars go astray from birth.

4Their venom is like the venom of a snake,

like a cobra that shuts its ears,

5refusing to hear the tune of the charmer

who skillfully weaves his spell.

6O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths;

O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.

7May they vanish

like water that runs off;

when they draw the bow,

may their arrows be blunted.b

8Like a slug that dissolves in its slime,

like a woman’s stillborn child,

may they never see the sun.

9Before your pots can feel the burning thorns—

whether green or dry—

He will sweep them away.

10The righteous will rejoice

when they see they are avenged;

they will wash their feet

in the blood of the wicked.

11Then men will say,

“There is surely a reward for the righteous!

There is surely a God who judges the earth!”

1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
7 b Or when they are trodden down, may they wither like grass

Psalm 59
Psalm 59

Deliver Me from My Enemies
(1 Samuel 19:1–24)

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktama of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.

1Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

protect me from those who rise against me.

2Deliver me from workers of iniquity,

and save me from men of bloodshed.

3See how they lie in wait for me.

Fierce men conspire against me

for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.

4For no fault of my own,

they move swiftly to attack me.

Arise to help me, and take notice.

5O LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel,

rouse Yourself to punish all the nations;

show no mercy to the wicked traitors.

Selah

6They return in the evening, snarling like dogs

and prowling around the city.

7See what they spew from their mouths—

sharp words from their lips:

“For who can hear us?”

8But You, O LORD, laugh at them;

You scoff at all the nations.

9I will keep watch for You, O my strength,

because You, O God, are my fortress.

10My God of loving devotion will come to meet me;

God will let me stare down my foes.

11Do not kill them,

or my people will forget.

Scatter them by Your power,

and bring them down,

O Lord, our shield.

12By the sins of their mouths

and the words of their lips,

let them be trapped in their pride,

in the curses and lies they utter.

13Consume them in wrath;

consume them till they are no more,

so it may be known to the ends of the earth

that God rules over Jacob.

Selah

14They return in the evening,

snarling like dogs

and prowling around the city.

15They scavenge for food,

and growl if they are not satisfied.

16But I will sing of Your strength

and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning.

For You are my fortress,

my refuge in times of trouble.

17To You, O my strength, I sing praises,

for You, O God, are my fortress,

my God of loving devotion.

1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.

Psalm 60
Psalm 60

Victory with God
(2 Samuel 8:1–14; 1 Chronicles 18:1–13; Psalm 108:1–13)

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktama of David for instruction. When he fought Aram-naharaimb and Aram-zobah,c and Joab returned and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

1You have rejected us, O God;

You have broken us;

You have been angry;

restore us!

2You have shaken the land

and torn it open.

Heal its fractures,

for it is quaking.

3You have shown Your people hardship;

we are staggered from the wine You made us drink.

4You have raised a banner for those who fear You,

that they may flee the bow.d

Selah

5Respond and save us with Your right hand,

that Your beloved may be delivered.

6God has spoken from His sanctuary:e

“I will triumph!

I will parcel out Shechem

and apportion the Valley of Succoth.

7Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;

Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.

8Moab is My washbasin;

upon Edom I toss My sandal;

over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

9Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10Have You not rejected us, O God?

Will You no longer march out, O God, with our armies?

11Give us aid against the enemy,

for the help of man is worthless.

12With God we will perform with valor,

and He will trample our enemies.

Footnotes:

1 a Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.
1 b That is, Mesopotamia; Aram-naharaim means Aram of the two rivers, likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.
1 c That is, the land northeast of Damascus
4 d Or that it may be displayed because of truth
6 e Or in His holiness

Psalm 61
Psalm 61

You Have Heard My Vows

1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. Of David.

1Hear my cry, O God;

attend to my prayer.

2From the ends of the earth I call out to You

whenever my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

that is higher than I.

3For You have been my refuge,

a tower of strength against the enemy.

4Let me dwell in Your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.

Selah

5For You have heard my vows, O God;

You have given me the inheritance

reserved for those who fear Your name.

6Increase the days of the king’s life;

may his years span many generations.

7May he sit enthroned in God’s presence forever;

appoint Your loving devotion

and Your faithfulness to guard him.

8Then I will ever sing praise to Your name

and fulfill my vows day by day.


Psalm 62
Psalm 62

Waiting on God

1For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1In God alone my soul finds rest;

my salvation comes from Him.

2He alone is my rock and my salvation.

He is my fortress;

I will never be shaken.

3How long will you threaten a man?

Will all of you throw him down

like a leaning wall

or a tottering fence?

4They fully intend to cast him down from his lofty perch;

they delight in lies;

with their mouths they bless,

but inwardly they curse.

Selah

5Rest in God alone, O my soul,

for my hope comes from Him.

6He alone is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.

7My salvation and my honor rest on God, my strong rock;

my refuge is in God.

8Trust in Him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts before Him.

God is our refuge.

Selah

9Lowborn men are but a vapor,

the exalted but a lie.

Weighed on the scale, they go up;

together they are but a vapor.

10Place no trust in extortion,

or false hope in stolen goods.

If your riches increase,

do not set your heart upon them.

11God has spoken once;

I have heard this twice:

that power belongs to God,

12and loving devotion to You, O Lord.

For You will repay each man

according to his deeds.a

12 a Cited in Romans 2:6

Psalm 63
Psalm 63

Thirsting for God
(2 Samuel 15:30–37)

1A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

1O God, You are my God.

Earnestly I seek You;

my soul thirsts for You.

My body yearns for You

in a dry and weary land without water.

2So I have seen You in the sanctuary

and beheld Your power and glory.

3Because Your loving devotion is better than life,

my lips will glorify You.

4So I will bless You as long as I live;

in Your name I will lift my hands.

5My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.

6When I remember You on my bed,

I think of You through the watches of the night.

7For You are my help;

I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.

8My soul clings to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

9But those who seek my life to destroy it

will go into the depths of the earth.

10They will fall to the power of the sword;

they will become a portion for foxes.

11But the king will rejoice in God;

all who swear by Him will exult,

for the mouths of liars will be shut.


Psalm 64
Psalm 64

The Hurtful Tongue
(James 3:1–12)

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1Hear, O God, my voice of complaint;

preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

2Hide me from the scheming of the wicked,

from the mob of workers of iniquity,

3who sharpen their tongues like swords

and aim their bitter words like arrows,

4ambushing the innocent in seclusion,

shooting suddenly, without fear.

5They hold fast to their evil purpose;

they speak of hiding their snares.

“Who will see them?” they say.

6They devise injustice and say,

“We have perfected a secret plan.”

For the inner man and the heart are mysterious.

7But God will shoot them with arrows;

suddenly they will be wounded.

8They will be made to stumble,

their own tongues turned against them.

All who see will shake their heads.

9Then all mankind will fear

and proclaim the work of God;

so they will ponder what He has done.

10Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD

and take refuge in Him;

let all the upright in heart exult.


Psalm 65
Psalm 65

Praise Awaits God in Zion

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song.

1Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion;

to You our vows will be fulfilled.

2O You who listen to prayer,

all people will come to You.

3When iniquities prevail against me,

You atone for our transgressions.

4Blessed is the one You choose

and bring near to dwell in Your courts!

We are filled with the goodness of Your house,

the holiness of Your temple.

5With awesome deeds of righteousness You answer us,

O God of our salvation,

the hope of all the ends of the earth

and of the farthest seas.

6You formed the mountains by Your power,

having girded Yourself with might.

7You stilled the roaring of the seas,

the pounding of their waves,

and the tumult of the nations.

8Those who live far away fear Your wonders;

You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.a

9You attend to the earth and water it;b

with abundance You enrich it.

The streams of God are full of water,

for You prepare our grain

by providing for the earth.c

10You soak its furrows and level its ridges;

You soften it with showers and bless its growth.

11You crown the year with Your bounty,

and Your paths overflow with plenty.

12The pastures of the wilderness overflow;

the hills are robed with joy.

13The pastures are clothed with flocks,

and the valleys are decked with grain.

They shout in triumph;

indeed, they sing.

Footnotes:

8 a Or where morning dawns and evening fades You call forth songs of joy.
9 b Or and make it overflow
9 c Or to provide the people with grain, for so You have ordained it

Psalm 66
Psalm 66

Make a Joyful Noise
(Psalm 100:1–5)

1For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm.

1Make a joyful noise to God,

all the earth!

2Sing the glory of His name;

make His praise glorious.

3Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!

So great is Your power

that Your enemies cower before You.

4All the earth bows down to You;

they sing praise to You;

they sing praise to Your name.”

Selah

5Come and see the works of God;

how awesome are His deeds toward mankind.

6He turned the sea into dry land;

they passed through the waters on foot;

there we rejoiced in Him.

7He rules forever by His power;

His eyes watch the nations.

Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah

8Bless our God, O peoples;

let the sound of His praise be heard.

9He preserves our lives

and keeps our feet from slipping.

10For You, O God, have tested us;

You have refined us like silver.

11You led us into the net;

You laid burdens on our backs.

12You let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but You brought us into abundance.

13I will enter Your house with burnt offerings;

I will fulfill my vows to You—

14the vows that my lips promised

and my mouth spoke in my distress.

15I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings,

with the fragrant smoke of rams;

I will offer bulls and goats.

Selah

16Come and listen, all you who fear God,

and I will declare what He has done for me.

17I cried out to Him with my mouth

and praised Him with my tongue.a

18If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened.

19But God has surely heard;

He has attended to the sound of my prayer.

20Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer

or withheld from me His loving devotion!

Footnotes:

17 a Or and His praise was on my tongue

Psalm 67
Psalm 67

May God Cause His Face to Shine upon Us

1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song.

1May God be gracious to us and bless us,

and cause His face to shine upon us,

Selah

2that Your ways may be known on earth,

Your salvation among all nations.

3Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You.

4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for You judge the peoples justly

and lead the nations of the earth.

Selah

5Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You.

6The earth has yielded its harvest;

God, our God, blesses us.

7God blesses us,

that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.


Psalm 68
Psalm 68

God’s Enemies Are Scattered

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song.

1God arises. His enemies are scattered,

and those who hate Him flee His presence.

2As smoke is blown away,

You will drive them out;

as wax melts before the fire,

the wicked will perish in the presence of God.

3But the righteous will be glad

and rejoice before God;

they will celebrate with joy.

4Sing to God!

Sing praises to His name.

Exalt Him who rides on the cloudsa

His name is the LORD—

and rejoice before Him.

5A father of the fatherless,

and a defender of the widows,

is God in His holy habitation.

6God settles the lonely in families;

He leads the prisoners out to prosperity,

but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

7O God, when You went out before Your people,

when You marched through the wasteland,

Selah

8the earth shook and the heavens poured down rain

before God, the One on Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

9You sent abundant rain, O God;

You refreshed Your weary inheritance.

10Your flock settled therein;

O God, from Your bounty You provided for the poor.

11The Lord gives the command;

a great company of women proclaim it:

12“Kings and their armies flee in haste;

she who waits at home divides the plunder.

13Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,

the wings of the dove are covered with silver,

and her feathers with shimmering gold.”

14When the Almightyb scattered the kings in the land,

it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.

15A mountain of God is Mount Bashan;

a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.

16Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks?

This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling,

where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

17The chariots of God are tens of thousands—

thousands of thousands are they;

the Lord is in His sanctuary

as He was at Sinai.c

18You have ascended on high;

You have led captives away.

You have received gifts from men,d

even from the rebellious,

that the LORD God may dwell there.

19Blessed be the Lord,

who daily bears our burden,

the God of our salvation.

Selah

20Our God is a God of deliverance;

the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.

21Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies,

the hairy crowns of those who persist in guilty ways.

22The Lord said, “I will retrieve them from Bashan,

I will bring them up from the depths of the sea,

23that your foot may be dipped

in the blood of your foes—

the tongues of your dogs in the same.”

24They have seen Your procession, O God—

the march of my God and King into the sanctuary.

25The singers lead the way,

the musicians follow after,

among the maidens playing tambourines.

26Bless God in the great congregation;

bless the LORD from the fountain of Israel.

27There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,

the princes of Judah in their company,

the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

28Summon Your power, O God;e

show Your strength, O God,

which You have exerted on our behalf.

29Because of Your temple at Jerusalem

kings will bring You gifts.

30Rebuke the beast in the reeds,

the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations,

until it submits, bringing bars of silver.

Scatter the nations who delight in war.

31Envoys will arrive from Egypt;

Cushf will stretch out her hands to God.

32Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;

sing praises to the Lord—

Selah

33to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old;

behold, His mighty voice resounds.

34Ascribe the power to God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

whose strength is in the skies.

35O God, You are awesome in Your sanctuary;

the God of Israel Himself

gives strength and power to His people.

Blessed be God!

Footnotes:

4 a Or rides through the deserts
14 b Hebrew Shaddai
17 c Or the Lord has come from Sinai in His holiness
18 d Cited in Ephesians 4:8
28 e LXX and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Your God has summoned your power
31 f That is, the upper Nile region

Psalm 69
Psalm 69

The Waters Are up to My Neck

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

1Save me, O God,

for the waters are up to my neck.

2I have sunk into the miry depths,

where there is no footing;

I have drifted into deep waters,

where the flood engulfs me.

3I am weary from my crying;

my throat is parched.

My eyes fail,

looking for my God.

4Those who hate me without cause

outnumber the hairs of my head;

many are those who would destroy me—

my enemies for no reason.a

Though I did not steal,

I must repay.

5You know my folly, O God,

and my guilt is not hidden from You.

6May those who hope in You not be ashamed through me,

O Lord GOD of Hosts;

may those who seek You not be dishonored through me,

O God of Israel.

7For I have endured scorn for Your sake,

and shame has covered my face.

8I have become a stranger to my brothers

and a foreigner to my mother’s sons,

9because zeal for Your house has consumed me,b

and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.c

10I wept and fasted,

but it brought me reproach.

11I made sackcloth my clothing,

and I was sport to them.

12Those who sit at the gate mock me,

and I am the song of drunkards.

13But my prayer to You, O LORD,

is for a time of favor.

In Your abundant loving devotion, O God,

answer me with Your sure salvation.

14Rescue me from the mire

and do not let me sink;

deliver me from my foes

and out of the deep waters.

15Do not let the floods engulf me

or the depths swallow me up;

let not the Pit close its mouth over me.

16Answer me, O LORD,

for Your loving devotion is good;

turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.

17Hide not Your face from Your servant,

for I am in distress.

Answer me quickly!

18Draw near to my soul and redeem me;

ransom me because of my foes.

