The people God is pleased with

1 God is pleased with those who do not do what [MET] wicked people advise them to do,

and who do not imitate the behavior of [MET] sinful people,

and who do not join in with people who ◄ridicule/sneer at► God.

2 Those whom God is pleased with delight in doing the things that he has instructed/taught us to do.

They read and think about Yahweh’s requirements, day and night.

3 They constantly produce/do things that please God

just like fruit trees that have been planted along the banks of a stream produce fruit at the right time every year.

Like trees that never wither,

they succeed in everything that they do.

4 But wicked people are not like that!

Wicked people are as worthless as chaff

that is blown away by the wind.

5 Therefore, wicked people ◄will not be acquitted/will be condemned► [LIT] when God judges people,

and furthermore, sinful people will not even be present when God gathers righteous people together,

6 because he guides and protects righteous people,

but the path that the wicked walk on leads them to where they will be destroyed/punished by God forever.

2 ◄Why do the leaders of nations rage against God?/It is foolish for the nations to be angry with God► [RHQ].

◄Why do people plan to rebel against God even though it is in vain?/It is useless for people to plan to rebel against God► [RHQ]!

2 The kings of the nations prepare to revolt;

the rulers plot together to fight against Yahweh and against his chosen king.

3 They shout, “We should free ourselves from their control [MET];

we should not let them rule over us any longer!”

4 But Yahweh, the one who sits on his throne in heaven, laughs at them;

he ridicules those rulers.

5 Then, because he is angry with them, he rebukes them.

He causes them to be terrified when they realize that he will furiously punish them.

6 Yahweh says, “I have installed my king on Zion, my sacred hill in Jerusalem.”

7 And his king says, “I will proclaim what Yahweh has decreed.

He said to me, ‘It is as though you are my son;

today I have declared to everyone that it is as though [MET] I am your father.

8 Ask me to give you the nations,

so that they belong to you to rule over them permanently,

and I will give them to you.

Even the most remote nations will be yours.

9 You will defeat them completely [MET];

you will destroy them like people smash a clay pot with an iron rod [SIM].’”

10 So then, you kings and other rulers on the earth, act wisely!

Heed what Yahweh is warning you!

11 Serve Yahweh, fervently revering him;

Rejoice about what he has done for you, but tremble before him!

12 Bow down humbly before his son!

If you do not do that, Yahweh will be angry,

and he will suddenly get rid of you.

Do not forget that he can very quickly show that he is very angry!

But he is very pleased with all those who request him to protect them [MET].

A psalm written by David when he fled from his son Absalom

3 Yahweh, I have many enemies [DOU]!

There are many people who oppose/rebel against me.

2 Many people are saying about me,

“God will certainly not help him!”

(Think about that!)

3 But Yahweh, you are like a shield that protects me [MET].

You greatly honor me, and you encourage me (OR, enable me to triumph over my enemies) [IDM].

4 I cry out to you, Yahweh,

and you answer me from Zion, your sacred hill.

(Think about that!)

5 At night I lie down and sleep, and I awake in the morning feeling good/refreshed

because you, Yahweh, ◄take care of/protect► me all during the night.

6 There may be thousands of enemy soldiers who surround me,

but I am not afraid.

7 Yahweh, arise!

My God, come and rescue me again!

You insult my enemies by slapping them on their cheeks;

when you strike them, you break their teeth,

with the result that they cannot hurt anyone [MET].

8 Yahweh, you are the one who saves your people from their enemies.

Yahweh, bless your people!

(Think about that!)

A psalm written by David for the choir director; a psalm to be accompanied by people playing stringed instruments

4 God, answer me when I pray to you.

You are the one who vindicates me;

Rescue me from things that distress me.

Act mercifully toward me, and listen to me while I pray.

2 How long will you people cause me to be disgraced instead of honoring me [RHQ]?

You people love to falsely accuse me.

(Think about that!)

3 All those who are loyal to Yahweh,

he has chosen them to belong to him.

Yahweh listens to me when I pray to him.

4 When you people get angry, do not allow your anger to control you and cause you to sin.

While you lie on your bed,

silently examine what you are thinking.

(Think about that!)

5 Also, offer to Yahweh the proper sacrifices,

and continue trusting in him.

6 Some people ask, “Who will allow good things to happen to us?”

But I say, “Yahweh, continue to act kindly toward us.

7 You have made me very happy;

I am happier than people who have harvested a great amount of grain and grapes.

8 I can lie down at night and sleep soundly

because I know that you, Yahweh, will keep me safe.”

A psalm written by David for the choir director; a psalm to be accompanied by playing flutes

5 Yahweh, listen to me while I pray!

Pay attention to me when I am groaning because I am suffering very much.

2 You are my King and my God.

When I call to you to ask you to help me, listen to me,

because you are the one to whom I pray.

3 Listen to me when I pray to you each morning,

and I wait for you to reply.

4 You are not a god who is pleased with wicked people;

you do not ◄associate with/invite into your house► those who do what is evil.

5 You do not allow those who are very proud to come to you to worship you.

You hate all those who do evil things.

6 You get rid of liars,

and you despise those who murder others and those who deceive others.

7 Yahweh, because you love me so much and so faithfully,

I come into your temple.

I revere you greatly,

and I bow down to worship you at your sacred temple.

8 Yahweh, because you act righteously toward me,

show me what is right for me to do.

Because I have many enemies,

show me clearly what you want me to do.

9 My enemies never say what is true;

they just want to destroy others.

The things that they say [MTY] are as foul as an open grave where a corpse is decaying.

They use their tongues to tell lies.

10 O God, declare that they are guilty [MTY] and punish them.

Cause them to experience the same disasters/troubles that they plan to cause to happen to others.

Get rid of them because they have committed many sins,

and they have rebelled against you.

11 But cause that all those who go to you to be protected will rejoice;

cause them to sing joyfully to you forever.

Protect those who love you [MTY];

they are truly happy because ◄of what you do for them/they belong to you►.

12 Yahweh, you always bless those who act righteously;

you protect them like a soldier is protected by his shield [SIM].

A psalm written by David for the choir leader, to be accompanied by people playing stringed instruments

6 Yahweh, do not punish me when you are angry with me;

Do not even rebuke/scold me when you are angry.

2 Yahweh, be kind to me and heal me because I have become weak.

My body [SYN] shakes because I am experiencing much pain.

3 Yahweh, I am greatly distressed.

How long ◄must I endure this/will it be before you help me► [RHQ]?

4 Yahweh, please come and rescue me.

Save me because you faithfully love me.

5 I will not be able to praise you after I die [RHQ];

No one in the place of the dead praises you.

6 I am exhausted/groan from my pain.

At night I cry very much, with the result that my bed and my pillow become wet from my tears.

7 My tears blur my eyes so much that I cannot see well.

My eyes have become weak because my enemies have caused me to cry constantly.

8 You people who do evil things, get away from me!

9 Yahweh heard me when I was crying and called out to him to help me,

and he will answer my prayer.

10 When that happens, all my enemies will be ashamed,

and they will also be terrified.

They will get away from me and suddenly leave me

because they will be disgraced.

A psalm that David sang to Yahweh because of David’s enemy, Cush

7 Yahweh my God, I come to you to protect me.

Rescue me, save me from all those who are pursuing me in order to harm me.

2 If you do not do that, they will tear me into pieces

like a lion does when it attacks the animals it wants to kill,

and no one will save me from them.

3 Yahweh my God, if I have done anything that is wrong,

4 if I have done evil to some friend who did good things to me,

or if, for no good reason, I have spared (OR, acted violently toward) those who were my enemies,

5 allow my enemies to pursue me and capture me.

Allow them to trample me into the ground

and leave me [SYN] lying dead in the dirt.

(Think about that!)

6 But Yahweh, because you are very angry with those who pursue me,

arise and attack/defeat my enemies who are furiously/angrily attacking me

Do to them what is just!

7 Gather around you the people of all nations,

and rule them from where you are in heaven [MTY].

8 Yahweh, judge the people of all nations!

And, Yahweh, show that I have done nothing that is wrong.

9 God, you know what every person is thinking,

and because you are righteous, you always do what is just/right.

So now stop evil people from doing wicked deeds,

and defend all of us who are righteous!

10 God, you protect me like a shield protects soldiers [MET];

you protect all those who are righteous in their inner being.

11 You judge everyone correctly,

and every day you punish wicked people.

12 Whenever your enemies do not ◄repent/change their behavior►,

it is as though [MET] you sharpen your sword and put a string on your bow to get ready to kill them.

13 You are preparing your weapons that kill those whom they strike;

the arrows that you will shoot have flaming tips.

14 Wicked people tell lies,

and they think that they surely will be able to do [MET] the evil things that they are planning to do

just as surely as a pregnant woman knows that she is going to give birth to a child [MET].

15 But when they dig a deep pit to trap others,

they themselves will fall into it.

16 They themselves will experience the trouble that they want to cause others to have;

they will hurt themselves by the violent things that they want to do to others.

17 I praise Yahweh because he always acts righteously/justly;

I sing to praise Yahweh, the one who is much greater than any other god.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument

8 Yahweh, our Lord, people all over the world know that you [MTY] are very great!

Your glory reaches up higher than the heavens!

2 You have taught little children and infants to praise you;

they cause your enemies and those who try to ◄get revenge on/get rid of► you to be silent.

3 When I look up at the sky at night,

and see the things that you have made—

the moon and the stars that you have set in place—

4 it is amazing to me that [RHQ] you think about people,

that you are concerned about us humans!

5 You made the angels in heaven to be only a little more important than we are;

you caused us to be like kings [MET] and you gave us splendor and honor [DOU]!

6 You put us in charge of everything that you made;

you gave us authority over all things—

7 the sheep and the cattle,

and even the wild animals,

8 the birds, the fish,

and everything else that swims in the seas.

9 Yahweh, our Lord,

people all over the world know that you [MTY] are very great!

A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using the tune ‘The death of my son’

9 Yahweh, I will praise you with all of my inner being.

I will tell others about all the wonderful things that you have done.

2 I will sing to celebrate what you [MTY], who are much greater than all other gods, have done.

3 When my enemies realize that you are very powerful,

they stumble, and then they are killed.

4 You sat on your throne to judge people,

and you have judged fairly/justly concerning me.

5 You rebuked the people of other nations

and you have gotten rid of the wicked people;

you have erased their names forever.

6 Our enemies have disappeared;

you destroyed their cities,

and people do not even remember them any more.

7 But Yahweh rules forever.

He judges people while he sits on his throne to judge people,

8 and he will judge all the people in [SYN] the world justly;

he will judge the people of all nations fairly [DOU].

9 Yahweh will be a refuge for those who are oppressed;

yes, he will be like a shelter for them when they have trouble.

10 Those who know Yahweh [MTY] trust in him;

he never abandons those who come to him ◄for help/to worship him►.

11 Yahweh rules from Zion Hill;

praise him while you sing to him.

Tell the people of all the nations the marvelous things that he has done.

12 He does not forget to punish those who have murdered others;

and he will not ignore people who are crying because they are suffering.

13 Yahweh, be merciful to me!

Look at the ways that my enemies have injured me.

Do not allow me to die because of these injuries.

14 I want to live in order that I can praise you at the gates of Jerusalem [MTY]

and to rejoice because you rescued me.

15 It is as though the wicked people of many nations have dug a pit for me to fall into [MET],

but they have fallen into that same pit.

It is as if they spread out a net to catch me [MET],

but their feet have been caught in that same net.

16 Because of what you have done, people know that you decide matters fairly/justly,

but you allow wicked people to be trapped by the same evil things that they themselves do.

(Think about that!)

17 Wicked people will all die and be buried in their graves,

and their spirits will go to be with all those who have ◄forgotten about/rejected► you.

18 But you will not forget those who are needy/poor;

what they confidently expect will certainly happen.

19 Yahweh, arise and judge the wicked people of the nations;

do not allow them to think that because they are strong they will never be punished.

20 Yahweh, teach them to be terrified about you.

Cause them to know that they are merely human beings.

(Think about that!)

10 Yahweh, ◄why are you far away from us?/it seems that you are far away from us.► [RHQ]

Why do you not pay attention when we have troubles [RHQ]?

2 People who are proud gladly cause poor people to suffer.

So cause what they do to others to happen to them! May they be caught in the same traps that they set to catch others [MET]!

3 They brag about the evil things that they want to do.

They praise people who seize from others things that do not belong to them, and they curse you, Yahweh.

4 Wicked people are very proud.

As a result, they do not ◄seek help from/are not concerned about► God;

they do not even think that God exists.

5 But it seems that they succeed in everything that they do.

They do not think that they will be condemned/punished for their deeds,

and they ◄sneer at/make fun of► their enemies.

6 They think, “Nothing bad will happen to us!

We will never have troubles!”

7 When they talk [MTY], they are always cursing, lying, and threatening to harm others.

They constantly say [MTY] evil things that show that they are ready to do cruel things to others.

8 They hide in villages, ready to ◄ambush/suddenly attack► and kill people who ◄are innocent/have done nothing wrong►.

They constantly search for people who will not be able to ◄resist/defend themselves► when they are attacked.

9 They are like [MET] lions that crouch down and hide,

waiting to pounce on their prey.

They are like hunters that catch their prey with a net and then drag it away.

10 Just like helpless animals are crushed,

people who cannot defend themselves are killed because wicked people are very strong.

11 Wicked people say, “God will not pay any attention to what we do.

His eyes are covered, so he never sees anything.”

12 Yahweh God, arise and help us

Punish [IDM] those wicked people!

And do not forget those who are suffering!

13 Wicked people revile you [RHQ] continually.

They think, “God will never punish us!”

14 But you see the trouble and the distress that they cause.

People who are suffering expect that you will help them;

and you help orphans, also.

15 ◄Break the arms/Destroy the power► of wicked [DOU] people!

Continue to pursue and punish them for the wicked things that they do, until they stop doing those things.

16 Yahweh, you are our king forever,

but wicked nations will disappear from the earth.

17 You have listened to afflicted/suffering people when they cry out to you.

You hear them when they pray, and you encourage [IDM] them.

18 You show that orphans and oppressed people have not done things that are wrong,

with the result that human beings will not cause people to be terrified any more.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

11 I trust that Yahweh will protect [MTY] me.

So do not [RHQ] say to me, “You need to escape/flee to the mountains like birds do,

2 because wicked people have hidden in the darkness,

they have pulled back their bowstrings and aimed their arrows

to shoot them at godly/righteous [IDM] people like you.

3 When people are not punished for disobeying the laws,

◄what can righteous people do?/there is not much that righteous people can do.►” [RHQ]

4 But Yahweh is sitting on his throne in his sacred temple in heaven,

and he [SYN] watches everything that people do.

5 Yahweh examines what righteous people do and what wicked people do,

and he hates those who like to perform violent actions to injure others.

6 He will send down from the sky flaming coals and burning sulfur,

and send scorching hot winds to punish wicked people.

7 Yahweh is righteous and he loves those who act righteously;

righteous people are able to come into his presence.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

12 Yahweh, help us!

It seems that people who are loyal to you have all vanished.

2 Everyone tells lies to other people;

they deceive others by ◄flattering them/saying good things about them that they know are not true►.

3 Yahweh, we wish that you would cut off their tongues

so that they cannot continue to boast.

4 They say, “By telling lies we will get what we want;

we control what we say [MTY], so no one can tell us what we should not do!”

5 But Yahweh replies, “I have seen the violent things that they have done to helpless people;

and I have heard those people groaning,

so I will arise and rescue the people who are wanting me to help them.”

6 Yahweh, you always do what you have promised to do;

what you have promised is as precious and pure as silver

that has been heated seven times in a furnace to get rid of all the impure material.

7-8 7-8Wicked people strut around proudly,

and people praise them for doing vile/wicked deeds,

but Yahweh, we know that you will protect/rescue us

from those wicked people.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

13 Yahweh, how long will you continue to forget about me [RHQ]?

Will you hide yourself [SYN] from me forever?

2 How long must I endure anguish/worry?

Must I be miserable/sad every day?

How long will my enemies continue to defeat me?

3 Yahweh my God, look at me and answer me.

Enable me to become strong again [IDM], and do not allow me to die.

4 Do not allow my enemies to boast saying, “We have defeated him!”

Do not allow them to defeat me,

with the result that they will rejoice about it!

5 But I trust that you will faithfully love me;

I will rejoice when you rescue me.

6 Yahweh, you have done many good things for me,

so I will sing to you.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

14 Only foolish people say to themselves, “There is no God!”

People who say those things are corrupt/worthless; they do abominable/detestable deeds;

there is not one of them who does what is good/right.

2 Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees humans;

he looks to see if anyone is very wise,

with the result that he desires to know God.

3 But they are all corrupt/evil;

no one does what is good/right.

4 Will those evil people never learn what God will do to punish them [RHQ]?

They act violently toward Yahweh’s people while eating the food that he provides,

and they never pray to Yahweh.

5 But some day they will become very terrified

because God helps those who act righteously and will punish those who reject him.

6 Those who do evil may prevent helpless people from doing what they plan to do,

but Yahweh protects those helpless people [MET].

7 I wish/desire that Yahweh would come from Jerusalem [MTY] and rescue us Israeli people!

Yahweh, when you bless your people again,

all of us Israeli people, who are the descendants of Jacob, will rejoice.

A psalm written by David

15 Yahweh, who are allowed to enter your Sacred Tent?

Who are allowed to live on your sacred mountain?

2 Only those who always do what is right and do not sin may do that.

They always say what is true

3 and they do not slander others.

They do not do to others things that are wrong,

and they do not say bad things about others.

4 Godly people hate those whom God has rejected,

but they respect those who revere Yahweh.

