The Ways of the Righteous and the Wicked

• 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked;
• nor does he stand in the way of sinners;
• nor does he sit in the assembly of mockers.
• 2 Instead, in the law of Yahweh is his delight,
• and on his law he meditates day and night.
• 3 And so, he is like a tree planted by streams of water
• that gives its fruit in its season;
• its leaf also does not wither.
• Therefore all that he does prospers.
• 4 Not so the wicked.
• Instead, they are like the chaff that the wind scatters.
• 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
• nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
• 6 for Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,[fn]
• but the way of the wicked will perish.

The Messiah’s Reign

• 2 Why are nations in tumult,
• and countries plotting[fn] in vain?[fn]
• 2 The kings of the earth establish themselves,
• and the rulers conspire[fn] together
• against Yahweh and his anointed:
• 3 “Let us tear off their bonds,
• and cast their cords from us!”
• 4 He who sits enthroned in the heavens laughs.
• The Lord derides them.
• 5 Then he speaks to them in his wrath,
• and in his fury he terrifies them:
• 6 “But as for me, I have set my king
• on Zion, my holy mountain.”
• 7 I will tell the decree;
• Yahweh said to me:
• “You are my son;
• today I have begotten you.
• 8 Ask from me and I will make the nations your heritage,
• and your possession the ends of the earth.
• 9 You will break them with an iron rod.
• Like a potter’s vessel you will shatter them.”
• 10 So then, O kings, be wise.
• Be warned, O rulers of the earth.
• 11 Serve Yahweh with fear,
• and rejoice with trembling.
• 12 Kiss the Son
• lest he be angry and you perish on the way,
• for his anger burns quickly.
• Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

A Call to Yahweh in Distress

3 A psalm of David at his fleeing from the presence of Absalom, his son.[fn]

•  Yahweh, how many are my enemies;
• many are rising against me.
• 2 Many are saying about my soul,
• “There is no deliverance for him from[fn] God. Selah[fn]
• 3 But[fn] you, Yahweh, are a shield around me,
• my glory and the one who lifts up my head.
• 4 With my voice I call to Yahweh
• and he answers me from his holy hill .[fn] Selah
• 5 I lay down and slept;
• I woke up because Yahweh sustains me.
• 6 I am not afraid of the ten thousands of people
• who all around have set themselves against me.
• 7 Rise up, O Yahweh; deliver me, O my God;
• for you strike all my enemies on the cheek.
• The teeth of the wicked you break.
• 8 To Yahweh belongs deliverance;
• may your blessing be over your people. Selah

Safety in Yahweh

4 For the music director; with stringed instruments. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  When I call, answer me, O God of my righteousness.[fn]
• In trouble deliver me .[fn]
• Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
• 2 O sons of man, how long will my honor[fn] be a disgrace?
• How long will you love vanity?
• How long will you seek lies?[fn] Selah
• 3 But know that Yahweh has set apart[fn] for himself the faithful one.[fn]
• Yahweh hears when I call to him.
• 4 Be disturbed but do not sin.
• Commune in your heart[fn] on your bed and be silent. Selah
• 5 Offer correct sacrifices,[fn]
• and trust in[fn] Yahweh.
• 6 Many are saying, “Who will show us something good?”
• Lift up over[fn] us the light of your face, O Yahweh.
• 7 You have put gladness in my heart
• more than when[fn] their grain and their wine abound.
• 8 In peace I will lie down and sleep at once ,[fn]
• for you alone, O Yahweh, make me dwell safely.

A Prayer for Guidance and Protection

5 For the music director; with the flutes. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  Hear my words, O Yahweh.
• Give heed to my sighing.[fn]
• 2 Listen to the sound of my pleading,[fn] my king and my God,
• for to you I pray.
• 3 O Yahweh, in the morning you will hear my voice.
• In the morning I will set forth[fn] my case to you and I will watch.[fn]
• 4 For you are not a God who desires[fn] wickedness.
• Evil cannot dwell with you.
• 5 The boastful do not stand before[fn] your eyes.
• You hate all evildoers.
• 6 You destroy speakers of lies.[fn]
• A man of bloodshed[fn] and deceit Yahweh abhors.
• 7 But as for me ,[fn] through the abundance of your steadfast love[fn]
• I will enter your house.[fn]
• I will bow down[fn] toward your holy temple[fn] in awe of you.
• 8 O Yahweh, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies;
• make straight before me your way.
• 9 For there is not anything reliable in his mouth;
• their inner part is destruction.[fn]
• Their throat is an open grave;
• with their tongue they speak deceit.[fn]
• 10 Treat them as guilty, O God;
• let them fall because of their plans.
• Because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
• for they have rebelled against you.
• 11 But let all who take shelter in you rejoice.
• Let them ever[fn] sing for joy,
• because[fn] you spread protection over them;
• And let those[fn] who love your name exult in you.
• 12 For you bless the righteous.
• O Yahweh, like a[fn] shield you surround him with good favor.

An Appeal for Forgiveness and Deliverance

6 For the music director; with stringed instruments, on the Sheminith.[fn]

• A psalm of David.[fn]
•  O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger,
• and do not discipline me in your wrath.
• 2 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, because I am feeble.
• Heal me, O Yahweh, for my bones are terrified.
• 3 My soul is also very terrified.
• But you, O Yahweh, how long?
• 4 Turn, O Yahweh; deliver my life.[fn]
• Save me for the sake of your steadfast love.[fn]
• 5 For there is no remembrance of you in death.
• In Sheol, who will give thanks to you?
• 6 I am weary with my groaning;
• I flood[fn] my bed every night.
• With my tears I drench[fn] my couch.
• 7 My eye wastes away because of vexation;
• it grows old because of all my oppressors.
• 8 Depart from me, all workers of evil,
• for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.
• 9 Yahweh has heard my plea;
• Yahweh has accepted my prayer.
• 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and shall be very terrified.
• They shall turn back; they shall suddenly be ashamed.

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

7 A Shiggaion[fn] of David which he sang to Yahweh

• on account of Cush, a Benjaminite.[fn]
•  O Yahweh, my God, in you I have taken refuge.
• Save me from all who pursue me, and deliver me.
• 2 Or else he will tear me apart like a lion,
• ripping to pieces, with none to deliver.
• 3 O Yahweh, my God, if I have done this,
• if there is wrong in my hands,
• 4 if I have repaid my ally[fn] with harm,
• or if I have plundered my enemy without cause,
• 5 let the enemy of my soul pursue,
• and overtake and trample my life into the ground,
• and lay my honor in the dust. Selah
• 6 Rise up, O Yahweh, in your anger,
• and lift yourself up against the wrath[fn] of my oppressors,
• and awake for me,
• since you have commanded judgment.
• 7 And let the assembly of peoples surround you,
• and over it return on high.
• 8 Yahweh judges the nations.
• O Yahweh, vindicate me
• according to my innocence[fn] and according to my integrity within me.
• 9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
• but establish the righteous,
• and test the hearts and innermost being, O righteous God.
• 10 My shield is with God
• who saves the upright of heart.
• 11 God is a righteous judge,
• and a God who has indignation every day.
• 12 If he[fn] does not repent, he[fn] will sharpen his sword.
• He has bent his bow and he has strung[fn] it.
• 13 And he has prepared for him weapons of death.
• He has made his arrows fiery shafts.
• 14 See, he[fn] travails with[fn] evil.
• He is pregnant with trouble,
• and he gives birth to deception.
• 15 He makes a pit and digs it out,
• then falls in the trap he has made.
• 16 His trouble comes back on his head,
• and his violence comes down on his skull.
• 17 I will thank Yahweh according to his righteousness,
• and I will sing praise to the name of Yahweh, the Most High.

Yahweh’s Glory in Creation

8 For the music director, on the Gittith.[fn] A psalm of David.[fn]

•  Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,
• who put your splendor above the heavens.
• 2 From the mouth of children and infants you have founded[fn] strength
• on account of your enemies,
• to silence the enemy and the avenger.
• 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
• the moon and the stars which you set in place—
• 4 what is a human being that you think of him?
• and a child of humankind that you care for him?
• 5 And you made him a little lower than heavenly beings,[fn]
• and with glory and with majesty you crowned him.
• 6 You make him over the works of your hands;
• all things you have placed under his feet:
• 7 sheep and cattle, all of them,
• and also the wild animals of the field,
• 8 the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea,
• everything that passes along the paths of seas.
• 9 Yahweh, our Lord,
• how majestic is your name in all of the earth!

Praise for Yahweh’s Justice

9 For the music director, according to Muth-labben.[fn] A psalm of David.[fn]

•  I will thank Yahweh with all my heart.
• I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
• 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you.
• I will sing the praise of your name, O Most High.
• 3 When my enemies turn back,
• they will stumble and perish because of your presence.
• 4 For you have maintained my just cause;
• you have sat on the throne judging correctly.
• 5 You have rebuked the nations;
• you have destroyed the wicked.
• Their name you have blotted out
• forever and ever.
• 6 The enemies are destroyed in ruins forever,
• and you have uprooted their cities;
• their very memory has perished.
• 7 But Yahweh sits enthroned forever.
• He has established his throne for judgment.
• 8 And he will judge the world with righteousness.
• He will judge the peoples with equity.
• 9 And Yahweh will be a stronghold for the oppressed,
• a stronghold in times of distress.
• 10 And those who know your name will trust in you,
• for you do not forsake those who seek you, O Yahweh.
• 11 Sing praises to Yahweh who sits enthroned[fn] in Zion.
• Tell his deeds among the peoples,
• 12 for he who avenges bloodshed[fn] remembers them.
• He does not forget the distressed cry of the afflicted.
• 13 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh.
• See my suffering from those who hate me,
• you who lift me up from the gates of death,
• 14 so that I may tell of all your praises.
• In the gates of the daughter of Zion
• let me rejoice in your salvation.
• 15 The nations have fallen in the pit that they made;
• their foot is caught in the net that they hid.
• 16 Yahweh has made himself known;
• he has executed judgment.
• The wicked is snared by the work of his hands. Higgaion[fn] Selah
• 17 The wicked shall turn back to Sheol,
• all the nations forgetting God,
• 18 for the needy shall not always be forgotten;
• the hope of the poor shall never perish.
• 19 Rise up, O Yahweh, let not humans[fn] prevail;
• let the nations be judged before you.
• 20 O Yahweh, put them in fear.
• Let the nations know they are merely human. Selah