19You know my reproach, my shame and disgrace.

All my adversaries are before You.

20Insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

I looked for sympathy, but there was none,

for comforters, but I found no one.

21They poisoned my food with gall

and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.

22May their table become a snare;

may it be a retribution and a trap.d

23May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,

and their backs be bent forever.e

24Pour out Your wrath upon them,

and let Your burning anger overtake them.

25May their place be deserted;

let there be no one to dwell in their tents.f

26For they persecute the one You struck

and recount the pain of those You wounded.

27Add iniquity to their iniquity;

let them not share in Your righteousness.

28May they be blotted out of the Book of Life

and not listed with the righteous.

29But I am in pain and distress;

let Your salvation protect me, O God.

30I will praise God’s name in song

and exalt Him with thanksgiving.

31And this will please the LORD more than an ox,

more than a bull with horns and hooves.

32The humble will see and rejoice.

You who seek God, let your hearts be revived!

33For the LORD listens to the needy

and does not despise His captive people.

34Let heaven and earth praise Him,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

35For God will save Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

that they may dwell there and possess it.

36The descendants of His servants will inherit it,

and those who love His name will settle in it.

Footnotes:

4 a See John 15:25
9 b Cited in John 2:17
9 c Cited in Romans 15:3
22 d A slight revocalization of the Hebrew (see also LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate); literally may their prosperity be a trap; cited in Romans 11:9
23 e LXX; Hebrew and may their loins tremble continually; cited in Romans 11:10
25 f Cited in Acts 1:20

Psalm 70
Psalm 70

Hurry, O LORD, to Help Me!
(Psalm 40:1–17; Psalm 141:1–10)

1For the choirmaster. Of David. To bring remembrance.

1Make haste, O God, to deliver me!

Hurry, O LORD, to help me!

2May those who seek my life

be ashamed and confounded;

may those who wish me harm

be repelled and humiliated.

3May those who say, “Aha, aha!”

retreat because of their shame.

4May all who seek You

rejoice and be glad in You;

may those who love Your salvation always say,

“Let God be magnified!”

5But I am poor and needy;

hurry to me, O God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

O LORD, do not delay.


Psalm 71
Psalm 71

Be My Rock of Refuge

1In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

2In Your justice, rescue and deliver me;

incline Your ear and save me.

3Be my rock of refuge,

where I can always go.

Give the command to save me,

for You are my rock and my fortress.

4Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.

5For You are my hope, O Lord GOD,

my confidence from my youth.

6I have leaned on You since birth;

You pulled me from my mother’s womb.

My praise is always for You.

7I have become a portent to many,

but You are my strong refuge.

8My mouth is filled with Your praise

and with Your splendor all day long.

9Do not discard me in my old age;

do not forsake me when my strength fails.

10For my enemies speak against me,

and those who lie in wait for my life conspire,

11saying, “God has forsaken him;

pursue him and seize him,

for there is no one to rescue him.”

12Be not far from me, O God.

Hurry, O my God, to help me.

13May the accusers of my soul

be ashamed and consumed;

may those who seek my harm

be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14But I will always hope

and will praise You more and more.

15My mouth will declare Your righteousness

and Your salvation all day long,

though I cannot know their full measure.

16I will enter in the strength of the Lord GOD;

I will proclaim Your righteousness—Yours alone.

17O God, You have taught me from my youth,

and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds.

18Even when I am old and gray,

do not forsake me, O God,

until I proclaim Your power to the next generation,

Your might to all who are to come.

19Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God,

You who have done great things.

Who, O God, is like You?

20Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes,

You will revive me once again.

Even from the depths of the earth

You will bring me back up.

21You will increase my honor

and comfort me once again.

22So I will praise You with the harp

for Your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praise to You with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

23When I sing praise to You

my lips will shout for joy,

along with my soul,

which You have redeemed.

24My tongue will indeed proclaim

Your righteousness all day long,

for those who seek my harm

are disgraced and confounded.


Psalm 72
Psalm 72

Endow the King with Your Justice
(1 Kings 3:1–15; 2 Chronicles 1:1–13; Psalm 45:1–17)

1Of Solomon.

1Endow the king with Your justice, O God,

and the son of the king with Your righteousness.

2May he judge Your people with righteousness

and Your afflicted with justice.

3May the mountains bring peace to the people,

and the hills bring righteousness.

4May he vindicate the afflicted among the people;

may he save the children of the needy

and crush the oppressor.

5May they fear hima as long as the sun shines,

as long as the moon remains,

through all generations.

6May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass,

like spring showers that water the earth.

7May the righteous flourish in his days

and prosperity abound,

until the moon is no more.

8May he rule from sea to sea,

and from the Euphratesb to the ends of the earth.

9May the nomads bow before him,

and his enemies lick the dust.

10May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute;

may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

11May all kings bow down to him

and all nations serve him.

12For he will deliver the needy who cry out

and the afflicted who have no helper.

13He will take pity on the poor and needy

and save the lives of the oppressed.

14He will redeem them from oppression and violence,

for their blood is precious in his sight.

15Long may he live!

May gold from Sheba be given him.

May people ever pray for him;

may they bless him all day long.

16May there be an abundance of grain in the land;

may it sway atop the hills.

May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon,

and its people like the grass of the field.

17May his name endure forever;

may his name continuec as long as the sun shines.

In him may all nations be blessed;

may they call him blessed.

18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,

who alone does marvelous deeds.

19And blessed be His glorious name forever;

may all the earth be filled with His glory.

Amen and amen.

20Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.

Footnotes:

5 a LXX He shall endure
8 b Hebrew the River
17 c Or increase

Psalm 73
Psalm 73

BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Surely God Is Good to Israel

1A Psalm of Asaph.

1Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.

2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

my steps had nearly slipped.

3For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4They have no struggle in their death;

their bodies are well-fed.

5They are free of the burdens others carry;

they are not afflicted like other men.

6Therefore pride is their necklace;

a garment of violence covers them.

7From their prosperity proceeds iniquity;a

the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

8They mock and speak with malice;

with arrogance they threaten oppression.

9They set their mouths against the heavens,

and their tongues strut across the earth.

10So their peopleb return to this place

and drink up waters in abundance.

11The wicked say, “How can God know?

Does the Most High have knowledge?”

12Behold, these are the wicked—

always carefree as they increase their wealth.

13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure;

in innocence I have washed my hands.

14For I am afflicted all day long

and punished every morning.

15If I had said, “I will speak this way,”

then I would have betrayed Your children.

16When I tried to understand all this,

it was troublesome in my sight

17until I entered God’s sanctuary;

then I discerned their end.

18Surely You set them on slick ground;

You cast them down into ruin.

19How suddenly they are laid waste,

completely swept away by terrors!

20Like one waking from a dream,

so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.

21When my heart was grieved

and I was pierced within,

22I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before You.

23Yet I am always with You;

You hold my right hand.

24You guide me with Your counsel,

and later receive me in glory.

25Whom have I in heaven but You?

And on earth I desire no one besides You.

26My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strengthc of my heart

and my portion forever.

27Those far from You will surely perish;

You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.

28But as for me, it is good to draw near to God.

I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,

that I may proclaim all Your works.

Footnotes:

7 a Literally Their eye bulges with fatness; Syriac From their callous heart proceeds iniquity
10 b Or His people
26 c Hebrew rock

Psalm 74
Psalm 74

Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?
(Psalm 79:1–13; Jeremiah 52:1–11)

1A Maskila of Asaph.

1Why have You rejected us forever, O God?

Why does Your anger smolder

against the sheep of Your pasture?

2Remember Your congregation,

which You purchased long ago

and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—

Mount Zion where You dwell.

3Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins,

to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.

4Your foes have roared within Your meeting place;

they have unfurled their banners as signs,

5like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees

6and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

7They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground;

they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.

8They said in their hearts,

“We will crush them completely.”

They burned down every place

where God met us in the land.

9There are no signs for us to see.

There is no longer any prophet.

And none of us knows how long this will last.

10How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You?

Will the foe revile Your name forever?

11Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand?

Stretch it out to destroy them!b

12Yet God is my King from ancient times,

working salvation on the earth.

13You divided the sea by Your strength;

You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;

14You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

15You broke open the fountain and the flood;

You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

16The day is Yours, and also the night;

You established the moonc and the sun.

17You set all the boundaries of the earth;

You made the summer and winter.

18Remember how the enemy has mocked You, O LORD,

how a foolish people has spurned Your name.

19Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts;

do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.

20Consider Your covenant,

for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

21Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame;

may the poor and needy praise Your name.

22Rise up, O God; defend Your cause!

Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.

23Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries,

the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.

Footnotes:

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
11 b Literally From the midst of Your bosom destroy them! or From the midst of Your bosom remove it!
16 c Literally the light

Psalm 75
Psalm 75

God’s Righteous Judgment
(Romans 2:1–16)

1For the choirmaster: To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A song.

1We give thanks to You, O God;

we give thanks, for Your Name is near.

The people declare Your wondrous works.

2“When I choose a time,

I will judge fairly.

3When the earth and all its dwellers quake,

it is I who bear up its pillars.

Selah

4I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’

and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.

5Do not lift up your horn against heaven

or speak with an outstretched neck.’

6For exaltation comes neither from east nor west,

nor out of the desert,

7but it is God who judges;

He brings down one and exalts another.

8For a cup is in the hand of the LORD,

full of foaming wine mixed with spices.

He pours from His cup,

and all the wicked of the earth

drink it down to the dregs.

9But I will proclaim Hima forever;

I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.

10“All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,

but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”

9 a Or proclaim it

Psalm 76
Psalm 76

God’s Name Is Great in Israel

1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A song.

1God is known in Judah;

His name is great in Israel.

2His tent is in Salem,a

His dwelling place in Zion.

3There He shattered the flaming arrows,

the shield and sword and weapons of war.

Selah

4You are resplendent with light,

more majestic than mountains filled with game.

5The valiant lie plundered; they sleep their last sleep.

No men of might could lift a hand.

6At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

both horse and rider lie stunned.

7You alone are to be feared.

When You are angry, who can stand before You?

8From heaven You pronounced judgment,

and the earth feared and was still

9when God rose up to judge,

to save all the lowly of the earth.

Selah

10Even the wrath of man shall praise You;

with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.b

11Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your God;

let all the neighboring lands bring tribute

to Him who is to be feared.

12He breaks the spirits of princes;

He is feared by the kings of the earth.

Footnotes:

2 a That is, Jerusalem
10 b Or Surely Your wrath against men brings You praise, and the survivors of Your wrath will be restrained.

Psalm 77
Psalm 77

In the Day of Trouble I Sought the LORD

1For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1I cried out to God;

I cried aloud to God to hear me.

2In the day of trouble I sought the Lord;

through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary;

my soul refused to be comforted.

3I remembered You, O God, and I groaned;

I mused and my spirit grew faint.

Selah

4You have kept my eyes from closing;

I am too troubled to speak.

5I considered the days of old,

the years long in the past.

6At night I remembered my song;

in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:

7“Will the Lord spurn us forever

and never show His favor again?

8Is His loving devotion gone forever?

Has His promise failed for all time?

9Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has His anger shut off His compassion?”

Selah

10So I said, “I am grieved

that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”a

11I will remember the works of the LORD;

yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.

12I will reflect on all You have done

and ponder Your mighty deeds.

13Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is so great as our God?

14You are the God who works wonders;

You display Your strength among the peoples.

15With power You redeemed Your people,

the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

16The waters saw You, O God;

the waters saw You and swirled;

even the depths were shaken.

17The clouds poured down water;

the skies resounded with thunder;

Your arrows flashed back and forth.

18Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind;

the lightning lit up the world;

the earth trembled and quaked.

19Your path led through the sea,

Your way through the mighty waters,

but Your footprints were not to be found.b

20You led Your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Footnotes:

10 a Or “To this I will appeal: to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
19 b Or were unknown

Psalm 78
Psalm 78

I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
(Matthew 13:34–35)

1A Maskila of Asaph.

1Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;

listen to the words of my mouth.

2I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden from the beginning,b

3that we have heard and known

and our fathers have relayed to us.

4We will not hide them from their children,

but will declare to the next generation

the praises of the LORD and His might,

and the wonders He has performed.

5For He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which He commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

6that the coming generation would know them—

even children yet to be born—

to arise and tell their own children

7that they should put their confidence in God,

not forgetting His works,

but keeping His commandments.

8Then they will not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

whose heart was not loyal,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9The archers of Ephraim

turned back on the day of battle.

10They failed to keep God’s covenant

and refused to live by His law.

11They forgot what He had done,

the wonders He had shown them.

12He worked wonders before their fathers

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

13He split the sea and brought them through;

He set the waters upright like a wall.

14He led them with a cloud by day

and with a light of fire all night.

15He split the rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.

16He brought streams from the stone

and made water flow down like rivers.

17But they continued to sin against Him,

rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

18They willfully tested God

by demanding the food they craved.

19They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?

20When He struck the rock, water gushed out

and torrents raged.

But can He also give bread

or supply His people with meat?”

21Therefore the LORD heard

and was filled with wrath;

so a fire was kindled against Jacob,

and His anger flared against Israel,

22because they did not believe God

or rely on His salvation.

23Yet He commanded the clouds above

and opened the doors of the heavens.

24He rained down manna for them to eat;

He gave them grain from heaven.c

25Man ate the bread of angels;

He sent them food in abundance.

26He stirred the east wind from the heavens

and drove the south wind by His might.

27He rained meat on them like dust,

and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

28He felled them in the midst of their camp,

all around their dwellings.

29So they ate and were well filled,

for He gave them what they craved.

30Yet before they had filled their desire,

with the food still in their mouths,

31God’s anger flared against them,

and He put to death their strongest

and subdued the young men of Israel.

32In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;

despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.

33So He ended their days in futility,d

and their years in sudden terror.

34When He slew them, they would seek Him;

they repented and searched for God.

35And they remembered that God was their Rock,

that God Most Highe was their Redeemer.

36But they deceived Him with their mouths,

and lied to Him with their tongues.

37Their hearts were disloyal to Him,

and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

38And yet He was compassionate;

He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.

He often restrained His anger

and did not unleash His full wrath.

39He remembered that they were but flesh,

a passing breeze that does not return.

40How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness

and grieved Him in the desert!

41Again and again they tested God

and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

42They did not remember His powerf

the day He redeemed them from the adversary,

43when He performed His signs in Egypt

and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

44He turned their rivers to blood,

and from their streams they could not drink.

45He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,

and frogs that devastated them.