They do what they have promised to do

even if it causes them trouble to do that.

5 They lend money to others without charging interest,

and they never accept bribes in order to lie about people who have not done what is wrong.

Those who do those things will never stop trusting God even if disastrous things happen to them.

A psalm written by David

16 God, protect me

because I go to you to keep me safe!

2 I said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord;

all the good things that I have come from you.”

3 Your people who live in this land are wonderful;

I delight to be with them.

4 Those who choose to worship other gods will have many things that cause them to be sad.

I will not join them when they make sacrifices to their gods;

I will not even join them when they speak [MTY] the names of their gods.

5 Yahweh, you are the one whom I have chosen,

and you give me great blessings.

You protect me and control what happens to me.

6 Yahweh has given me a wonderful place in which to live;

I am delighted with all the things that he has given me [MET].

7 I will praise Yahweh, the one who teaches/disciplines me;

even at night he you put in my mind what is right for me to do.

8 I know that Yahweh is always with me.

He is beside me;

so nothing will ◄perturb me/cause me to be worried►.

9 Therefore I am glad and I [MTY, DOU] rejoice;

I can rest securely

10 because you, Yahweh, will not allow my soul/spirit to remain in the place where the dead people are;

you will not allow me, your godly one, to stay there.

11 You will show me the road that leads to receiving eternal life,

and you will make me joyful when I am with you.

I will have pleasure forever when I am ◄at your right hand/seated next to you►.

A psalm written by David

17 Yahweh, listen to me while I plead with you to act justly toward me.

Hear me while I call out to you to help me.

Pay attention to what I say while I pray

because I am speaking [MTY] honestly/truthfully.

2 You are the one who is able to declare that I ◄am innocent/have not done anything that was wrong►

because you see/know that I am telling the truth.

3 You know what I think, even at night;

you have examined what I say and do,

and you know that I have determined to never tell any lies.

4 I have not done like others do;

I have always done what is right [IDM],

and I have not acted cruelly toward others.

5 I have always done what you told me to do [IDM],

I have ◄never failed to do/always done► [LIT] those things.

6 O God, I pray to you because you answer me;

please listen [MTY] to what I am saying.

7 Show me that you faithfully love me.

By your great power [MTY] rescue those who ◄run to/trust in► you to protect them from their enemies.

8 Protect me as people carefully protect their own eyes;

protect me like birds protect their babies under their wings [MET].

9 Do not allow wicked people to attack me;

my enemies surround me, wanting to kill me.

10 They never pity [IDM] anyone,

and they are always boasting.

11 They have hunted/searched for me and found me.

They surround me, watching for an opportunity to throw me to the ground.

12 They are like lions [SIM] that are ready to tear apart the animals that they capture;

they are like young lions that are hiding, waiting to pounce on their prey.

13 Yahweh, come and ◄oppose/fight against► my enemies and defeat them!

Use your sword to save me from those wicked people!

14 Yahweh, by your power [MTY] rescue me from those people who are interested only in things here in this world.

But you provide plenty of food for those whom you love dearly;

their children also have many things that their grandchildren will inherit.

15 Yahweh, because I act righteously, I will some day see you [SYN].

When I awake, I will see you face-to-face, and then I will be happy.

A psalm written by God’s servant David. He sang it after Yahweh had rescued him from Saul and his other enemies.

18 Yahweh, I love you, the one who enables me to be strong.

2 Yahweh is like an overhanging rock [DOU, MET] under which I can hide from my enemies;

he is like a strong fortress, the one who protects me;

he protects me like a shield [MET] protects a soldier;

he is the one to whom I go ◄for refuge/to be protected/safe►,

and he defends me by his great power [IDM].

3 I called out to Yahweh, who deserves to be praised,

and he rescued me from my enemies.

4 All around me were dangerous situations in which I might be killed [PRS];

it was as though there were huge waves [MET] that almost crashed on me and killed me.

5 It was as though the place where dead people are had ropes that were wrapped around me,

or it was as though there was a trap [MET] that would seize and kill me.

6 But when I was very distressed, I called out to Yahweh,

and from his temple he heard me.

He listened to me when I cried out for help.

7 Then the earth quaked/shook strongly [DOU];

the mountains shook very strongly from their centers [DOU]

because Yahweh was angry.

8 It was as though smoke poured out from his nostrils,

and as though burning coals came out of his mouth.

9 He opened the sky and came down

with a black cloud under his feet.

10 He flew, riding on the back of a creature that had wings,

traveling fast, blown along by the wind.

11 Darkness was all around him like a blanket [MET];

dark clouds, full of moisture, covered him [MET].

12 Hailstones and flashes of lightning were around him;

hail and burning coals fell from the sky.

13 Then Yahweh spoke in a loud voice from the sky,

and his enemies heard his voice that sounded like thunder.

14 He shot his arrows at them and caused them to scatter;

His flashes of lightning caused them to become very confused (OR, to run away).

15 The bottom of the ocean became visible,

and the foundations of the earth were uncovered,

when Yahweh rebuked his enemies

when he snorted.

16 It was as though he reached down from heaven and grabbed me

and pulled me up out of the deep ocean.

17 He rescued me from my strong enemies who hated me;

they were very strong,

with the result that I could not defeat them.

18 When I ◄was distressed/had troubles►, they attacked me,

but Yahweh defended/protected me.

19 He led me to a place where I was safe;

he rescued me because he was pleased with me.

20 Yahweh has rewarded me because I do what is right;

he has blessed me because I ◄am innocent/have not done things that are wrong►.

21 I have obeyed Yahweh’s laws;

I have not abandoned him.

22 My behavior was directed by his rules;

I have not stopped obeying them.

23 He knows that I have not done what is wrong;

I have kept myself from sinning.

24 So he rewards me because I do what is right;

he knows that I [SYN] have not committed sins.

25 Yahweh, you are faithful to those who faithfully do what you tell them to do;

you always do what is good/right to those who do what you want them to do.

26 You are kind to those who are kind to others,

but you act wisely toward those who ◄act perversely/do bad things►.

27 You save those who are humble,

but you cause those who are proud to be humiliated/ashamed.

28 You give light to my soul/spirit;

you take away the darkness of my soul.

29 You enable me to be strong,

with the result that I can run and attack a line of enemy soldiers;

with your help I can ◄scale/climb up► the walls that surround my enemies’ cities.

30 Everything that Yahweh my God does is perfect.

We can depend on him to do what he promises.

He is like a shield [MET] to protect all those who go to him for refuge.

31 Yahweh is [RHQ] the only one who is God;

only he is like an overhanging rock under which we can be safe.

32 God is the one who enables me to be strong

and who keeps me safe on the roads that I walk on.

33 He enables me to walk swiftly without stumbling,

like a deer walks/runs in the mountains.

34 He teaches me how to use a strong/metal bow

in order that I can use it to fight in battles.

35 Yahweh, you protect and save me with your shield;

you have made me safe by your power [MTY].

I have become ◄strong/a great king► because you have helped me.

36 You have cleared the road for me,

with the result that now I do not slip/stumble.

37 I have pursued my enemies and caught them;

I did not stop until I had defeated/killed them all.

38 When I strike them, they are not able to get up again;

they lie on the ground, defeated.

39 You have enabled me to be strong

in order that I can fight battles and defeat my enemies.

40 You caused my enemies to run away (OR, you enabled me to put my foot on my enemies’ necks after I captured them and forced them to lie on the ground);

I have gotten rid of all those who hated me.

41 They called out for someone to help them,

but no one saved them.

42 I pulverize them,

with the result that they become like [MET] the dust that the wind blows away;

I throw them out like [SIM] people throw dirt out into the streets.

43 You enabled me to defeat those who fought against me,

and appointed me to be the ruler of many nations;

people whom I did not know about previously are now slaves in my kingdom.

44 When foreigners hear about me,

they ◄cringe/bow low before me► and they obey me.

45 They are no longer courageous,

and from their forts where they were hiding they come to me trembling.

46 Yahweh is alive!

Praise the one who is like an overhanging rock [MET] under which I am safe

Exalt the God who saves me!

47 He enables me to get revenge on my enemies;

he causes me to defeat nations and to rule over them,

48 and he rescues me from my enemies.

He has lifted me up high so that violent men could not reach me and harm me.

49 So I praise him and I tell the nations the great things that he has done.

50 He has enabled me, his king, to powerfully defeat my enemies;

he faithfully loves me, David, the one he has chosen to be king, and he will faithfully love my descendants forever.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

19 When people look at everything that God has placed in the skies, they can see that he is very great;

they can see the great things that he has created.

2 Day after day it is as though the sun proclaims the glory of God,

and night after night it is as though the moon and stars say that they know that God made them.

3 They do not really speak;

they do not say any words.

There is no voice from them for anyone to hear.

4 But what they declare about God goes throughout the world,

and even people who live in the most distant/remote places on earth can know it.

The sun is in the skies where God placed it [MET];

5 it rises each morning like a bridegroom who is happy as he comes out of his bedroom after his wedding.

It is like a strong athlete who is very eager to start running in a race.

6 The sun rises at one side of the sky and goes across the sky and sets on the other side,

and nothing can hide from its heat.

7 The instructions that Yahweh has given us are perfect;

they ◄revive us/give us new strength►.

We can be sure that the things that Yahweh has told us will never change,

and by learning them people who have not been previously taught/instructed will become wise.

8 Yahweh’s laws are fair/just;

when we obey them, we become joyful.

The commands of Yahweh are clear,

and by reading them [PRS] we start to understand how God wants us to behave.

9 It is good for people to revere Yahweh;

that is something that they will do forever.

What Yahweh has decided is fair,

and it is always right.

10 The things that God has decided are more valuable than gold,

even the finest/purest gold.

They are sweeter than honey

that drips from honeycombs.

11 Furthermore, by reading them I learn what things are good to do and what things are evil,

and they promise a great reward

to us who obey them.

12 But there is no one who can know all his errors [RHQ];

so Yahweh, forgive me for these things which I do that I do not realize are wrong.

13 Keep me from doing things that I know are wrong;

do not let my sinful desires control me.

If you do that, I will no longer be guilty for committing such sins,

and I will not commit the great sin of rebelling terribly against you.

14 O Yahweh, you are like an overhanging rock [MET] under which I can be safe; you are the one who protects me.

I hope/desire that the things that I say and what I think will always please you.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

20 I desire that Yahweh will answer you when you call out to him when you have troubles!

God is the one whom ◄our ancestor Jacob/the Israeli people► worshiped;

I desire that he will protect you [MTY] from being harmed by your enemies.

2 I desire/hope that he will reach out from his sacred temple and help you,

and aid you from where he lives on Zion Hill.

3 I desire/hope that he will accept all the offerings that you give him to be burned on the altar,

and all your other offerings.

(Think about that!)

4 I want him to give to you what you desire,

and that you will be able to accomplish all that you desire to do.

5 When we hear that you have defeated your enemies, we will shout joyfully.

We will lift up a banner proclaiming that it is God [MTY] who helps us (inc).

I want Yahweh to do for you all that you request him to do.

6 I know now that Yahweh rescues me, the one whom he has chosen to be king.

From his holy place in heaven he will answer me,

and he will save me by his great power [MTY].

7 Some kings trust that because they have chariots they will be able to defeat their enemies,

and some trust that their horses will enable them to defeat their enemies,

but we will trust in the power [MTY] of Yahweh our God.

8 Some kings will stumble and fall down,

but we will be strong and ◄not be moved/continue standing firm►.

9 Yahweh, enable me, your king, to defeat our enemies!

Answer us when we call out to you to help us.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

21 Yahweh, ◄I, your king am glad/the king is glad► because you have caused me/him to be strong.

◄I rejoice/he rejoices► greatly because you have rescued me/him from my/his enemies.

2 You have given me/him the things that I/he [SYN] desired

and you have not refused to do what I requested you to do.

(Think about that!)

3 In answer to my/his prayer, you enabled me/him to succeed and prosper.

You placed a gold crown on my/his head.

4 I/He asked you to enable me/him to live for a long time,

and that is what you gave me/him, a very long [HYP] life.

5 ◄I am/He is► greatly honored because you have helped me/him to defeat my/his enemies;

you have made me/him famous.

6 You will bless me/him forever,

and you have caused me/him to be joyful in your presence.

7 Yahweh, you are God Almighty,

and ◄I trust/the king trusts► in you.

Because you faithfully love me/him,

disastrous things will never happen to me/him.

8 You will enable me/him to capture [MTY] all my/his enemies

and all those who hate me/him.

9 When you appear, you will throw them into a fiery furnace.

Because you are angry with them, you will get rid of them;

the fire will burn them up.

10 You will remove their children from this earth;

their descendants will all disappear.

11 They planned to harm you,

but what they plan will never succeed.

12 You will cause them to run away [IDM]

by shooting arrows at them.

13 Yahweh, show us that you are very strong!

When you do that, while we sing we will praise you because you are very powerful.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung to the tune ‘Doe of the Dawn’

22 My God, my God, why have you abandoned/deserted me?

Why do you stay so far from me,

and why do you not hear/help me [RHQ]?

Why do you not hear me when I am groaning?

2 My God, every day I call to you during the daytime and during the night,

but you do not answer me, so I am not able to sleep.

3 But you are holy.

You sit on your throne as king, and we the people of Israel praise you [PRS].

4 Our ancestors trusted in you.

Because they trusted in you, you rescued them.

5 When they cried out to you, you saved them.

They trusted in you, and ◄they were not disappointed/you saved them as you said that you would►.

6 But you have not rescued me

People despise me and consider that I am not a man;

they think that I am as worthless as a worm!

Everyone [HYP] scorns me and despises me.

7 Everyone who sees me [HYP] makes fun of me.

They sneer at me and insult me by shaking their heads at me as though I were an evil man.

They say,

8 “He trusts in Yahweh,

so Yahweh should save him!

He says that Yahweh is very pleased with him;

if that is so, Yahweh should rescue him!”

9 Why do you not protect me now as you did when I was born?

I was safe even when I was ◄nursing/drinking milk from my mother’s breasts►.

10 It was as though you adopted me right when I was born.

You have ◄been my God/taken care of me► ever since I was born.

11 So, ◄do not stay far from/stay close to► [LIT] me now

because enemies who will cause me much trouble are near me,

and there is no one else who can help me.

12 My enemies surround me like a herd/group of wild bulls.

Fierce people, like those strong bulls that graze on the hills in Bashan area, encircle me.

13 They are like roaring lions that are attacking the animals that they want to kill [MET] and eat;

they rush toward me to kill me;

they are like lions that have their mouths open, ready to tear their victims to pieces [MET].

14 I am completely exhausted [MET],

and all my bones are out of their joints/places.

I no longer expect that God will save me;

that expectation is gone completely, like wax that has melted away.

15 My strength is all dried up [MET]

like a broken piece of a clay jar that has dried in the sun.

I am so thirsty that my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

O God, I think that you are about to let me die and become dirt!

16 My enemies [MET] surround me like a pack/group of wild dogs.

A group of evil men has encircled me, ready to attack me.

They have already smashed my hands and my feet.

17 I am so weak and thin that my bones can be seen and counted.

My enemies stare at me and ◄gloat/are happy► about what has happened to me.

18 They looked at the clothes that I was wearing

and gambled to determine which piece each of them would get.

19 O Yahweh, do not stay far away from me!

You who are my source of strength,

come quickly and help me!

20 Rescue me from those who want to kill me with their swords.

Save me from those who are like wild/fierce dogs [MET].

21 Snatch me away from my enemies who are like lions whose jaws are already open, ready to chew me up

Grab me away from those men who are like wild oxen that attack other animals with their horns [MET]!

22 But you have saved me, so I will declare to my fellow Israelis how great you [MTY] are.

I will praise you among the group of your people gathered togetherto worship you.

23 You people who have an awesome respect for Yahweh, praise him!

All you who are descended from Jacob, honor Yahweh!

All you Israeli people, revere him!

24 He does not despise or ignore those who are suffering;

he does not hide ◄his face/himself► from them.

He has listened to them when they cried out to him for help.

25 Yahweh, in the great gathering of your people, I will praise you for what you have done.

In the presence of those who revere you, I will offer the sacrifices that I promised.

26 The poor people whom I have invited to the meal will eat as much as they want.

All who come worship Yahweh will praise him.

I pray that God will enable you all to live a long and happy life!

27 I pray that people in all nations, even in the remote areas, will think about Yahweh and turn to him,

and that people from all the clans in the world will bow down before him.

28 Because Yahweh is the king!

He rules all the nations.

29 I desire that all the rich people on the earth will bow before him.

Some day they will die,

but I want them to prostrate themselves on the ground in his presence before they die.

30 People ◄in the future generations/who have not been born yet► will also serve Yahweh.

Our descendants will be told about what Yahweh has done.

31 People who are not yet born, who will live in future years, will be told how Yahweh rescued his people.

People will tell them, “Yahweh did it!”

23 Yahweh, you care for me like a shepherd cares for his sheep.

So I have everything that I need.

2 You encourage me

and give me peace;

you are like a shepherd

who leads his sheep to places where there is plenty of green grass for them to eat,

and lets them rest beside streams where the water is flowing slowly.

3 You renew my strength.

You guide me along the roads that are the right ones for me

in order that I can honor you.

4 Even when I am walking through very dangerous dark ravines

where I might be killed,

I will not be afraid of anything

because you are with me.

You protect me like a shepherd protects his sheep.

He uses his club and his walking stick to protect them from being attacked by wild animals.

5 You prepare a great feast for me,

in a place where my enemies can see me.

You joyfully receive me, as people joyfully receive the guests they have invited

by pouring olive oil over their heads.

