Psalm 1 – The Way of Happiness

Revision 2

1 Happy are those

who do not follow the counsel of the wicked,

not halting in ways frequented by sinners,

nor taking a seat in a gathering of scoffers.

2 But the law of the Lord is their joy,

they study it day and night.

3 They are like trees

planted by runlets of water,

yielding fruit in due season,

leaves never fading.

In all that they do, they prosper.

4 Not so fare the wicked, not so;

like chaff are they, blown by the wind.

5 So the wicked will not stand firm in the judgment,

nor sinners appear, when the righteous are gathered.

6 For the way of the righteous is dear to the Lord,

but the way of the wicked will end in ruin.

Psalm 2 – The Lord’s Chosen King

Revision 2

2 Why this turmoil of nations,

this futile plotting of peoples,

2 with kings of the earth conspiring,

and rulers consulting together,

against the Lord and against his anointed,

3 to snap their bonds

and fling their cords away?

4 He whose throne is in heaven laughs,

the Lord mocks them.

5 Then he speaks to them in his wrath,

and in his hot anger confounds them.

6 ‘This my king is installed by me,

on Zion my holy mountain.’

7 I will tell of the Lord’s decree.

He said to me: ‘You are my son,

this day I became your father.

8 Only ask, and I make you the heir of the nations,

and lord of the world to its utmost bounds.

9 You will break them with sceptre of iron,

shatter them like pottery.’

10 So now, you kings, be wise:

be warned, you rulers of earth.

11 Serve the Lord in awe,

kiss his feet with trembling,

12 lest, angry, he hurl you to ruin;

for soon will his fury blaze.

Happy all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 3 – A Morning Prayer for Protection

Revision 2

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

3 How many, Lord, are my foes!

Those who rise up against me are many.

2 Many are those who say of me,

‘There is no help for him in his God.’ Selah

3 But you, Lord, are shield about me,

my glory, who lifts up my head.

4 When loudly I call to the Lord,

from his holy hill he gives answer. Selah

5 I laid down and slept:

now I wake, for the Lord sustains me.

6 I fear not the myriads of people

who beset me on every side.

7 Arise, Lord: save me, my God,

who strikes all my foes on the cheek,

and shatters the teeth of the wicked.

8 Victory belongs to the Lord:

let your blessing descend on your people. Selah

Psalm 4 – An Evening Prayer

Revision 2

For the leader, with stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

4 Answer my cry,

God, my defender.

Often from straits you have brought me

to spacious places.

So now show me your favour

and hear my prayer.

2 How long, you proud people,

will my honour be stained

by the slanders you love,

and the lies that you follow? Selah

3 See! The Lord has shown me

his wonderful kindness:

the Lord hears,

when I call to him.

4 Sin not in your anger:

but speak in your heart

on your bed, and be still. Selah

5 Offer true sacrifice,

trust in the Lord.

6 Many are longing

for fortune to smile.

Lift upon us

the light of your face.

7 You have put in my heart, Lord,

a deeper joy

than was theirs who had corn

and wine in abundance.

8 So in peace I will

lie down and sleep;

for you, Lord, keep me

safe.

Psalm 5 – A Prayer for Guidance

Revision 2

For the leader: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.

5 Hear my words, Lord:

give heed to my whisper.

2 Attend to my loud cry for help,

my king and my God.

3 When I pray to you, Lord, in the morning,

hear my voice.

I make ready for you in the morning,

and look for a sign.

4 For you are no God who takes pleasure in wickedness:

no one of evil can be your guest.

5 No braggarts can stand in your presence,

you hate all workers of wrong.

6 You destroy all speakers of lies,

people of blood and deceit you abhor.

7 But I, through your kindness abundant,

may enter your house,

and towards the shrine of your temple

may reverently bow.

8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies.

Make your way level before me.

9 For their mouth is a stranger to truth,

their heart is a pit of destruction.

Their throat is a wide open grave,

their tongue the smooth tongue of the hypocrite.

10 Condemn them, God;

let their schemes bring them down to the ground.

For their numberless crimes thrust them down

for playing the rebel against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you

ring out their gladness forever.

Protect those who love your name,

so they may exult in you.

12 For you give your blessing, Lord, to the godly,

and the shield of your favour protects them.

Psalm 6 – A Cry for Help in Time of Trouble

Revision 2

For the leader; with instrumental music on the sheminith. A psalm of David.

6 Rebuke me not, Lord, in your anger,

punish me not in your wrath.