46He gave their crops to the grasshopper,

the fruit of their labor to the locust.

47He killed their vines with hailstones

and their sycamore-figs with sleet.g

48He abandoned their cattle to the hail

and their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49He unleashed His fury against them,

wrath, indignation, and calamity—

a band of destroying angels.

50He cleared a path for His anger;

He did not spare them from death

but delivered their lives to the plague.

51He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,

the virility in the tents of Ham.

52He led out His people like sheep

and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

53He led them safely, so they did not fear,

but the sea engulfed their enemies.

54He brought them to His holy land,

to the mountain His right hand had acquired.

55He drove out nations before them

and apportioned their inheritance;

He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56But they tested and disobeyed God Most High,

for they did not keep His decrees.

57They turned back and were faithless like their fathers,

twisted like a faulty bow.

58They enraged Him with their high places

and provoked His jealousy with their idols.

59On hearing it, God was furious

and rejected Israel completely.

60He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,

the tent He had pitched among men.

61He delivered His strength to captivity,

and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.

62He surrendered His people to the sword

because He was enraged by His heritage.

63Fire consumed His young men,

and their maidens were left without wedding songs.

64His priests fell by the sword,

but their widows could not lament.

65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.

66He beat back His foes;

He put them to everlasting shame.

67He rejected the tent of Joseph

and refused the tribe of Ephraim.

68But He chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which He loved.

69He built His sanctuary like the heights,

like the earth He has established forever.

70He chose David His servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;

71from tending the ewes He brought him

to be shepherd of His people Jacob,

of Israel His inheritance.

72So David shepherded them with integrity of heart

and guided them with skillful hands.

Footnotes:

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
2 b Or from ancient times; see also LXX; cited in Matthew 13:35
24 c Cited in John 6:31
33 d Or in vapor
35 e Hebrew El-Elyon
42 f Or His hand
47 g Or frost or driving rain

Psalm 79
Psalm 79

A Prayer for Deliverance
(Psalm 74:1–23; Jeremiah 52:1–11)

1A Psalm of Asaph.

1The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance;

they have defiled Your holy temple

and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

2They have given the corpses of Your servants

as food to the birds of the air,

the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.

3They have poured out their blood like water

all around Jerusalem,

and there is no one to bury the dead.

4We have become a reproach to our neighbors,

a scorn and derision to those around us.

5How long, O LORD?

Will You be angry forever?

Will Your jealousy burn like fire?

6Pour out Your wrath on the nations

that do not acknowledge You,

on the kingdoms

that refuse to call on Your name,

7for they have devoured Jacob

and devastated his homeland.

8Do not hold past sins against us;

let Your compassion come quickly,

for we are brought low.

9Help us, O God of our salvation,

for the glory of Your name;

deliver us and atone for our sins,

for the sake of Your name.

10Why should the nations ask,

“Where is their God?”

Before our eyes, make known among the nations

Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants.

11May the groans of the captives reach You;

by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.

12Pay back into the laps of our neighbors

sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.

13Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,

will thank You forever;

from generation to generation

we will declare Your praise.


Psalm 80
Psalm 80

Hear Us, O Shepherd of Israel

1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph.

1Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,

who leads Joseph like a flock;

You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,

shine forth 2before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.

Rally Your mighty power

and come to save us.

3Restore us, O God,

and cause Your face to shine upon us,

that we may be saved.

4O LORD God of Hosts,

how long will Your anger smolder

against the prayers of Your people?

5You fed them with the bread of tears

and made them drink the full measure of their tears.

6You make us contend with our neighbors;

our enemies mock us.

7Restore us, O God of Hosts,

and cause Your face to shine upon us,

that we may be saved.

8You uprooted a vine from Egypt;

You drove out the nations and transplanted it.

9You cleared the ground for it,

and it took root and filled the land.

10The mountains were covered by its shade,

and the mighty cedars with its branches.

11It sent out its branches to the Sea,a

and its shoots toward the River.b

12Why have You broken down its walls,

so that all who pass by pick its fruit?

13The boar from the forest ravages it,

and the creatures of the field feed upon it.

14Return, O God of Hosts, we pray!

Look down from heaven and see!

Attend to this vine—

15the root Your right hand has planted,

the son You have raised up for Yourself.

16Your vine has been cut down and burned;

they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

17Let Your hand be upon the man at Your right hand,

on the son of man You have raised up for Yourself.

18Then we will not turn away from You;

revive us, and we will call on Your name.

19Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts;

cause Your face to shine upon us,

that we may be saved.

Footnotes:

11 a That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea
11 b That is, the Euphrates

Psalm 81
Psalm 81

Sing for Joy to God Our Strength

1For the choirmaster. According to Gittith.a Of Asaph.

1Sing for joy to God our strength;

make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.

2Lift up a song, strike the tambourine,

play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.

3Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,

and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.

4For this is a statute for Israel,

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

5He ordained it as a testimony for Josephb

when he went out over the land of Egypt,

where I heard an unfamiliar language:

6“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;

his hands were freed from the basket.

7You called out in distress, and I rescued you;

I answered you from the cloud of thunder;

I tested you at the waters of Meribah.c

Selah

8Hear, O My people, and I will warn you:

O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!

9There must be no strange god among you,

nor shall you bow to a foreign god.

10I am the LORD your God,

who brought you up out of Egypt.

Open wide your mouth,

and I will fill it.

11But My people would not listen to Me,

and Israel would not obey Me.

12So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts

to follow their own devices.

13If only My people would listen to Me,

if Israel would follow My ways,

14how soon I would subdue their enemies

and turn My hand against their foes!

15Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience,

and their doom would last forever.

16But I would feed you the finest wheat;

with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Footnotes:

1 a Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 84.
5 b Or in Joseph
7 c Meribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7.

Psalm 82
Psalm 82

God Presides in the Divine Assembly

1A Psalm of Asaph.

1God presides in the divine assembly;

He renders judgment among the gods:

2“How long will you judge unjustlya

and show partiality to the wicked?

Selah

3Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;

uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.

4Rescue the weak and needy;

save them from the hand of the wicked.

5They do not know or understand;

they wander in the darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6I have said, ‘You are gods;

you are all sons of the Most High.’b

7But like mortals you will die,

and like rulers you will fall.”

8Arise, O God, judge the earth,

for all the nations are Your inheritance.

2 a Or How long will you defend the unjust
6 b Cited in John 10:34

Psalm 83
Psalm 83

O God, Be Not Silent

1A song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1O God, be not silent; be not speechless;a

be not still, O God.

2See how Your enemies rage,

how Your foes have reared their heads.

3With cunning they scheme against Your people

and conspire against those You cherish,

4saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation;

may the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

5For with one mind they plot together,

they form an alliance against You—

6the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

of Moab and the Hagrites,

7of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,

of Philistia with the people of Tyre.

8Even Assyria has joined them,

lending strength to the sons of Lot.

Selah

9Do to them as You did to Midian,

as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,

10who perished at Endor

and became like dung on the ground.

11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12who said, “Let us possess for ourselves

the pastures of God.”

13Make them like tumbleweed, O my God,

like chaff before the wind.

14As fire consumes a forest,

as a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15so pursue them with Your tempest,

and terrify them with Your storm.

16Cover their faces with shame,

that they may seek Your name, O LORD.

17May they be ever ashamed and terrified;

may they perish in disgrace.

18May they know that You alone,

whose name is the LORD,

are Most High over all the earth.

1 a Or deaf

Psalm 84
Psalm 84

Better Is One Day in Your Courts
(John 1:14–18)

1For the choirmaster. According to Gittith.a A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1How lovely is Your dwelling place,

O LORD of Hosts!

2My soul longs, even faints,

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh cry out

for the living God.

3Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she places her young near Your altars,

O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.

4How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!

They are ever praising You.

Selah

5Blessed are those whose strength is in You,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6As they pass through the Valley of Baca,b

they make it a place of springs;

even the autumn rain covers it with pools.c

7They go from strength to strength,

until each appears before God in Zion.

8O LORD God of Hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob.

Selah

9Take notice of our shield, O God,

and look with favor on the face of Your anointed.

10For better is one day in Your courts

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

11For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;

the LORD gives grace and glory;

He withholds no good thing

from those who walk with integrity.

12O LORD of Hosts,

how blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Footnotes:

1 a Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 81.
6 b Or Valley of Poplars
6 c Or with blessings

Psalm 85
Psalm 85

You Showed Favor to Your Land

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1You showed favor to Your land, O LORD;

You restored Jacob from captivity.a

2You forgave the iniquity of Your people;

You covered all their sin.

Selah

3You withheld all Your fury;

You turned from Your burning anger.

4Restore us, O God of our salvation,

and put away Your displeasure toward us.

5Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?

6Will You not revive us again,

that Your people may rejoice in You?

7Show us Your loving devotion, O LORD,

and grant us Your salvation.

8I will listen to what God the LORD will say;

for He will surely speak peace to His people and His saints;

He will not let them return to folly.

9Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

that His glory may dwell in our land.

10Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together;

righteousness and peace have kissed.

11Faithfulness sprouts from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven.

12The LORD will indeed provide what is good,

and our land will yield its increase.

13Righteousness will go before Him

to prepare the way for His steps.

Footnotes:

1 a Or restored the fortunes of Jacob

Psalm 86
Psalm 86

Tried but Trusting

1A prayer of David.

1Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

2Preserve my soul, for I am godly.

You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.

3Be merciful to me, O Lord,

for I call to You all day long.

4Bring joy to Your servant,

for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

5For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving,

rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.

6Hear my prayer, O LORD,

and attend to my plea for mercy.

7In the day of my distress I call on You,

because You answer me.

8O Lord, there is none like You among the gods,

nor any works like Yours.

9All the nations You have made

will come and bow before You, O Lord,

and they will glorify Your name.

10For You are great and perform wonders;

You alone are God.

11Teach me Your way, O LORD,

that I may walk in Your truth.

Give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear Your name.

12I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify Your name forever.

13For great is Your loving devotion to me;

You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.

14The arrogant rise against me, O God;

a band of ruthless men seeks my life,

with no regard for You.

15But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.

16Turn to me and have mercy;

grant Your strength to Your servant;

save the son of Your maidservant.

17Show me a sign of Your goodness,

that my enemies may see and be ashamed;

for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.


Psalm 87
Psalm 87

The LORD Loves the Gates of Zion

1A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.

1He has founded His city

on the holy mountains.a

2The LORD loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3Glorious things are ascribed to you,

O city of God.

Selah

4“I will mention Rahabb and Babylon

among those who know Me—

along with Philistia, Tyre, and Cushc

when I say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’

5And it will be said of Zion:

“This one and that one were born in her,

and the Most High Himself will establish her.”

6The LORD will record in the register of the peoples:

“This one was born in Zion.”

Selah

7Singers and pipers will proclaim,

“All my springs of joy are in You.”

Footnotes:

1 a Literally His foundation is on the holy mountains
4 b Rahab is a poetic name for Egypt.
4 c That is, the upper Nile region

Psalm 88
Psalm 88

I Cry Out before You

1A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth.a A Maskilb of Heman the Ezrahite.

1O LORD, the God of my salvation,

day and night I cry out before You.

2May my prayer come before You;

incline Your ear to my cry.

3For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

4I am counted among those descending to the Pit.

I am like a man without strength.

5I am forsaken among the dead,

like the slain who lie in the grave,

whom You remember no more,

who are cut off from Your care.

6You have laid me in the lowest Pit,

in the darkest of the depths.

7Your wrath weighs heavily upon me;

all Your waves have submerged me.

Selah

8You have removed my friends from me;

You have made me repulsive to them;

I am confined and cannot escape.

9My eyes grow dim with grief.

I call to You daily, O LORD;

I spread out my hands to You.

10Do You work wonders for the dead?

Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?

Selah

11Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave,

Your faithfulness in Abaddonc?

12Will Your wonders be known in the darkness,

or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

13But to You, O LORD, I cry for help;

in the morning my prayer comes before You.

14Why, O LORD, do You reject me?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

15From my youth I was afflicted and near death.

I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.

16Your wrath has swept over me;

Your terrors have destroyed me.

17All day long they engulf me like water;

they enclose me on every side.

18You have removed my beloved and my friend;

darkness is my closest companion.

Footnotes:

1 a Mahalath Leannoth is probably a musical or liturgical term; see also Psalm 53:1.
1 b Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
11 c Abaddon means Destruction.

Psalm 89
Psalm 89

I Will Sing of His Love Forever

1A Maskila of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever;

with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.

2For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up forever;

in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”

3You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one,

I have sworn to David My servant:

4‘I will establish your offspring forever

and build up your throne for all generations.’

Selah

5The heavens praise Your wonders, O LORD—

Your faithfulness as well—

in the assembly of the holy ones.

6For who in the skies can compare with the LORD?

Who among the heavenly beingsb is like the LORD?

7In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared,

and awesome above all who surround Him.

8O LORD God of Hosts, who is like You?

O mighty LORD, Your faithfulness surrounds You.

9You rule the raging sea;

when its waves mount up, You still them.

10You crushed Rahab like a carcass;

You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

11The heavens are Yours, and also the earth.

The earth and its fullness You founded.

12North and south You created;

Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

13Mighty is Your arm; strong is Your hand.

Your right hand is exalted.

14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.

15Blessed are those who know the joyful sound,

who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence.

16They rejoice in Your name all day long,

and in Your righteousness they exult.

17For You are the glory of their strength,

and by Your favor our horn is exalted.

18Surely our shield belongs to the LORD,

and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19You once spoke in a vision;

to Your godly ones You said,

“I have bestowed help on a warrior;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20I have found My servant David;

with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

21My hand will sustain him;

surely My arm will strengthen him.

22No enemy will exact tribute;

no wicked man will oppress him.

23I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.

24My faithfulness and loving devotion will be with him,

and through My name his horn will be exalted.

25I will set his hand over the sea,

and his right hand upon the rivers.

26He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, the Rock of my salvation.’

27I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

28I will forever preserve My loving devotion for him,

and My covenant with him will stand fast.

29I will establish his line forever,

his throne as long as the heavens endure.

30If his sons forsake My law

and do not walk in My judgments,

31if they violate My statutes

and fail to keep My commandments,

32I will attend to their transgression with the rod,

and to their iniquity with stripes.

33But I will not withdraw My loving devotion from him,

nor ever betray My faithfulness.

34I will not violate My covenant

or alter the utterance of My lips.

35Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness—

I will not lie to David—

36his offspring shall endure forever,

and his throne before Me like the sun,

37like the moon, established forever,

a faithful witness in the sky.”