You have given me very many blessings!

6 I am certain that you will be good to me

and act mercifully toward me

as long as I live;

and then, O Yahweh, I will live in your home in heaven forever.

A psalm written by David

24 The earth and everything in it belongs to Yahweh;

all the people in the world belong to him, too,

2 because he caused the ground to be above the water,

above the water that was deep below the surface of the earth.

3 Who will be allowed to go up on Zion Hill in Jerusalem,

in order to stand and worship in Yahweh’s holy temple?

4 Only those whose actions [MTY] and thoughts are pure,

who have not worshiped idols,

and who do not tell lies when they have solemnly promised to tell the truth.

5 ◄They will be blessed by Yahweh/Yahweh will bless them►.

When God judges them, he, who has saved them, will say that they ◄have done nothing wrong/are without fault►.

6 They are the ones who approach God,

they are the ones who may worship God, the one we Israelis worship.

(Think about that!)

7 Open up [APO] the temple gates

in order that our glorious king may enter!

8 Do you know who the glorious king is?

He is Yahweh, the one who is very strong [DOU];

He is Yahweh, who conquers all his enemies in battles!

9 Open up the temple gates

in order that our glorious king may enter!

10 Do you know who the glorious king is?

He is Yahweh almighty;

he is our glorious king!

(Think about that!)

A psalm written by David

25 Yahweh, my God,, I give myself to you.

2 I trust in you.

Do not allow my enemies to defeat me,

with the result that I would be ashamed/disgraced.

Do not allow my enemies to defeat/conquer me,

with the result that they would rejoice.

3 Do not allow any of those who trust in you to be disappointed/disgraced.

Cause those who ◄act treacherously toward/try to deceive► others to be disappointed/disgraced.

4 Yahweh, show me the way that I should ◄conduct my life/live as you want me to►,

teach me how to act in the manner that you want me to act/behave.

5 Teach me to conduct my life by obeying your truth

because you are my God, the one who saves me.

All the time I trust in you.

6 Yahweh, do not forget how you have acted mercifully to me and have faithfully loved me;

that is the way that you have acted toward me from long ago.

7 Forgive me for all the sinful things I did and the ways that I rebelled against you when I was young;

I ask this because you faithfully love your people and do good things for them,

Yahweh, do not forget me!

8 Yahweh is good and fair/just;

therefore he shows sinners ◄how they should conduct their lives/how to live as you want them to►.

9 He shows humble people what is right for them to do

and teaches them what he wants them to do.

10 He always faithfully loves and does what he has promised

to those who keep his agreement with them and who do what he requires.

11 Yahweh, forgive me for all my sins, which are many,

in order that I may honor you [MTY].

12 To all those who revere you [RHQ],

you show them the ◄right way to conduct their lives/things that they should do►.

13 They will always be prosperous,

and their descendants will continue to live in this land.

14 Yahweh is a friend of those who have an awesome respect for him,

and he teaches them the agreement that he made with them.

15 I always ask [MTY] Yahweh to help me,

and he rescues me from danger [MET].

16 Yahweh, pay attention to me and be merciful to me, because I am alone,

and I am very distressed because I am suffering/oppressed.

17 Help me to not worry,

and rescue me from my troubles.

18 Note that I am distressed and troubled [DOU],

and forgive me for all my sins.

19 Also note that I have many enemies,

see that they hate me very much.

20 Protect me, and rescue me from them;

do not allow them to defeat me,

with the result that I would be ashamed/disgraced;

I have come to you to ◄get refuge/be safe►.

21 Protect me because I do what is good and honest/just [PRS],

and because I trust in you.

22 God, rescue us Israeli people from all of our troubles!

A psalm written by David

26 Yahweh, show that I ◄am innocent/have not done what is wrong►.

I always do what is right;

I have trusted in you and never doubted that you would help me.

2 Yahweh, examine what I have done and test me;

thoroughly evaluate what I think [IDM].

3 I never forget that you faithfully love me,

I conduct my life according to your truth.

4 I do not spend my time with liars

and I stay away from hypocrites.

5 I do not like to be with evil people,

and I avoid wicked people.

6 Yahweh, I wash my hands to show that I ◄am innocent/have not done what was wrong►.

As I join with others marching around your altar,

7 we sing songs to thank you,

and we tell others the wonderful things that you have done.

8 Yahweh, I love to be in the temple where you live,

in the place where your glory appears.

9 Do not get rid of me like you get rid of sinners;

do not cause me to die like you cause those who murder [MTY] people to die,

10 and people who [SYN] are ready to do wicked things

and people who are always taking bribes.

11 But as for me, I always try to do what is right.

So be kind to me and rescue me.

12 I stand in places where I am safe,

and when all your people gather together, I praise you.

A psalm written by David

27 Yahweh is the one who gives light to my soul/spirit and the one who saves me,

so I do not [RHQ] need to be afraid of anyone.

Yahweh is the one to whom I go for refuge,

so I will never be afraid.

2 When those who do evil come near me to attack me,

they stumble and fall down.

3 Even if an army surrounds me,

I [SYN] will not be afraid.

Even if they attack me,

I will trust in God.

4 There is one thing that I have requested from Yahweh;

this is the one thing that I desire:

That I may worship in Yahweh’s house/temple every day of my life,

and see that Yahweh is wonderful

and inquire what he wants me to do.

5 He will protect me when I have troubles;

he will keep me safe in his Sacred Tent.

He will set me safely ◄on a high rock/in a secure place►.

6 Then I will triumph over [IDM] my enemies.

I will shout joyfully as I offer sacrifices in his Sacred Tent,

and I will praise Yahweh as I sing.

7 Yahweh, listen to me while I pray.

Be kind to me and answer my prayer.

8 I sensed that I heard you say, “Come and worship me [IDM],”

so, Yahweh, I will worship you.

9 I am your servant;

Do not be angry with me and turn away from me.

You have always helped me.

You are the one who has saved me,

so do not abandon me now.

10 Even if my father and mother desert me,

you will take care of [IDM] me.

11 Yahweh, teach me to do what you want me to do,

and lead me on a safe path

because I have many enemies.

12 Do not allow my enemies to do to me what they want;

they say many false things about me and threaten to do violent things to me.

13 But I know that because I trust in you

you will be good to me as long as I live.

14 So trust in Yahweh, all of you!

Be strong and courageous,

and wait expectantly for him to help you!

A psalm written by David

28 Yahweh, I call out to you;

you are like an overhanging rock under which I can hide.

Do not refuse to answer me,

because if you are silent, I will soon be with those who are in their graves.

2 Listen to me when I call out for you to help me,

when I pray, lifting up my hands as I face your sacred temple.

3 Do not drag me away with wicked people,

with those who do wicked deeds,

with those who pretend to act peacefully toward others

while in their inner beings, they hate them.

4 Punish those people in the way that they deserve for what they have done;

punish them for their evil deeds [DOU].

5 Yahweh, they do not pay attention to the wonderful things that you have done and that you have created;

so get rid of them permanently and do not let them appear again!

6 Praise Yahweh

because he has heard me when I called out for him to help me!

7 Yahweh makes me strong and protects me like a shield [MET];

I trusted in him, and he helped me.

I was glad,

and from my inner being I praised him as I sang to him.

8 Yahweh causes us to be strong and protects us;

and he saves me, the one he appointed [MTY] to be king.

9 Yahweh, save/rescue your people;

bless those who belong to you.

Take care of them like a shepherd takes care of his sheep [MET];

take care of them forever.

A psalm written by David

29 You angels in heaven, praise Yahweh!

Praise him because he is very glorious and powerful.

2 Proclaim that ◄he/his name► is glorious;

bow down before Yahweh in his holy temple.

3 Yahweh’s voice is heard above the oceans;

Yahweh, the glorious God, thunders.

His voice thunders over the huge oceans [DOU].

4 His voice is powerful and majestic.

5 The sound of Yahweh’s voice breaks great cedar trees,

the cedars that grow in Lebanon.

6 He causes the mountains in Lebanon to jump like calves jump,

and causes Hermon Mountain to jump like a young bull jumps.

7 Yahweh’s voice causes lightning to flash.

8 His voice causes the desert to shake;

he shakes Kadesh Desert in the southern part of Judah.

9 Yahweh’s voice shakes the huge oak trees

and strips the leaves from the trees

while the people in the temple shout, “Praise God!”

10 Yahweh ruled over the flood that covered the earth;

he is our King who will rule forever.

11 Yahweh enables his people to be strong,

and he blesses them by causing things to go well for them.

A psalm written by David for the dedication of the temple

30 Yahweh, I praise you because you rescued me.

You did not allow me to die,

with the result that my enemies could gloat/rejoice.

2 Yahweh, my God, I called out for you to help me when I was ill,

and you healed me.

3 You saved/restored me when I was dying [MTY].

I was nearly dead,

but you caused me to get well again.

4 All you who belong to Yahweh, sing praise to him!

Think about what God, the holy one, has done, and thank him!

5 When he becomes angry, he is angry for only a very short time [HYP],

but he is good to us all of our life.

We may cry during the night,

but the next morning we will be joyful.

6 As for me, when I had no troubles, I said to myself,

“No one will defeat me!”

7 Yahweh, because you were good to me,

at first you caused me to be safe as though I was inside [MET] a mountain.

But then I became ill, and I thought that you had turned away from me,

and I became afraid.

8 Then I called out to you,

and I pleaded for you to help me.

9 I said, “Yahweh, ◄what will you gain if I die?/ you won’t gain anything if I die► [MTY].

◄In what way will it benefit you?/it won’t benefit you at all► if I go to the place where the dead people are [RHQ].

Dead people are certainly not able to praise you [RHQ],

and they are not able to tell others that you are trustworthy [RHQ]!

10 Yahweh, listen to me, and be merciful to me!

Yahweh, help me!”

11 But now you have healed me, and you have caused me to change from being sad to dancing joyfully.

You have taken away the clothes that showed that I was very sad

and you have given me clothes that showed that I was very joyful.

12 So I will not be silent;

I will sing out loudly to praise you.

Yahweh, you are my God,

and I will thank you forever.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

31 Yahweh, I have come to you to be protected;

do not allow me to be defeated, with the result that I am disgraced.

Since you always do what is fair/right,

rescue me!

2 Listen to me, and save me right now!

Be like a huge rock under which I can hide [MET]

and like a strong fort in which I will be safe.

3 Yes, you are like my huge rock and my fort;

guide me and lead me [DOU] in order that I can honor you [MTY].

4 You are the one who protects me,

so keep me from falling into the hidden traps that my enemies have set for me.

5 Yahweh, you are a God who can be trusted,

so I put myself into your care

because you rescued me.

6 Yahweh, I hate those who worship useless idols,

but I trust in you.

7 I will be very glad [DOU] because you faithfully love me.

You see me when I have been afflicted,

and you have known when I have had troubles.

8 You have not allowed my enemies to capture me;

instead, you have rescued me from danger.

9 But now, Yahweh, be kind to me again

because I am distressed.

Because I cry so much, I cannot see well,

and I am completely exhausted.

10 I have become very weak because I am so miserable,

and it is causing my life to become shorter.

I have become weak because of all my troubles;

even my bones are becoming weaker.

11 All of my enemies make fun of me,

and even my neighbors despise me.

Even my friends are afraid of me because they think I am being punished by God,

and when they see me on the streets, they run away.

12 People have forgotten me like they forget people who are dead.

They think I am as useless as a broken pot.

13 I have heard people slandering me,

and they have caused me to become terrified.

My enemies are making plans

in order to kill me.

14 But Yahweh, I trust in you.

You are my God.

15 My whole life [MTY] is in your hands;

save me from my enemies,

from those who pursue me.

16 Be kind to me

and rescue me because you always faithfully love me.

17 Yahweh, I call out to you,

so do not allow me to be disgraced.

I desire that wicked people will be disgraced;

I want them to soon die and go down to the place where the dead people are.

18 I desire that you will cause people [MTY] who tell lies to be unable to speak.

Do that to people who are proud and those who arrogantly accuse righteous people.

19 You have stored up many blessings for those who revere you.

You do those good things for those who go to you to be protected;

everyone sees you doing that.

20 You hide people in your presence where it is safe,

and protect them from people who plot to kill them.

You hide them in safe places from their enemies [MTY] who accuse/insult them.

21 Praise Yahweh!

When my enemies surrounded the city in which I was living,

he showed me in a wonderful way that he faithfully loves me.

22 I was afraid, and I cried out, “I have been separated from Yahweh!”

but you heard me and answered my cry for help.

23 You people who belong to Yahweh, love him!

Those who are loyal to him, he protects,

but those who are very proud, he punishes them severely like they deserve to be punished.

24 You who confidently expect Yahweh to do great things for you,

be strong, be courageous!

A psalm written by David, a psalm which will help people to be wise

32 Those whom God has forgiven for rebelling against him,

whose stains [MET] of sin have been wiped away,

are truly blessed by God!

2 Those whose record of their sins Yahweh has erased,

those who no longer do deceitful things,

are truly blessed by God!

3 When I did not confess my sins,

◄my body/I► was very weak and sick,

and I groaned ◄all day long/continually►.

4 Day and night, Yahweh, you [SYN] punished me severely.

My strength drained away like water that ◄evaporates/dries up► on a hot summer day.

(Think about that!)

5 Then/Finally I admitted/confessed my sins to you;

I stopped trying to hide them.

(Think about that!)

I said to myself,

“I will confess to Yahweh the wrong things that I have done.”

And when I confessed them, you forgave me,

so now I ◄am no longer guilty/will no longer be punished► for my sins.

6 Therefore, the people who are godly should pray to you

when they ◄realize that they have sinned/have difficulties►.

If they pray to you, difficulties [MET] will not overwhelm them like a great flood.

7 You are like a place where I can hide from my enemies [MET],

you protect me from troubles,

and you ◄enable me/put people around me who will enable me► to shout, praising you for saving me from my enemies.

(Think about that!)

8 Yahweh says, “I will teach you about how you should conduct your life.

I will instruct you and watch over you.

9 Do not be stupid like horses and mules that do not have understanding;

they need ◄bits/pieces of metal put in their mouths► and ◄bridles/ropes fastened to their head►

so they will go in the direction you want them to go.”

10 Wicked people will have many troubles that will make them sad,

but those who trust in Yahweh will experience him faithfully loving them all the time.

11 So, all you righteous people, rejoice about what Yahweh has done for you;

you whose ◄inner beings/lives► are pure, be glad and shout joyfully!

33 You righteous people should sing joyfully to Yahweh

because that is what he deserves.

2 Praise Yahweh as you play songs on the lyre/harp.

Praise him as you play other instruments that have many strings.

3 Sing a new song to him;

Play those instruments well, and shout joyfully as you play them!

4 Yahweh always does what he says that he will do;

we can trust that everything that he does is right.

5 He loves everything that we do that is just and right.

People all over the earth can know that Yahweh faithfully loves us.

6 Yahweh created everything in the sky by commanding it.

By what he said [MTY] he created all the stars.

7 He gathered all the water into one huge mass

like someone scoops liquid into a container.

8 Everyone on the earth should revere Yahweh [DOU].

9 When he spoke, the world ◄was created/started to exist►.

Everything started to exist as a result of him commanding it.

10 Yahweh frustrates the things that the pagan nations decide to do.

He prevents them from doing the evil things that they plan to do.

11 But what Yahweh decides to do will last forever.

What he plans to do will never be changed.

12 Yahweh blesses those nations who choose him to be their God;

He is pleased with those whom he has chosen to receive what he has promised.

13 Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees all us people;

14 from where he rules [MTY], he looks down on all the people who live on the earth.

15 He formed our inner beings,

and he sees everything that we do.

16 It is not because a king has a great army that he is able to win battles,

and it is not because a soldier is very strong that he is able to defeat his enemy.

17 It is foolish to trust that because horses are very strong

that they will able to win a battle and save their riders.

18 Do not forget that Yahweh watches over those who revere him,

those who confidently expect him to faithfully love them.

19 He saves them [SYN] from dying before they should die

and preserves them when there is a famine.

20 We trust that Yahweh will help us;

he protects us like a shield protects a soldier [MET].

21 We rejoice because of what he has done for us;

we trust in him because he [MTY] is holy.

22 Yahweh, we pray that you will always faithfully love us

while we confidently expect you to do great things for us.

A psalm written by David when he pretended to be insane in front of King Abimelech, so that the king would send him away

34 I will always thank Yahweh;

I will constantly praise him [MTY].

2 I will boast about what Yahweh has done.

All those who are oppressed/discouraged should hear me and rejoice.

3 Join with me in telling others that Yahweh is great!

You and I should together proclaim how glorious he is!

4 I prayed to Yahweh, and he ◄answered my prayer/did what I asked him to do►;

he rescued me from all those who caused me to be afraid.

5 Those who trust [IDM] that he will help them will be joyful;

◄they will never be disappointed/he will always do for them the things that he promises► [LIT].

6 I was miserable/helpless, but I called out to Yahweh, and he heard me.

He rescued me from all my troubles.

7 An angel from Yahweh guards those who revere him,

and the angel rescues them.

8 Find out for yourself, and you will experience that Yahweh is good to you!

He is very pleased with those who ask him to protect them.

9 All you who belong to him, revere him!

Those who do that will always have the things that they need [LIT].

10 Lions are usually very strong, but sometimes even young lions are hungry and become weak,

but those who trust in Yahweh will ◄have everything/not lack any good thing► [LIT] that they need.

11 You ◄who are my students/whom I teach►, come and listen to me,

and I will teach you how to revere Yahweh.

12 If [RHQ] any of you wants to enjoy life

and have a good long life,

13 do not say anything that is evil!