2 Lord, be gracious to me

in my weakness.

Heal me Lord,

for racked is my body;

3 all of me utterly racked.

Why do you wait so long, Lord?

4 Turn, Lord, rescue me;

save me, because of your love.

5 For in death none can call you to mind;

in Sheol who can praise you?

6 I am so weary of sighing.

All the night I make my bed swim,

and wet my couch with my tears.

7 My eyes swollen with grief;

from weeping caused by my foes.

8 Begone, workers of wrong,

for the Lord has heard my loud weeping,

9 the Lord has heard my entreaty,

the Lord accepts my prayer.

10 My foes will be stricken with terror,

brought to shame and dismay in a moment.

Psalm 7 – A Prayer to the God of Justice

Revision 2

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord about Cush, the Benjamite.

7 Lord my God, I take refuge in you.

Deliver me, save me from all who pursue me;

2 or like lions they will tear me to pieces,

and rend me, past hope of rescue.

3 Lord, my God, if my life has been such

if my hands have been stained with guilt,

4 if friends I paid back with evil,

if I plundered my foes without cause,

5 may the enemy chase and find me,

trample my life to the ground,

my honour leave in the dirt! Selah

6 Arise, Lord, in anger,

against my foes rise in fury.

Awake for my help:

let justice be done.

7 Gather the nations about you,

and sit on your lofty throne,

8 as the Lord, the judge of the peoples.

Judge me, Lord, in my innocence

and according to my integrity.

9 Put an end to the wrong of the wicked,

protect the righteous.

Searcher of hearts and minds,

righteous God.

10 God is my shield:

he saves the upright in heart.

11 God is a just judge,

constant in righteous anger.

12 He will sharpen his sword without fail,

his bow is bent and ready,

13 his deadly weapons are ready,

his arrows he makes of flame.

14 The enemy who conceives evil;

pregnant with mischief,

giving birth to lies,

15 a pit they have made and dug;

but into the hole that they made they will fall.

16 On their own heads their mischief comes back;

on their own skulls their violence comes down.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord for his justice,

and sing to the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 8 – God’s Glory in Nature

Revision 2

For the leader: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

8 Lord our God!

How glorious in all the earth is your name!

Your praise reaches as high as the heavens,

2 from the mouths of children and infants.

You have built a fortress

against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the rebel.

3 When I look at your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set there,

4 what are mortals,

that you think of them,

humans,

that you visit them?

5 Yet you made them little less than divine,

crowned them with glory and majesty,

6 made them lord of the works of your hands,

put all things under their feet –

7 sheep and oxen,

all of them;

and the wild beasts also:

8 birds of the air,

and fish of the sea,

and all that crosses the paths of the ocean.

9 Lord our God!

How glorious in all the earth is your name!

Psalm 9 – A Song of Praise the Lord’s Justice

Revision 2

For the leader; ’almuth labben. A psalm of David.

9 With all my heart I will praise the Lord,

all your wonders I will rehearse.

2 I will rejoice and exult in you,

singing praise to your name, Most High;

3 because backward my foes were turned,

they stumbled and perished before you.

4 My right and my claim you have upheld,

you did sit on the throne as a fair judge,

5 rebuking the nations, destroying the wicked,

and blotting their name out forever and ever.

6 The foe is vanished, ruined forever,

their cities destroyed, their memory perished.

7 See! The Lord is seated forever

on the throne he established for judgment,

8 ruling the world with justice,

and judging the nations with equity.

9 So the Lord proves a haven to the oppressed,

a haven in times of trouble.

10 Well may they trust you who know your name,

for those who seek you, you never abandon.

11 Sing praise to the Lord, whose home is in Zion,

declare his deeds among the nations.

12 As avenger of blood, he keeps them in mind,

he does not forget the cry of the wretched.

13 Show me favour, Lord,

see how my foes afflict me,

lift me up from the gates of death;

14 so I may, in your help exulting,

tell forth your praise at the gates of Zion.

15 The nations are sunk in the pit which they made,

in the net that they hid, their own foot is entangled.

16 The Lord is revealed in the judgment he wrought,

the wicked are snared in their own handiwork. Selah

17 Let the wicked depart to Sheol,

all the nations that live forgetful of God.

18 For the needy will not be always forgotten,

nor the hope of the helpless be lost forever.

19 Arise, Lord; don’t let them triumph:

before your face let the nations be judged.