Selah

38Now, however, You have spurned and rejected him;

You are enraged by Your anointed one.

39You have renounced the covenant with Your servant

and sullied his crown in the dust.

40You have broken down all his walls;

You have reduced his strongholds to rubble.

41All who pass by plunder him;

he has become a reproach to his neighbors.

42You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

You have made all his enemies rejoice.

43You have bent the edge of his sword

and have not sustained him in battle.

44You have ended his splendor

and cast his throne to the ground.

45You have cut short the days of his youth;

You have covered him with shame.

Selah

46How long, O LORD?

Will You hide Yourself forever?

Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?

47Remember the briefness of my lifespan!

For what futility You have created all men!

48What man can live and never see death?

Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?

Selah

49Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old,

which You faithfully swore to David?

50Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants,

which I bear in my heart from so many people—

51how Your enemies have taunted, O LORD,

and have mocked every step of Your anointed one!

52Blessed be the LORD forever!

Amen and amen.

Footnotes:

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.
6 b Or the sons of God or the sons of might

Psalm 90
Psalm 90

BOOK IV

Psalms 90–106

From Everlasting to Everlasting

1A prayer of Moses the man of God.

1Lord, You have been our dwelling place

through all generations.

2Before the mountains were born

or You brought forth the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting

You are God.

3You return man to dust,

saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”

4For in Your sight a thousand years

are but a day that passes,a

or a watch of the night.

5You whisk them away in their sleep;

they are like the new grass of the morning—

6in the morning it springs up new,

but by evening it fades and withers.

7For we are consumed by Your anger

and terrified by Your wrath.

8You have set our iniquities before You,

our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

9For all our days decline in Your fury;

we finish our years with a sigh.

10The length of our days is seventy years—

or eighty if we are strong—

yet their pride is but labor and sorrow,

for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

11Who knows the power of Your anger?

Your wrath matches the fear You are due.

12So teach us to number our days,

that we may present a heart of wisdom.

13Return, O LORD! How long will it be?

Have compassion on Your servants.

14Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen evil.

16May Your work be shown to Your servants,

and Your splendor to their children.

17May the favorb of the Lord our God rest upon us;

establish for us the work of our hands—

yes, establish the work of our hands!

Footnotes:

4 a See 2 Peter 3:8.
17 b Or beauty

Psalm 91
Psalm 91

You Are My Refuge and My Fortress

1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.a

2I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3Surely He will deliver you

from the snare of the fowler,

and from the deadly plague.

4He will cover you with His feathers;

under His wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the calamity that destroys at noon.

7Though a thousand may fall at your side,

and ten thousand at your right hand,

no harm will come near you.

8You will only see it with your eyes

and witness the punishment of the wicked.

9Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—

my refuge, the Most High—

10no evil will befall you,

no plague will approach your tent.

11For He will command His angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

12They will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.b

13You will tread on the lion and cobra;

you will trample the young lion and serpent.

14“Because he loves Me, I will deliver him;

because he knows My name, I will protect him.

15When he calls out to Me,

I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble.

I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life I will satisfy him

and show him My salvation.”

Footnotes:

1 a Hebrew Shaddai
12 b Cited in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10–11

Psalm 92
Psalm 92

How Great Are Your Works!

1A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.

1It is good to praise the LORD,

and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,

2to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning

and Your faithfulness at night

3with the ten-stringed harp

and the melody of the lyre.

4For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds;

I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

5How great are Your works, O LORD,

how deep are Your thoughts!

6A senseless man does not know,

and a fool does not understand,

7that though the wicked sprout like grass,

and all evildoers flourish,

they will be forever destroyed.

8But You, O LORD, are exalted forever!

9For surely Your enemies, O LORD,

surely Your enemies will perish;

all evildoers will be scattered.

10But You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;

with fine oil I have been anointed.

11My eyes see the downfall of my enemies;

my ears hear the wailing of my wicked foes.a

12The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13Planted in the house of the LORD,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

14In old age they will still bear fruit;

healthy and green they will remain,

15to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock,

and in Him there is no unrighteousness.”

11 a Or my ears hear evildoers when they rise against me

Psalm 93
Psalm 93

The LORD Reigns!
(Psalm 99:1–9)

1The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty;

the LORD has clothed and armed Himself with strength.

The world indeed is firmly established;

it cannot be moved.

2Your throne was established long ago;

You are from all eternity.

3The floodwaters have risen, O LORD;

the rivers have raised their voice;

the seas lift up their pounding waves.

4Above the roar of many waters—

the mighty breakers of the sea—

the LORD on high is majestic.

5Your testimonies are fully confirmed;

holiness adorns Your house, O LORD,

for all the days to come.


Psalm 94
Psalm 94

The LORD Will Not Forget His People

1O LORD, God of vengeance,

O God of vengeance, shine forth.

2Rise up, O Judge of the earth;

render a reward to the proud.

3How long will the wicked, O LORD,

how long will the wicked exult?

4They pour out arrogant words;

all workers of iniquity boast.

5They crush Your people, O LORD;

they oppress Your heritage.

6They kill the widow and the foreigner;

they murder the fatherless.

7They say, “The LORD does not see;

the God of Jacob pays no heed.”

8Take notice, O senseless among the people!

O fools, when will you be wise?

9He who affixed the ear, can He not hear?

He who formed the eye, can He not see?

10He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline?

He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge?

11The LORD knows the thoughts of man,

that they are futile.a

12Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD,

and teach from Your law,

13to grant him relief from days of trouble,

until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14For the LORD will not forsake His people;

He will never abandon His heritage.

15Surely judgment will again be righteous,

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16Who will rise up for me against the wicked?

Who will stand for me against the workers of iniquity?

17Unless the LORD had been my helper,

I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.

18If I say, “My foot is slipping,”

Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me.

19When anxiety overwhelms me,

Your consolation delights my soul.

20Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—

one devising mischief by decree?

21They band together against the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.b

22But the LORD has been my stronghold,

and my God is my rock of refuge.

23He will bring upon them their own iniquity

and destroy them for their wickedness.

The LORD our God will destroy them.

Footnotes:

11 a Cited in 1 Corinthians 3:20
21 b Or condemn innocent blood

Psalm 95
Psalm 95

Do Not Harden Your Hearts
(Hebrews 3:7–11)

1Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!

2Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.

3For the LORD is a great God,

a great King above all gods.

4In His hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to Him.

5The sea is His, for He made it,

and His hands formed the dry land.

6O come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

7For He is our God,

and we are the people of His pasture,

the sheep under His care.

Today, if you hear His voice,

8do not harden your hearts

as you did at Meribah,a

in the day at Massah in the wilderness,b

9where your fathers tested and tried Me,

though they had seen My work.

10For forty years I was angry with that generation,

and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,c

and they have not known My ways.”

11So I swore on oath in My anger,

“They shall never enter My rest.”d

Footnotes:

8 a LXX as you did in the rebellion; Meribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7; cited in Hebrews 3:15 and Hebrews 4:7.
8 b LXX in the day of testing in the wilderness; Massah means testing; see Exodus 17:7.
10 c LXX They always go astray in the heart
11 d Cited in Hebrews 3:7–11, Hebrews 4:3, and Hebrews 4:5

Psalm 96
Psalm 96

Sing to the LORD, All the Earth
(1 Chronicles 16:23–36)

1Sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth.

2Sing to the LORD, bless His name;

proclaim His salvation day after day.

3Declare His glory among the nations,

His wonderful deeds among all peoples.

4For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;

He is to be feared above all gods.

5For all the gods of the nations are idols,

but it is the LORD who made the heavens.

6Splendor and majesty are before Him;

strength and beauty fill His sanctuary.

7Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the nations,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

8Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;

bring an offering and enter His courts.

9Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness;

tremble before Him, all the earth.

10Declare among the nations: “The LORD reigns!”

The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved;

He will judge the peoples with equity.

11Let the heavens be glad

and the earth rejoice;

let the sea resound,

and all that fills it.

12Let the fields exult,

and all that is in them.

Then all the trees of the forest

will sing for joy 13before the LORD,

for He is coming—

He is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples in His faithfulness.


Psalm 97
Psalm 97

Let the Earth Rejoice

1The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;

let the distant shores be glad.

2Clouds and darkness surround Him;

righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.

3Fire goes before Him

and consumes His foes on every side.

4His lightning illuminates the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

5The mountains melt like wax

at the presence of the LORD,

before the Lord of all the earth.

6The heavens proclaim His righteousness;

all the peoples see His glory.

7All worshipers of images are put to shame—

those who boast in idols.

Worship Him, all you gods!

8Zion hears and rejoices,

and the towns of Judah exult

because of Your judgments, O LORD.

9For You, O LORD, are Most High over all the earth;

You are exalted far above all gods.

10Hate evil, O you who love the LORD!

He preserves the souls of His saints;

He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11Light shinesa on the righteous,

gladness on the upright in heart.

12Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones,

and praise His holy name.

Footnotes:

11 a One Hebrew manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts Light is sown

Psalm 98
Psalm 98

Sing to the LORD a New Song
(Psalm 149:1–9; Isaiah 42:10–17)

1A Psalm.

1Sing to the LORD a new song,

for He has done wonders;

His right hand and holy arm

have gained Him the victory.

2The LORD has proclaimed His salvation

and revealed His righteousness to the nations.

3He has remembered His love and faithfulness

to the house of Israel;

all the ends of the earth

have seen the salvation of our God.

4Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;

break forth—let your cry ring out, and sing praises!

5Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,

in melodious song with the harp.

6With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn

shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

7Let the sea resound, and all that fills it,

the world, and all who dwell in it.

8Let the rivers clap their hands,

let the mountains sing together for joy

9before the LORD,

for He comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness

and the peoples with equity.


Psalm 99
Psalm 99

The LORD Reigns!
(Psalm 93:1–5)

1The LORD reigns;

let the nations tremble!

He is enthroned above the cherubim;

let the earth quake!

2Great is the LORD in Zion;

He is exalted above all the peoples.

3Let them praise Your great and awesome name—

He is holy!a

4The mighty King loves justice.b

You have established equity;

You have exercised justice

and righteousness in Jacob.

5Exalt the LORD our God,

and worship at His footstool;

He is holy!

6Moses and Aaron were among His priests;

Samuel was among those who called on His name.

They called to the LORD and He answered.

7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;

they kept His decrees and the statutes He gave them.

8O LORD our God, You answered them.

You were a forgiving God to them,

yet an avenger of their misdeeds.

9Exalt the LORD our God

and worship at His holy mountain,

for the LORD our God is holy.

Footnotes:

3 a Or it is holy!
4 b Or The might of the King loves justice.

Psalm 100
Psalm 100

Make a Joyful Noise
(Psalm 66:1–20)

1A Psalm of thanksgiving.

1Make a joyful noise to the LORD,

all the earth.

2Serve the LORD with gladness;

come into His presence with joyful songs.

3Know that the LORD is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His;a

we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

4Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and bless His name.

5For the LORD is good,

and His loving devotion endures forever;

His faithfulness continues to all generations.

Footnotes:

3 a Or and not we ourselves

Psalm 101
Psalm 101

I Will Set No Worthless Thing before My Eyes

1A Psalm of David.

1I will sing of Your loving devotion and justice;

to You, O LORD, I will sing praises.

2I will ponder the way that is blameless—

when will You come to me?

I will walk in my house

with integrity of heart.

3I will set no worthless thing

before my eyes.

I hate the work of those who fall away;

it shall not cling to me.

4A perverse heart shall depart from me;

I will know nothing of evil.

5Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,

I will put to silence;

the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart,

I will not endure.

6My eyes favor the faithful of the land,

that they may dwell with me;

he who walks in the way of integrity

shall minister to me.

7No one who practices deceit

shall dwell in my house;

no one who tells lies

shall stand in my presence.

8Every morning I will remove all the wicked of the land,

that I may cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.


Psalm 102
Psalm 102

The Prayer of the Afflicted

1A prayer of one who is afflicted, when he grows faint and pours out his lament before the LORD.

1Hear my prayer, O LORD;

let my cry for help come before You.

2Do not hide Your face from me

in my day of distress.

Incline Your ear to me;

answer me quickly when I call.

3For my days vanish like smoke,

and my bones burn like glowing embers.

4My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass;

I even forget to eat my bread.

5Through my loud groaning

my flesh clings to my bones.

6I am like a desert owl,

like an owl among the ruins.

7I lie awake;

I am like a lone bird on a housetop.

8All day long my enemies taunt me;

they ridicule me and curse me.

9For I have eaten ashes like bread

and mixed my drink with tears

10because of Your indignation and wrath,

for You have picked me up and cast me aside.

11My days are like lengthening shadows,

and I wither away like grass.

12But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever;

Your renown endures to all generations.

13You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to show her favor—

the appointed time has come.

14For Your servants delight in her stones

and take pity on her dust.

15So the nations will fear the name of the LORD,

and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.

16For the LORD will rebuild Zion;

He has appeared in His glory.

17He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute;

He will not despise their prayer.

18Let this be written for the generation to come,

so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.

19For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary;

the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth

20to hear a prisoner’s groaning,

to release those condemned to death,

21that they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion

and praise Him in Jerusalem,

22when peoples and kingdoms assemble

to serve the LORD.

23He has broken my strength on the way;

He has cut short my days.

24I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days!

Your years go on through all generations.

25In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

26They will perish, but You remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing You will change them,

and they will be passed on.

27But You remain the same,

and Your years will never end.a

28The children of Your servants will dwell securely,

and their descendants will be established before You.”

27 a Cited in Hebrews 1:10–12

Psalm 103
Psalm 103

Bless the LORD, O My Soul

1Of David.

1Bless the LORD, O my soul;

all that is within me, bless His holy name.

2Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and do not forget all His kind deeds—

3He who forgives all your iniquities

and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the Pit

and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,

5who satisfies you with good things,

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6The LORD executes righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

7He made known His ways to Moses,

His deeds to the people of Israel.

8The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.

9He will not always accuse us,

nor harbor His anger forever.

10He has not dealt with us according to our sins

or repaid us according to our iniquities.

11For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.

12As far as the east is from the west,

so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

14For He knows our frame;

He is mindful that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are like grass—

he blooms like a flower of the field;

16when the wind passes over, it vanishes,

and its place remembers it no more.

17But from everlasting to everlasting

the loving devotion of the LORD

extends to those who fear Him,

and His righteousness to their children’s children—

18to those who keep His covenant

and remember to obey His precepts.