A Prayer for God to Throw down the Wicked

• 10 Why, O Yahweh, do you stand far off?
• Why do you hide[fn] during times of distress?
• 2 In arrogance the wicked persecutes[fn] the poor.
• Let them be caught in the schemes that they devised,
• 3 for the wicked boasts about the desire of his heart ,[fn]
• and the one greedy for gain curses and treats Yahweh with contempt.
• 4 With bald-faced pride[fn] the wicked will not seek God.
• There is no God in any of his thoughts.
• 5 His ways[fn] endure at all times.[fn]
• Your judgments are aloof from him.
• As for all his enemies, he scoffs at them.
• 6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved
• throughout all generations ,[fn] during which I will have no trouble.”
• 7 His mouth is filled with cursing,
• with deceits and oppression;
• under his tongue are trouble and evil.
• 8 He sits in ambush in villages;
• in the hiding places he kills the innocent.
• His eyes lurk[fn] for the helpless.
• 9 He lies in ambush secretly,[fn] like a lion in a thicket.
• He lies in ambush to seize the poor;
• he seizes the poor by catching him in his net.
• 10 He is crushed;[fn] he is bowed down;[fn]
• so[fn] the helpless host[fn] falls by his might .[fn]
• 11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten.
• He has hidden his face.
• He never sees.”
• 12 Rise up, O Yahweh;
• O God, lift up your hand.
• Do not forget the afflicted.
• 13 Why does the wicked treat God with contempt?
• He says in his heart, “You will not call me to account.”
• 14 But you have seen; indeed you have noted trouble and grief
• to take it into your hand.
• The helpless abandons himself upon you;
• you have been the helper for the orphan.
• 15 Break the arm of the wicked,
• and as for the evil man—
• seek out his wickedness until you find none.
• 16 Yahweh is king forever and ever;
• the nations have perished from his land.
• 17 The longing of the afflicted you have heard, O Yahweh.
• You will make their heart secure. You will listen attentively[fn]
• 18 to render judgment for the fatherless and the oppressed
• so that a mere mortal from the earth will no longer cause terror.

Confidence in Yahweh’s Righteousness

11 For the music director. Of David.[fn]

•  In Yahweh I have taken refuge;
• how can you say to my soul,
• “Flee to your mountain like a bird”?
• 2 For look: The wicked string the bow .[fn]
• They have fitted their arrow to the string,
• to shoot from the darkness
• at the upright of heart.
• 3 When the foundations are destroyed
• what can the righteous do?[fn]
• 4 Yahweh is in his holy temple;
• Yahweh is in the heavens on his throne.
• His eyelids see;
• they test the children of humankind.
• 5 Yahweh tests the righteous,
• but the wicked and the lover of violence
• his soul hates.
• 6 He will rain coals[fn] on the wicked.
• Burning sulfur and scorching wind
• will be the portion of their cup.
• 7 For Yahweh is righteous;
• he loves righteous deeds.
• The upright shall see his face.

Human Faithlessness and God’s Faithfulness

12 For the music director; on the Sheminith.[fn] A psalm of David.[fn]

•  Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be;
• for the faithful have vanished
• from among the children of humankind.
• 2 They speak falseness to each other .[fn]
• With flattering lips,
• with a double heart[fn] they speak.
• 3 May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,
• the tongue speaking great boasts—
• 4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail.
• Our lips are on our side.
• Who is master over us?”
• 5 “Because of the oppression of the afflicted,
• because of the groaning of the poor,
• now I will rise up,” Yahweh says.
• “I shall put them in the safety for which they[fn] long.”
• 6 The words of Yahweh are pure words
• like silver refined in the crucible on the ground,
• refined seven times.
• 7 You, O Yahweh, will protect them.
• You will preserve him[fn]
• from this generation always.
• 8 The wicked prowl about
• when vileness is exalted among the children of humankind.

Trust in the Salvation of Yahweh

13 For the music director. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  How long, O Yahweh? Will you forget me forever?
• How long will you hide your face from me?
• 2 How long must I take counsel[fn] in my soul,
• and sorrow in my heart all the day?
• How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
• 3 Consider[fn] and answer me, O Yahweh my God.
• Give light to my eyes
• lest I sleep the sleep of death,
• 4 and lest my enemy should say, “I have overcome him,”
• lest my enemies rejoice because I am shaken.
• 5 But as for me, I have trusted in your steadfast love.[fn]
• My heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
• 6 [fn] I will sing to Yahweh
• because he has dealt bountifully with me.

The Folly of the Godless and God’s Final Triumph

14 For the music director. Of David.[fn]

•  The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
• They are corrupt.
• They do abominable deeds.
• There is none who does good.
• 2 Yahweh looks down from heaven upon the children of humankind
• to see whether there is one who has insight,
• one who cares about God.
• 3 All have gone astray;
• they are altogether corrupt.
• There is not one who does good;
• there is not even one.
• 4 All who do evil—do they not know,
• they who eat my people as though they were eating bread?
• They do not call on Yahweh.
• 5 There they are very fearful[fn]
• because God is with the generation of the righteous.
• 6 You would put to shame the plan of the poor,
• because[fn] Yahweh is his refuge.
• 7 Oh that from Zion[fn] would come salvation for Israel!
• When Yahweh returns the fortunes of his people,
• Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be happy.

A Description of Those Who May Dwell with Yahweh

15 A psalm of David.[fn]

•  O Yahweh, who may reside in your tent?
• Who may dwell on your holy mountain?
• 2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right.
• He who speaks honestly in his heart.
• 3 He does not slander with his tongue.
• He does not harm his friend,
• nor bring up[fn] a disgrace against his neighbor.
• 4 In his eyes a rejected one is contemptible,
• but he honors those who respect Yahweh.
• He takes an oath to his own injury and does not retract it.
• 5 He does not lend his money at interest,
• and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
• He who does these things
• will never be shaken.

Confidence in Yahweh

16 A miktam[fn] of David.[fn]

•  Protect me, O God,
• for I take refuge in you.
• 2 Oh my soul you have said[fn] to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.
• I have no good apart from you.”
• 3 With regard to the saints who are in the land,
• they are the noble ones in whom is all my desire.
• 4 Those who hurry after[fn] another god increase their sorrows.
• I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
• nor take up their names on my lips.
• 5 Yahweh is the portion which is my share and my cup.
• You hold my lot.
• 6 The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.
• Yes, my inheritance is delightful for me.
• 7 I will bless Yahweh who advises me;
• yes, at night my innermost being[fn] instructs me.
• 8 I have set Yahweh before me always.
• Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken.
• 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.
• Yes, my body will dwell in safety,
• 10 for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
• you will not give your faithful one to see the grave.
• 11 You will make known to me the path of life.
• In your presence is fullness of joy.
• At your right hand are pleasures forever.

Prayer for Vindication and Protection

17 A prayer of David.[fn]

•  O Yahweh, hear a just cause.
• Hear my cry; heed my prayer
• I make without deceitful lips.
• 2 Let my vindication come forth from you;
• let your eyes see fairness.
• 3 You have tried my heart;
• you have examined me by night;
• you have tested me; you found nothing.
• I have decided that my mouth will not transgress.
• 4 As for the works of humankind,
• by the word of your lips,
• I have kept from the ways of the violent.
• 5 I have held my steps in your path
• My feet will not slip.
• 6 As for me, I have called on you
• because you will answer me, O God.
• Incline your ear to me.
• Hear my words.[fn]
• 7 Show wondrously your acts of loyal love,
• O Savior of those who take refuge
• at your right hand[fn]
• from those who rise up against them.
• 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye .[fn]
• Hide me in the shadow of your wings
• 9 from the presence[fn] of the wicked who destroy me,
• those enemies against my life,
• they that surround me.
• 10 They have shut off their calloused[fn] heart;
• with their mouth they speak arrogantly.
• 11 Now they surround us at our every step.
• They intend[fn]
• to pin[fn] me to the ground.
• 12 He is like[fn] a lion; he longs to tear apart,
• and like a strong lion crouching in hiding places.
• 13 Rise up, O Yahweh, confront him .[fn]
• Make him bow down.
• Rescue with your sword my life from the wicked,
• 14 from men by your hand, O Yahweh, from men of this world.
• Their share is in this life ,[fn] and you fill their stomach with your treasure.
• They are satisfied with children.
• They bequeath their excess to their children.
• 15 By contrast, I in righteousness shall see your face.
• Upon awakening I will be satisfied seeing your form.