Do not tell lies!

14 Turn away from doing evil, and do what is good!

Always try hard to enable people to live peacefully with each other.

15 Yahweh [MTY] carefully watches over those who act righteously;

he always responds [MTY] to them when they call to him for help.

16 But Yahweh [SYN] ◄is opposed to/turns away from► those who do what is evil.

And after they die, people will forget them completely.

17 Yahweh hears righteous people when they call out to him;

he rescues them from all their troubles.

18 Yahweh is always ready to help those who are discouraged;

he rescues those who have nothing good to hope for.

19 Righteous people may have many troubles,

but Yahweh rescues them from all those troubles.

20 Yahweh protects them from being harmed;

when their enemies attack them,

they will not break any bones of those righteous people.

21 Wicked people will be killed by their own evil deeds (OR, by people doing to them the same evil things that the wicked do to others) [PRS],

and Yahweh will punish those who oppose righteous people.

22 Yahweh will save those who serve him.

He will ◄not condemn/forgive► [LIT] those who trust in him.

A psalm written by David

35 Yahweh, fight against those who fight against me!

Fight against my enemies when they fight me!

2 Be like a shield [DOU] to protect me

and come to help me!

3 Lift up your spear [DOU] and throw it at those who pursue me!

Promise me that you will enable me to defeat my enemies.

4 Cause those who are trying to kill me to be defeated and disgraced!

Cause those who are planning to do evil things to me to be pushed back and become confused!

5 Send your angel to pursue them,

and as a result cause them to disappear like chaff/straw blown away by the wind!

6 Cause the path on which they run to be dark and slippery

as your angel pursues them!

7 Although I did not do anything wrong to them,

they concealed a deep pit for me to fall into;

they hid a net in which they would catch me.

8 Cause them to suddenly experience disaster!

Cause them to be trapped in their own nets!

Cause them to fall into the pits that they have dug for me and disappear!

9 Then I will be joyful about what you, Yahweh, have done for me,

I will be glad that you have rescued me.

10 With my whole inner being [SYN] I will say,

“There is no one like Yahweh [RHQ]!

No one else can rescue helpless people from powerful people [RHQ].

No one else can rescue weak and needy people from those who want to rob them.”

11 People who tell lies stand in court

and falsely accuse me of doing things that I do not know anything about.

12 In return for my doing good things for them, they do evil things to me,

with the result that I feel that I am alone.

13 When they were ill, I showed that I was sad.

I did not eat any food, and I bowed my head as I prayed for them.

14 I mourned and bowed my head as I prayed

as though it was a friend or my mother for whom I was grieving.

15 But when I had troubles, they were all happy about it.

They gathered around to make fun of me.

Strangers struck me,

and they would not stop.

16 Worthless people ridicule me

and snarl at me.

17 Yahweh, how long will you only watch them doing this?

Rescue me from their attacking me;

Save me from being killed by these men who are attacking me

like [MET] lions that are attacking other animals

18 Then, when many of your people gather,

I will praise you

and I will thank you in front of all of them.

19 Do not allow my enemies, who tell lies about me, defeat me

and then rejoice!

Do not allow those who hate me when there in no reason to hate me

to ◄smirk/smile happily►!

20 They do not talk peacefully to people;

instead, they seek ways to tell lies about people who are peaceful.

21 They shout at me, to accuse me,

saying, “We saw the wrong things that you did!”

22 Yahweh, you have seen these things, so do not be silent!

Do not stay far from me!

23 Arise, my God, and plead my case in court,

and successfully defend me!

24 Yahweh, my God, because you are righteous,

prove that I am innocent

in order that my enemies will not be able to gloat that I was judged to be guilty.

25 Do not allow them to be able to say to themselves,

“Yes, we have gotten rid of him [IDM] just like we desired!”

26 Cause those who rejoice about my misfortunes

to be completely defeated and disgraced;

cause those who boast that they are much greater than me

to be disgraced and dishonored!

27 But cause those who desire that I be acquitted

to be happy and shout joyfully,

and cause them to continually say, “Yahweh is great!

He is delighted to cause things to go well for those who serve him.”

28 Then I will proclaim that you act righteously,

and I will praise you all day long.

A psalm written for the choir director by David, a man who served God faithfully

36 Wicked people continually desire to sin.

They consider [IDM] that they do not need to revere God.

2 Because they are very proud,

they do not think that God will discover their sins and condemn them (OR, they do not think about their sins and hate themselves for it).

3 Everything that they say is deceitful and full of lies;

they no longer do what is good

and are no longer wise.

4 While they are lying on their beds, they plan to do things to harm others;

they are determined to do things that are not good,

and they never refuse to do what is evil.

5 Yahweh, your faithful love for us reaches as high as the heavens,

you faithfully do what you have promised;

it is as though your doing that extends up to the clouds.

6 Your righteous behavior is as permanent as the highest mountains [MET],

your acting justly will continue as long as the deepest oceans exist.

You take care of people and you take care of animals.

7 God, your faithful love for us is very precious.

You protect us like birds protect their baby birds under their wings [MET].

8 You provide for us plenty of food from the abundant supply [IDM] that you have;

your great blessings for us flow like a river.

9 You are the one who causes everything to live;

your light is what enables us to see.

10 Continue to faithfully love those who have experienced a relationship with you,

and bless those who act righteously/justly.

11 Do not allow proud people [SYN] to attack me,

or allow wicked people to chase me away.

12 Look where evil people have fallen on the ground, defeated;

they were thrown down, and they will never rise again.

A psalm written by David

37 Do not be bothered/upset by what wicked people do.

Do not desire to have the things that people who do wrong/evil have,

2 because they will soon disappear, like grass withers in the hot sun and dries up.

Just like some green plants come up but die during the hot summer,

evil people will soon die also.

3 Trust in Yahweh, and do what is good;

if you do that, you will live safely in the land that he has given you,

and you will live peacefully [MET].

4 Be delighted with all that Yahweh does for you;

if you do that, he will give you the things that you desire most.

5 Commit to Yahweh all the things that you plan to do;

trust in him,

and he will do whatever is needed to help you.

6 He will show as clearly as the sunlight that you ◄are innocent/have done nothing that is wrong►;

he will show as clearly as the sun at noontime [SIM]

that all the things that you have decided are just.

7 Be quiet in Yahweh’s presence, and wait patiently for him to do what you want him to do.

Do not be bothered/upset when what evil men do is successful,

when they are able to do the wicked things that they plan.

8 Do not be angry about what wicked people do.

Do not want to punish them yourself.

Do not be envious of such people

because you will only harm yourself if you try to envy them.

9 Some day Yahweh will get rid of wicked people,

but those who trust in Yahweh will live safely in the land that he has given to them.

10 Soon the wicked will disappear.

If you look for them, they will be gone.

11 But those who are humble will live safely in their land.

They will happily enjoy living peacefully and having the other good things that Yahweh gives them.

12 Wicked people plan to harm righteous/godly people;

they snarl at them [MET] like wild animals.

13 But Yahweh laughs at them

because he knows that some day [MTY] he will judge and punish the wicked people.

14 Wicked people pull out their swords/daggers

and they put strings on their bows,

ready to kill people who are poor [DOU]

and to slaughter those who live righteously.

15 But they will be killed by their own swords/daggers,

and their bows will be broken.

16 It is good to be righteous/godly even if you do not have many possessions,

but it is bad to be wicked, even if you are very wealthy,

17 because Yahweh will completely take away the strength of wicked people,

but he will ◄sustain/take care of► people who live righteously.

18 Every day Yahweh cares about those who have not done any evil things;

the things that Yahweh gives them will last forever.

19 They will survive when calamities occur;

when there are famines, they will still have plenty to eat.

20 But wicked people will die;

just like the beautiful wild flowers in the fields die under the hot sun and disappear like smoke [MET],

Yahweh will cause his enemies to suddenly disappear.

21 The wicked people borrow money, but they are not able to repay it;

righteous/godly people, in contrast, have enough money that they can give generously to others.

22 Those whom Yahweh has blessed will live safely in the land that he has given to them,

but he will get rid of those people whom he has cursed.

23 Yahweh protects those who do what is pleasing to him,

and he will enable them to walk confidently, wherever they go;

24 even if they stumble, they will not fall down,

because Yahweh holds them by his hand.

25 I was young previously, and now I am an old man,

but in all those years, I have never seen righteous/godly people being abandoned by Yahweh,

nor have I seen that their children needed to beg for food.

26 Righteous/Godly people are generous, and happily lend money to others,

and their children are a blessing to them.

27 Turn away from doing evil, and do what is good.

If you do that, you and your descendants will live in your land forever.

28 That will happen because Yahweh likes to see people doing what is just,

and he will never forsake righteous/godly people.

He will protect them forever;

but he will get rid of the children of wicked people.

29 Righteous/Godly people will own the land that Yahweh promised to give to them,

and they will live there forever.

30 Righteous people give wise advice to others,

and they [MTY] say what is just/fair.

31 They continually think about God’s laws;

they do not stray from God’s path.

32 Those who are evil wait in ambush for righteous people

in order to kill them as they walk by.

33 But Yahweh will not abandon righteous people,

and allow ◄them to fall into their enemies’ hands/their enemies harm them►.

And he will not allow righteous people to be condemned

when someone takes them to a judge to be put on trial.

34 Be patient and trust that Yahweh will help you,

and ◄walk on his paths/do what he wants you to do►.

If you do that, he will honor you by giving you the land that he promised,

and when he gets rid of the wicked, you will see it happen.

35 I have seen that wicked people who ◄act like tyrants/terrify people► sometimes prosper, like trees that grow well in fertile soil,

36 when I looked later, they were gone!

I searched for them, but Yahweh had caused them to disappear.

37 Notice the people who have not done evil things, those who act righteously:

their descendants will have peace in their inner beings.

38 But Yahweh will get rid of the wicked;

he will also get rid of their descendants (OR, as a result, they will not have any descendants).

39 Yahweh rescues righteous people;

in times of trouble he protects them [MET].

40 Yahweh helps them and saves them;

he rescues them from being attacked/harmed by wicked people

because they go to him to be protected [MET].

A psalm written by David, asking God not to forget him

38 Yahweh, when you are angry with me,

do not rebuke/scold me and punish me!

2 Now it is as though you have shot your arrows at me and wounded me;

you have struck me and knocked me down.

3 Because you have been angry with me,

I am suffering great pain.

Because of my sin,

my whole body is diseased.

4 All my sins are like a flood that covers my head;

they are like a load that is very heavy, with the result that I cannot carry it.

5 Because I have done foolish things,

I have sores that have become worse, and they stink.

6 Sometimes I am bent over, and sometimes I lie prostrate;

I am sad/cry all day.

7 My body is burning with fever,

and I am very ill.

8 I am completely exhausted, and I have no strength.

I am very distressed, and I groan with pain.

9 Yahweh, you know that I desire to be healed;

you hear me while I am groaning.

10 My heat is pounding heavily, and all my strength is gone.

I am no longer able to see well.

11 My friends and neighbors stay away from me because of my sores;

even my own family stays away from me.

12 And those who want to kill me set traps to catch me;

those who want to harm me discuss ways to get rid of me;

they plot against me all day.

13 Now I act like I’m deaf, and do not listen to what they say.

I act like I cannot talk, so I say nothing to reply to them.

14 I act like a man who does not answer when people talk to him,

because he cannot hear anything.

15 But Yahweh, I trust in you.

My Lord God, you will answer me.

16 I said to you, “Do not cause me to die, with the result that my enemies will rejoice!

Do not cause me to stumble, with the result that they will be very happy!”

17 I say that because I am about to fall down,

and I constantly have pain.

18 I confess the wrong things that I have done;

I am very sorry for the sins that I have committed.

19 My enemies are healthy and strong;

there are many people who hate me for no reason.

20 Those who do evil things to me in return for my doing good things to them

oppose me because I try to do what is right.

21 Yahweh, do not abandon me!

My God, do not stay far from me!

22 Lord, you are the one who saves/rescues me;

Quickly come and help me!

A psalm written by David for Jeduthun, the choir director

39 I said to myself, “I will be careful not to sin by the things that I say [MTY].

I will not say anything to complain

while wicked people are near to me and can hear me.”

2 So I was completely silent [DOU], and I did not even talk about things that were good,

but it was useless, because I began to suffer even more.

3 I became very anxious/worried [IDM].

As I thought about my troubles, I became more worried.

Then finally I said [MTY],

4 “Yahweh, show/tell me how long I will live.

Tell me when I will die.

Tell me how many years I will live!

5 It seems that you have caused me to live only a short time;

◄my lifetime/all the time that I have lived► seems like nothing to you.

The time that all we humans live is as short as [MET] a puff of wind.

(Think about that!)

6 Then we disappear like a shadow does.

It seems that all that we do is for nothing/useless.

We sometimes get a lot of money, but we do not know who will get it after we die.

7 So now, Yahweh, if I expect [RHQ] to receive blessings from other people, I will be disappointed.

You are the only one from whom I confidently expect to receive blessings.

8 Save me from being punished for all the sins that I have committed.

And do not allow foolish people to make fun of me.

9 I did not say anything when you punished me,

because I knew that you were the one who caused me to suffer.

10 But now, please stop punishing me!

If you do not do that, I am about to die because of the ways that you [SYN] have struck/afflicted me.

11 When you rebuke someone and punish him for the sin that he has committed,

you destroy the things that ◄he loves/are precious to him►, like moths’ larva destroy clothing.

Our lives disappear like a puff of wind.

(Think about that!)

12 Yahweh, listen to me while I pray;

pay attention to me while I cry out to you.

Help me while I am crying.

I am here on the earth for only a short time,

like all my ancestors.

13 Now please leave me alone, and do not punish me any more

in order that I may smile and be happy for a while before I die. [EUP, DOU]”

A psalm written by David for the choir director

40 I waited patiently for Yahweh to help me,

and he listened to me [DOU] when I called out to him.

2 When I had many troubles, it was as though I was in a deep pit.

But he lifted me up out of the mud and slime of that pit;

he set my feet on a solid rock,

and enabled me to walk ◄safely/without falling►.

3 He has given me a new song to sing,

a song to praise him who is our God.

Many people will find out what he has done for me,

and they will revere and trust him.

4 Yahweh is pleased with those who trust him,

those who do not trust in idols

or join with those who worship those false gods.

5 O Yahweh, my God, you have done many wonderful things!

No one can list all the wonderful things that you have planned for us.

If I tried to tell others about all those wonderful things,

I would not be able to,

because there would be too many for me to mention.

6 Various kinds of sacrifices and other offerings are not the only things that delight you.

You have enabled me to understand that very well [IDM].

Animals burned on the altar and other offerings

are not all that you require for sins to be forgiven.

7 So I said to you, “Yahweh, here I am,

to do the things that have been written in the scroll that contains your laws,

things that you want me to do.”

8 O my God, I delight to do what you desire;

I keep your laws within my inner being.

9 Whenever all your people are gathered,

I have told them about how you save us.

Yahweh, you know that I have not been afraid to tell that to them.

10 And I have not kept to myself the news that you always act justly/fairly;

when many of your people have gathered together to worship you in the temple,

I have told them that you are faithful to us and save us.

I have ◄not concealed/openly told people► that you faithfully love us and act loyally toward us.

11 Yahweh, do not stop being merciful to me.

Because you faithfully love me [PRS] and are loyal to me, always protect me.

12 I have many troubles; so many that I cannot count them.

My sins are like a flood that has covered me [PRS, MET];

they are so many that I cannot find my way.

The sins that I have committed are more than the hairs on my head.

I am very discouraged.

13 O Yahweh, please save me!

Come quickly to help me!

14 Humble those who are happy about my troubles, and cause them to be disgraced and ashamed.

Chase away those who are trying to get rid of me.

15 I hope/desire that those who make fun of me

will be dismayed when you defeat them.

16 But I hope that all those who go to worship you will be very joyful [DOU].

I want those who love you because you saved them to shout repeatedly,

“Yahweh is great!”

17 As for me, I am poor and needy [DOU];

but I know that Yahweh has not forgotten me.

O my God, you are the one who saves and helps me,

so please come quickly and help me!

A psalm written by David for the choir director

41 Yahweh is pleased with those people who help to provide for the poor;

he will rescue those people when they have troubles.

2 Yahweh protects them and allows them to live for a long time.

He enables them to be happy in the land of Israel,

and rescues them from their enemies.

3 When they are sick, Yahweh strengthens them,

and he heals them.

4 When I was sick, I said, “Yahweh, be merciful to me and heal me;

I know that I am sick because I have sinned against you.”

5 My enemies say cruel things about me;

they say, “How soon will he die, and then everyone will forget about him [MTY]? (OR, he will not have any descendants to continue his name).”

6 When my enemies come to me, they falsely say that they are concerned about me.

They listen to bad news about ◄me/my health►.

Then they go away and tell everywhere what is happening to me.

7 All those who hate me whisper to others about me,

and they hope/desire that very bad things will happen to me.

8 They say, “He will soon die because of his being sick;

he will never get up from his bed before he dies.”

9 Even my best friend, whom I trusted very much,

who often ate with me,

has ◄betrayed me/put me into my enemies’ hands► [IDM].

10 But Yahweh, be merciful to me, and enable me to become healthy again.

When you do that, I will be able to ◄pay back my enemies/get revenge on my enemies/cause my enemies to suffer like they caused me to suffer►.

11 If you enable me to do that, with the result that my enemies do not defeat me,

I will know that you are pleased with me.

12 I will know that it is because I have done what is right that you have helped me,

and I will know that you will let me be with you forever.

13 Praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship;

Praise him forever!