19The LORD has established His throne in heaven,

and His kingdom rules over all.

20Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength

who carry out His word,

who hearken to the voice of His command.

21Bless the LORD, all His hosts,

you servants who do His will.

22Bless the LORD, all His works

in all places of His dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!


Psalm 104
Psalm 104

How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!

1Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD my God, You are very great;

You are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2He wraps Himself in light as with a garment;

He stretches out the heavens like a tent,

3laying the beams of His chambers

in the waters above,

making the clouds His chariot,

walking on the wings of the wind.

4He makes the winds His messengers,

flames of fire His servants.a

5He set the earth on its foundations,

never to be moved.

6You covered it with the deep like a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

7At Your rebuke the waters fled;

at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away—

8the mountains rose and the valleys sank

to the place You assigned for them—

9You set a boundary they cannot cross,

that they may never again cover the earth.

10He sends forth springs in the valleys;

they flow between the mountains.

11They give drink to every beast of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12The birds of the air nest beside the springs;

they sing among the branches.

13He waters the mountains from His chambers;

the earth is satisfied by the fruit of His works.

14He makes the grass grow for the livestock

and provides crops for man to cultivate,

bringing forth food from the earth:

15wine that gladdens the heart of man,

oil that makes his face to shine,

and bread that sustains his heart.

16The trees of the LORD have their fill,

the cedars of Lebanon that He planted,

17where the birds build their nests;

the stork makes her home in the cypresses.b

18The high mountains are for the wild goats,

the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers.c

19He made the moon to mark the seasons;

the sun knows when to set.

20You bring darkness, and it becomes night,

when all the beasts of the forest prowl.

21The young lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.

22The sun rises, and they withdraw;

they lie down in their dens.

23Man goes forth to his work

and to his labor until evening.

24How many are Your works, O LORD!

In wisdom You have made them all;

the earth is full of Your creatures.

25Here is the sea, vast and wide,

teeming with creatures beyond number,

living things both great and small.

26There the ships pass,

and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.

27All creatures look to You

to give them their food in due season.

28When You give it to them,

they gather it up;

when You open Your hand,

they are satisfied with good things.

29When You hide Your face,

they are terrified;

when You take away their breath,

they die and return to dust.

30When You send Your Spirit,d

they are created,

and You renew

the face of the earth.

31May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD rejoice in His works.

32He looks on the earth,

and it trembles;

He touches the mountains,

and they smolder.

33I will sing to the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34May my meditation be pleasing to Him,

for I rejoice in the LORD.

35May sinners vanish from the earth

and the wicked be no more.

Bless the LORD, O my soul.

Hallelujah!e

Footnotes:

4 a LXX He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire. Cited in Hebrews 1:7
17 b Or pines or junipers or firs
18 c Or the coneys or the hyraxes
30 d Or breath
35 e Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD

Psalm 105
Psalm 105

Tell of His Wonders
(1 Chronicles 16:7–22)

1Give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;

make known His deeds among the nations.

2Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

tell of all His wonders.

3Glory in His holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

4Seek out the LORD and His strength;

seek His face always.

5Remember the wonders He has done,

His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,

6O offspring of His servant Abraham,

O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.

7He is the LORD our God;

His judgments carry throughout the earth.

8He remembers His covenant forever,

the word He ordained for a thousand generations—

9the covenant He made with Abraham,

and the oath He swore to Isaac.

10He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

11“I will give you the land of Canaan

as the portion of your inheritance.”

12When they were few in number,

few indeed, and strangers in the land,

13they wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

14He let no man oppress them;

He rebuked kings on their behalf:

15“Do not touch My anointed ones!

Do no harm to My prophets!”

16He called down famine on the land

and cut off all their suppliesa of food.

17He sent a man before them—

Joseph, sold as a slave.

18They bruised his feet with shackles

and placed his neck in irons,

19until his prediction came true

and the word of the LORD proved him right.

20The king sent and released him;

the ruler of peoples set him free.

21He made him master of his household,

ruler over all his substance,

22to instructb his princes as he pleased

and teach his elders wisdom.

23Then Israel entered Egypt;

Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.

24And the LORD made His people very fruitful,

more numerous than their foes,

25whose hearts He turned to hate His people,

to conspire against His servants.

26He sent Moses His servant,

and Aaron, whom He had chosen.

27They performed His miraculous signs among them,

and wonders in the land of Ham.

28He sent darkness, and it became dark—

yet they defied His words.c

29He turned their waters to blood

and caused their fish to die.

30Their land teemed with frogs,

even in their royal chambers.

31He spoke, and insects swarmed—

gnats throughout their country.

32He gave them hail for rain,

with lightning throughout their land.

33He struck their vines and fig trees

and shattered the trees of their country.

34He spoke, and the locusts came—

young locusts without number.

35They devoured every plant in their land

and consumed the produce of their soil.

36Then He struck all the firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of all their vigor.

37He brought Israel out with silver and gold,

and none among His tribes stumbled.

38Egypt was glad when they departed,

for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.

39He spread a cloud as a covering

and a fire to light up the night.

40They asked, and He brought quail

and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

41He opened a rock, and water gushed out;

it flowed like a river in the desert.

42For He remembered His holy promise

to Abraham His servant.

43He brought forth His people with rejoicing,

His chosen with shouts of joy.

44He gave them the lands of the nations,

that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,

45that they might keep His statutes

and obey His laws.

Hallelujah!d

Footnotes:

16 a Hebrew staff
22 b LXX and Syriac; MT to bind
28 c LXX and Syriac; Hebrew for had they not defied His words?
45 d Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD

Psalm 106
Psalm 106

Give Thanks to the LORD, for He Is Good

1Hallelujah!a

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

His loving devotion endures forever.

2Who can describe the mighty acts of the LORD

or fully proclaim His praise?

3Blessed are those who uphold justice,

who practice righteousness at all times.

4Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor to Your people;

visit me with Your salvation,

5that I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,

and rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,

and give glory with Your inheritance.

6We have sinned like our fathers;

we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

7Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders

or remember Your abundant kindness;

but they rebelled by the sea,

there at the Red Sea.b

8Yet He saved them for the sake of His name,

to make His power known.

9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;

He led them through the depths as through a desert.

10He saved them from the hand that hated them;

He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

11The waters covered their foes;

not one of them remained.

12Then they believed His promises

and sang His praise.

13Yet they soon forgot His works

and failed to wait for His counsel.

14They craved intensely in the wilderness

and tested God in the desert.

15So He granted their request,

but sent a wasting disease upon them.

16In the camp they envied Moses,

as well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.

17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;

it covered the assembly of Abiram.

18Then fire blazed through their company;

flames consumed the wicked.

19At Horebc they made a calf

and worshiped a molten image.

20They exchanged their Gloryd

for the image of a grass-eating ox.

21They forgot God their Savior,

who did great things in Egypt,

22wondrous works in the land of Ham,

and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

23So He said He would destroy them—

had not Moses His chosen one

stood before Him in the breach

to divert His wrath from destroying them.

24They despised the pleasant land;

they did not believe His promise.

25They grumbled in their tents

and did not listen to the voice of the LORD.

26So He raised His hand and swore

to cast them down in the wilderness,

27to dispersee their offspring among the nations

and scatter them throughout the lands.

28They yoked themselves to Baal of Peor

and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.

29So they provoked the LORD to anger with their deeds,

and a plague broke out among them.

30But Phinehas stood and intervened,

and the plague was restrained.

31It was credited to him as righteousness

for endless generations to come.

32At the waters of Meribahf they angered the LORD,

and trouble came to Moses because of them.

33For they rebelled against His Spirit,g

and Moses spoke rashly with his lips.

34They did not destroy the peoples

as the LORD had commanded them,

35but they mingled with the nations

and adopted their customs.

36They worshiped their idols,

which became a snare to them.

37They sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to demons.

38They shed innocent blood—

the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

and the land was polluted with blood.

39They defiled themselves by their actions

and prostituted themselves by their deeds.

40So the anger of the LORD burned against His people,

and He abhorred His own inheritance.

41He delivered them into the hand of the nations,

and those who hated them ruled over them.

42Their enemies oppressed them,

and subdued them under their hand.

43Many times He rescued them,

but they were bent on rebellion

and sank down in their iniquity.

44Nevertheless He heard their cry;

He took note of their distress.

45And He remembered His covenant with them,

and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.

46He made them objects of compassion

to all who held them captive.

47Save us, O LORD our God,

and gather us from the nations,

that we may give thanks to Your holy name,

that we may glory in Your praise.

48Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting.

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 48
7 b Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verses 9 and 22
19 c That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai
20 d Or their glorious God
27 e Or cast down or cause to fall
32 f Meribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7.
33 g Or they provoked His Spirit

Psalm 107
Psalm 107

BOOK V

Psalms 107–150

Thanksgiving for Deliverance
(Matthew 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25)

1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

His loving devotion endures forever.

2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,

whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy

3and gathered from the lands,

from east and west, from north and south.a

4Some wandered in desert wastelands,

finding no path to a city in which to dwell.

5They were hungry and thirsty;

their soul fainted within them.

6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He delivered them from their distress.

7He led them on a straight path

to reach a city where they could live.

8Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.

9For He satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

10Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

prisoners in affliction and chains,

11because they rebelled against the words of God

and despised the counsel of the Most High.

12He humbled their hearts with hard labor;

they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

13Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He saved them from their distress.

14He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death

and broke away their chains.

15Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.

16For He has broken down the gates of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

17Fools, in their rebellious ways,

and through their iniquities, suffered affliction.

18They loathed all food

and drew near to the gates of death.

19Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He saved them from their distress.

20He sent forth His word and healed them;

He rescued them from the Pit.

21Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.

22Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving

and declare His works with rejoicing.

23Others went out to sea in ships,

conducting trade on the mighty waters.

24They saw the works of the LORD,

and His wonders in the deep.

25For He spoke and raised a tempest

that lifted the waves of the sea.

26They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths;

their courage melted in their anguish.

27They reeled and staggered like drunkards,

and all their skill was useless.b

28Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He brought them out of their distress.

29He calmed the storm to a whisper,

and the waves of the seac were hushed.

30They rejoiced in the silence,

and He guided them to the harbor they desired.

31Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.

32Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people

and praise Him in the council of the elders.

33He turns rivers into deserts,

springs of water into thirsty ground,

34and fruitful land into fields of salt,

because of the wickedness of its dwellers.

35He turns a desert into pools of water

and a dry land into flowing springs.

36He causes the hungry to settle there,

that they may establish a city in which to dwell.

37They sow fields and plant vineyards

that yield a fruitful harvest.

38He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;

He does not let their herds diminish.

39When they are decreased and humbled

by oppression, evil, and sorrow,

40He pours out contempt on the nobles

and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.

41But He lifts the needy from affliction

and increases their families like flocks.

42The upright see and rejoice,

and all iniquity shuts its mouth.

43Let him who is wise pay heed to these things

and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.

Footnotes:

3 a Hebrew north and the sea
27 b Or and all their wisdom was swallowed up or and they were at their wits’ end
29 c DSS; MT their waves

Psalm 108
Psalm 108

Israel’s Kingdom Blessing
(Psalm 57:1–11; Psalm 60:1–12)

1A song. A Psalm of David.

1My heart is steadfast, O God;

I will sing and make music with all my being.a

2Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

3I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations;

I will sing Your praises among the peoples.

4For Your loving devotion extends beyond the heavens,

and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

may Your glory cover all the earth.

6Respond and save us with Your right hand,

that Your beloved may be delivered.

7God has spoken from His sanctuary:b

“I will triumph!

I will parcel out Shechem

and apportion the Valley of Succoth.

8Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;

Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.

9Moab is My washbasin;

upon Edom I toss My sandal;

over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

10Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

11Have You not rejected us, O God?

Will You no longer march out, O God, with our armies?

12Give us aid against the enemy,

for the help of man is worthless.

13With God we will perform with valor,

and He will trample our enemies.

Footnotes:

1 a Or with my glory
7 b Or in His holiness

Psalm 109
Psalm 109

The Song of the Slandered

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1O God of my praise,

be not silent.

2For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me;

they speak against me with lying tongues.

3They surround me with hateful words

and attack me without cause.

4In return for my love they accuse me,

but I am a man of prayer.

5They repay me evil for good,

and hatred for my love.

6Set over him a wicked man;

let an accuser stand at his right hand.

7When he is tried, let him be found guilty,

and may his prayer be regarded as sin.

8May his days be few;

may another take his position.a

9May his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow.

10May his children wander as beggars,

seeking sustenanceb far from their ruined homes.

11May the creditor seize all he owns,

and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

12May there be no one to extend kindness to him,

and no one to favor his fatherless children.

13May his descendants be cut off;

may their name be blotted out from the next generation.

14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,

and the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

15May their sins always remain before the LORD,

that He may cut off their memory from the earth.

16For he never thought to show kindness,

but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted,

even to their death.

17The cursing that he loved,

may it fall on him;

the blessing in which he refused to delight,

may it be far from him.

18The cursing that he wore like a coat,

may it soak into his body like water,

and into his bones like oil.

19May it be like a robe wrapped about him,

like a belt tied forever around him.

20May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers,

to those who speak evil against me.

21But You, O GOD, the Lord,

deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name;

deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.

22For I am poor and needy;

my heart is wounded within me.

23I am fading away like a lengthening shadow;

I am shaken off like a locust.

24My knees are weak from fasting,

and my body grows lean and gaunt.

25I am an object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they shake their heads.

26Help me, O LORD my God;

save me according to Your loving devotion.

27Let them know that this is Your hand,

that You, O LORD, have done it.

28Though they curse, You will bless.

When they rise up, they will be put to shame,

but Your servant will rejoice.

29May my accusers be clothed with disgrace;

may they wear their shame like a robe.

30With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely;

I will praise Him in the presence of many.

31For He stands at the right hand of the needy one,

to save him from the condemners of his soul.

Footnotes:

8 a Cited in Acts 1:20
10 b Hebrew; LXX may they be driven

Psalm 110
Psalm 110

God’s Faithful Messiah
(Genesis 14:17–24; Hebrews 5:1–10)

1A Psalm of David.

1The LORD said to my Lord:

“Sit at My right hand

until I make Your enemies

a footstool for Your feet.”a

2The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion:

“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

3Your people shall be willing

on Your day of battle.

Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn,

to You belongs the dew of Your youth.

4The LORD has sworn

and will not change His mind:

“You are a priest forever

in the order of Melchizedek.”b

5The Lord is at Your right hand;

He will crush kings in the day of His wrath.