Praise to God for His Deliverance

18 For the music director. Of David, the servant of Yahweh,

• who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song
• when[fn] Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies,
• and from the hand of Saul.[fn]
•  And he said:
• “I love you, O Yahweh, my strength.”
• 2 Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
• my God, my rock in whom I have taken refuge,
• my shield and the horn of my deliverance, my stronghold.
• 3 I called upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,
• and I was saved from my enemies.
• 4 The ropes of death encircled me,
• and streams of ruin overwhelmed me.
• 5 The ropes of Sheol surrounded me;
• the snares of death confronted me.
• 6 In my trouble I called on Yahweh,
• and to my God I cried for help.
• He heard my voice from his temple,
• and my cry for help
• came up before his presence into his ears.
• 7 Then the earth shook and quaked,
• and the foundations of the mountains trembled,
• and they staggered because he was angry.
• 8 Smoke went forth from his nose,
• and fire from his mouth consumed.
• Burning coals blazed from him.
• 9 So he bowed the heavens and came down
• with a thick cloud under his feet.
• 10 And he mounted a cherub and flew,
• and he swooped down on wings of wind.
• 11 He made darkness his hiding place;
• all about him his covering
• was a darkness of waters, thick clouds .[fn]
• 12 From the brightness before him
• his clouds passed over
• with hail and coals of fire.
• 13 And Yahweh thundered from the heavens,
• and the Most High uttered his voice
• with hail and coals of fire.
• 14 And he shot his arrows and scattered them,[fn]
• and many lightning bolts and routed them.
• 15 Then the channels of the sea became visible,
• and the foundations of the world were uncovered
• by your rebuke, O Yahweh,
• by the blast[fn] of the wind of your nose.
• 16 He reached[fn] from on high; he seized me.
• He drew me from many waters.
• 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
• and from those who hated me
• because they were stronger than I.
• 18 They confronted me on the day of disaster,
• but Yahweh was my support.
• 19 So he brought me out to a spacious place.
• He delivered me because he delighted in me.
• 20 Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
• According to the cleanness of my hands
• he has repaid me.
• 21 Because I have kept the ways of Yahweh,
• and have not acted wickedly against my God,
• 22 because all his ordinances are before me,
• and his statutes I have not removed from me,
• 23 and I was blameless before him,
• and I kept myself from my guilt.
• 24 Therefore Yahweh has repaid me according to my righteousness,
• according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
• 25 To the loyal you show yourself loyal.
• To the blameless you show yourself blameless.
• 26 To the pure you show yourself pure.
• but to the wicked you show yourself shrewd.
• 27 For you deliver humble people,
• but haughty eyes you humiliate.
• 28 For you light my lamp;
• Yahweh, my God, lights up my darkness.
• 29 For with you I can charge a troop,
• and with my God I can scale a wall.
• 30 This[fn] God—his way is blameless.
• The word of Yahweh is flawless.[fn]
• He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
• 31 For who is God apart from Yahweh,
• and who is a rock except our God?
• 32 The God who girded me with strength,
• and made safe[fn] my way,
• 33 he made my feet like the deer’s,
• and on my high places he makes me stand.
• 34 He trains my hands for war,
• so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
• 35 You also gave me the shield of your salvation,
• and your right hand supported me,
• and your humility made me great.
• 36 You enlarged my step under me,
• and my ankles did not slip.
• 37 I chased my enemies and overtook them;
• I did not turn back until they were finished off.
• 38 I struck them and they were not able to stand up;
• they fell under my feet.
• 39 And you girded me with strength for the battle;
• those rising against me you made to kneel under me.
• 40 And you made my enemies turn their backs ,[fn]
• then I destroyed those who hated me.
• 41 They cried out but there was no rescuer,
• even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
• 42 And I ground them like dust in the wind ,[fn]
• I emptied them[fn] out like mud of the streets.
• 43 You rescued me from strife with people;
• you set me as head (over) nations.
• People I did not know served me;
• 44 as soon as they heard ,[fn] they obeyed me.
• The children of a foreign land feigned obedience before me.
• 45 The children of a foreign land lost heart ,[fn]
• and they came trembling from their strongholds.
• 46 Yahweh lives, and blessed be my rock,
• and may the God of my salvation be exalted—
• 47 the God who executed vengeance for me,
• and subdued peoples under me,
• 48 who delivered me from my enemies.
• Indeed, you exalted me higher than those who rose against me.
• You delivered me from the man of violence.
• 49 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, O Yahweh,
• and I will sing the praise of your name:
• 50 the one who makes great victories for his king,
• and who shows loyal love for his anointed,
• to David and to his descendants forever.

Yahweh’s Creation and Law

19 For the music director. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  The heavens are telling the glory of God,
• and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.
• 2 Every day[fn] they pour forth speech,
• and every night[fn] they tell knowledge.
• 3 There is no speech and there are no words;
• their sound is inaudible.
• 4 Yet in all the world their line[fn] goes out,
• and their words to the end of the world.
• In them[fn] he has pitched a tent for the sun,
• 5 and it is like a bridegroom
• who comes out of his bridal chamber.
• It is glad like a strong man
• to run its course.
• 6 Its rising is from one[fn] end of the heavens
• and its circuit to the other end[fn] of them;
• and nothing is hidden from its heat.
• 7 The law of Yahweh is perfect, reviving life.[fn]
• The testimony of Yahweh is firm, making wise the simple.
• 8 The precepts of Yahweh are right, making the heart rejoice.
• The command of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes.
• 9 The fear of Yahweh is pure, enduring forever.
• The ordinances of Yahweh are true; they are righteous altogether,
• 10 more desirable than gold, even much fine gold;
• and sweeter than honey, even honey in the comb.
• 11 Moreover, your servant is warned[fn] by them;
• in keeping them is great reward.
• 12 Who can perceive his errors?
• Acquit me from hidden faults.
• 13 Also, keep back your servant from arrogant sins;[fn]
• let them not rule over me.
• Then I shall be blameless,
• and I shall be innocent of great transgression.
• 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
• be acceptable in your presence,
• O Yahweh, my rock and my redeemer.

God’s Blessing on the King

20 For the music director. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble.
• May the name of Jacob’s God protect[fn] you.
• 2 May he send you help[fn] from the sanctuary,
• and from Zion may he sustain you.
• 3 May he remember all your offerings,
• and your burnt offering may he regard favorably .[fn]
• 4 May he give to you your heart’s desire ,[fn]
• and your every plan may he fulfill. Selah
• 5 May we shout for joy over your victory,
• and in the name of our God may we set up banners.
• May Yahweh fulfill all your requests.
• 6 Now I know that Yahweh will help his anointed.[fn]
• He will answer him from his holy heaven
• with the victorious power of his right hand.
• 7 Some boast in chariots and others in horses ,[fn]
• but we boast in the name of Yahweh, our God.
• 8 They will collapse and fall,
• and we will rise and stand firm.
• 9 Rescue,[fn] O Yahweh.
• Let the king answer us when we call.

Joy in the Salvation of Yahweh

21 For the music director. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  O Yahweh, the king will rejoice in your strength,
• and how greatly he will delight in your help.[fn]
• 2 You have given him the desire of his heart,
• and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
• 3 For you meet him with blessings of good things.
• You set on his head a crown of fine gold.
• 4 He asked life from you; you gave it to him—
• length of days forever and ever.
• 5 His honor is great because of your help.[fn]
• Splendor and majesty you have bestowed upon him.
• 6 For you set on him blessings forever.
• You make him glad with the joy of your presence.
• 7 Because the king trusts Yahweh,
• and through the steadfast love[fn] of the Most High
• he shall not be moved.
• 8 Your hand will find all your enemies;
• your right hand will find those who hate you.
• 9 You will make them like your fiery furnace
• at the time of your appearance.
• Yahweh will swallow them in his wrath
• and fire will consume them.
• 10 You will destroy their offspring[fn] from the earth,
• and their descendants[fn] from among the children of humankind.
• 11 Though they have plotted[fn] evil against you,
• though they have planned a scheme, they will not prevail.
• 12 For you will turn them to flight ;[fn]
• you will aim arrows on your bowstrings at their faces.
• 13 Be exalted, O Yahweh, in your strength,
• and we sing and praise your power.

Suffering and Waiting for Deliverance

22 For the music director; according to The Doe of the Dawn. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  My God, my God why have you forsaken me?
• Why are you far from helping me, far from the words of my groaning?
• 2 O my God, I call by day and you do not answer,
• and by night but I have no rest.[fn]
• 3 Yet you are holy,
• enthroned on the praises of Israel.
• 4 Our ancestors[fn] trusted you;
• they trusted and you delivered them.
• 5 They cried to you and were saved;
• they trusted you and were not ashamed.
• 6 But I am a worm and not a man,
• scorned by humankind and despised by people.
• 7 All who see me mock me.
• They open wide their lips;
• they shake the head, saying:
• 8 “ He trusts Yahweh .[fn] Let him rescue him.
• Let him deliver him because he delights in him.”
• 9 Yet you took me from the belly;
• you made me trust while on my mother’s breasts.
• 10 On you I was cast from the womb.
• From my mother’s belly you have been my God.
• 11 Do not be far from me
• because trouble is near;
• because there is no helper.
• 12 Many bulls have encircled me;
• mighty bulls of Bashan have surrounded me.
• 13 They open their mouth against me
• like a lion tearing and roaring.
• 14 I am poured out like water,
• and all my bones are out of joint.
• My heart is like wax;
• it is melted within me .[fn]
• 15 My strength is dry like a potsherd,
• and my tongue is sticking to my jaws;
• and you have placed me in the dust of death.
• 16 Because dogs have surrounded me;
• a gang of evildoers has encircled me.
• Like the lion[fn] they are at my hands and my feet.
• 17 I can count all my bones;
• they gaze, they look at me.
• 18 They divide my garments among them,
• and for my clothing they cast lots.[fn]
• 19 But you, O Yahweh, do not remain distant.
• O my help, hasten to help me.
• 20 Rescue my life from the sword,
• my only life from the power of the dogs.[fn]
• 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion,
• and from the horns of the wild oxen answer me.
• 22 I will tell your name to my brothers;
• inside the assembly I will praise you.
• 23 You who revere Yahweh, praise him!
• Glorify him, all you seed of Jacob,
• and be in awe of him, all you seed of Israel,
• 24 because he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
• and has not hid his face from him;
• but he listened to him when he cried for help.
• 25 From you is my praise.
• In the great assembly,
• I will pay my vows before those who revere him.
• 26 The afflicted will eat and will be satisfied.
• Those who seek him will praise Yahweh.
• May your[fn] heart live forever.
• 27 All the ends of the earth
• will remember and turn to Yahweh.
• All the families of the nations
• will worship before you.
• 28 Because the kingship belongs to Yahweh,
• and he rules over the nations.
• 29 All the healthy ones[fn] of the earth will eat and worship.
• Before him all of those descending into the dust will kneel,
• even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
• 30 Descendants[fn] will serve him.
• Regarding the Lord, it will be told to the next generation.
• 31 They will come and tell his saving[fn] deeds
• to a people yet to be born, that he has done it.