Amen! I desire that it will be so!

A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director

42 Deer pant, desiring to drink water from a stream when there is a drought (OR, when they are being pursued by hunters.)

In the same way [SIM], God, I need you very much.

2 I desire to have fellowship with [MET] you, the all-powerful God.

I wonder, “When will I be able to go back to the temple in Israel

and worship in your presence again?”

3 Every day and every night I cry;

it is as though the only thing I have to drink is my tears;

and while I do that, my enemies are continually asking me,

“Why does your god not help you?”

4 I am very distressed [IDM] as I remember

when I went with the crowd of people to the temple in Jerusalem,

leading them as we walked along;

we were all shouting joyfully and singing to thank God for what he had done;

we were a large group who were celebrating.

5 So I say to myself, “◄Why am I sad and discouraged?/I should not be sad and discouraged!► [RHQ]

I confidently expect God to help me,

and again I will praise him,

my God, the one who saves me.”

6 But now, Yahweh, I am very discouraged [IDM],

so I think about you,

even from where the Jordan River gushes out from the bottom of Hermon Mountain and from Mizar Mountain.

7 But here, the great sorrow that I feel is like water that you send down [MET];

it is like a waterfall that tumbles down and floods over me.

8 Yahweh shows me each day that he faithfully loves me,

and each night I sing to him

and pray to him, the God who causes me to live.

9 I say to God, who is like an overhanging rock under which I can hide [MET],

“It seems that you have forgotten me.

I constantly because my enemies act cruelly toward me” [RHQ].

10 They make fun of me constantly;

they continually ask, “Why does your god not help you?” [RHQ]

And when they insult me like that,

it is like wounds that I feel even in my bones.

11 But I think,

“◄Why am I sad and discouraged?/I should not be sad and discouraged!► [RHQ]

I will confidently expect God to help me,

and I will praise him again,

my God, the one who saves me.”

(A continuation of psalm 42)

43 God, declare that I ◄am innocent/have not done things that are wrong►.

Defend me when ◄ungodly people/people who do not worship you► say things against me,

rescue me from people who deceive and say things about me that are not true.

2 You are God, the one who protects me;

◄why have you abandoned me?/it seems that you have abandoned me!► [RHQ]

It does not seem right that [RHQ] I am forced to mourn/cry constantly

because my enemies are cruel to me.

3 Shine your light on me and speak your truth to me;

and let them guide me,

and take me back to Zion, your sacred hill at Jerusalem,

and to your temple, where you live.

4 When you do that, I will go to your altar,

to worship you, my God, who causes me to be extremely joyful.

There I will praise you, the God whom I worship, while I play my harp.

5 So ◄why am I sad and discouraged?/I should not be sad and discouraged!► [RHQ]

I confidently expect God to bless me,

and I will praise him again,

my God, the one who saves me.

A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director

44 God, we ourselves have heard

what our parents and grandparents told us.

They told us about the miracles

that you performed long ago.

2 They told us how you expelled the ungodly people

and enabled us to live in their land.

They told us that you punished those ungodly people

and enabled your own people to prosper [IDM].

3 It was not by using their own swords that they conquered the people that lived in that land,

and it was not by their own power that they were victorious;

it was only by your power [MTY, DOU] that they did those things;

and they were sure that you were with them,

and that showed that you were pleased with them.

4 You are my King and my God;

it is you who enable us, your people [MTY], to defeat our enemies.

5 It is by your power that we knock our enemies down and tramp on them.

6 I do not trust that I will be saved

by using my bow and arrows and my sword.

7 No, it is you who have rescued us from our enemies,

it is you who have caused those who hate us to become ashamed because they were defeated.

8 We have continually boasted about what God has done for us,

and we will thank him [MTY] forever.

(Think about that!)

9 But now you have rejected us and caused us to be disgraced;

when our armies march out to fight a battle, you no longer go with them.

10 You have caused us to run away from our enemies,

with the result that they captured the things that belonged to us.

11 You have allowed us to become like [MET] sheep that were ready to be slaughtered;

you scattered us far away among other nations.

12 It is as though [MET] you sold us, your people, to our enemies for a very small price,

and you did not gain much profit from selling us!

13 People who live in nations near us make fun of us;

they laugh at us and deride/belittle us.

14 They make jokes using the name of our country,

they shake their heads to indicate that they despise us.

15 All day I feel disgraced;

from seeing my face, people know that I am ashamed.

16 I hear what those who sneer at me and revile me say;

I am ashamed in front of my enemies and those who want to harm me.

17 All these things have happened to us

even though we have not forgotten you,

and we are not the ones who disobeyed the agreement you made with our ancestors.

18 We have not stopped being loyal to you,

and we have not stopped doing what you want us to do [IDM].

19 But it is as though you have allowed us to be helpless among wild animals,

and abandoned us in a deep dark ravine.

20 If we had forgotten to worship [MTY] our God,

or if we had spread out our hands to worship a foreign god,

21 you certainly would have known that,

because you know even what we secretly think.

22 But it is because we belong to you,

that our enemies are constantly killing us.

They act toward us as though we were only sheep to be slaughtered.

23 So, Yahweh, arise! Why are you asleep [RHQ]?

Get up! Do not reject us forever!

24 Why are you not looking at us?

Why are you forgetting that we are suffering and being oppressed by our enemies?

25 We are pushed down to the ground

and we cannot get up.

26 Arise, and come and help us!

Rescue us because you faithfully love us!

A love song written by one of the descendants of Korah, for the choir director, to be sung to the tune ‘Lilies’

45 In my inner being I am stirred by a beautiful message

which will be sung to the king.

The words of this message will be written with a pen by me, a skilled writer.

2 O King, you are the most handsome man in the world,

and you always speak [MTY] eloquently,

because God has always blessed you.

3 You who are a mighty warrior, put on your sword!

You are glorious and majestic.

4 Ride on like a great chief

to defend the truth that you speak

and the fair decisions that you make!

Because you are strong [MTY],

you will do awesome deeds.

5 Your arrows are sharp,

and they pierce the hearts of your enemies.

Soldiers of many nations will fall dead at your feet.

6 The kingdom [MTY] that God will give to you will remain forever.

You rule [MTY] people justly.

7 You love right actions,

and you hate evil actions.

Therefore God, your God, has chosen [MTY] you to be king

and caused you to be happier [MET] than any other king.

8 The perfume of various spices is on your robes.

People ◄entertain you/make you happy► in ivory palaces

by playing stringed instruments.

9 Among the women who stay near you [EUP] stay are daughters of other kings.

And at your right hand stands your bride, the queen, wearing beautiful ornaments of gold that comes from Ophir.

10 Now I will say something to your bride:

Listen to me carefully [DOU]!

Forget the people who live in your home country,

forget your relatives!

11 Because you are very beautiful,

the king will desire to sleep with [EUP] you.

He is your master, so you must obey him.

12 The people from Tyre city will bring gifts to you;

their rich people will try to persuade you to do favors for them.

13 O king, your bride will be entering the palace

wearing beautiful robes made from gold thread.

14 While she is wearing a gown that has many colors,

her companions will lead her to you.

She will have many other young women who accompany her.

15 They will be very joyful [DOU] as they are led along

to enter your palace.

16 Some day, your sons and your grandsons will become kings,

just like your ancestors were.

You will enable them to become rulers in many countries [HYP].

17 And as for me, I will enable people in every generation to remember the great things that you [MTY] have done,

and people will praise you forever.

A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director

46 God is the one who protects us and causes us to be strong;

he is always ready to help us when we have troubles.

2 So, even if the earth shakes,

we will not be afraid.

Even if the mountains fall into the middle of the sea,

3 and if the water in the sea roars and foams,

and the hills shake violently,

we will not be afraid!

(Think about that!)

4 Blessings that come from God are like a river that makes everyone in the city where we worship God joyful.

It is the city where the temple of God, who is greater than any other god, exists.

5 God is in this city, and it will never be destroyed;

he will come to help the people in that city at dawn every day.

6 Sometimes the people of many nations are terrified;

kingdoms ◄are overthrown/cease to exist►;

God speaks loudly like thunder,

and the earth melts (OR, people everywhere become terrified) [MET].

7 But Yahweh, the commander of the armies of heaven, is with us;

the God whom Jacob worshiped (OR, we Israeli people worship) is our refuge.

(Think about that!)

8 Come and ◄see/think about► the amazing things that Yahweh has done [DOU]!

9 He stops wars all over the world;

he breaks bows and arrows;

he destroys spears;

he burns up shields.

10 God says, “Be quiet, and remember that I am God!

I will be honored by the people of all nations.

I will be honored all over the earth.”

11 So never forget that Yahweh, the commander of the armies of heaven, is with us;

the God whom Jacob worshiped (OR, we Israeli people worship) is our refuge.

(Think about that!)

A psalm written for the choir director by one of the descendants of Korah

47 You people all over the world, clap your hands for joy!

Shout joyfully to praise God!

2 Yahweh, who is much greater than any other god, is awesome;

he is the king who rules over all the world!

3 He enabled us to defeat the armies of the people-groups that lived in Canaan.

4 He chose for us this land where we now live;

we Israeli people [MTY], whom he loves, are proud that we own this land.

(Think about that!)

5 God has gone up into his temple.

The people shouted joyfully and blew trumpets as Yahweh went up.

6 Sing songs to praise our God!

Sing to praise him [DOU]!

Sing to God, our king!

7 God is the one who rules over everything in the world;

sing a psalm to him!

8 God sits on his sacred throne

as he rules over the people of all ethnic groups.

9 The rulers of those people-groups gather as God’s people, the people descended from Abraham, do.

But God has more power than the weapons/shields of all the kings on the earth;

◄he is greatly honored/people honor him► everywhere.

A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah

48 Yahweh is great, and he deserves to be greatly praised in the city where he lives,

which is built on Zion, his sacred hill.

2 That city, on a high hill, is beautiful;

it is the city where the true God, the great king, lives,

and it causes people all over the world to rejoice when they see it.

3 God is in the strong towers there,

and he shows that he protects the people in that city.

4 Many kings gathered with their armies to attack that city,

5 but when they saw it, they were amazed;

they became terrified, and ran away.

6 Because they were very afraid, they trembled

like a woman who is about to give birth to a child;

7 they shook like ships sailing from Tarshish are shaken by a strong wind.

8 We had heard that this city is glorious,

and now we have seen that it is.

It is the city in which Yahweh, the almighty one, lives.

It is the city which God will preserve/protect forever.

(Think about that!)

9 God, here in your temple we think about how you faithfully love us.

10 You [MTY] are famous and ◄are praised/people praise you► all over the earth,

because you rule powerfully [MTY] and justly.

11 The people who live near Zion Hill should be happy!

The people in all the cities [MTY] in Judah should rejoice

because you judge people fairly.

12 You Israeli people should walk around Zion Hill

and count the towers there;

13 notice the walls there and examine the forts

in order that you can tell about them to your children.

14 Say to them, “This is the city that belongs to our God, the one who lives forever;

he will guide us all of our lives.”

A psalm written for the choir director by one of the descendants of Korah

49 You people of all ethnic groups, listen!

You people all over the world,

2 important people and unimportant people,

rich people and poor people,

everyone, listen to what I am saying,

3 because what I am thinking is very sensible,

and what I say will enable you to become wise!

4 I think about [MTY] ◄proverbs/wise sayings►,

and while I play my harp, I explain what they mean.

5 I am not [RHQ] afraid when I am in trouble/danger,

when I am surrounded by my enemies,

6 by evil men who trust that things will always go well for them because they are wealthy,

and who boast about being very rich.

7 They may be rich, but no one can pay money

with the result that he would live forever!

No one can pay God enough so that God will allow him to continue to live,

8 because that cost is too great,

and he will never be able to pay enough

9 with the result that he will live forever

and never die and be buried!

10 We see that foolish and stupid people die,

but we see that wise people also die;

they all leave their wealth, and others inherit it.

11 Those wise people once had houses on land that they owned,

but now their graves are their homes forever,

the place where they will stay for all time!

12 Even if people are great, that cannot prevent them from dying;

all people die, the same as animals do.

13 That is what happens to those who foolishly trust in what they have accomplished,

to those who are delighted in all that they possess.

(Think about that!)

14 They are certain to die just like sheep,

when a shepherd leads them away to be slaughtered. [PRS, MET]

In the morning righteous people will rule over them,

and then those wealthy people will die and their bodies will quickly decay in their graves;

they will be where dead people are, far from their homes.

15 But it is certain that God will rescue me

so that I am not kept in the place of the dead.

(Think about that!)

16 So, do not be dismayed when someone becomes rich

and the houses where they live become more and more luxurious,

17 because when he dies, he will take nothing with him;

his wealth will not go with him.

18 While a rich person is alive, he congratulates himself,

and people praise him for being successful,

19 but he will die, joining his ancestors,

who will never see daylight again.

20 Even if someone is great, that cannot prevent him from dying;

he will die, the same as animals do.

A psalm written by Asaph

50 God, the all-powerful one, speaks;

he summons all people,

from the east to the west.

2 His glory shines from Zion Hill in Jerusalem,

an extremely beautiful city.

3 Our God comes to us,

and he is not silent.

A great fire is in front of him,

and a storm is around him.

4 He comes to judge his people.

He shouts to the angels in heaven

and to the people on the earth.

5 He says, “Summon those who faithfully worship me,

those who made an agreement with me by offering sacrifices to me.”

6 The angels in heaven declare,

“God is righteous,

and he is the supreme judge.”

(Think about that!)

7 God says, “My people, listen!

You Israeli people, listen,

as I, your God, say what you have done that is wrong.

8 I am not rebuking you for making sacrifices to me,

for the offerings that you completely burn on the altar.

9 But I do not really need you to sacrifice

the bulls from your barns and the goats from your pens,

10 because all the animals in the forest belong to me,

and all the cattle on 1,000 hills also belong to me.

11 I own and know all the birds

and all the creatures that move around in the fields.

12 So, if I were hungry, I would not tell you to bring me some food,

because everything in the world belongs to me!

13 I do not eat the flesh of the bulls that you sacrifice,

and I do not drink the blood of the goats that you offer to me.

14 The sacrifice that I really want is that you thank me

and do all that you have promised to do.

15 And pray to me when you have troubles.

If you do that, I will rescue you, and then you will praise me.

16 But I say this to the wicked people:

◄Why do you/It does not benefit you at all to► [RHQ] recite my commandments

or talk about the agreement that I made with you,

17 because you have refused to allow me to discipline you,

and you have rejected what I told you to do.

18 Every time that you see a thief, you become his friend,

and you spend much time with those who commit adultery.

19 You are always talking [MTY] about doing wicked things,

and you are always trying to deceive people.

20 You are always accusing members of your own family of doing wrong,

and slandering them.

21 You did all those things, and I did not say anything to you,

so you thought that I was a sinner just like you.

But now I rebuke you and accuse you, right in front of you.

22 So, all you who have ignored me, pay attention to this,

because if you do not, I will tear you to pieces,

and there will be no one to rescue you.

23 The sacrifice that truly honors me is to thank me for what I have done;

and I will save those who always do the things that I want them to.”

A psalm written by David for the choir director, concerning the time when the prophet Nathan rebuked David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba

51 O God, be merciful to me,

because you love me faithfully;

because you are very merciful,

erase the record of the ways that I disobeyed you!

2 Make me pure from the wrong things that I have done;

make me clean from the guilt of my sin.

3 I say that because I know the ways that I have disobeyed you;

I cannot forget them.

4 You, you only, are the one that I have really sinned against,

and you have seen the evil things that I have done.

When you say that I am guilty, you are right/correct,

and when you judge me, you justly say that I deserve to be punished.

5 I have been a sinner since the day that I was born;

truly, I have been like that since my mother conceived me.

6 What you desire is that I desire what is true

in order that you can teach me how to act wisely.

7 Purify me from the guilt of my sins, and after that happens, I will be clean in my inner being;

cleanse me, and then in my inner being I will be ◄whiter than snow/very clean►.

8 Allow/Cause me to be joyful [DOU] again;

you have ◄crushed my spirit/completely discouraged me► [MTY];

but now let me rejoice again.

9 Do not continue to look at the sins [IDM] that I have committed;

erase the record of the evil things that I have done.

10 O God, cause my inner being to be pure.

Put new thoughts within me and make me faithful again.

11 Do not send me away from you because of my sin,

and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Cause/Allow me to be happy again because of knowing that you have freed me from the guilt of my sin,

and make me willing to obey you.

13 If you do that, I will be able to teach other sinners what you want them to do,

and they will repent and begin to obey you.

14 O God, you are the one who saves me;

forgive me for being guilty of causing someone who was not my enemy to die.

When you do that, I will sing joyfully about your being very good and righteous.

15 O Yahweh, help me to speak

in order that I may praise you.

16 You are not pleased only with the sacrifices that people bring to you.

If that were enough to please you, I would bring you sacrifices.

You are not pleased with burnt offerings alone.

17 The sacrifice that you really want is for people to be truly humble and sorry for having sinned;

O God, you will not refuse that kind of sacrifice.

18 O God, be good to the people who live in Jerusalem [MTY],

and help them to rebuild the city walls.

19 When that happens, they will bring you the proper sacrifices,

animals that they will completely burn,

young bulls that they will burn on your altar,

and you will be pleased.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, when Doeg went to Saul and said, “David has gone to talk with Ahimelech, the Supreme Priest”

52 You people think that you are strong

and brag about the sins that you have committed,

while you plan to harm godly people.

2 All during the day you plan to get rid of others;

what you say [MTY] injures others like a sharp razor [SIM],

and you are always deceiving others.