6He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead;

He will crush the leaders far and wide.

7He will drink from the brook by the road;

therefore He will lift up His head.

1 a Cited in Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42–43, Acts 2:34–35, and Hebrews 1:13
4 b Cited in Hebrews 5:6, Hebrews 7:17, and Hebrews 7:21

Psalm 111
Psalm 111

Majestic Is His Work

1Hallelujah!a

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart

in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

2Great are the works of the LORD;

they are pondered by all who delight in them.

3Splendid and majestic is His work;

His righteousness endures forever.

4He has caused His wonders to be remembered;

the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

5He provides food for those who fear Him;

He remembers His covenant forever.

6He has shown His people the power of His works

by giving them the inheritance of the nations.

7The works of His hands are truth and justice;

all His precepts are trustworthy.

8They are upheld forever and ever,

enacted in truth and uprightness.

9He has sent redemption to His people;

He has ordained His covenant forever;

holy and awesome is His name.

10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding.

His praise endures forever!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD. This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalm 112
Psalm 112

The Blessed Fear of the LORD
(Psalm 128:1–6)

1Hallelujah!a

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

who greatly delights in His commandments.

2His descendants will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house,

and his righteousness endures forever.

4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—

for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.

5It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely,

whose affairs are guided by justice.

6Surely he will never be shaken;

the righteous man will be remembered forever.

7He does not fear bad news;

his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

8His heart is assured; he does not fear,

until he looks in triumph on his foes.

9He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever;b

his horn will be lifted high in honor.

10The wicked man will see and be grieved;

he will gnash his teeth and waste away;

the desires of the wicked will perish.

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD. This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
9 b Cited in 2 Corinthians 9:9

Psalm 113
Psalm 113

The LORD Exalts the Humble
(1 Samuel 1:1–8)

1Hallelujah!a

Give praise, O servants of the LORD;

praise the name of the LORD.

2Blessed be the name of the LORD

both now and forevermore.

3From where the sun rises to where it sets,

the name of the LORD is praised.

4The LORD is exalted over all the nations,

His glory above the heavens.

5Who is like the LORD our God,

the One enthroned on high?

6He humbles Himself to behold

the heavens and the earth.

7He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the dump

8to seat them with nobles,

with the princes of His people.

9He settles the barren woman in her home

as a joyful mother to her children.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 9

Psalm 114
Psalm 114

A Psalm of Exodus

1When Israel departed from Egypt,

the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

2Judah became God’s sanctuary,

and Israel His dominion.

3The sea observed and fled;

the Jordan turned back;

4the mountains skipped like rams,

the hills like lambs.

5Why was it, O sea, that you fled,

O Jordan, that you turned back,

6O mountains, that you skipped like rams,

O hills, like lambs?

7Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8who turned the rock into a pool,

the flint into a fountain of water!


Psalm 115
Psalm 115

To Your Name Be the Glory
(Psalm 135:1–21)

1Not to us, O LORD, not to us,

but to Your name be the glory,

because of Your loving devotion,

because of Your faithfulness.

2Why should the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

3Our God is in heaven;

He does as He pleases.

4Their idols are silver and gold,

made by the hands of men.

5They have mouths, but cannot speak;

they have eyes, but cannot see;

6they have ears, but cannot hear;

they have noses, but cannot smell;

7they have hands, but cannot feel;

they have feet, but cannot walk;

they cannot even clear their throats.a

8Those who make them become like them,

as do all who trust in them.

9O Israel,b trust in the LORD!

He is their help and shield.

10O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!

He is their help and shield.

11You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!

He is their help and shield.

12The LORD is mindful of us;

He will bless us.

He will bless the house of Israel;

He will bless the house of Aaron;

13He will bless those who fear the LORD—

small and great alike.

14May the LORD give you increase,

both you and your children.

15May you be blessed by the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

16The highest heavens belong to the LORD,

but the earth He has given to mankind.

17It is not the dead who praise the LORD,

nor any who descend into silence.

18But it is we who will bless the LORD,

both now and forevermore.

Hallelujah!c

Footnotes:

7 a Literally they cannot utter with their throat
9 b MT; many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac O house of Israel
18 c Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD

Psalm 116
Psalm 116

The LORD Has Heard My Voice

1I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—

my appeal for mercy.

2Because He has inclined His ear to me,

I will call on Him as long as I live.

3The ropes of death entangled me;

the anguish of Sheol overcame me;

I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.

4Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“O LORD, deliver my soul!”

5The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion.

6The LORD preserves the simplehearted;

I was helpless, and He saved me.

7Return to your rest, O my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.

8For You have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

9I will walk before the LORD

in the land of the living.

10I believed, therefore I said,a

“I am greatly afflicted.”

11In my alarm I said,

“All men are liars!”

12How can I repay the LORD

for all His goodness to me?

13I will lift the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

14I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all His people.

15Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of His saints.

16Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant;

I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;

You have broken my bonds.

17I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and call on the name of the LORD.

18I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all His people,

19in the courts of the LORD’s house,

in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!b

Footnotes:

10 a LXX therefore I have spoken; cited in 2 Corinthians 4:13
19 b Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD

Psalm 117
Psalm 117

Extol Him, All You Peoples

1Praise the LORD, all you nations!

Extol Him, all you peoples!a

2For great is His loving devotion toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Hallelujah!b

Footnotes:

1 a Cited in Romans 15:11
2 b Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD

Psalm 118
Psalm 118

The LORD Is on My Side

1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

His loving devotion endures forever.

2Let Israela say,

“His loving devotion endures forever.”

3Let the house of Aaron say,

“His loving devotion endures forever.”

4Let those who fear the LORD say,

“His loving devotion endures forever.”

5In my distress I called to the LORD,

and He answered and set me free.

6The LORD is on my side;b I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?c

7The LORD is on my side; He is my helper.

Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

8It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in man.

9It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in princes.

10All the nations surrounded me,

but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

11They surrounded me on every side,

but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

12They swarmed around me like bees,

but they were extinguished like burning thorns;

in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

13I was pushed so hard I was falling,

but the LORD helped me.

14The LORD is my strength and my song,

and He has become my salvation.

15Shouts of joy and salvation resound in the tents of the righteous:

“The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!

16The right hand of the LORD is exalted!

The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!”

17I will not die, but I will live

and proclaim what the LORD has done.

18The LORD disciplined me severely,

but He has not given me over to death.

19Open to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD.

20This is the gate of the LORD;

the righteous shall enter through it.

21I will give You thanks, for You have answered me,

and You have become my salvation.

22The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.d

23This is from the LORD,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.e

24This is the day that the LORD has made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25O LORD, save us, we pray.f

We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!

26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.g

From the house of the LORD we bless you.

27The LORD is God;

He has made His light to shine upon us.

Bind the festal sacrifice with cords

to the horns of the altar.h

28You are my God, and I will give You thanks.

You are my God, and I will exalt You.

29Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

His loving devotion endures forever.

Footnotes:

2 a LXX the house of Israel
6 b Or The LORD is with me; also in verse 7; LXX The Lord is my helper
6 c Cited in Hebrews 13:6
22 d Hebrew the head of the corner; cited in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, and 1 Peter 2:7
23 e Cited in Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:11
25 f Hebrew hosia-na, meaning save, we pray or save now; see Matthew 21:9, Matthew 21:15, Mark 11:9, and John 12:13.
26 g Cited in Matthew 21:9, Matthew 23:39, Mark 11:9, Luke 13:35, Luke 19:38, and John 12:13
27 h Or Join in the festal procession with boughs in hand, up to the horns of the altar.

Psalm 119
Psalm 119

Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet

א
ALEPH

1Blesseda are those whose way is blameless,

who walk in the Law of the LORD.

2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies

and seek Him with all their heart.

3They do no iniquity;

they walk in His ways.

4You have ordained Your precepts,

that we should keep them diligently.

5Oh, that my ways were committed

to keeping Your statutes!

6Then I would not be ashamed

when I consider all Your commandments.

7I will praise You with an upright heart

when I learn Your righteous judgments.

8I will keep Your statutes;

do not utterly forsake me.

ב
BETH

9How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to Your word.

10With all my heart I have sought You;

do not let me stray from Your commandments.

11I have hidden Your word in my heart

that I might not sin against You.

12Blessed are You, O LORD;

teach me Your statutes.

13With my lips I proclaim

all the judgments of Your mouth.

14I rejoice in the way of Your testimonies

as much as in all riches.

15I will meditate on Your precepts

and regard Your ways.

16I will delight in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

ג
GIMEL

17Deal bountifully with Your servant,

that I may live and keep Your word.

18Open my eyes that I may see

wondrous things from Your law.

19I am a stranger on the earth;

do not hide Your commandments from me.

20My soul is consumed with longing

for Your judgments at all times.

21You rebuke the arrogant—

the cursed who stray from Your commandments.

22Remove my scorn and contempt,

for I have kept Your testimonies.

23Though rulers sit and slander me,

Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

24Your testimonies are indeed my delight;

they are my counselors.

ד
DALETH

25My soul cleaves to the dust;

revive me according to Your word.

26I recounted my ways, and You answered me;

teach me Your statutes.

27Make clear to me the way of Your precepts;

then I will meditate on Your wonders.

28My soul melts with sorrow;

strengthen me according to Your word.

29Remove me from the path of deceit

and graciously grant me Your law.

30I have chosen the way of truth;

I have set Your ordinances before me.

31I cling to Your testimonies, O LORD;

let me not be put to shame.

32I run in the path of Your commandments,

for You will enlarge my heart.

ה
HE

33Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,

and I will keep them to the end.b

34Give me understanding that I may obey Your law,

and follow it with all my heart.

35Direct me in the path of Your commandments,

for there I find delight.

36Turn my heart to Your testimonies

and not to covetous gain.

37Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

revive me with Your word.c

38Establish Your word to Your servant,

to produce reverence for You.

39Turn away the disgrace I dread,

for Your judgments are good.

40How I long for Your precepts!

Revive me in Your righteousness.

ו
WAW

41May Your loving devotion come to me, O LORD,

Your salvation, according to Your promise.

42Then I can answer him who taunts,

for I trust in Your word.

43Never take Your word of truth from my mouth,

for I hope in Your judgments.

44I will always obey Your law,

forever and ever.

45And I will walk in freedom,

for I have sought Your precepts.

46I will speak of Your testimonies before kings,

and I will not be ashamed.

47I delight in Your commandments

because I love them.

48I lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love,

and I meditate on Your statutes.

ז
ZAYIN

49Remember Your word to Your servant,

upon which You have given me hope.

50This is my comfort in affliction,

that Your promise has given me life.

51The arrogant utterly deride me,

but I do not turn from Your law.

52I remember Your judgments of old, O LORD,

and in them I find comfort.

53Rage has taken hold of me

because of the wicked who reject Your law.

54Your statutes are songs to me

in the house of my pilgrimage.

55In the night, O LORD, I remember Your name,

that I may keep Your law.

56This is my practice,

for I obey Your precepts.

ח
HETH

57The LORD is my portion;

I have promised to keep Your words.

58I have sought Your face with all my heart;

be gracious to me according to Your promise.

59I considered my ways

and turned my steps to Your testimonies.

60I hurried without hesitating

to keep Your commandments.

61Though the ropes of the wicked bind me,

I do not forget Your law.

62At midnight I rise to give You thanks

for Your righteous judgments.

63I am a friend to all who fear You,

and to those who keep Your precepts.

64The earth is filled with Your loving devotion, O LORD;

teach me Your statutes.

ט
TETH

65You are good to Your servant, O LORD,

according to Your word.

66Teach me good judgment and knowledge,

for I believe in Your commandments.

67Before I was afflicted, I went astray;

but now I keep Your word.

68You are good, and You do what is good;

teach me Your statutes.

69Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,

I keep Your precepts with all my heart.

70Their hearts are hardd and callous,

but I delight in Your law.

71It was good for me to be afflicted,

that I might learn Your statutes.

72The law from Your mouth is more precious to me

than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

י
YODH

73Your hands have made me and fashioned me;

give me understanding to learn Your commandments.

74May those who fear You see me and rejoice,

for I have hoped in Your word.

75I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous,

and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

76May Your loving devotion comfort me, I pray,

according to Your promise to Your servant.

77May Your compassion come to me, that I may live,

for Your law is my delight.

78May the arrogant be put to shame for subverting me with a lie;

I will meditate on Your precepts.

79May those who fear You turn to me,

those who know Your testimonies.

80May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,

that I may not be put to shame.

כ
KAPH

81My soul faints for Your salvation;

I wait for Your word.

82My eyes fail, looking for Your promise;

I ask, “When will You comfort me?”

83Though I am like a wineskin dried up by smoke,

I do not forget Your statutes.

84How many days must Your servant wait?e

When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?

85The arrogant have dug pits for me

in violation of Your law.

86All Your commandments are faithful;

I am persecuted without cause—help me!

87They almost wiped me from the earth,

but I have not forsaken Your precepts.

88Revive me according to Your loving devotion,

that I may obey the testimony of Your mouth.

ל
LAMEDH

89Your word, O LORD, is everlasting;

it is firmly fixed in the heavens.

90Your faithfulness continues through all generations;

You established the earth, and it endures.

91Your ordinances stand to this day,f

for all things are servants to You.

92If Your law had not been my delight,

then I would have perished in my affliction.

93I will never forget Your precepts,

for by them You have revived me.

94I am Yours; save me,

for I have sought Your precepts.

95The wicked wait to destroy me,

but I will ponder Your testimonies.

96I have seen a limit to all perfection,

but Your commandment is without limit.

מ
MEM

97Oh, how I love Your law!

All day long it is my meditation.

98Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,

for they are always with me.

99I have more insight than all my teachers,

for Your testimonies are my meditation.

100I discern more than the elders,

for I obey Your precepts.

101I have kept my feet from every evil path,

that I may keep Your word.

102I have not departed from Your ordinances,

for You Yourself have taught me.

103How sweet are Your words to my taste—

sweeter than honey in my mouth!

104I gain understanding from Your precepts;

therefore I hate every false way.

נ
NUN

105Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

106I have sworn and confirmed

that I will keep Your righteous judgments.

107I am severely afflicted, O LORD;

revive me through Your word.

108Accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,

and teach me Your judgments.

109I constantly take my life in my hands,

yet I do not forget Your law.

110The wicked have set a snare for me,

but I have not strayed from Your precepts.

111Your testimonies are my heritage forever,

for they are the joy of my heart.

112I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes,

even to the very end.

ס
SAMEKH

113The double-minded I despise,

but Your law I love.