Yahweh the Shepherd

23 A psalm of David.[fn]

•  Yahweh is my shepherd;
• I will not lack for anything.
• 2 In grassy pastures he makes me lie down;
• by quiet waters he leads me.
• 3 He restores my life.[fn]
• He leads me in correct paths[fn]
• for the sake of his name.
• 4 Even when I walk in a dark valley, I fear no evil
• because you are with me.
• Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
• 5 You prepare before me a table
• in the presence of my oppressors.
• You anoint my head with oil;
• my cup is overflowing.
• 6 Surely goodness and loyal love will pursue me
• all the days of my life,
• and I will stay[fn] in the house[fn] of Yahweh
• for a very long time .[fn]

The King of Glory

24 A psalm of David.[fn]

•  The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness,
• the world and those who live in it,
• 2 because he has founded it on the seas,
• and has established it on the rivers.
• 3 Who may ascend the mountain of Yahweh?
• And who may stand in his holy place?
• 4 He who is innocent of hands and pure of heart,
• who does not lift up his soul to falseness,
• and does not swear deceitfully.
• 5 He will receive blessing from Yahweh,
• and justice[fn] from the God of his salvation.
• 6 Such is the sort of those who seek[fn] him,
• those who seek your face, even Jacob. Selah
• 7 Lift up your heads, O gates,
• and rise up, O ancient doorways,
• that the king of glory[fn] may enter.
• 8 Who is the king of glory?[fn]
• Yahweh, strong and mighty;
• Yahweh, mighty in war!
• 9 Lift up your heads, O gates,
• and lift up, O ancient doorways,
• that the king of glory[fn] may enter.
• 10 Who is the king of glory?[fn]
• Yahweh of hosts,
• He is the king of glory![fn] Selah

A Prayer for Guidance, Deliverance, and Forgiveness

25 Of David.[fn]

•  To you, O Yahweh, I lift up my soul.
• 2 O my God, I trust you; let me not be put to shame.
• Do not let my enemies exult over me.
• 3 Indeed, none who wait for you should be put to shame.
• Those who betray without cause should be put to shame.
• 4 Make me know your ways, O Yahweh.
• Teach me your paths.
• 5 Cause me to walk in your truth and teach me,
• because you are the God of my salvation.
• I await you all day long .[fn]
• 6 Remember your compassion, O Yahweh,
• and your acts of loyal love,
• because they are from of old.
• 7 Do not remember
• the sins of my youth or my transgressions.
• According to your loyal love remember me if you will,
• for the sake of your goodness, O Yahweh.
• 8 Good and right is Yahweh;
• therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
• 9 He causes the humble to walk in justice,
• and teaches the humble his way.
• 10 All the paths of Yahweh are loyal love and faithfulness
• for those who keep his covenant and statutes.[fn]
• 11 Also, for the sake of your name, O Yahweh,
• forgive my sin, because it is great.
• 12 Who is the man fearing Yahweh?
• He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
• 13 His soul will lodge in prosperity,
• and his offspring will possess the land.
• 14 Intimate fellowship with Yahweh is for those who fear him,
• and he makes known his covenant to them.
• 15 My eyes are continually toward Yahweh,
• because he will take my feet from the net.
• 16 Turn to me and have mercy on me
• because I am lonely and afflicted.
• 17 Remove the troubles of my heart;
• bring me out from my distresses.
• 18 Consider my affliction and trouble,
• and forgive[fn] all my sins.
• 19 Consider that my enemies are many,
• and they hate me with violent hatred.
• 20 Protect my life and deliver me.
• Let me not be put to shame, because I take shelter in you.
• 21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
• because I wait for you.
• 22 O God, redeem Israel
• from all its troubles.

A Prayer for Vindication

26 Of David.[fn]

•  Judge me, O Yahweh, because I have walked in my integrity,
• and I have trusted Yahweh and not wavered.
• 2 Prove me, O Yahweh, and test me.
• Try my innermost being[fn] and my mind .[fn]
• 3 Because your loyal love is before my eyes,
• and I walk about in your faithfulness.
• 4 I do not sit with deceitful people,
• nor will I go about with hypocrites.
• 5 I hate the crowd of evildoers,
• and with the wicked I will not sit.
• 6 I will wash my hands in innocence,
• and I will walk about your altar, O Yahweh,
• 7 to declare with a voice of thanksgiving,
• and tell of all your wondrous deeds.
• 8 O Yahweh, I love the dwelling of your house,[fn]
• and the place where your glory abides .[fn]
• 9 Do not destroy me[fn] with the sinners,
• nor my life with men of bloodshed,
• 10 in whose hands is an evil plan,
• and whose right hand is full of bribes.[fn]
• 11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity.
• Redeem me and be gracious to me.
• 12 My foot stands on level ground.
• In assemblies I will bless Yahweh.

A Declaration of Trust

27 Of David.[fn]

•  Yahweh is my light and my salvation;
• whom shall I fear?
• Yahweh is the refuge of my life;
• of whom shall I be afraid?
• 2 When evildoers drew near against me to eat my flesh—
• my adversaries and my enemies who drew near to me—
• they themselves stumbled and fell.
• 3 Though an army encamp against me,
• my heart will not fear.
• Though war arise against me,
• even in this I will remain confident.
• 4 One thing I have asked from Yahweh;
• it I will seek:
• that I may dwell in the house[fn] of Yahweh all the days of my life,
• to behold the beauty of Yahweh,
• and to consider[fn] his temple.
• 5 Because he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble.
• He will conceal me in the hiding place of his tent.
• He will set me high upon a rock.
• 6 And now my head will be high over my enemies round about me.
• And I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy.
• I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
• 7 Hear, O Yahweh, my voice when I call,
• and be gracious to me and answer me.
• 8 On your behalf my heart says, “Seek my face.”
• Your face, O Yahweh, I do seek.
• 9 Do not hide your face from me;
• do not turn your servant away in anger.
• You have been my help; do not abandon nor forsake me,
• O God of my salvation.
• 10 If my father or my mother forsake me,
• then Yahweh will receive me.
• 11 Teach me, O Yahweh, your way,
• and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
• 12 Do not give me over to the desire of my enemies,
• because false witnesses have arisen against me,
• and each breathing out violence.[fn]
• 13 Surely[fn] I believe that I will see the goodness of Yahweh
• in the land of the living.
• 14 Wait for Yahweh.
• Be strong and let your heart show strength,
• and wait for Yahweh.

A Prayer for Help, and Joy in Its Answer

28 A psalm of David.[fn]

•  To you, O Yahweh, I call.
• O my rock, do not be deaf to me.
• Or else, if you are silent to me,
• then I will become like those descending to the pit.
• 2 Hear the voice of my supplications
• when I cry to you for help,
• when I lift up my hands
• toward your holy inner sanctuary.
• 3 Do not drag me away with the wicked
• or with the workers of evil,
• who speak of peace with their neighbors,
• while evil is in their heart.
• 4 Give to them according to their work,
• even according to the evil of their deeds.
• Give to them according to the work of their hands;
• repay them their rightful due.
• 5 Because they do not regard the works of Yahweh,
• nor the work of his hands,
• he will destroy them
• and not rebuild them.
• 6 Blessed is Yahweh,
• because he has heard the voice of my supplications.
• 7 Yahweh is my strength and my shield.
• My heart trusts him and I am helped.
• So my heart rejoices,
• and with my song I will give thanks to him.
• 8 Yahweh is their strength,
• and he is the refuge for the salvation of his anointed one.
• 9 Save your people
• and bless your heritage.
• Shepherd them also and carry them always.

Praise to God for His Glory and Strength

29 A psalm of David.[fn]

•  Ascribe to Yahweh, O sons of God,[fn]
• ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.
• 2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due[fn] his name.
• Worship Yahweh in holy array.
• 3 The voice of Yahweh is over the waters;
• the God of glory thunders.
• Yahweh is over many waters.
• 4 The voice of Yahweh is powerful.
• The voice of Yahweh is majestic.
• 5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars.
• Yahweh shatters even the cedars of Lebanon.
• 6 And he makes them skip like a calf;
• Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
• 7 The voice of Yahweh flashes[fn] flames of fire.
• 8 The voice of Yahweh shakes the wilderness.
• Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
• 9 The voice of Yahweh causes deer[fn] to give birth
• and strips the forests bare.
• And at his temple all in it say, “Glory!”
• 10 Yahweh sits enthroned at the flood,
• and Yahweh sits as king forever.
• 11 May Yahweh give strength to his people.
• May Yahweh bless his people with peace.

Thanksgiving for Answered Prayer

30 A psalm; a song for the dedication of the house.[fn] Of David.[fn]

•  I will exalt you, O Yahweh,
• because you have drawn me up,
• and have not made my enemies rejoice over me.
• 2 O Yahweh, my God,
• I cried for help to you,
• and you healed me.
• 3 O Yahweh, you have brought my life up from Sheol.
• You preserved me alive
• from among those going down[fn] to the pit.
• 4 Sing praises to Yahweh, you his faithful ones,
• and give thanks to his holy fame .[fn]
• 5 For there is a moment in his anger;
• there is a lifetime in his favor.
• Weeping lodges for the evening,
• but in the morning comes rejoicing.
• 6 But as for me, I had said in my prosperity,
• “I shall not be moved ever.”
• 7 O Yahweh, by your favor
• you caused my strong mountain to stand.
• You hid your face. I was bewildered.
• 8 To you, O Yahweh, I called,
• and to the Lord I pleaded for grace saying,
• 9 “What gain is there in my death ,[fn]
• in my going down into the pit?
• Will the dust praise you?
• Will it tell of your faithfulness?
• 10 “O Yahweh, hear and be gracious to me.
• O Yahweh, be my helper.”
• 11 You have turned my wailing into my dancing.
• You have removed my sackcloth
• and clothed me with joy
• 12 so that I[fn] may sing praises to you
• and not be quiet.
• O Yahweh, my God,
• I will give thanks to you forever.