3 You like doing what is evil more than you like doing what is good,

and you like telling lies more than you like telling the truth.

(Think about that!)

4 You who say things [MTY] to deceive people,

you like to say ◄things that hurt people/cruel things►!

5 But God will get rid of you forever;

he will grab you and drag you from your home

and take you away from this world where people are alive.

(Think about that!)

6 When righteous people see that, they will be awestruck,

and they will laugh at what happened to you, and say,

7 “Look what happened to the man who would not ask God to protect him;

he trusted that his great wealth would save him;

he trusted in the money that he got by wickedly taking it from others!”

8 But I am secure/safe because I worship in God’s temple;

I am like a strong green olive tree.

I trust in God, who faithfully loves us forever.

9 God, I will always thank you for the things that you have done.

As I stand before godly people, I will proclaim that you are good (OR, the many good [MTY] things you have done for us).

A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using a tune called ‘Mahalath’

53 Only foolish people say to themselves, “There is no God!”

People who say that are corrupt; they commit terrible sins;

there is not one of them who does what is good/right.

2 God looks down from heaven and sees humans;

he looks to see if anyone is very wise,

with the result that he seeks to know God.

3 But they are all morally corrupt;

no one does what is good/right.

4 Will all these evil people never learn what God will do to them?

They act violently toward Yahweh’s people while eating the food that he provides,

and they never pray to Yahweh.

5 But some day those people will become terrified,

like they have never been terrified before,

because God will cause those who are separated from him to die,

and he will disrespect them by scattering their bones.

They have rejected God,

so he will cause them to be defeated and completely disgraced.

6 I wish/desire that someone from Jerusalem [MTY] would come and rescue the Israeli people!

God, when you bless your people again,

all the Israeli people, all the descendants of Jacob, will rejoice.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; it was written when the people of Ziph went to Saul and told him that David was hiding in their area

54 God, by your power [MTY, DOU] save me from my enemies,

and show people that I have not done anything that is wrong!

2 God, listen to my prayer;

listen to what I say to you,

3 because strangers are trying to attack me;

proud men are wanting to kill me;

men who do not have any ◄respect for/interest in► you.

(Think about that!)

4 But God is the one who helps me;

Yahweh defends/protects me from my enemies.

5 He will cause the evil things that they want to do to me to happen to them instead;

because he faithfully does what he promises, he will get rid of them.

6 Yahweh, I will gladly give an offering to you because I want to,

and I will thank you [MTY], for you are good to me;

7 you have rescued me from all my troubles,

and I have seen that you have defeated my enemies.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments

55 God, listen to my prayer,

and do not turn away from me while I am pleading with you.

2 Listen to me, and answer me,

because I am overwhelmed by all my troubles.

3 My enemies cause me to be terrified;

wicked people oppress me.

They cause me to have great troubles;

they are angry with me, and they hate me.

4 I am terrified,

and I am very much afraid that I will die.

5 I am very fearful and I tremble/shake,

and I am completely terrified.

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

If I had wings, I would fly away and find a place to rest.

7 I would fly far away

and live in the desert.

(Think about that!)

8 I would quickly find a shelter from my enemies

who are like [MET] a strong wind and rainstorm.”

9 Lord, confuse my enemies, and cause their plans to fail,

because I see them acting violently and causing strife in the city of Jerusalem.

10 During each day and night they march around on top of its walls,

committing crimes and causing trouble.

11 They destroy things everywhere.

They oppress and defraud people in the ◄marketplaces/public squares►.

12 If it were an enemy who was making fun of me,

I could endure it.

If it were someone who hates me, who despises me,

I could hide from him.

13 But it is someone who is just like me, my companion,

someone who was my friend who is doing this to me.

14 We previously had many good talks together;

we walked around together in God’s temple.

15 I desire/hope that my enemies will die suddenly;

while they are still young, cause them to go down to the place where the dead people are.

They they think evil things.

16 But I will ask Yahweh, my God, to help me,

and he will save me.

17 Each morning and each noontime and each evening I tell him what I am concerned about, and I moan,

and he hears my voice.

18 I have very many enemies,

but he will rescue me and bring me back safely from the battles that I fight.

19 God is the one who has ruled everything forever,

and he will listen to me.

He will cause my enemies to be defeated and disgraced,

because they do not change their evil behavior

and they do not revere God.

(Think about that!)

20 My companion, whom I mentioned previously, betrayed his friends

and broke the agreement that he made with them.

21 What he said was easy to listen to, like butter is easy to swallow [MET],

but in his inner being he hated people;

his words were soothing like olive oil,

but they hurt people like sharp swords do [MET].

22 Put your troubles in Yahweh’s hands,

and he will take care of you;

he will never allow righteous people to experience disasters.

23 God, you will cause murderers [MTY] and liars to die before they have lived half as long as they expect to live;

but as for me, I will trust in you.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, concerning the time the Philistines seized David in Gath; to be sung using the tune ‘Dove on distant oaks’

56 God, be merciful to me because men have harassed me;

all day my enemies pursue me.

2 My enemies harass me all day long;

there are many of them who proudly attack me.

3 But whenever I am afraid,

I trust in you.

4 God, I praise/thank you because you do what you have promised;

I trust in you, and then I am not afraid.

Ordinary humans certainly cannot [RHQ] harm me!

5 All day long my enemies claim that I said things that I did not say (OR, try to destroy what I am doing);

they are always thinking of ways to harm me.

6 In order to cause trouble for me, they hide

and watch everything that I do,

waiting for an opportunity to kill me [MTY].

7 So, God, punish them for the wicked things that they are doing;

show that you are angry by defeating those people!

8 You have counted all the times that I have been wandering alone/distressed;

it is as though you have put all my tears in a bottle

in order that you can see how much I have cried.

You have counted my tears and written the number in your book.

9 When I call out to you, my God, my enemies will be defeated;

I know that will happen, because you are fighting for me.

10 I praise/thank you that you do what you have promised;

Yahweh, I will always praise you for that [DOU].

11 I trust in you, and as a result, I will not be afraid.

I know that humans cannot really [RHQ] harm me!

12 I will bring to you the offering that I promised;

I will bring an offering to you to thank you,

13 because you have rescued me from being killed;

you have kept me from stumbling.

As a result, I will continue to live in your presence in the light that shines on those who are still alive (OR, in the light that enables people to live).

A psalm written by David for the choir director, when David went into a cave to escape from Saul; to be sung using the tune ‘Do not destroy’

57 God, be merciful to me!

Act mercifully toward me because I come to you to protect me.

I ask you to protect me like little birds are protected under their mother’s wings [MET]

until the storm/danger is ended.

2 God, you who are greater than all other gods,

I cry out to you, the one who enables me to do all that you desire.

3 You will answer me from heaven and rescue me,

but you will cause those who oppress me to be defeated and disgraced!

(Think about that!)

God will always faithfully love me and ◄will be faithful/will do what he promises►.

4 Sometimes I am surrounded by my enemies who are like lions that kill humans;

they are like lions that chew with their teeth animals that they kill;

but my enemies have spears and arrows, not teeth;

and the false things that they say [MTY] hurt people as much as sharp swords hurt people [MET].

5 God, show in the heavens that you are very great!

And show your glory to people all over the earth!

6 It is as if [MET, HYP] my enemies spread a net to seize me,

and I became very distressed [IDM].

It is as if [MET, HYP] they dug a deep pit along the path where I walk,

but they themselves fell into it!

(Think about that!)

7 God, I have complete confidence [DOU] in you.

I will sing to you,

and I will praise you while I sing.

8 I will awaken myself;

I will arise before the sun rises

and praise you while I play my harp or my ◄lyre/small harp►.

9 Lord, I will thank you among all the people;

and I will sing to praise you among many ethnic groups,

10 because your faithful love for us is as great as the distance from the earth to the sky,

and because your ◄faithfulness/faithfully doing what you promise► is as great as the distance up to the clouds [MET].

11 God, show in the heavens that you are very great!

And show your glory to people all over the earth!

A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using the tune ‘Do not destroy’

58 When you mighty men speak, you never say what is right;

you never decide things about people justly [RHQ]!

2 No, in your inner beings you think only about doing what is wrong,

and you commit violent crimes in this land of Israel.

3 Wicked people do wrong things and tell lies from the time that they are born [DOU].

4 God, show in the heavens how great you are!

And show your glory to people all over the earth!

What wicked people say injures people like the venom of a snake [MET];

They refuse to listen to good advice, as though they were cobras that were deaf [MET]!

5 As a result, like a snake that does not respond when a charmer plays a flute or when someone sings magic songs,

they do not pay attention when others rebuke them.

6 God, as for these enemies who want to attack me like young lions,

break their teeth!

7 Cause them to disappear like water disappears in dry ground!

Cause the arrows that they shoot to have no ◄heads/sharp points►!

8 Cause them to become like snails that disappear in the slime;

cause them to be like babies that are born dead!

9 Get rid of them

as fast as thornbushes are blown away after they are cut (OR, as fast as a fire heats a pot over burning thorns).

10 Righteous people will rejoice when they see wicked people being punished as they deserve;

they will wash their feet in the blood of wicked people.

11 Then people will say, “It is true that there is a reward for righteous people;

and there is indeed a God who judges people justly here on the earth!”

A psalm written by David for the choir director, when Saul, wanting to kill David, sent men to watch David’s house

59 God, save me from my enemies!

Protect me from those who want to attack me!

2 Rescue me from men who want to do what is wicked,

men who are murderers!

3 Look! They are waiting to kill me!

Fierce men have gathered to assault me.

Yahweh, they are doing that even though I have not done what is wrong!

4 It is not because I have committed any sin against them

that they run and get ready to attack me.

5 Yahweh my God, commander of the armies of heaven, the one we Israelis worship,

arise and punish the ungodly/heathen people of all the nations;

do not be merciful to those wicked people who have ◄acted treacherously toward/secretly planned to harm► us.

(Think about that!)

6 They return each evening,

snarling like vicious dogs [SIM] as they prowl around this city.

7 They loudly say terrible things;

they say [MTY] many things that injure people like [MET] swords do,

but they think, “No one will [RHQ] hear us!”

8 But Yahweh, you laugh at them.

You ◄scoff at/ridicule► the people of the pagan nations.

9 God, I have confidence in you because you are very strong;

you are my refuge.

10 Because you love me, you will come to save me;

you will allow me to watch while you defeat my enemies.

11 But do not kill them immediately

in order that my people will not forget how you punished them!

Instead, Lord, you who are like a shield that protects us [MET],

scatter them by your power, and then defeat them.

12 Because what they say [MTY] is sinful,

allow them to be trapped for being proud.

Because they are always cursing and telling lies,

13 because you are angry, get rid of them;

destroy them completely

in order that people will know that you rule over us, your Israeli people,

and that you rule over all the earth.

(Think about that!)

14 My enemies return each evening,

snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl around this city.

15 They roam around, searching for food;

and if they do not find enough, they growl.

16 But as for me, I will sing about your power;

every morning I will sing joyfully about your faithfully loving us.

I will sing about how you protected me when I was very distressed.

17 God, you are the one who enables me to be strong;

you are my refuge;

you faithfully love me.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, a psalm for teaching, to be sung using the tune ‘Lily of the Promise’. David wrote it during the wars in northern Syria, and Joab’s army, after returning from the battle, killed 12,000 of the Edom people-group in Salt Valley

60 I prayed, “God, you have rejected us Israelis!

Because you have been angry with us,

you have enabled our enemies to break through our ranks.

Please enable us to be strong again!

2 When we were defeated, it was as though [MET] there was a big earthquake in our land that caused the ground to split open.

So now, just as only you can cause the cracks in the land to disappear,

help our army to be strong again,

because it is as though our country is ◄falling apart/being destroyed►.

3 You have caused us, your people, to suffer very much;

it is as though you forced us to drink strong wine that caused us to stagger around after we became drunk.

4 But you have raised a battle flag for those who revere you

in order that they can gather around it and not be killed by the enemies’ arrows.

(Think about that!)

5 Answer our prayers and enable us by your power [MTY] to defeat our enemies

in order that we, the people whom you love, will be saved.”

6 Then God answered my prayer and spoke from his temple, saying,

“Because I have conquered your enemies, I will divide up everything in Shechem city,

and I will distribute it among my people the land in Succoth Valley.

7 The Gilead region is mine;

the people of the tribe of Manasseh are mine;

the tribe of Ephraim is like my helmet [MET];

and the tribe of Judah is like the ◄scepter/stick that I hold which shows that I am the ruler► [MET];

8 but the Moab region is like my washbasin [MET];

I throw my sandal in the Edom area to show that it belongs to me;

I shout triumphantly because I have defeated the people of the Philistia area.”

9 Because I want to defeat the people of Edom,

◄who will lead my army triumphantly to their capital city that has strong walls around it?/I want someone to lead my army triumphantly to their capital city that has strong walls around it.►” [RHQ]

10 So, God, we desire/hope that [RHQ] you have not truly abandoned us,

and that you will go with us when our armies march out to fight our enemies.

11 We need you to help us when we fight against our enemies,

because the help that humans can give us is worthless.

12 But with you helping us, we shall win;

you will enable us to defeat our enemies.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be accompanied by musical instruments

61 God, listen to me,

and answer my prayer [DOU]!

2 While I am discouraged and far from my home,

I am calling out to you.

Lead me to the place that is like a high rock [MET]

on top of which I will be safe.

3 You have been my refuge;

you have been like a strong tower [MET]

in which I am safe from being attacked by my enemies.

4 Allow me to live close to your temple all during my life [HYP]!

Allow me to be safe [MET], like a little bird is safe under its mother’s wings.

(Think about that!)

5 God, you heard me when I solemnly promised to give offerings to you;

you have given to me the blessings that belong to those who have an awesome respect for you [MTY].

6 I am the king of Israel;

please allow me to live and rule for many years,

and allow my descendants to rule also.

7 Allow us to rule forever while you observe us;

watch over us while you faithfully love us and do for us what you promised.

8 If you do that, I will always sing to praise you [MTY]

while I offer to you each day the sacrifices that I promised to give to you.

A psalm written by David for Jeduthun, the choir leader

62 God is the only one who can give me peace in my inner being,

and he is the one who saves me from my enemies.

2 Only he is like an overhanging rock under which I can be safe [MET];

he will be like a shelter, with the result that I will never be defeated [MET].

3 When will you, my enemies, stop attacking me [RHQ]?

I feel that I am as useless against you as a wall that is about to fall over or a broken-down fence [MET].

4 My enemies plan to remove me from my important position so that people no longer honor me.

They delight in telling lies.

They bless people by what they say [MTY],

but in their inner beings they curse those people.

(Think about that!)

5 God is the only one who gives me peace in my inner being;

he is the one whom I confidently expect to help me.

6 Only he is like an overhanging rock under which I can be safe [MET];

he is like a shelter, and as a result I will never be defeated.

7 God is the one who saves me and honors me.

He is like an overhanging strong rock under which I can find shelter [MET].

8 You my people, always trust in him.

Tell him all your troubles,

because he is ◄our refuge/the one who protects us► [MET].

(Think about that!)

9 People who are considered to be unimportant are as worthless/unreliable as a breath of air;

people who are considered to be important also really ◄amount to nothing/cannot be trusted to help us►.

If you put them all on a scale, it would be as if they weighed less than a puff of air.

10 Do not trust in money gained by extorting it from others;

do not try to gain anything by robbing others.

If you become very wealthy, do not trust in [IDM] your money.

11 I have heard God say more than once that he is the one who really has power,

12 and that he is the one who faithfully loves us.

He rewards every one of us according to the deeds that we do.

A psalm written by David when he was in the desert in Judea

63 God, you are the God whom I worship.

I greatly desire to be with you

like [SIL] a person in a dry hot desert greatly desires some cool water.

2 So, I want to see you in your temple;

I want to see that you are great and glorious.

3 Your constantly loving me is ◄worth more/more precious► than my life,

so I [MTY] will always praise you.

4 I will praise you all the time that I live;

I will lift up my hands to you while I pray.

5 Knowing you satisfies me more than [IDM, MET] my eating a very big feast,

so I will praise you while I sing [MTY] joyful songs.

6 While I lie on my bed, I think about you.

I think/meditate about you all during the night,

7 because you have always helped me,

and I sing joyfully knowing that I am protected by you

as a little bird is protected under its mother’s wings [MET].

8 I cling to you;

and with your hand/power you protect me.

9 But those who are trying to kill me

will die and descend into the place of the dead;

10 they will be killed in battles [MTY]

and their corpses will be eaten by jackals/wild dogs.

11 But I, the king of Israel, will rejoice in what God has done;

and all those who revere and trust God will praise him,

but he will not allow liars to say anything.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

64 God, listen to me as I tell you the things that I am worried about.

I am afraid of my enemies; so save/rescue me from them.

2 Protect me from what wicked men are planning to do to me;

protect me from that gang of men who do what is evil.

3 The hostile things they say [MTY] are like [SIM] sharp swords;

their cruel words are like [SIM] arrows.

4 Without being afraid, they lie about people and slander people who have not done what is wrong,

like someone who suddenly jumps up from where he is hiding and shoots arrows at his enemy [MET].

5 They encourage each other about doing the evil things that they are planning to do;

they talk with each other about where they can set traps to catch people,

and they think, “No one [RHQ] will see what we are doing,

6 because we have planned very well the crime that we are going to commit!”

No one can fully understand what people can think and plan!

7 But it will be as though God will shoot his arrows at them,

and suddenly they will be wounded.

8 Because of what they say [MTY], he will get rid of them,

and then everyone who sees what has happened to them will shake their heads to ridicule them.

9 And then everyone will be afraid to sin because of what might happen to them, also;

they will tell others what God has done,

and they themselves will think much about it.