114You are my hiding place and my shield;

I put my hope in Your word.

115Depart from me, you evildoers,

that I may obey the commandments of my God.

116Sustain me as You promised, that I may live;

let me not be ashamed of my hope.

117Uphold me, and I will be saved,

that I may always regard Your statutes.

118You reject all who stray from Your statutes,

for their deceitfulness is in vain.

119All the wicked on earth You discard like dross;

therefore I love Your testimonies.

120My flesh trembles in awe of You;

I stand in fear of Your judgments.

ע
AYIN

121I have done what is just and right;

do not leave me to my oppressors.

122Ensure Your servant’s well-being;

do not let the arrogant oppress me.

123My eyes fail, looking for Your salvation,

and for Your righteous promise.

124Deal with Your servant according to Your loving devotion,

and teach me Your statutes.

125I am Your servant; give me understanding,

that I may know Your testimonies.

126It is time for the LORD to act,

for they have broken Your law.

127Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold,

even the purest gold.

128Therefore I admire all Your precepts

and hate every false way.

פ
PE

129Wonderful are Your testimonies;

therefore I obey them.

130The unfolding of Your words gives light;

it informs the simple.

131I open my mouth and pant,

longing for Your commandments.

132Turn to me and show me mercy,

as You do to those who love Your name.

133Order my steps in Your word;

let no sin rule over me.

134Redeem me from the oppression of man,

that I may keep Your precepts.

135Make Your face shine upon Your servant,

and teach me Your statutes.

136My eyes shed streams of tears

because Your law is not obeyed.

צ
TZADE

137Righteous are You, O LORD,

and upright are Your judgments.

138The testimonies You have laid down are righteous

and altogether faithful.

139My zeal has consumed me

because my foes forget Your words.

140Your promise is completely pure;

therefore Your servant loves it.

141I am lowly and despised,

but I do not forget Your precepts.

142Your righteousness is everlasting

and Your law is true.

143Trouble and distress have found me,

but Your commandments are my delight.

144Your testimonies are righteous forever.

Give me understanding, that I may live.

ק
KOPH

145I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD!

I will obey Your statutes.

146I call to You; save me,

that I may keep Your testimonies.

147I rise before dawn and cry for help;

in Your word I have put my hope.

148My eyes anticipate the watches of night,

that I may meditate on Your word.

149Hear my voice, O LORD, according to Your loving devotion;

give me life according to Your justice.

150Those who follow after wickedness draw near;

they are far from Your law.

151You are near, O LORD,

and all Your commandments are true.

152Long ago I learned from Your testimonies

that You have established them forever.

ר
RESH

153Look upon my affliction and rescue me,

for I have not forgotten Your law.

154Defend my cause and redeem me;

revive me according to Your word.

155Salvation is far from the wicked

because they do not seek Your statutes.

156Great are Your mercies, O LORD;

revive me according to Your ordinances.

157Though my persecutors and foes are many,

I have not turned from Your testimonies.

158I look on the faithless with loathing

because they do not keep Your word.

159Consider how I love Your precepts, O LORD;

give me life according to Your loving devotion.

160The entirety of Your word is truth,

and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.

ש
SIN and SHIN

161Rulers persecute me without cause,

but my heart fears only Your word.

162I rejoice in Your promise

like one who finds great spoil.

163I hate and abhor falsehood,

but Your law I love.

164Seven times a day I praise You

for Your righteous judgments.

165Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your instruction;

nothing can make them stumble.

166I wait for Your salvation, O LORD,

and I carry out Your commandments.

167I obey Your testimonies

and love them greatly.

168I obey Your precepts and Your testimonies,

for all my ways are before You.

ת
TAW

169May my cry come before You, O LORD;

give me understanding according to Your word.

170May my plea come before You;

rescue me according to Your promise.

171My lips pour forth praise,

for You teach me Your statutes.

172My tongue sings of Your word,

for all Your commandments are righteous.

173May Your hand be ready to help me,

for I have chosen Your precepts.

174I long for Your salvation, O LORD,

and Your law is my delight.

175Let me live to praise You;

may Your judgments sustain me.

176I have strayed like a lost sheep;

seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.

Footnotes:

1 a This psalm is an acrostic poem of twenty-two stanzas, following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet; within a stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter.
33 b Or keep them as my reward
37 c Two MT manuscripts and DSS; most MT manuscripts in Your way
70 d Or fat
84 e Or How many are the days of Your servant?
91 f Or They stand this day according to Your ordinances

Psalm 120
Psalm 120

In My Distress I Cried to the LORD

1A song of ascents.

1In my distress I cried to the LORD,

and He answered me.

2Deliver my soul, O LORD,

from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.

3What will He do to you,

and what will be added to you,

O deceitful tongue?

4Sharp arrows will come from the warrior,

with burning coals of the broom tree!

5Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,

that I live among the tents of Kedar!

6Too long have I dwelt

among those who hate peace.

7I am in favor of peace;

but when I speak, they want war.


Psalm 121
Psalm 121

I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills

1A song of ascents.

1I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

2My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

3He will not allow your foot to slip;

your Protector will not slumber.

4Behold, the Protector of Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

5The LORD is your keeper;

the LORD is the shade on your right hand.

6The sun will not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7The LORD will guard you from all evil;

He will preserve your soul.

8The LORD will watch over your coming and going,

both now and forevermore.


Psalm 122
Psalm 122

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

1A song of ascents. Of David.

1I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

2Our feet are standing in your gates,

O Jerusalem.

3Jerusalem is built up

as a city united together,

4where the tribes go up,

the tribes of the LORD,

as a testimony for Israel,

to give thanks to the name of the LORD.

5For there the thrones of judgment stand,

the thrones of the house of David.

6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you prosper.a

7May there be peace within your walls,

and prosperityb inside your fortresses.”

8For the sake of my brothers and friends,

I will say, “Peace be within you.”

9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,

I will seek your prosperity.

6 a Or be secure
7 b Or security

Psalm 123
Psalm 123

I Lift Up My Eyes to You

1A song of ascents.

1I lift up my eyes to You,

the One enthroned in heaven.

2As the eyes of servants

look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maidservant

look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes are on the LORD our God

until He shows us mercy.

3Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy,

for we have endured much contempt.

4We have endured much scorn from the arrogant,

much contempt from the proud.


Psalm 124
Psalm 124

Our Help Is in the Name of the LORD

1A song of ascents. Of David.

1If the LORD had not been on our side—

let Israel now declare—

2if the LORD had not been on our side

when men attacked us,

3when their anger flared against us,

then they would have swallowed us alive,

4then the floods would have engulfed us,

then the torrent would have overwhelmed us,

5then the raging waters

would have swept us away.

6Blessed be the LORD,

who has not given us as prey to their teeth.

7We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler;

the net is torn, and we have slipped away.

8Our help is in the name of the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.


Psalm 125
Psalm 125

The LORD Surrounds His People

1A song of ascents.

1Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion.

It cannot be moved; it abides forever.

2As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the LORD surrounds His people,

both now and forevermore.

3For the scepter of the wicked will not rest

upon the land allotted to the righteous,

so that the righteous will not put forth

their hands to injustice.

4Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,

and to the upright in heart.

5But those who turn to crooked ways

the LORD will banish with the evildoers.

Peace be upon Israel.


Psalm 126
Psalm 126

Zion’s Captives Restored

1A song of ascents.

1When the LORD restored the captives of Zion,a

we were like dreamers.b

2Then our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with shouts of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The LORD has done great things for them.”

3The LORD has done great things for us;

we are filled with joy.

4Restore our captives,c O LORD,

like streams in the Negev.

5Those who sow in tears

will reap with shouts of joy.

6He who goes out weeping,

bearing a trail of seed,

will surely return with shouts of joy,

carrying sheaves of grain.

Footnotes:

1 a Or brought back the captives to Zion; or restored the fortunes of Zion
1 b Or like those restored to health
4 c Or Restore our fortunes

Psalm 127
Psalm 127

Children Are a Heritage from the LORD

1A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

1Unless the LORD builds the house,

its builders labor in vain;

unless the LORD protects the city,

its watchmen stand guard in vain.

2In vain you rise early

and stay up late,

toiling for bread to eat—

for He gives sleep to His beloved.

3Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD,

and the fruit of the womb is His reward.

4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

so are children born in one’s youth.

5Blessed is the man

whose quiver is full of them.

He will not be put to shame

when he confronts the enemies at the gate.


Psalm 128
Psalm 128

The Blessed Fear of the LORD
(Psalm 112:1–10)

1A song of ascents.

1Blessed are all who fear the LORD,

who walk in His ways!

2For when you eat the fruit of your labor,

blessings and prosperity will be yours.

3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

flourishing within your house,

your sons like olive shoots

sitting around your table.

4In this way indeed shall blessing come

to the man who fears the LORD.

5May the LORD bless you from Zion,

that you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life,

6that you may see

your children’s children.

Peace be upon Israel!


Psalm 129
Psalm 129

The Cords of the Wicked

1A song of ascents.

1Many a time they have persecuted me from my youth—

let Israel now declare—

2many a time they have persecuted me from my youth,

but they have not prevailed against me.

3The plowmen plowed over my back;

they made their furrows long.

4The LORD is righteous;

He has cut me from the cords of the wicked.

5May all who hate Zion

be turned back in shame.

6May they be like grass on the rooftops,

which withers before it can grow,

7unable to fill the hands of the reaper,

or the arms of the binder of sheaves.

8May none who pass by say to them,

“The blessing of the LORD be on you;

we bless you in the name of the LORD.”


Psalm 130
Psalm 130

Out of the Depths

1A song of ascents.

1Out of the depths

I cry to You, O LORD!

2O Lord, hear my voice;

let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.

3If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities,

then who, O Lord, could stand?

4But with You there is forgiveness,

so that You may be feared.

5I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait,

and in His word I put my hope.

6My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning—

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,

for with the LORD is loving devotion,

and with Him is redemption in abundance.

8And He will redeem Israel

from all iniquity.


Psalm 131
Psalm 131

I Have Stilled My Soul

1A song of ascents. Of David.

1My heart is not proud, O LORD,

my eyes are not haughty.

I do not aspire to great things

or matters too lofty for me.

2Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with his mother,

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,

both now and forevermore.


Psalm 132
Psalm 132

The LORD Has Chosen Zion

1A song of ascents.

1O LORD, remember on behalf of David

all the hardships he endured,

2how he swore an oath to the LORD,

and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:

3“I will not enter my house

or get into my bed,

4I will not give sleep to my eyes

or slumber to my eyelids,

5until I find a place for the LORD,

a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.a

6We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah;b

we found it in the fields of Jaar.

7Let us go to His dwelling place;

let us worship at His footstool.

8Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place,

You and the ark of Your strength.

9May Your priests be clothed with righteousness,

and Your saints shout for joy.

10For the sake of Your servant David,

do not reject Your anointed one.

11The LORD swore an oath to David,

a promise He will not revoke:

“One of your descendants

I will place on your throne.c

12If your sons keep My covenant

and the testimony I will teach them,

then their sons will also sit on your throne

forever and ever.”

13For the LORD has chosen Zion;

He has desired it for His home:

14“This is My resting place forever and ever;

here I will dwell, for I have desired this home.

15I will bless her with abundant provisions;

I will satisfy her poor with bread.

16I will clothe her priests with salvation,

and her saints will sing out in joy.

17There I will make a horn grow for David;

I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.

18I will clothe his enemies with shame,

but the crown upon him will gleam.”

Footnotes:

5 a LXX for the God of Jacob; see Acts 7:46.
6 b Literally Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah
11 c Literally “From the fruit of your body I will set (one) on your throne. Cited in Acts 2:30

Psalm 133
Psalm 133

How Pleasant to Live in Harmony!
(1 Corinthians 1:10–17; Ephesians 4:1–16)

1A song of ascents. Of David.

1Behold, how good and pleasant it is

when brothers live together in harmony!

2It is like fine oil on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down Aaron’s beard

over the collar of his robes.

3It is like the dew of Hermon

falling on the mountains of Zion.

For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing

of life forevermore.


Psalm 134
Psalm 134

Bless the LORD, All You Servants

1A song of ascents.

1Come, bless the LORD,

all you servants of the LORD

who serve by night

in the house of the LORD!

2Lift up your hands to the sanctuary

and bless the LORD!

3May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth,

bless you from Zion.


Psalm 135
Psalm 135

Give Praise, O Servants of the LORD
(Psalm 115:1–18)

1Hallelujah!a

Praise the name of the LORD.

Give praise, O servants of the LORD,

2who stand in the house of the LORD,

in the courts of the house of our God.

3Hallelujah, for the LORD is good;

sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.

4For the LORD has chosen Jacob as His own,

Israel as His treasured possession.

5For I know that the LORD is great;

our Lord is above all gods.

6The LORD does all that pleases Him

in the heavens and on the earth,

in the seas and in all their depths.

7He causes the clouds to rise

from the ends of the earth.

He generates the lightning with the rain

and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

8He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,

of both man and beast.

9He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt,

against Pharaoh and all his servants.

10He struck down many nations

and slaughtered mighty kings:

11Sihon king of the Amorites,

Og king of Bashan,

and all the kings of Canaan.

12He gave their land as an inheritance,

as a heritage to His people Israel.

13Your name, O LORD, endures forever,

Your renown, O LORD, through all generations.

14For the LORD will vindicate His peopleb

and will have compassion on His servants.

15The idols of the nations are silver and gold,

made by the hands of men.

16They have mouths, but cannot speak;

they have eyes, but cannot see;

17they have ears, but cannot hear;

nor is there breath in their mouths.

18Those who make them become like them,

as do all who trust in them.

19O house of Israel, bless the LORD;

O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;

20O house of Levi, bless the LORD;

you who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!

21Blessed be the LORD from Zion—

He who dwells in Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verses 3 and 21
14 b Or will judge His people; see also LXX; cited in Hebrews 10:30.

Psalm 136
Psalm 136

His Loving Devotion Endures Forever
(2 Chronicles 7:1–3)

1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.

His loving devotion endures forever.

2Give thanks to the God of gods.

His loving devotion endures forever.

3Give thanks to the Lord of lords.

His loving devotion endures forever.

4He alone does great wonders.

His loving devotion endures forever.

5By His insight He made the heavens.

His loving devotion endures forever.

6He spread out the earth upon the waters.

His loving devotion endures forever.

7He made the great lights—

His loving devotion endures forever.

8the sun to rule the day,

His loving devotion endures forever.

9the moon and stars to govern the night.

His loving devotion endures forever.