Yahweh Is a Fortress

31 For the music director. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  In you, O Yahweh, I have taken refuge.
• Let me not be put to shame ever.
• Deliver me by your righteousness.
• 2 Incline your ear to me.
• Quickly deliver me.
• Become my rock of refuge,
• a fortified keep[fn] to save me.
• 3 For you are my rock and my fortress.
• So, for the sake of your name,
• lead me and guide me.
• 4 Bring me out of the net that they have secretly set for me,
• for you are my refuge.
• 5 Into your hand I commit my spirit.
• You have redeemed me, O Yahweh, faithful God.[fn]
• 6 I hate those devoted to useless idols,
• but I trust Yahweh.
• 7 I will exult and rejoice in your loyal love.
• Because you have seen my misery,
• you know the distresses of my life.[fn]
• 8 And you have not delivered me
• into the hand of the enemy.
• You have set my feet in a broad place.
• 9 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh,
• because I have distress.
• My eye wastes away because of vexation,
• along with my soul and my body .[fn]
• 10 For my life is at an end with sorrow,
• and my years with sighing.
• My strength stumbles because of my iniquity,
• and my bones waste away.
• 11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a disgrace,
• especially to my neighbors,
• and a dread to my acquaintances.
• Those who see me in the street flee from me.
• 12 I have become forgotten like one dead, out of mind .[fn]
• I am like a destroyed vessel.
• 13 For I hear the rumor of many,
• “Terror on every side!”
• When conspiring together against me,
• they have plotted to take my life.
• 14 But as for me, I trust you, O Yahweh.
• I say, “You are my God.”
• 15 My times[fn] are in your hand.
• Deliver me from the hand of my enemies
• and from those who pursue me.
• 16 Shine your face upon your servant.
• Save me by your loyal love.
• 17 O Yahweh, let me not be put to shame, for I call on you.
• Let the wicked be put to shame.
• Let them go silently[fn] to Sheol.
• 18 Let lying lips be dumb,
• that speak against the righteous[fn] unrestrained
• with arrogance and contempt.
• 19 How abundant is your goodness
• that you have stored up for those who fear you,
• that you perform for those who take refuge in you
• before the children of humankind.
• 20 You will hide them in the protection of your presence
• from the plots of man.
• You will hide them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
• 21 Blessed is Yahweh,
• because he has worked marvelously his loyal love to me
• in a besieged city.
• 22 As for me, I said in my alarm,
• “I am cut off from before your eyes.”
• However you heard the voice of my supplications
• when I cried to you for help.
• 23 Love Yahweh, all you his faithful ones.
• Yahweh preserves the faithful
• but repays abundantly the one who acts arrogantly.
• 24 Be strong and let your[fn] heart show strength,
• all you who wait for Yahweh.

Thanksgiving for Forgiveness of Sins

32 Of David. A maskil.[fn]

•  Happy is he whose transgression is taken away,
• whose sin is covered.
• 2 Happy is a person to whom Yahweh does not impute iniquity
• and in whose spirit there is not deceit.
• 3 When I kept silent, my bones were worn out
• due to my groaning all the day.
• 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me.
• My vigor was changed into the dry heat of summer. Selah
• 5 I made known my sin to you, and my iniquity I did not cover.
• I said, “I will confess concerning my transgressions to Yahweh,”
• and you took away the guilt of my sin. Selah
• 6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
• at the time for finding you.
• Surely at the flood of many waters they will not reach him.
• 7 You are my hiding place;
• from trouble you preserve me.
• With cries of deliverance you surround me. Selah
• 8 I[fn] will instruct you and teach you
• in the way that you should go.
• I will advise you with my eye upon you.
• 9 Do not be like a horse or like a mule, without understanding;
• that needs his tackle—bridle and rein—for restraint
• or he would not come near you.
• 10 Many are the pains of the wicked,
• but for the one who trusts Yahweh
• loyal love surrounds him.
• 11 Be glad in Yahweh and rejoice, you righteous,
• and shout for joy, all you upright of heart.

Praise to Yahweh for His Character and Creation

• 33 Exult in Yahweh, O you righteous,
• for praise is fitting for the upright.
• 2 Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre;
• with a harp of ten strings play to him.
• 3 Sing to him a new song;
• play skillfully with jubilant shout.
• 4 For the word of Yahweh is upright,
• and all his work is done in faithfulness.
• 5 He loves righteousness and justice.
• The earth is full of the loyal love of Yahweh.
• 6 By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made,
• and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
• 7 He gathered the waters of the sea like a heap.
• He put the deeps in storehouses.
• 8 Let all the earth fear Yahweh.
• Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
• 9 For he himself spoke[fn] and it came to pass.
• He himself commanded[fn] and it stood firm.
• 10 Yahweh brings to nothing[fn] the plan of nations;
• he frustrates[fn] the intents of peoples.
• 11 The plan of Yahweh stands firm forever,
• the intents of his heart from one generation to the next .[fn]
• 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,
• the people he has chosen for his inheritance.
• 13 From heaven Yahweh looks;
• he sees all the children of humankind.
• 14 From his dwelling place[fn] he gazes
• on all the inhabitants of the earth,
• 15 he who fashions altogether their heart,
• he who understands all their works.
• 16 The king is not saved by the greatness of an army.
• The warrior is not delivered by the greatness of strength.
• 17 The horse is a false hope for victory,
• nor can it save by the greatness of its power.
• 18 Behold, the eye of Yahweh is on those who fear him,
• on those who hope[fn] for his loyal love
• 19 to deliver their soul from death
• and to keep them alive in famine.
• 20 Our soul waits for Yahweh;
• he is our help and our shield.
• 21 For in him our heart rejoices
• because in his holy name we trust.
• 22 Let your loyal love, O Yahweh, be upon us,
• even as[fn] we hope in you.

Thanksgiving for Yahweh’s Deliverance

34 Of David, when he pretended to be crazy[fn] in front of Abimelech[fn]

• so that he drove him out, and so he departed.[fn]
•  I will bless Yahweh at all times;
• his praise shall be in my mouth continually.
• 2 My soul makes its boast in Yahweh;
• let the humble hear and be glad.
• 3 Magnify Yahweh with me,
• and let us exalt his name together.
• 4 I sought Yahweh and he answered me,
• and from all my terrors he delivered me.
• 5 They looked to him and were radiant,
• and their faces shall not be ashamed.[fn]
• 6 This poor man called and Yahweh heard,
• and saved him from all his troubles.
• 7 The angel of Yahweh encamps
• around those who fear him,
• and he rescues them.
• 8 Taste and see that Yahweh is good;
• blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
• 9 Fear Yahweh, you his saints,[fn]
• for there is no lack for those who fear him.
• 10 The young lions are in want and suffer hunger,
• but those who seek Yahweh will not lack for any good thing.
• 11 Come, you children, listen to me;
• I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.
• 12 Who is the man who desires life,
• who loves many days in order to see good?
• 13 Keep your tongue from evil
• and your lips from speaking deceit.
• 14 Turn from evil and do good.
• Seek peace and pursue it.
• 15 The eyes of Yahweh are toward the righteous,
• and his ears toward their cry for help.
• 16 The face of Yahweh is against evildoers,
• to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
• 17 They[fn] cry out and Yahweh hears
• and delivers them from all of their troubles.
• 18 Yahweh is near to those who are heartbroken
• and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
• 19 Many are the distresses of the righteous,
• but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.
• 20 He protects all his bones;
• not one of them is broken.
• 21 Evil will slay the wicked,
• and those who hate the righteous will incur guilt.
• 22 Yahweh redeems the life of his servants,
• and none who take refuge in him will incur guilt.

A Prayer for Rescue from Enemies

35 Of David.[fn]

•  Contend, O Yahweh, with my contenders;
• fight those who fight me.
• 2 Grasp buckler and shield
• and rise to my aid.
• 3 And draw the spear and javelin to meet those who pursue me.
• Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
• 4 Let those who seek my life be shamed and humiliated.
• Let those who plot calamity against me be repulsed and ashamed.
• 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
• with the angel of Yahweh driving them .[fn]
• 6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
• with the angel of Yahweh pursuing them.
• 7 For without cause they secretly hide the pit with their net for me;
• without cause they dug it for my life.
• 8 Let unforeseen ruin[fn] come on him,
• and his net that he hid, let it catch him.
• Let him fall into it in ruin.
• 9 Then my soul will rejoice in Yahweh;
• it will rejoice in his salvation.
• 10 All of my bones shall say, “O Yahweh, who is like you,
• who delivers the poor from one stronger than he
• and the poor and needy from the one who robs him?”
• 11 Violent witnesses rise up;
• they ask me concerning what I do not know.
• 12 They repay me evil in place of good.
• It is bereavement to my soul.
• 13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.
• I weakened my soul with fasting,
• and my prayer returned to me unanswered .[fn]
• 14 I behaved[fn] as though he were a friend or as a brother to me.
• As one lamenting a mother, I was bowed down in mourning.
• 15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered together;
• smiters whom I did not know gathered against me.
• They tore and did not cease.
• 16 Among the ungodly of the mockers at feasts,[fn]
• they gnashed at me with their teeth.
• 17 My Lord, how long will you watch?
• Restore my life from their ravages,[fn]
• my only life from the young lions.
• 18 I will give thanks to you in the great assembly;
• among the mighty people I will praise you.
• 19 Let not those who are wrongfully my enemies[fn] rejoice over me.
• Nor let those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
• 20 For they do not speak peace,
• but against the quiet ones of the land
• they plan deceitful words.
• 21 They also made wide their mouths[fn] against me.
• They said, “Aha! Aha!
• Our eyes have seen it.”
• 22 You have seen, O Yahweh. Do not be deaf.
• O Lord, do not be far from me.
• 23 Wake up and rouse yourself for my right,
• for my cause, O my God and my Lord.
• 24 Vindicate me according to your righteousness,
• O Yahweh my God,
• and do not let them rejoice over me.
• 25 Do not let them say in their hearts,[fn] “Aha, our desire.”
• Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
• 26 Let them be shamed and abashed altogether,
• who rejoice at my misfortune.
• Let them put on shame and insult,
• who magnify themselves against me.
• 27 Let them shout for joy and be glad,
• who delight in my vindication;
• and let them say continually, “Yahweh is great,
• who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
• 28 Then my tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
• and your praise all day.