10 Righteous people should rejoice because of what Yahweh has done;

they should go to him to ◄find protection/be safe►;

and all those who are godly will praise him.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

65 God, it is right/appropriate for us to praise you in Jerusalem,

and to do what we have promised you that we would do,

2 because you answer our prayers.

People everywhere will come to you

3 because of the sins that they have committed.

Our many sins are like a very heavy burden to us,

but you forgive us.

4 You are pleased with those whom you have chosen

to live close to your temple.

We are happy with all the blessings that we receive from worshiping in your sacred temple.

5 God, when we pray to you, you answer us and save us by doing awesome deeds;

you are the one who rescues us;

people who live in very remote places on the earth, on the other side of the oceans, trust in you.

6 By your strength you put the mountains in their places,

showing that you are very powerful.

7 You calm the seas when they roar,

and you stop the waves from crashing on the shore;

you also calm people when they ◄make a great uproar/shout angrily together►.

8 People who live in very remote/distant places on the earth

◄are awed by/revere► you because of the miracles that you perform;

because of what you do,

people who live far to the west and far to the east shout joyfully.

9 You take care of the soil and send rain,

causing many good things to grow;

you fill the streams with water,

and cause grain/crops to grow.

That is what you have determined/said would happen.

10 You send plenty of rain on the fields that have been plowed,

and you fill the furrows with water.

With showers you soften the hard clods/lumps of soil,

and you bless the soil by causing young plants to grow.

11 Because you bless the soil, there are very good crops at harvest season;

wherever you have gone [MTY], good crops are very abundant [IDM].

12 The pastures are full of flocks of sheep and goats;

it is as though the hills are very joyful.

13 The meadows are full of sheep and goats,

and the valleys are full of grain;

it is as though they also sing and shout joyfully.

A psalm which is a song for the choir director

66 Tell everyone on the earth

that they should sing joyfully to praise God!

2 They should sing songs that say that God [MTY] is very great,

and they should tell everyone that he is very glorious!

3 They should say to God, “The things that you do are awesome!

You are very powerful,

with the result that your enemies ◄cringe/bow down► in front of you.”

4 Everyone on the earth should worship God

and sing to praise him

and honor him [MTY].

(Think about that!)

5 Come and think about what God has done!

Think about the awesome things that he has done.

6 He caused the Red Sea to become dry land,

with the result that our ancestors were able to walk right through it.

There we rejoiced because of what he had done.

7 By his great power he rules forever,

and he keeps watching all the nations to see what things they do,

so those nations that want to rebel against him should not be proud.

(Think about that!)

8 You people of all nations, praise our God!

Praise him loudly in order that people will hear you as you praise him.

9 He has kept us alive,

and he has not allowed us to ◄stumble/be defeated►.

10 God, you have tested us;

you have allowed us to experience great difficulties to make our lives become pure

as people put precious metals in a hot fire to burn out what is impure [MET].

11 It is as if you allowed us to fall into traps [MET],

and you forced us to endure difficult things which were like putting heavy loads on our backs [MET].

12 You allowed our enemies to trample on us;

we experienced difficulties/troubles that were like [MET] walking through fires and floods,

but now you have brought us into a place where we have plenty.

13 Yahweh, I will bring to your temple offerings that are to be completely burned on the altar;

I will offer to you what I promised.

14 When I was experiencing much trouble, I said that I would bring offerings to you if you rescued me;

and you did rescue me, so I will bring to you what I promised.

15 I will bring sheep to be burned on the altar,

and I will also sacrifice bulls and goats,

and when they are burning, you will be pleased when the smoke rises up ◄to you/to the sky►.

(Think about that!)

16 All you people who revere God, come and listen,

and I will tell you what he has done for me.

17 I called out to him to help me,

and I praised him while I was speaking to him [MTY].

18 If I had ignored the sins that I had committed,

the Lord would not have paid any attention to me.

19 But because I confessed my sins, God has listened to me

and he paid attention to my prayers.

20 I praise God

because he has not ignored my prayers

or stopped faithfully loving me.

A psalm for the choir director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments

67 God, be merciful to us and bless us;

be kind to us [IDM],

(Think about that!)

2 in order that everyone in the world may know what you want them to do,

and the people of all nations may know that you have the power to save them.

3 God, I desire that all people-groups will praise you;

I want them all to praise you!

4 I desire that the people of all nations will be glad and sing joyfully,

because you judge the people-groups equally/justly,

and you guide all nations in the world.

(Think about that!)

5 God, I desire that the people-groups will praise you;

I want them all to praise you!

6 Good crops have grown on our land;

God, our God, has blessed us.

7 And because God has blessed us,

I desire that all people everywhere [MTY] on the earth will revere him.

A psalm written by David for the choir director

68 God, arise and scatter your enemies,

and cause those who hate you to run away from you.

2 Like wind blows smoke away,

chase your enemies away.

Like wax melts when it is near a fire,

cause wicked people to ◄disappear/be destroyed►.

3 But righteous people should be joyful;

they should rejoice when they are in God’s presence;

they should be happy, and be very joyful.

4 Sing to God; sing to praise him;

sing a song (OR, make a road) for him who rides on the clouds;

his name is Yahweh; be glad when you are in his presence.

5 God, who lives in his sacred temple, is like [MET] a father to those who are orphans,

and he is the one who protects widows.

6 For those who have no one to live with, he provides families to live with.

He frees prisoners and enables them to be successful,

but those who rebel against him will be forced to live in a very hot and dry land.

7 God, you led your people out of Egypt,

and then you marched with them through the desert.

(Think about that!)

8 After you did that, because when you, the God worshiped by us Israeli people, appeared to us at Sinai Mountain,,

the earth shook,

and rain poured down from the sky.

9 You caused plenty of rain to fall on your land,

and so you enabled good crops to grow again on the land that you gave to us Israelis.

10 Your people built homes there;

and because you were good to them, you provided food for those who were poor.

11 The Lord gave a message,

and many women took that message to other places.

12 They proclaimed, “Many kings and their armies are running away from our army!”

When our army brought back to their homes the things that they captured,

the women who were at home divided up those things among themselves and among their families.

13 Even those women who were in the pens taking care of the sheep received some of those things;

they got statues of doves whose wings were covered with silver

and whose feathers were covered with pure yellow gold.

14 When Almighty God scattered the enemy kings and their armies,

the number of weapons that they abandoned there seemed like there had been a snowstorm on Zalmon (OR, a black) Mountain.

15 There is a very high mountain in the Bashan region,

a mountain which has many peaks.

16 But the people who live near that mountain should not [RHQ] envy those who live near Zion,

the mountain on which God chose to live!

Yahweh will live there forever!

17 After we defeated all our enemies,

it was as though the Lord, surrounded by many thousands of strong chariots, descended from Sinai Mountain

and came into the sacred temple in Jerusalem.

18 He ascended the sacred mountain where his temple is,

and took with him many people who had been captured in battles;

and received gifts from the enemies whom he had defeated.

He received gifts even from those who had rebelled against him,

and Yahweh our God will live there in his sacred temple forever.

19 Praise the Lord, who helps us carry our heavy loads every day;

he is the one who saves/rescues us.

(Think about that!)

20 Our God is the God who saves us;

He is Yahweh, our Lord, the one who ◄allows us to escape/prevents us► from being killed in battles.

21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies,

the skulls of those who continue to behave sinfully.

22 The Lord said, “I will bring back the corpses of those who were killed in Bashan,

and I will bring back those who sank deep in the ocean and drowned.

23 I will do that in order that you may wash your feet in their blood,

and your dogs can also lap up some of your enemies’ blood.”

24 God, many people see you march triumphantly into your sacred temple,

celebrating that you have defeated your enemies.

You march like a king does, and a large crowd walks with you.

25 The singers are in front, and the people who play stringed instruments are at the rear,

and young women who are beating their tambourines are between them.

26 They are all singing, “You Israeli people, praise God when you gather together;

praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!”

27 First come the people of the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe,

and following them come the leaders of the tribe of Judah and their group,

and following them come the leaders of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali.

28 God, show people that you are very powerful;

show people the power with which you have helped us previously.

29 Show that power from your temple in Jerusalem,

where kings bring gifts to you.

30 Rebuke your enemies, such as those in Egypt who are like wild hippopotamuses/animals that live in the reeds;

and powerful nations that are like bulls that are among their calves [MET];

rebuke/trample them until they bow down and give you gifts of silver.

Scatter the people who enjoy making wars.

31 Then people will bring gifts of bronze (OR, of cloth) to you from Egypt;

the people in Ethiopia will lift up their hands to praise you.

32 You people who are citizens of kingdoms/countries all over the world, sing to God!

Sing praises to the Lord!

(Think about that!)

33 Sing to the God, the one who rides across the sky,

the sky that he created long ago.

Listen as he shouts with a very powerful voice.

34 Proclaim that God is very powerful;

he is the king that rules over Israel,

and in the skies he also shows that he is powerful.

35 God is awesome as he comes out of his sacred temple;

he is the God whom we Israeli people worship.

He makes [DOU] his people very powerful.

Praise God!

A psalm written by David for the choir director

69 O God, save me,

because I am in great danger.

It is as though flood water is up to my neck, and I am about to drown [MET].

2 I continue to sink in the deep mud,

and there is no solid ground for me to stand on.

I am in deep water,

and flood waters are swirling around me.

3 I am exhausted from calling out for help;

my throat is very dry.

Because I have cried so much as I have waited for God to help me,

my eyes are swollen.

4 Those who hate me when there is no reason to hate me

are more than the number of hairs on my head [HYP]!

Those who want to get rid of me are strong,

and they tell lies about me.

They demand that I return to them things that I did not steal!

5 O God, ◄you see the sins that I have committed/my sins are not hidden from you►.

You know that I have foolishly disobeyed your laws.

6 O Yahweh God, you who are the commander of the armies of heaven,

do not allow the wrong things that I have done

to cause those who trust in you to be disappointed/disillusioned.

O God, you whom we Israeli people worship,

do not allow me to cause your people to be humiliated.

7 People have insulted/ridiculed me because I am devoted to you.

They have thoroughly humiliated [IDM] me.

8 Even my own older brothers act as if they do not know me;

they treat me like a foreigner.

9 Some people have despised your temple;

but my zeal for keeping your temple holy is like a fire burning inside me.

So it is as though those who are insulting you are also insulting me.

10 When I have humbled myself and ◄fasted/abstained from eating food►

to show my sadness about the disgraceful things that they have done to your temple,

they just insult me.

11 When I put on rough sackcloth to show that I am sad,

they laugh at [IDM] me.

12 Even the elders of the city say bad things about me.

The drunkards of the city sing disgusting songs about me.

13 But Yahweh, I will continue praying to you.

At the time that you choose, answer me and rescue me

because you faithfully love me.

14 Do not allow me to sink any more in the mud.

Rescue me from those who hate me!

Lift me up out of these deep waters!

15 Do not allow flood waters to swirl around me,

do not allow the deep mud to swallow me;

keep me from sinking into the pit of death [MET].

16 O Yahweh, answer my prayer and help me

because you are good and love me faithfully.

17 Do not ◄hide yourself from/refuse to hear► me;

answer me quickly

because I am in great trouble.

18 Come near to me and save me;

rescue me from my enemies.

19 You know that I am insulted

and that people cause me to feel ashamed and dishonored;

you know who all my enemies are.

20 Their insults have deeply offended me,

and I ◄feel helpless/am in despair►.

I searched for someone who would pity me,

but there was no one.

I wanted someone to encourage/comfort me,

but there were none.

21 Instead, they gave me food that tasted like poison,

and when I was thirsty, they gave me sour wine to drink.

22 I hope/desire that the feasts [MTY] that they enjoy will ◄become a snare for/bring trouble to► them,

and that those whom they invite to the sacrificial feasts will also be trapped.

23 I hope/desire that their eyesight will become dim so that they cannot see anything,

and that their backs/bodies will become weaker and weaker.

24 Show them that you are very angry with them!

Because of your great/furious anger, chase after them and catch them.

25 Cause their towns to become abandoned/deserted

and that there will be no one left to live in their tents/houses.

26 Do this because they persecute those whom you have punished,

◄they talk about the sins of/they want to hurt even more► those whom you have wounded.

27 Keep making a record of all their sins,

do not acquit/pardon them for the evil things that they have done.

28 Erase their names [SYN] from the book containing the names of those who have eternal life;

do not include them in the list of righteous people.

29 As for me, I have pain and am suffering.

O God, protect me and rescue me.

30 When God does that, I will sing as I praise God,

and I will honor him by thanking him.

31 My doing that will please Yahweh more than sacrificing oxen,

more than offering him full-grown bulls.

32 Oppressed/Afflicted people will see that God has rescued me,

and they will be glad.

I want all of you who ask God to help you to be encouraged.

33 Yahweh listens to those who are needy;

He does not ignore/forget those who are oppressed/imprisoned.

34 I desire that everything will praise God—

everything that is in heaven and on earth, and all the creatures that are in the seas.

35 God will rescue the people of Jerusalem from their enemies,

and he will rebuild the towns that are in Judah.

His people will live there and again possess the land.

36 The descendants of his people will inherit it,

and those who love him will live there safely.

A psalm written by David for the choir director, asking God to help David

70 God, please save me!

Yahweh, come quickly to help me!

2 Humble those who are happy about my troubles/difficulties, and cause them to be disgraced/ashamed.

Chase away those who are trying to kill me.

3 I hope/desire that you will cause them to become dismayed and ashamed

because you have defeated them.

4 But I hope/desire that all those who go to worship you will be very joyful [DOU].

I want those who love you because you saved them to shout repeatedly [HYP],

“God is great!”

5 As for me, I am poor and needy [DOU];

so God, come quickly to help me!

Yahweh, you are the one who saves and helps me,

so please come quickly!

71 Yahweh, I have come to you to ◄get refuge/be protected►;

never allow me to become ashamed because of being defeated.

2 Because you always do what is right, help me and rescue me;

listen to me, and save me!

3 Be like an overhanging rock [MET] under which I can be safe/protected;

be like a strong fortress in which I am safe [DOU].

You continually command (OR, Continually command) your angels to rescue me.

4 God, rescue me from wicked people,

from the power of unjust and evil men.

5 Yahweh, my Lord, you are the one whom I confidently expect to help me;

I have trusted in you since I was young.

6 I have depended on you all my life;

you have taken care of me [IDM] since the day that I was born,

so I will always praise you.

7 The manner in which I have conducted my life has been an example to many people,

because they realize that you have been my strong defender.

8 I praise you all day long,

and I proclaim that you are glorious/wonderful.

9 Now, when I have become an old man, do not reject/abandon me;

do not abandon me now, when I am not strong any more.

10 My enemies say that they want to kill me;

they plan together how they can do that.

11 They say about me, “God has abandoned him;

so now we can pursue him and seize him,

because there is no one who will rescue him.”

12 God, do not stay far away from me;

hurry to help me!

13 Cause those who ◄accuse me/say that I have done things that are wrong► to be defeated and destroyed;

cause those who want to harm me to be shamed and disgraced.

14 But as for me, I will continually and confidently expect you to do great things for me,

and I will praise you more and more.

15 I will tell people that you do what is right;

all day long I will tell people how you have saved me,

although what you have done is more than I can fully understand.

16 Yahweh, my Lord, I will praise you for your mighty deeds;

I will proclaim that only you always act justly.

17 God, you have taught me many/those things ever since I was young,

and I still tell people about your wonderful deeds.

18 And now, God, when I am old and my hair is gray,

do not abandon me.

Stay with me while I continue to proclaim to my children and grandchildren [HYP] that you are very powerful!

19 God, you do many righteous deeds;

it is as though they extend up to the sky.

You have done great things;

there is no one like you [RHQ].

20 You have caused me to have many troubles and to suffer much,

but you will cause me to become strong again;

when I am almost dead [HYP], you will keep me alive.

21 You will cause me to be greatly honored

and you will encourage/comfort me again.

22 I will also praise you while I play my harp;

I will praise you, my God, for faithfully doing what you have promised to do.

I will play hymns to praise you, the holy God whom we Israelis worship.

23 I [SYN] will shout joyfully while I play the harp for you;

with my entire inner being I will sing

because you have rescued me.

24 All day long I will tell people that you act righteously,

because those who wanted to harm me will have been defeated and disgraced.

A psalm written by Solomon.

A prayer for God to bless the king

72 O God, enable me, the king whom you appointed in Israel, to rule justly.

Show/Teach me how to judge matters fairly

2 in order that I will judge your people fairly,

that I will govern your oppressed people justly.

3 I desire that all over the country—even on the hills and mountains [DOU]—

people will live peacefully and righteously.

4 Help me, your king, to defend the poor people

and to rescue needy people and to defeat those who oppress them.

5 I desire that your people will revere you as long as the moon shines, forever.

6 I desire that my rule will be enjoyed by the people [SIM]

like they enjoy rain on growing crops,

like they enjoy showers that fall on the land.

7 I hope/desire that people will live righteously during the years that I rule,

and that my people will live peacefully and prosperously as long as the moon shines.

8 I hope/desire that the kings of Israel will rule the people

in all the area from one sea in the east to another in the west,

and from the Euphrates River to the most remote/distant places on earth.

9 I hope/desire that those who live in the desert will bow down before them,

and that their enemies will throw themselves on the ground in submission to them.

10 I hope/desire that the kings of Spain and of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea will bring ◄tribute money/taxes► to the kings of Israel,

and that the kings of Sheba to the south and of Seba to the southwest will bring them gifts.

11 I hope/desire that all the other kings in the world will bow before the kings of Israel,

and that people of all nations will serve them.