10He struck down the firstborn of Egypt

His loving devotion endures forever.

11and brought Israel out from among them

His loving devotion endures forever.

12with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

His loving devotion endures forever.

13He divided the Red Seaa in two

His loving devotion endures forever.

14and led Israel through the midst,

His loving devotion endures forever.

15but sweptb Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.

His loving devotion endures forever.

16He led His people through the wilderness.

His loving devotion endures forever.

17He struck down great kings

His loving devotion endures forever.

18and slaughtered mighty kings—

His loving devotion endures forever.

19Sihon king of the Amorites

His loving devotion endures forever.

20and Og king of Bashan—

His loving devotion endures forever.

21and He gave their land as an inheritance,

His loving devotion endures forever.

22a heritage to His servant Israel.

His loving devotion endures forever.

23He remembered us in our low estate

His loving devotion endures forever.

24and freed us from our enemies.

His loving devotion endures forever.

25He gives food to every creature.

His loving devotion endures forever.

26Give thanks to the God of heaven!

His loving devotion endures forever.

Footnotes:

13 a Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 15
15 b Hebrew shook off

Psalm 137
Psalm 137

By the Rivers of Babylon
(Ezekiel 1:1–3)

1By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion.

2There on the willowsa

we hung our harps,

3for there our captors requested a song;

our tormentors demanded songs of joy:

“Sing us a song of Zion.”

4How can we sing a song of the LORD

in a foreign land?

5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

may my right hand cease to function.

6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

if I do not exalt Jerusalem

as my greatest joy!

7Remember, O LORD,

the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell:

“Destroy it,” they said,

“tear it down to its foundations!”

8O Daughter of Babylon,

doomed to destruction,

blessed is he who repays you

as you have done to us.

9Blessed is he who seizes your infants

and dashes them against the rocks.

2 a Or poplars

Psalm 138
Psalm 138

A Thankful Heart

1Of David.

1I give You thanks with all my heart;

before the gods I sing Your praises.

2I bow down toward Your holy temple

and give thanks to Your name

for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness;

You have exalted Your name

and Your word above all else.

3On the day I called, You answered me;

You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.a

4All the kings of the earth will give You thanks, O LORD,

when they hear the words of Your mouth.

5They will sing of the ways of the LORD,

for the glory of the LORD is great.

6Though the LORD is on high,

He attends to the lowly;

but the proud He knows from afar.

7If I walk in the midst of trouble,

You preserve me from the anger of my foes;

You extend Your hand,

and Your right hand saves me.

8The LORD will fulfill

His purpose for me.

O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—

do not abandon the works of Your hands.

Footnotes:

3 a Or You emboldened me with strength in my soul

Psalm 139
Psalm 139

You Have Searched Me and Known Me

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1O LORD, You have searched me

and known me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise;

You understand my thoughts from afar.

3You search out my path and my lying down;

You are aware of all my ways.

4Even before a word is on my tongue,

You know all about it, O LORD.

5You hem me in behind and before;

You have laid Your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?

8If I ascend to the heavens, You are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle by the farthest sea,

10even there Your hand will guide me;

Your right hand will hold me fast.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,

and the light become night around me”—

12even the darkness is not dark to You,

but the night shines like the day,

for darkness is as light to You.

13For You formed my inmost being;a

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise You,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Marvelous are Your works,

and I know this very well.

15My frame was not hidden from You

when I was made in secret,

when I was woven together

in the depths of the earth.

16Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all my days were written in Your book

and ordained for me

before one of them came to be.

17How precious to me are Your thoughts,b O God,

how vast is their sum!

18If I were to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand;

and when I awake,

I am still with You.

19O God, that You would slay the wicked—

away from me, you bloodthirsty men—

20who speak of You deceitfully;

Your enemies take Your name in vain.c

21Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD,

and detest those who rise against You?

22I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them as my enemies.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my concerns.

24See if there is any offensive way in me;

lead me in the way everlasting.

Footnotes:

13 a Hebrew my kidneys
17 b Or How amazing are Your thoughts concerning me
20 c Hebrew Your enemies take in vain or Your enemies bear up in vain; LXX Your enemies take Your cities in vain

Psalm 140
Psalm 140

Rescue Me from Evil Men

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men.

Protect me from men of violence,

2who devise evil in their hearts

and stir up war all day long.

3They sharpen their tongues like snakes;

the venom of vipers is on their lips.a

Selah

4Guard me, O LORD,

from the hands of the wicked.

Keep me safe from men of violence

who scheme to make me stumble.

5The proud hide a snare for me;

the cords of their net are spread along the path,

and lures are set out for me.

Selah

6I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”

Hear, O LORD, my cry for help.

7O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,

You shield my head in the day of battle.

8Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;

do not promote their evil plans,

lest they be exalted.

Selah

9May the heads of those who surround me

be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.

10May burning coals fall on them;

may they be thrown into the fire,

into the miry pits, never to rise again.

11May no slanderer be established in the land;

may calamity hunt down the man of violence.

12I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor

and defends the cause of the needy.

13Surely the righteous will praise Your name;

the upright will dwell in Your presence.

3 a Cited in Romans 3:13

Psalm 141
Psalm 141

Come Quickly to Me
(Psalm 70:1–5)

1A Psalm of David.

1I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me.

Hear my voice when I call to You.

2May my prayer be set before You like incense,

my uplifted hands like the evening offering.

3Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;

keep watch at the door of my lips.

4Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing

or take part in works of wickedness

with men who do iniquity;

let me not feast on their delicacies.

5Let the righteous man strike me;

let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion.

It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it.

For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.

6When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs,

the people will listen to my words,

for they are pleasant.

7As when one plows and breaks up the soil,

so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

8But my eyes are fixed on You,

O GOD the Lord.

In You I seek refuge;

do not leave my soul defenseless.a

9Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,

and from the lures of evildoers.

10Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

while I pass by in safety.

Footnotes:

8 a Or do not pour out my life or do not give me over to death

Psalm 142
Psalm 142

I Lift My Voice to the LORD
(1 Samuel 22:1–5; Psalm 57:1–11)

1A Maskila of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.

1I cry aloud to the LORD;

I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.

2I pour out my complaint before Him;

I reveal my trouble to Him.

3Although my spirit grows faint within me,

You know my way.

Along the path I travel

they have hidden a snare for me.

4Look to my right and see;

no one attends to me.

There is no refuge for me;

no one cares for my soul.

5I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living.”

6Listen to my cry,

for I am brought quite low.

Rescue me from my pursuers,

for they are too strong for me.

7Free my soul from prison,

that I may praise Your name.

The righteous will gather around me

because of Your goodness to me.

1 a Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142.

Psalm 143
Psalm 143

I Stretch Out My Hands to You

1A Psalm of David.

1O LORD, hear my prayer.

In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea;

in Your righteousness, answer me.

2Do not bring Your servant into judgment,

for no one alive is righteous before You.

3For the enemy has pursued my soul,

crushing my life to the ground,

making me dwell in darkness

like those long since dead.

4My spirit grows faint within me;

my heart is dismayed inside me.

5I remember the days of old;

I meditate on all Your works;

I consider the work of Your hands.

6I stretch out my hands to You;

my soul thirsts for You like a parched land.

Selah

7Answer me quickly, O LORD;

my spirit fails.

Do not hide Your face from me,

or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.

8Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning,

for I have put my trust in You.

Teach me the way I should walk,

for to You I lift up my soul.

9Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD;

I flee to You for refuge.a

10Teach me to do Your will,

for You are my God.

May Your good Spirit lead me

on level ground.

11For the sake of Your name, O LORD,

revive me.

In Your righteousness,

bring my soul out of trouble.

12And in Your loving devotion,

cut off my enemies.

Destroy all who afflict me,

for I am Your servant.

Footnotes:

9 a LXX and one Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts in You I take cover

Psalm 144
Psalm 144

Blessed Be the LORD, My Rock

1Of David.

1Blessed be the LORD, my Rock,

who trains my hands for war,

my fingers for battle.

2He is my steadfast love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer.

He is my shield, in whom I take refuge,

who subdues peoplesa under me.

3O LORD, what is man, that You regard him,

the son of man that You think of him?

4Man is like a breath;

his days are like a passing shadow.

5Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down;

touch the mountains, that they may smoke.

6Flash forth Your lightning and scatter them;

shoot Your arrows and rout them.

7Reach down from on high;

set me free and rescue me

from the deep waters,

from the grasp of foreigners,

8whose mouths speak falsehood,

whose right hands are deceitful.

9I will sing to You a new song, O God;

on a harp of ten strings I will make music to You—

10to Him who gives victory to kings,

who frees His servant David from the deadly sword.

11Set me free and rescue me

from the grasp of foreigners,

whose mouths speak falsehood,

whose right hands are deceitful.

12Then our sons will be like plants

nurtured in their youth,

our daughters like corner pillars

carved to adorn a palace.

13Our storehouses will be full,

supplying all manner of produce;

our flocks will bring forth thousands,

tens of thousands in our fields.

14Our oxen will bear great loads.b

There will be no breach in the walls,

no going into captivity,

and no cry of lament in our streets.

15Blessed are the people of whom this is so;

blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.

Footnotes:

2 a Many Hebrew manuscripts, DSS, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people
14 b Or Our chieftains will be firmly established

Psalm 145
Psalm 145

I Will Exalt You, My God and King

1A Psalm of praise. Of David.a

1I will exalt You, my God and King;

I will bless Your name forever and ever.

2Every day I will bless You,

and I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised;

His greatness is unsearchable.

4One generation will commend Your works to the next,

and will proclaim Your mighty acts—

5the glorious splendor of Your majesty.

And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.

6They will proclaim the power of Your awesome deeds,

and I will declare Your greatness.

7They will extol the fame of Your abundant goodness

and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.

8The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.

9The LORD is good to all;

His compassion rests on all He has made.

10All You have made will give You thanks, O LORD,

and Your saints will bless You.

11They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom

and speak of Your might,

12to make known to men Your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.

13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and Your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is faithful in all His words

and kind in all His actions.b

14The LORD upholds all who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15The eyes of all look to You,

and You give them their food in season.

16You open Your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17The LORD is righteous in all His ways

and kind in all His deeds.

18The LORD is near to all who call on Him,

to all who call out to Him in truth.

19He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;

He hears their cry and saves them.

20The LORD preserves all who love Him,

but all the wicked He will destroy.

21My mouth will declare the praise of the LORD;

let every creature bless His holy name

forever and ever.

Footnotes:

1 a This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
13 b The final two lines are supplied by one MT manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and DSS.

Psalm 146
Psalm 146

Praise the LORD, O My Soul

1Hallelujah!a

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

2I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3Put not your trust in princes,

in mortal man, who cannot save.

4When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground;

on that very day his plans perish.

5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them.

He remains faithful forever.

7He executes justice for the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free,

8the LORD opens the eyes of the blind,

the LORD lifts those who are weighed down,

the LORD loves the righteous.

9The LORD protects foreigners;

He sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.

10The LORD reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 10

Psalm 147
Psalm 147

It Is Good to Sing Praises

1Hallelujah!a

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

how pleasant and lovely to praise Him!

2The LORD builds up Jerusalem;

He gathers the exiles of Israel.

3He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

4He determines the number of the stars;

He calls them each by name.

5Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;

His understanding has no limit.

6The LORD sustains the humble,

but casts the wicked to the ground.

7Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;

make music on the harp to our God,

8who covers the sky with clouds,

who prepares rain for the earth,

who makes grass to grow on the hills.

9He provides food for the animals,

and for the young ravens when they call.

10He does not delight in the strength of the horse;

He takes no pleasure in the legpower of the man.

11The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him,

who hope in His loving devotion.

12Exalt the LORD, O Jerusalem;

praise your God, O Zion!

13For He strengthens the bars of your gates

and blesses the children within you.

14He makes peace at your borders;

He fills you with the finest wheat.

15He sends forth His command to the earth;

His word runs swiftly.

16He spreads the snow like wool;

He scatters the frost like ashes;

17He casts forth His hail like pebbles.b

Who can withstand His icy blast?

18He sends forth His word and melts them;

He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.

19He declares His word to Jacob,

His statutes and judgments to Israel.

20He has done this for no other nation;

they do not know His judgments.c

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 20
17 b Or like crumbs or like morsels
20 c MT; DSS and LXX He has not made known to them His judgments

Psalm 148
Psalm 148

Praise the LORD from the Heavens
(Psalm 33:1–22)

1Hallelujah!a

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise Him in the highest places.b

2Praise Him, all His angels;

praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.

3Praise Him, O sun and moon;

praise Him, all you shining stars.

4Praise Him, O highest heavens,

and you waters above the skies.

5Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for He gave the command and they were created.

6He established them forever and ever;

He issued a decree that will never pass away.

7Praise the LORD from the earth,

all great sea creatures and ocean depths,

8lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

powerful wind fulfilling His word,

9mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

10wild animals and all cattle,

crawling creatures and flying birds,

11kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth,

12young men and maidens,

old and young together.

13Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for His name alone is exalted;

His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

14He has raised up a horn for His people,

the praise of all His saints,

of Israel, a people near to Him.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 14
1 b See Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:10, and Luke 19:38.

Psalm 149
Psalm 149

Sing to the LORD a New Song
(Psalm 98:1–9; Isaiah 42:10–17)

1Hallelujah!a

Sing to the LORD a new song—

His praise in the assembly of the godly.

2Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;

let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.

3Let them praise His name with dancing,

and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.

4For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;

He adorns the afflicted with salvation.

5Let the saints exult in glory;

let them shout for joy upon their beds.

6May the high praises of God be in their mouths,

and a double-edged sword in their hands,

7to inflict vengeance on the nations

and punishment on the peoples,

8to bind their kings with chains

and their nobles with shackles of iron,

9to execute the judgment written against them.

This honor is for all His saints.

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 9

Psalm 150
Psalm 150

Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the LORD

1Hallelujah!a

Praise God in His sanctuary.

Praise Him in His mighty heavens.b

2Praise Him for His mighty acts;

praise Him for His excellent greatness.

3Praise Him with the sound of the horn;

praise Him with the harp and lyre.

4Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;

praise Him with strings and flute.

5Praise Him with clashing cymbals;

praise Him with resounding cymbals.

6Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

Hallelujah!

Footnotes:

1 a Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 6
1 b Or in the expanse of his might or in the firmament of his might; see also Genesis 1:6–8.


The Berean Bible (www.Berean.Bible) Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Free downloads and licensing available. See also the Berean Literal Bible and Berean Interlinear Bible.

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