Human Wickedness and God’s Love

36 For the music director. Of David, the servant of Yahweh.[fn]

•  An oracle: the wicked has rebellion
• in the midst of his[fn] heart.
• There is no fear of God before his eyes.
• 2 For he flatters himself in his eyes,
• hating to detect his iniquity.[fn]
• 3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit.
• He has ceased to have insight and to do good.
• 4 He plans sin on his bed.
• He puts himself on a way that is not good.
• He does not reject evil.
• 5 O Yahweh, your loyal love extends into the heavens,
• your faithfulness unto the clouds.
• 6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains ,[fn]
• your judgments like the great deep.
• You save man and beast, O Yahweh.
• 7 How precious is your loyal love, O God,
• and the children of humankind
• take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
• 8 They are refreshed with the fullness[fn] of your house,[fn]
• and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
• 9 For with you is the fountain of life;
• in your light we see light.
• 10 Prolong your loyal love to those who know you,
• and your righteousness to the upright of heart.
• 11 Do not let a foot of pride come against me,
• nor let a wicked hand make me to wander homeless.
• 12 There doers of evil have fallen;
• they are thrust down and not able to rise.

The Protection of the Righteous and the Destruction of the Wicked

37 Of David.[fn]

•  Do not fret because of evildoers;
• do not be envious of doers of wickedness.
• 2 For like the grass they will dry up quickly,
• and like green vegetation they will wither.
• 3 Trust Yahweh and do good.
• Abide in the land and feed on faithfulness.[fn]
• 4 Take pleasure in Yahweh as well,
• and he will give to you the requests of your heart.
• 5 Commit to[fn] Yahweh your way;
• Trust also on him and he will act.
• 6 Then he will bring forth your righteousness like the light,
• and your justice like the noonday.
• 7 Be quiet before Yahweh and wait for him.
• Do not fret about one who succeeds in his way,
• about a man making plots.
• 8 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
• Do not fret; it only brings evil.
• 9 For evildoers will be cut off,
• but those who wait for Yahweh—
• they will possess the land.
• 10 And[fn] yet a little while and the wicked will not be,
• and you will look carefully upon his place, but he will not be.
• 11 But the afflicted will possess the land,
• and they will take pleasure in an abundance of peace.
• 12 The wicked plans evil against the righteous,
• and gnashes at him with his teeth.
• 13 The Lord laughs at him,
• for he sees that his day is coming.
• 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow
• to throw down the poor and the needy,
• to kill those upright in their way.
• 15 Their sword will enter into their own heart,
• and their bows shall be broken.
• 16 The little belonging to the righteous is better
• than the wealth of many wicked.
• 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
• but Yahweh supports the righteous.
• 18 Yahweh knows the days of the blameless,
• and their inheritance will be forever.
• 19 They will not be put to shame in distressing times,[fn]
• and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
• 20 But the wicked will perish,
• and the enemies of Yahweh will be like the splendor of the pastures.
• They vanish; in smoke they vanish.
• 21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
• but the righteous is gracious and gives.
• 22 For those blessed by him shall possess the land,
• but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
• 23 The steps of a man are established by Yahweh,
• and he takes pleasure in his way.
• 24 Though he fall, he will not be cast headlong,
• for Yahweh supports him with his hand.
• 25 I was a youth, but I am now old;
• yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
• or his children begging for[fn] bread.
• 26 All the day he is gracious and lends,
• and his children are a blessing.
• 27 Turn aside from evil and do good
• and so abide forever.
• 28 For Yahweh loves justice
• and will not forsake his faithful ones.
• They are protected forever.
• But the children of the wicked will be cut off.
• 29 The righteous will possess the land
• and abide in it forever.
• 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
• and his tongue speaks justice.
• 31 The law of his God is in his heart.
• His steps will not slip.
• 32 The wicked watches for the righteous
• and seeks to kill him.
• 33 Yahweh will not abandon him into his hand,
• and he will not let him be condemned when he is judged.
• 34 Wait for Yahweh and keep his way,
• and he will exalt you to possess the land.
• When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
• 35 I have seen the wicked acting violently
• and spreading himself out
• like a luxuriant native tree.
• 36 Then he passed on[fn] and behold, he was not.
• And I sought him, but he could not be found.
• 37 Observe the blameless and look at the upright,
• for there is a future for a man of peace.
• 38 But transgressors shall be destroyed altogether.
• The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
• 39 And[fn] the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh,
• their refuge in the time of trouble.
• 40 And Yahweh helps them and he rescues them.
• He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,
• because they take refuge in him.

A Prayer of Repentance

38 A psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.[fn]

•  O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger
• or chastise me in your wrath.
• 2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
• and your hand has pressed down on me.
• 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation.
• There is no health in my bones because of my sin.
• 4 For my iniquities have passed over my head;
• like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
• 5 My wounds start to stink; they rot
• because of my foolishness.
• 6 I am bowed down; I am bent over greatly.
• All the day I go about mourning.
• 7 For my loins are full of burning,
• and there is no soundness in my flesh.
• 8 I am faint and crushed greatly;
• I groan because of the roaring of my heart.
• 9 O Lord, all my longing is before you,
• and my sighing is not hidden from you.
• 10 My heart throbs violently, my strength leaves me;
• and the light of my eyes, that also is not with me.
• 11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,
• and my relatives stand afar off.
• 12 Those who seek my life lay snares as well,
• and those intent on my harm speak threats.
• They also plot deceit all day.
• 13 But as for me, like the deaf I cannot hear,
• and I am like the mute who cannot open his mouth.
• 14 And so I am like a man who hears not,
• and in whose mouth there are no retorts.
• 15 Rather for you I wait, O Yahweh.
• You will answer, O Lord my God.
• 16 For I said, “ Help, lest they rejoice over me,
• lest they boast against me when my foot slips.”
• 17 For I am ready to stumble,
• and my pain is before me continually.
• 18 For my iniquity I confess;
• I am anxious because of my sin.
• 19 And my enemies without cause[fn] are numerous,
• and those who hate me wrongfully[fn] are many.
• 20 And those who repay evil in return for good
• accuse me in return for my pursuing good.
• 21 Do not forsake me, O Yahweh.
• O my God, do not be far from me.
• 22 Hurry to help me,
• O Lord, my salvation.

The Brevity of Human Life

39 For the music director. For Jeduthun.[fn] A psalm of David.[fn]

•  I said, “I will guard my ways
• that I may not sin[fn] with my tongue.
• I will keep a muzzle over my mouth
• as long as the wicked are before me.”
• 2 I was mute with silence. I was silent even from saying good things,
• and my pain was stirred up.
• 3 My heart grew hot inside me;
• in my sighing a fire burned.
• Then I spoke with my tongue,
• 4 “Let me know, O Yahweh, my end,
• and what is the measure of my days.
• Let me know how transient I am.”
• 5 Look, you have made my days mere handbreadths,
• and my lifespan as nothing next to you.
• Surely every person standing firm is complete vanity. Selah
• 6 Surely a man walks about as a mere shadow ;[fn]
• surely in vain they bustle about.
• He heaps up possessions but does not know who will gather them in.
• 7 And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
• My hope is for you.
• 8 From all my transgressions deliver me;
• do not make me the taunt of the fool.
• 9 I am mute. I do not open my mouth,
• for you, yourself, have done it.
• 10 Remove from me your affliction.
• By the opposition of your hand I perish.
• 11 When with rebukes you chastise a man for sin,
• you[fn] consume[fn] like a moth his delightful things.
• Surely everyone is a mere vapor.[fn] Selah
• 12 Hear my prayer, O Yahweh, and listen to my cry for help;
• do not be deaf to my tears.
• For I am an alien[fn] with you,
• a sojourner like all my ancestors.[fn]
• 13 Look away from me that I may be cheerful,
• before I depart and I am no more.

God’s Faithfulness and Deliverance

40 For the music director. Of David. A psalm.[fn]

•  I waited patiently for Yahweh,
• And he inclined to me
• and heard my cry for help.
• 2 And so he brought me up from the roaring pit,[fn]
• from the miry clay.
• And he put my feet upon a rock;
• he made my steps steady.
• 3 Then he put a new song in my mouth,
• a praise to our God.
• Many will see and fear,
• and will trust Yahweh.
• 4 Blessed is the man who makes Yahweh his trust
• and does not turn to the proud and to those who fall away to a lie.[fn]
• 5 Many things, O Yahweh my God, you have done—
• your wonderful deeds and your thoughts toward us.
• There is none to compare with you.
• If I tried to proclaim and tell of them,
• they would be too numerous to count.
• 6 A sacrifice and offering you do not desire.
• My ears you have opened .[fn]
• Burnt offering and sin offering you have not demanded.
• 7 Then I said, “Look, I come.
• In the scroll of the book
• it is written concerning me:
• 8 ‘I delight to do your will, O my God,
• and your law is deep within me .’ ”[fn]
• 9 I have brought good tidings of righteousness in the great congregation.
• Look, I have not shut my lips.
• O Yahweh, you surely know that .[fn]
• 10 Your righteousness I have not hidden in the midst of my heart.
• I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation.
• I have not concealed your loyal love or your faithfulness
• from the great congregation.
• 11 As for you, O Yahweh, do not withhold your mercies from me.
• Let your loyal love and your faithfulness
• continually preserve me.
• 12 For evils without number have encompassed me.
• My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see.
• They are more than the hairs of my head,
• and my heart fails me.
• 13 Be pleased, O Yahweh, to deliver me.
• O Yahweh, hurry to help me.
• 14 Let them be shamed and abashed altogether
• who seek to take away my life.[fn]
• Let them be repulsed and humiliated
• who desire my harm.
• 15 Let them be appalled because of their shame,
• those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
• 16 Let them rejoice and be glad in you,
• all those who seek you.
• Let them say continually, “Yahweh is great!”
• —those who love your salvation.
• 17 But I am poor and needy.
• Let my Lord consider me.
• You are my help and my deliverer.
• O my God, do not delay.