12 They will rescue poor people when they ◄cry out/plead► for help,

and help those who are needy and those who have no one to help them.

13 They will pity those who are weak and needy;

he saves the people’s lives.

14 Our kings will rescue the people from being oppressed and from being treated cruelly,

because ◄their lives/they► [MTY] are precious to our kings.

15 I hope/desire that our kings will live a long time!

I hope/desire that they will be given gold from Sheba.

I desire that people will always pray for our kings

and praise them all the time, every day.

16 I hope/desire that the fields will produce plenty of grain everywhere, even on the tops of the hills in the land where they rule,

like the grain that grows on the hills in Lebanon.

I hope/desire that the cities in Israel will be full of people

like the fields are full of grass.

17 I desire that the names of our kings will never be forgotten.

I hope/desire that people will remember them as long as the sun shines.

I hope/desire that people of all nations will ask ◄God to bless them/that they will be blessed by God►

just like he has blessed the kings of Israel.

18 Praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship;

he is the only one who does wonderful things.

19 Praise him forever!

I desire that ◄his glory will fill the whole world/people all over the world may see that he is very great► [MTY]!

Amen! May it be so!

20 That is the end of this group of prayers/songs written by David, the son of Jesse.

A psalm written by Asaph

73 God truly is good to us Israeli people,

to those who totally want to do all that God desires.

2 As for me, I almost stopped trusting in God;

it was as though my feet slipped and I stumbled [MET],

3 because I envied those who proudly said that they did not need God,

and I saw that they prospered even though they were wicked.

4 Those people do not have any pains;

they are always strong and healthy.

5 They do not have the troubles/difficulties that other people have;

they do not have problems like others do.

6 So they are proud, and their being proud is like a necklace that they show to others,

and they show off their violent actions like people show off their beautiful robes.

7 From their inner beings they ◄pour out/do► evil deeds,

and they are always thinking about more evil things to do.

8 They scoff at other people, and they talk about doing evil things to them;

they are proud while they plan to oppress others.

9 They say evil things about God who is in heaven [MTY],

and they talk boastfully/proudly about things that they have done here on the earth.

10 The result is that people listen to what they say and praise them

and do not think that they have done anything that is wrong.

11 Wicked people say to themselves, “God will certainly not [RHQ] know what we have done;

people say that he is greater than any other god, but he does not know everything.”

12 That is what wicked people are like;

they never worry about anything, and they are always becoming richer.

13 So, God, I think it is useless that I have [RHQ] always done what you want me to,

and that I have not sinned.

14 All day long I have problems,

and every morning you punish me.

15 If I had said the things that the wicked people say,

I would have been sinning against your people.

16 And when I tried to think about all this,

it was very difficult for me to understand it.

17 But when I went to your temple, you spoke to me,

and I understood what will happen to the wicked people after they die.

18 Now I know that you will surely put them in slippery places,

and they will fall down and die.

19 They will be destroyed instantly;

they will die in terrible ways.

20 They will disappear as quickly as a dream disappears when a person awakes in the morning;

Lord, when you arise, you will ◄cause them to disappear/forget all about them►.

21 When I felt sad/bitter,

and brokenhearted,

22 I was stupid and ignorant,

and I behaved like an animal toward you.

23 But I am always close to you,

and you hold my hand.

24 You guide me by teaching me,

and ◄at the end of my life/when I die►, you will receive me and honor me.

25 You are in heaven and I belong to you [RHQ],

and there is nothing on this earth that I desire more than that.

26 My body and my mind may become very weak,

but God, you continue to enable me to be strong;

I belong to you forever.

27 Those who remain far from you will be destroyed;

you will get rid of those who abandon you.

28 But as for me, it is wonderful to be near to God

and to be protected by Yahweh,

and to proclaim to others all that he has done for me.

A psalm written by Asaph

74 God, why have you abandoned/rejected us?

Will you keep rejecting us forever [RHQ]?

Why are you angry with us,

since we are like sheep in your pasture and you are like our shepherd? [MET, RHQ]

2 Do not forget your people whom you chose long ago,

the people whom you freed from being slaves in Egypt and caused to become your tribe.

Do not forget Jerusalem, which was ◄your home/where you dwelt► on this earth.

3 Walk along and see where everything has been totally ruined;

our enemies have destroyed everything in the sacred temple.

4 Your enemies shouted triumphantly in this sacred place;

they erected their banners to show they had defeated us.

5 They cut down all the engraved objects in the temple like woodsmen cut down trees.

6 Then they smashed all the carved wood with their axes and hammers.

7 Then they burned your temple to the ground;

they caused that place where you were worshiped to be unfit for people to worship in.

8 They said to themselves, “We will destroy the Israelis completely,”

and they also burned down all the other places where we gathered to worship God.

9 All our sacred symbols (OR, miracles) are gone;

there are no prophets now/any more,

and no one knows how long this situation will continue.

10 God, how long will our enemies make fun of you [RHQ]?

Will they insult you [MTY] forever [RHQ]?

11 Why do you refuse to help [MTY, RHQ] us?

Why do you keep your hand inside your cloak instead of using it to destroy our enemies [RHQ]?

12 God, you have been our king all the time since we came out of Egypt [HYP],

and you have enabled us to defeat our enemies in the land of Israel.

13 By your power you caused the Red Sea to divide;

it was as though you smashed the heads of the rulers of Egypt who were like huge sea dragons [MET].

14 It was as though you crushed the head of the king of Egypt [MET]

and gave his body to the animals in the desert to eat.

15 You caused springs and streams to flow,

and you also dried up rivers that had never dried up previously.

16 You created the days and the nights,

and you put the sun and the moon in their places.

17 You determined where the oceans end and the land begins,

and you created the summer/hot season and the winter/cold season.

18 Yahweh, do not forget that your enemies laugh at you,

and that it is foolish people who despise you [MTY].

19 Do not let your helpless people [MET] fall into the hands of their cruel enemies;

do not forget your suffering/persecuted people.

20 Do not forget the agreement that you made with us;

remember that there are violent people in every dark place on the earth.

21 Do not allow your oppressed people to be disgraced;

help those poor and needy people in order that they will again praise you [MTY].

22 God, arise and defend yourself by defending your people!

Do not forget that foolish people laugh at you ◄all day long/continually►!

23 Do not forget that your enemies shout angrily at you;

the uproar that they make while they oppose you never stops.

A psalm written by Asaph for the choir director, to be sung using the tune ‘Do not destroy’

75 We give thanks to you;

our God, we thank you.

You are close to us,

and we proclaim to others the wonderful things that you have done for us.

2 You have said, “I have appointed a time when I will judge people,

and I will judge everyone fairly.

3 When the earth shakes

and all the creatures on the earth tremble,

I am the one who will ◄keep its foundations steady/prevent it from being destroyed►.

(Think about that!)

4 I say to people who ◄boast/talk proudly about themselves►, ‘Stop bragging!’

and I say to wicked people, ‘Do not proudly do things to show how great you are [IDM]!

5 Do not be arrogant,

and do not speak so boastfully!’”

6 The one who judges people does not come from the east or from the west,

and he does not come from the desert.

7 God is the one who judges people;

he says that some have sinned and must be punished, and that others have not done what is wrong.

8 It is as though Yahweh holds a cup in his hand;

it is filled with wine that has spices mixed in it to cause those who drink it to become more drunk;

and when Yahweh pours it out, he will force all the wicked people to drink it;

they will drink every drop of it,

which means that he will give them all the punishment that they deserve.

9 But as for me, I will never stop saying what the God whom Jacob worshiped has done;

I will never quit singing to praise him.

10 He will destroy the power [IDM] of wicked people,

but he will cause righteous people to become more powerful.

A psalm written by Asaph for the choir director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments

76 People in Judah know God;

the Israeli people honor him [MTY].

2 His home is in Jerusalem;

he lives on Zion Hill.

3 There he broke the flaming arrows that his enemies shot,

and he also broke their shields and swords and other weapons that they used in battles.

(Think about that!)

4 God, you are glorious!

You are like a king as you return from the mountains where you defeated your enemies.

5 Their brave soldiers were killed, and then those who killed them took away everything that those soldiers had.

Those enemies died [EUP],

so they were unable to use their weapons any more!

6 When you, the God whom Jacob worshiped, rebuked your enemies,

the result was that their horses and their riders fell down dead.

7 But you cause everyone to be afraid.

When you are angry and you punish people, no one can [RHQ] endure it.

8 From heaven you proclaimed that you would judge people,

and then everyone on the earth was afraid and did not say anything more,

9 when you arose to declare that you would punish wicked people

and rescue all those whom they had oppressed.

(Think about that!)

10 When you punish those with whom you are angry, your people will praise you,

and your enemies who ◄survive/are not killed► will worship you on your festival days.

11 So give to Yahweh the offerings that you promised to give to him;

all the people of nearby people-groups should also bring gifts to him, the one who is awesome.

12 He humbles [IDM] princes,

and even causes great kings to be terrified.

A psalm written by Asaph for Jeduthun, the choir director

77 I cry out to God;

I cry aloud to him, and he hears me.

2 Whenever have trouble, I pray to the Lord;

all during the night I lift up my hands while I pray,

but nothing causes me to be comforted.

3 When I think about God, I ◄despair/think that he will never help me►;

when I meditate about him, I am discouraged.

(Think about that!)

4 All during the night he prevents me from sleeping;

I am very worried, with the result that I do not know what to say.

5 I think about days that have passed;

I remember what happened in previous years.

6 I spend the whole night thinking about things;

I meditate, and this is what I ask myself:

7 “Will the Lord always reject us?

Will he never again be pleased with us?

8 Has he stopped faithfully loving us?

Will he not do for us what he promised to do?

9 God promised to be merciful to us; has he forgotten that?

Because he is angry with us, has he decided to not be kind to us?”

(Think about that!)

10 Then I said, “What causes me to be very sad is that

it seems that God, who is greater than any other god, is no longer powerful.”

11 But then, Yahweh, I recall/remember your great deeds;

I remember the wonderful things that you did in the past.

12 I meditate on all that you have done,

and I think about your mighty acts.

13 God, everything that you do is holy;

there is certainly no god [RHQ] who is great like you are!

14 You are God, the one who performs miracles;

you showed to people of many people-groups that you are powerful.

15 By your power [MTY] you rescued your people from Egypt;

you saved those who were descendants of Jacob and his son Joseph.

(Think about that!)

16 It was as though the waters of the Red Sea saw you and became very afraid,

and even the deepest part of the water shook.

17 Rain poured down from the clouds [PRS];

it thundered very loudly [PRS],

and lightning flashed in all directions.

18 Thunder crashed in the whirlwind,

and lightning ◄lit up/flashed across► the entire sky [HYP];

the earth shook violently [DOU].

19 Then you walked through the sea

on a path that you made through the deep water,

but your footprints could not be seen.

20 You led your people like a shepherd leads his flock of sheep,

while Moses and Aaron were the leaders of your people.

A psalm written by Asaph

78 My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you;

pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.

2 I am going to give you some sayings that wise people have said.

They will be sayings about things that happened long ago,

things that were difficult to understand [MET],

3 things that we have heard and known previously,

things that our parents and grandparents told us.

4 We will tell these things to our children [LIT],

and we will also tell to our grandchildren

about Yahweh’s power and the glorious/great things that he has done.

5 He gave laws and commandments to the Israeli people,

those who are the descendants of Jacob [DOU],

and he told our ancestors to teach them to their children

6 in order that their children would also know them

and then they would teach them to their children.

7 In that way, they also would trust in God,

and not forget the things that he has done;

instead, they would obey his commandments.

8 They would not be like their ancestors,

who were very stubborn and kept rebelling against God;

they did not continue firmly trusting in God,

and they did not worship only him.

9 The soldiers of the tribe of Ephraim had bows and arrows

but they ran away from their enemies on the day that they fought a battle with their enemies.

10 They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do;

they refused to obey his laws.

11 They forgot what he had done;

they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.

12 While our ancestors were watching,

God performed miracles in the area around Zoan city in Egypt.

13 Then he caused the Red Sea to divide,

causing the water on each side to pile up like a wall,

with the result that our ancestors walked through it on dry ground.

14 He led them by a bright cloud during the day

and by a fiery light during the night.

15 He split rocks open in the desert,

giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.

16 He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock;

the water flowed like a river [DOU].

17 But our ancestors continued to sin against God;

in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.

18 By demanding that God give them the food that they desired,

they tried to find out if he would always do what they requested him to do.

19 They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us here in this desert!

20 It is true that he struck the rock,

with the result that water gushed/flowed out,

but ◄can he also provide bread and meat for us, his people?/we doubt that he can also provide bread and meat for us, his people.►” [RHQ]

21 So, when Yahweh heard that, he became very angry,

and he sent a fire to burn up some of his Israeli people. [MTY, DOU]

22 He did that because they did not trust in him,

and they did not believe that he would rescue them.

23 But God spoke to the sky above them;

he commanded it to open like a door,

24 and then food fell down like rain,

food which they named ‘manna’;

God gave them grain from ◄heaven/the sky►.

25 So the people ate the food that angels eat,

and God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.

26 Later, he caused the wind to blow from the east,

and by his power he also sent wind from the south,

27 and the wind brought birds

which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.

28 God caused those birds to fall dead in the middle of ◄their camp►/the area where the people had put up their tents.

There were dead birds all around their tents.

29 So the people cooked the birds and ate the meat and their stomachs were full,

because God had given them what they wanted.

30 But before they had eaten all that they wanted,

and while they were still eating it,

31 God was still very angry with them,

and he caused their strongest men to die;

he got rid of many of the finest young Israeli men.

32 In spite of all that, the people continued to sin;

in spite of all the miracles that God had performed,

they still did not trust that he would take care of them.

33 So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends;

they died when disasters suddenly struck them.

34 When God caused some of them to die,

the others turned to God;

they repented and earnestly asked God to save them.

35 They remembered that God is like a huge rock ledge under which they would be safe [MET],

and that he, who was greater than any other god, is the one who protected/rescued them.

36 But they tried to deceive God by what they said [MTY];

their words [MTY] were all lies.

37 They were not loyal to him;

they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.

38 But God was merciful to his people.

He forgave them for having sinned

and did not get rid of them.

Many times he refrained from becoming angry with them

and restrained from furiously/severely punishing them [MTY].

39 He remembered/considered that they were only humans who die;

they disappear quickly [SIM], like a wind that blows by and then is gone.

40 Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert

and caused him to become very sad.

41 Many times they did evil things, to find out if they could do those things without God punishing them.

They frequently caused the holy God of Israel to become disgusted/sad.

42 They forgot about his great power,

and they ◄forgot/did not think► about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.

43 They forgot about when he performed many miracles

in the area near Zoan city in Egypt.

44 He caused the Nile River (OR, their sources of water) to become red like blood,

with the result that the people of Egypt had no water to drink.

45 He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them,

and he sent frogs that ate up everything.

46 He sent locusts to eat their crops

and the other things that grew in their fields.

47 He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines,

and sent frost that ruined the figs.

48 He sent hail that killed their cattle

and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.

49 Because God was fiercely angry with the people of Egypt,

he caused them to be very distressed.

The disasters that struck them were like a group of angels that destroyed everything.

50 He did not lessen his being angry with them,

and he did not ◄spare their lives/prevent them from dying►;

he sent a ◄plague/serious illness► that killed many of them.

51 He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.

52 Then he led his people out of Egypt like a shepherd leads his sheep [SIM],

and he guided them while they walked through the desert.

53 He led them safely, and they were not afraid,

but their enemies were drowned in the sea.

54 Later he brought them to Canaan, his sacred land,

to Zion Hill (OR, the hilly area)

and by his power [MTY] he enabled them to conquer the people who were living there.

55 He expelled the people-groups while his people were advancing;

he allotted part of the land for each tribe to possess,

and he gave to the Israeli people the houses of those people who had been expelled.

56 However, the Israeli people rebelled against God, who is greater than any other god,

and they did many evil things to see if they could do those things without God punishing them,

and they did not obey his commandments.

57 Instead, like their ancestors did, they rebelled against God and ◄were not loyal to/did not faithfully obey► him;

they were as unreliable as a crooked arrow that does not go straight [SIM].

58 Because they worshiped carved images of their gods on the tops of hills,

they caused God to become angry [DOU].

59 He saw what they were doing and became very angry,

so he rejected the Israeli people.

60 He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh

in the tent where he had lived among them.

61 He allowed their enemies to capture the sacred chest,

which was the symbol of his power and his glory.

62 Because he was angry with his people,

he allowed them to be killed [MTY] by their enemies.

63 Young men were killed in battles,

with the result that the young women had no one to marry.

64 Many priests were killed by their enemies’ swords,

and ◄the people did not allow the priests’ widows/the priests’ widows were not allowed► to mourn.

65 Later, it was as though the Lord awoke from sleeping;

he was like a strong man who ◄became stimulated/felt that he was strong► by (OR, became sober after) drinking a lot of wine [SIM].

66 He pushed their enemies back

and caused them to be very ashamed for a long time [HYP]

because they had been defeated.

67 But he did not set up his tent where the people of the tribe of Ephraim lived;

he did not choose their area to do that.

68 Instead he chose the area where the tribe of Judah lived;

he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.

69 He decided to have his temple built there, high up, like his home in heaven;

he caused it to be firm,

and intended that his temple would last forever, like the earth.

70 He chose David, who served him faithfully,

and took him from the pastures

71 where he was taking care of his father’s sheep,

and appointed him to be the leader [MET] of the Israeli people,

the people who belong to God.

72 David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly,

and guided them skillfully/wisely.