Thanksgiving for God’s Provision in Time of Sickness

41 For the music director. A psalm of David.[fn]

•  Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor;
• in the day of disaster, Yahweh delivers him.
• 2 Yahweh protects him and keeps him alive;
• he is blessed in the land,
• and you do not give him
• into the will[fn] of his enemies.
• 3 Yahweh sustains him on his sick bed.
• In his illness, you restore to health .[fn]
• 4 As for me, I said, “O Yahweh, be gracious to me.
• Heal me,[fn] for I have sinned against you.”
• 5 My enemies speak evil about me,
• “When will he die and his name perish?”
• 6 And when one comes to see me, he speaks falsely;
• his heart gathers disaster for itself.
• He goes out to the street; he speaks.
• 7 All who hate me speak together against me.
• Against me they assume the worst[fn] for me:
• 8 “A ruinous thing is poured out on him,
• and now that he lies down, he will not rise up again.”
• 9 Even my close friend ,[fn] whom I trusted,
• who ate my bread,
• has lifted his heel against me.
• 10 But you, O Yahweh, be gracious to me and raise me up
• that I may repay them.
• 11 By this I know that you delight in me:
• because my enemy has not shouted in triumph over me.
• 12 As for me, you have upheld me in my integrity,
• and you have set me in your presence forever.
• 13 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
• from everlasting to everlasting.
• Amen and Amen.

Hope in God in the Midst of Despair

42 For the music director. A maskil of the sons of Korah.[fn]

•  As a deer longs for streams of water,
• so my soul longs for you, O God.
• 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
• When shall I come and appear before God?[fn]
• 3 My tears have been my food day and night,
• while they say to me all day long,
• “Where is your God?”
• 4 These I remember and I pour out my soul within me:
• that I would go with the multitude;
• I led them in procession to the house[fn] of God,
• with a voice of rejoicing and thanksgiving,
• a crowd celebrating a festival.
• 5 Why are you in despair ,[fn] O my soul,
• and disturbed within me?
• Hope in God, because I will again praise him,
• for the salvation of his presence.
• 6 O my God, within me my soul is in despair ;[fn]
• therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan
• and the heights of Hermon, from the mountain of Mizar.
• 7 Deep is calling to deep
• at[fn] the thunder of your waterfalls.
• All your breakers and your waves
• have passed over me.
• 8 By day Yahweh commands his loyal love,
• and in the night his song is with me,
• a prayer to the God of my life.
• 9 I say to God, my rock,
• “Why have you forgotten me?
• Why must I walk about mourning
• because of the oppression of the enemy?”
• 10 As with a shattering in my bones
• my oppressors taunt me,
• while they say to me all day ,[fn]
• “Where is your God?”
• 11 Why are you in despair ,[fn] O my soul?
• And why are you disturbed within me?
• Hope in God, because I shall again praise him,
• my salvation[fn] and my God.

A Prayer for Rescue

• 43 Judge me, O God, and plead my case
• against[fn] an unfaithful[fn] nation.
• From a man of deceit and wickedness rescue me,
• 2 because you are the God of my refuge.
• Why have you rejected me?
• Why must I go about mourning
• because of the oppression of the enemy?
• 3 Send your light and your truth;
• they shall lead[fn] me.
• They shall bring me to your holy mountain[fn]
• and to your dwelling places.
• 4 Then[fn] I will go to the altar of God,
• to God, my surpassing joy ,[fn]
• and I will praise you with lyre,
• O God, my God.
• 5 Why are you in despair ,[fn] O my soul?
• And why are you disturbed within me?
• Hope in God, because I will again praise him,
• my salvation[fn] and my God.

Present Defeat and Past Deliverance

44 For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A maskil.[fn]

•  O God, we have heard with our ears;
• our ancestors[fn] have told us
• of work you worked in their days,
• in days of old.
• 2 You with your hand drove out the nations,
• but them[fn] you planted.
• You harmed the peoples,
• but them[fn] you let spread out.
• 3 For not with their sword
• did they possess the land,
• and their arm did not give them victory.
• Rather it was your right hand and your arm
• and the light of your presence,
• because you delighted in them.
• 4 You are my king, O God.
• Command[fn] victories for Jacob.
• 5 By you we push down our enemies;
• by your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
• 6 For I do not trust my bow,
• and my sword cannot give me victory.
• 7 Rather you have saved us from our enemies,[fn]
• and have humiliated those who hate us.
• 8 In God we boast all the day,
• and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
• 9 Surely you have rejected and disgraced us,
• and have not gone out with our armies.
• 10 You have caused us to pull back from the enemy,
• and so those who hate us have plundered for themselves.
• 11 You have given us as sheep for food,
• and among the nations you have scattered us.
• 12 You have sold your people cheaply ,[fn]
• and did not profit by their price.
• 13 You have made us a taunt to our neighbors,
• a derision and a scorn to those around us.
• 14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
• a shaking of the head among the peoples.
• 15 All day long[fn] my disgrace is before me,
• and the shame of my face covers me,
• 16 because of the voice of the taunter and the reviler,
• because of the enemy and the avenger.
• 17 All this has befallen us, though we have not forgotten you,
• and we have not been false to your covenant.
• 18 Our heart has not turned back,
• and our steps have not turned aside from your way.
• 19 But you have crushed us in a place of jackals,
• and have covered us with deep shadow.
• 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God,
• or had spread out our hands in prayer to a foreign god,
• 21 would not God discover this,
• for he knows the secrets of the heart?
• 22 Rather, on account of you we are killed all day long ;[fn]
• we are accounted as sheep for slaughter.
• 23 Wake up! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
• Awake! Do not reject forever.
• 24 Why do you hide your face?
• Have you forgotten our misery and our oppression?
• 25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust.
• Our body[fn] clings to the ground.
• 26 Rise up! Be a help for us,
• and redeem us for the sake of your loyal love.

Celebration of a Royal Wedding

45 For the music director; according to The Lilies. Of the sons of Korah.

• A maskil. A song of love.[fn]
•  My heart is moved with a good word;
• I recite my compositions[fn] to the king.
• My tongue is the pen of a skilled scribe.
• 2 You are the most handsome of the sons of humankind;
• grace is poured out on your lips;
• therefore God has blessed you forever.
• 3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
• in your splendor and your majesty.
• 4 And in your majesty ride victoriously ,[fn]
• because of truth and humility and righteousness.
• And let your right hand teach you awesome deeds.
• 5 Your arrows are sharp;
• peoples fall under you
• in the midst of the king’s enemies.
• 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
• A scepter of uprightness is
• the scepter of your kingdom.
• 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
• Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
• from among your companions with festive oil.
• 8 All your robes are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
• From palaces of ivory stringed instruments gladden you.
• 9 Kings’ daughters are among your noble ladies.
• The queen stands at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
• 10 Hear, O daughter, and discern[fn] and incline your ear,
• and forget your people and your father’s house.
• 11 Let the king desire your beauty.[fn]
• Because he is your lord, therefore[fn] bow down to him.
• 12 Even the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift.
• The rich from among people will seek your favor .[fn]
• 13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within;[fn]
• her garment is of gold embroidered cloth.
• 14 She is brought to the king in colorful garments.
• The young women behind her, her attendants,
• are being brought to you.
• 15 They are led with joy and gladness.
• They enter the palace of the king.
• 16 In place of your[fn] fathers will be your sons.
• You will make them princes in all the land.[fn]
• 17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
• therefore peoples will praise you forever and ever.

God Provides for and Protects His People

46 For the music director. Of the sons of Korah.

• According to Alamoth. A song.[fn]
•  God is our refuge and strength,
• a very sufficient help in troubles.
• 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth change,
• and though the mountains totter into the midst[fn] of the sea,
• 3 though its waters roar and foam,
• though mountains shake with its surging water. Selah
• 4 There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God,
• the holiest of the dwellings of the Most High.
• 5 God is in the midst of her;
• she will not be made to totter.
• God will help her at daybreak .[fn]
• 6 Nations roar, kingdoms shake;
• he utters his voice, the earth melts.
• 7 Yahweh of hosts is with us;
• our high stronghold is the God of Jacob. Selah
• 8 Come, see the works of Yahweh,
• who has placed desolations on the earth.
• 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
• he breaks the bow and cuts off the spear.
• The wagons of war he burns with fire.
• 10 Be still, and know that I am God.
• I will be exalted among the nations;
• I will be exalted in the earth.
• 11 Yahweh of Hosts is with us;
• the God of Jacob is our high stronghold.

God Is King over All the Earth

47 For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.[fn]

•  All you peoples, clap your hands.[fn]
• Shout to God with a voice of rejoicing.
• 2 For Yahweh Most High is awesome,[fn]
• a great king over all the earth.
• 3 He subdues peoples under us
• and nations under our feet.
• 4 He chooses for us our inheritance,
• the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
• 5 God has gone up with a shout,
• Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet.
• 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises.
• Sing praises to our king, sing praises.
• 7 For God is king of all the earth.
• Sing praises with understanding.[fn]
• 8 God reigns over nations;
• God sits on his holy throne.
• 9 The princes of the peoples are gathered together
• with the people of Abraham’s God.
• For the shields of the earth belong to God.
• He is very exalted.

The Greatness of God in Zion

48 A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.[fn]

•  Yahweh is great and very worthy of praise
• in the city of our God, in his holy mountain .[fn]
• 2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth,
• is Mount Zion ,[fn] in the far north ,[fn]
• the city of the great king.
• 3 God is in her citadels;
• he is known as a high stronghold.
• 4 For see, the kings assembled;[fn]
• they advanced together.
• 5 They themselves saw[fn] it, so they were astonished.
• They were terrified; they ran off.
• 6 Trembling seized them there—
• pain as of a woman in labor.
• 7 With an east wind
• you shatter[fn] the ships of Tarshish.[fn]
• 8 As we have heard, so we have seen
• in the city of Yahweh of hosts, in the city of our God.
• God will establish her forever. Selah
• 9 We have pondered your loyal love, O God,
• in the midst of your temple.
• 10 As is your name, O God, so is your praise
• to the ends of the earth.
• Your right hand is full of righteousness.
• 11 Let Mount Zion[fn] rejoice;
• let the daughters of Judah rejoice
• because of your judgments.
• 12 Walk about Zion and circle it;
• count her towers.
• 13 Consider well[fn] her ramparts.
• Go through her citadels
• so that you can tell the next generation
• 14 that this is God, our God forever and ever.
• He himself[fn] will guide us until death.

Wealth and the Fate of the Wicked

49 For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. A psalm.[fn]

•  Hear this, all you peoples;
• give ear, all you inhabitants of the world,
• 2 both low and high,
• rich and poor together.
• 3 My mouth will speak wisdom,
• and the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
• 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
• I will propound[fn] my riddle on a lyre.
• 5 Why should I fear in times of calamity ,[fn]
• when iniquity surrounds me at my heels,
• 6 those who trust their wealth
• and boast about the abundance of their riches?
• 7 Surely a man cannot redeem a brother.
• He cannot give to God his ransom
• 8 (since[fn] the redemption price for their life is costly
• and it always fails),
• 9 so that he may stay alive forever
• and not see the pit.
• 10 For he sees that the wise die,
• together with the fool and brute they perish,
• and leave their wealth to the next generation.
• 11 Within them they think their houses are forever,
• their dwelling places from generation to generation.
• They name[fn] their lands by their own names.
• 12 But man cannot continue in his pomp.
• He is like the beasts that perish.
• 13 This is the journey[fn] of those who have foolish confidence,
• and those after them who accept their sayings. Selah
• 14 Like sheep they are destined to Sheol;
• death will shepherd them.
• But the upright will rule over them in the morning,
• and their forms will be for Sheol to consume,
• far from his lofty abode.
• 15 Surely God will ransom my life
• from the power[fn] of Sheol,
• because he will receive me. Selah
• 16 Do not fear when a man becomes rich,
• when the wealth[fn] of his house increases,
• 17 because when he dies he will not take away any of it.
• His wealth will not follow down after him.
• 18 Though he congratulated his soul while he was living
• —and people will praise you when you do well for yourself—
• 19 it[fn] will go to the generation of his fathers.
• Never will they see light.
• 20 Humankind in its pomp, but does not understand,
• is like the beasts that perish.

An Oracle Concerning Sacrifices

50 A psalm of Asaph.[fn]

•  The Supreme God, God, Yahweh, has spoken
• and summoned the earth,
• from the rising of the sun
• to its setting.
• 2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty,
• God shines forth.
• 3 Our God comes and he is not silent.
• Before him fire devours,
• and around him it is very tempestuous.
• 4 He summons the heavens above
• and the earth that he might judge his people:
• 5 “Gather to me my loyal ones,
• those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
• 6 And the heavens declare his righteousness,
• because God himself is judge. Selah
• 7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
• O Israel, and I will testify against you.
• I am God, your God.
• 8 It is not concerning a lack of your sacrifices that I rebuke you,
• and your burnt offerings are before me continually.
• 9 I will not take from your house a bull
• or from your stalls a he-goat,
• 10 because every animal of the forest is mine,
• the cattle on a thousand hills.
• 11 I know every bird of the mountains,
• and every moving creature in the field is mine.
• 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
• because the world and its fullness are mine.
• 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
• or drink the blood of goats?
• 14 Offer to God a thank offering
• and pay your vows to the Most High.
• 15 And call me in the day of trouble;
• I will deliver you, and you will glorify me.”
• 16 But to the wicked God says,
• “What right have you to recite my statutes
• and mention my covenant with your mouth ,[fn]
• 17 while you yourself hate discipline,
• and cast my words behind you?
• 18 When you see a thief, then you are pleased with him,
• and your association is with adulterers.
• 19 You give your mouth free rein for evil,
• and you harness your tongue to deceit.
• 20 You sit and speak against your brother;
• you slander your mother’s son.
• 21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
• You imagined that I was just like you.
• I will rebuke you and present an argument before your eyes.
• 22 Now consider this, you who forget God,
• lest I tear you apart, and there will be none to deliver.
• 23 He who sacrifices a thank offering honors me,
• and he who orders his way;
• I will show him the salvation of God.”

A Prayer of Repentance and Plea for Mercy

51 For the music director. A psalm of David.

• When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.[fn]
•  Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loyal love.
• According to your abundant mercies,
• blot out my transgressions.
• 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
• and from my sin cleanse me.
• 3 For I myself know[fn] my transgressions,[fn]
• and my sin is ever before me.
• 4 Against you, only you, I have sinned
• and have done this evil[fn] in your eyes,
• so that you are correct when you speak,
• you are blameless when you judge.
• 5 Behold, in iniquity I was born,
• and in sin my mother conceived me.
• 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward parts,
• and in the hidden parts you make me to know wisdom.
• 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.
• Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
• 8 Make me hear joy and gladness;
• let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
• 9 Hide your face from my sins,
• and all my iniquities blot out.
• 10 Create a clean heart for me, O God,
• and renew a steadfast spirit within me .[fn]
• 11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
• and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
• 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
• and with a willing spirit sustain me.
• 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
• and sinners will turn back to you.
• 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
• the God of my salvation;
• then my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
• 15 O Lord, open my lips,
• and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
• 16 For you do not delight in sacrifice or I would give it.
• With a burnt offering you are not pleased.
• 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
• A broken and contrite heart,
• O God, you will not despise.
• 18 Do good in your favor toward Zion.
• Build the walls of Jerusalem.
• 19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices,
• burnt offering and whole burnt offering.
• Then bulls will be offered on your altar.

God’s Judgment on the Wicked and Love for the Faithful

52 For the music director. A maskil of David.

• When Doeg the Edomite came and informed Saul.
• And he said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”[fn]
•  Why do you boast about evil, O mighty man?
• The loyal love of God endures continually .[fn]
• 2 Your tongue plans destruction,
• like a sharp razor, working deceit.
• 3 You love evil more than good,
• a lie more than speaking what is right .[fn] Selah
• 4 You love all devouring words,
• O deceitful tongue,
• 5 but God will pull you down forever.
• He will snatch you and tear you away from your tent,
• and he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
• 6 And the righteous will see and fear,
• and will laugh at him, saying,
• 7 “Look, the man who would not make God his refuge,
• but he trusted in the greatness of his wealth;
• he took refuge in his destructiveness.”
• 8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing
• in the house[fn] of God.
• I trust the loyal love of God forever and ever.
• 9 I will give thanks to you forever, because of what you have done,
• and I will wait on your name, because it is good,
• in the presence of your faithful ones.

The Folly of the Godless and Salvation for Israel

53 For the music director, according to Mahalath.

• A maskil of David.[fn]
•  The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
• They are corrupt and they have done abominable iniquity.
• There is none who does good.
• 2 God looks down from heaven upon the children of humankind
• to see whether there is one who has insight,
• one who seeks God.
• 3 All of them[fn] have turned back.
• They are altogether corrupt.
• There is none who does good;
• there is not even one.
• 4 Do not evildoers know,
• they who eat my people as though they were eating bread?
• They do not call on God.
• 5 There they are very fearful[fn]
• where no fear had been,
• because God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you.
• You have put them to shame, because God has rejected them.
• 6 Oh, that from Zion[fn] would come salvation for Israel!
• When God returns the fortunes[fn] of his people,
• let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Answered Prayer for Deliverance from Adversaries

54 For the music director, with stringed instruments.

• A maskil of David,
• when the Ziphites went and said to Saul,
• “Is not David hiding himself among us?”[fn]
•  O God, by your name save me,
• and by your power vindicate me.
• 2 O God, hear my prayer;
• heed the words of my mouth.
• 3 For foreigners have risen against me,
• and ruthless men seek my life.
• They have not set God before them. Selah
• 4 See, God is my helper;
• The Lord is with those who sustain my life.[fn]
• 5 He will repay[fn] my enemies for their[fn] evil;
• in your faithfulness destroy them.
• 6 I will freely sacrifice to you;
• I will give thanks to your name,
• O Yahweh, because it is good.
• 7 Because he has delivered me from all trouble,
• and my eye has looked with satisfaction on my enemies.

Betrayal of a Friend and Trust in God

55 For the music director, with stringed instruments.

• A maskil of David.[fn]
•  Give ear, O God, to my prayer,
• and do not hide yourself from my plea.
• 2 Attend to me and answer me.
• I am restless in my lamenting and I groan,
• 3 because of the voice of an enemy,
• because of the oppression of the wicked,
• because they bring down evil on me,
• and in anger they hold a grudge against me.
• 4 My heart trembles within me,
• and deathly terrors fall on me.
• 5 Fear and trembling come on me,
• and horror overwhelms me.
• 6 So I say, “ Oh, that[fn] I had wings like a dove.
• I would fly away and be at rest.
• 7 Look, I would flee far away.
• I would dwell in the wilderness. Selah
• 8 I would hurry to my refuge
• from the raging wind and storm.”
• 9 Confuse, O Lord; divide their speech,
• because I see violence and strife in the city.
• 10 Day and night they go around it on its walls,
• and iniquity and trouble are in its midst.
• 11 Destruction is within it,
• and oppression and deceit
• do not depart from its public square.
• 12 For it is not an enemy that taunts me,
• or I could bear it.
• It is not one who hates me that magnifies himself over me,
• or I could hide myself from him.
• 13 But it is you, a man my equal,
• my friend and confidant.
• 14 We who would take sweet counsel together;
• in the house[fn] of God
• we would walk with the throng.
• 15 Let death deceive them. May they descend to Sheol alive,
• because evil is in their home and heart .[fn]
• 16 As for me, I will call to God,
• and Yahweh will save me.
• 17 Morning, noon and night[fn] I will lament and groan loudly,
• and he will hear my voice.
• 18 He safely redeems my life from the battle against me,[fn]
• because those standing against me are among many.
• 19 God will hear and answer them,[fn]
• he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
• Because they do not change,
• and they do not fear God.
• 20 He has put forth his hands against his friends ;[fn]
• he has defiled his covenant.
• 21 The buttery words[fn] of his mouth were smooth,
• but there was battle in his heart.
• His words were smoother than oil,
• but they were drawn swords.
• 22 Cast your burden on Yahweh,
• and he will sustain you.
• He will never allow the righteous to be moved.[fn]
• 23 But you, O God, you will bring them down to the pit of corruption.
• The men of bloodshed and deceit will not live half their days,
• but I will trust you.