20 Strike them with fear, Lord:

show the nations how frail they are. Selah

Psalm 10 – A Prayer for Help

Revision 2

10 Why do you stand, Lord, so far away,

hiding yourself in times of trouble?

2 The wicked, in their pride, are pursuing the helpless:

let them be caught in the schemes they have plotted.

3 For the wicked boasts of their wanton greed;

the robber despises the Lord, and curses him,

4 in wicked pride, thinks:

God doesn’t care,

God doesn’t call to account.

5 Never a season that they do not prosper;

your judgments are far above out of their sight:

they scoff at their foes.

6 Each says in their heart,

‘I will never be shaken;

I will live for all time

untouched by misfortune.’

7 Their mouths are full of deceit and oppression:

under their tongues lurks mischief and wrong.

8 Lying in secret in some village ambush,

and stealthily watching, they murder the innocent.

9 Like a lion that lurks in a secret lair

they lurk intending to catch the defenceless;

to seize them, to drag them away in their net.

10 Their victims are crushed,

sink down to the ground.

Under their claws

the hapless fall.

11 The wicked say in their hearts

that God has forgotten,

has hidden his face,

will see nothing.

12 Arise, Lord, lift up your hand,

do not forget the cry of the wretched.

13 Why do the wicked treat God with contempt,

and say in their hearts, ‘God doesn’t care’?

14 You have seen the trouble and sorrow;

you mark it all, and will take it in hand.

The hapless can count on you,

helper of orphans.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil:

search out their sin, till no more be found.

16 The Lord is king forever and ever:

the nations will vanish from his land.

17 Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble,

inclining your ear, strengthening their hearts,

18 rights you have won for the crushed and the orphan,

so no one on earth may strike terror again.

Psalm 11 – Trust in the Lord

Revision 2

For the leader. Of David.

11 In the Lord I take refuge.

How can you tell me

to flee like a bird to the mountains?

2 ‘See! The wicked are bending the bow,

their arrow is set on the string,

to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

3 In this tearing down of foundations

what good can a good person do?’

4 The Lord in his holy temple,

the Lord in heaven, enthroned.

His eyes watch the world,

they see everyone.

5 The Lord examines the righteous and wicked,

and the lover of violence he hates.

6 On the wicked he rains coals of fire and brimstone,

and their drink will be scorching wind.

7 For the Lord is just, and justice he loves;

so the upright will see his face.

Psalm 12 – A Prayer for the Faithful in a False World

Revision 2

For the leader; on the sheminith. A psalm of David.

12 Help, Lord, for the good are all gone,

faithful people have vanished.

2 One lies to another, speaking empty lies,

with flattering lips and false hearts they speak.

3 May the Lord cut off all the flattering lips,

and the tongue that utters arrogance,

4 they declare, ‘Our tongue is our strength,

our allies our lips: who is lord over us?’

5 ‘The poor are despoiled, and the needy are sighing;

so now I will act,’ the Lord declares

‘And place them in the safety they long for.’

6 The words of the Lord are words that are pure,

silver smelted, seven times refined.

7 You will keep us, Lord,

and guard us from this generation forever,

8 in a world where the wicked prowl,

and worthless people exalted.

Psalm 13 – A Prayer for Help in Trouble

Revision 2

For the leader. A psalm of David.

13 How long, Lord, will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I nurse grief inside me,

and in my heart a daily sorrow?

How long are my foes to exult over me?

3 Look at me, answer me, Lord my God.

Fill my eyes with your light,

lest I sleep in death,

4 lest my enemies claim to have triumphed,

lest my foes rejoice at my downfall.

5 But I trust in your kindness:

my heart will rejoice in your help.

6 I will sing to the Lord who was good to me.

Psalm 14 – The Folly of Denying God

Revision 2

For the leader. Of David.

14 Fools say in their heart,

‘There is no God.’

Vile, hateful their life is;

not one does good.

2 From heaven the Lord looks out

on humans, to see

if any are wise,

and care for God.

3 But all have turned bad,

the taint is on all;

not one does good,

no, not one.

4 Have they learned their lesson,

those workers of evil?

Who ate up my people,

eating, devouring,

never calling to the Lord.

5 Sore afraid will they be;

for God is among

those who are righteous,

6 you may mock the plans of the poor,

but the Lord is their refuge.

7 If only help from Zion

would come for Israel!

When the Lord brings his people

a change of fortune,

how glad will be Jacob,

and Israel how joyful!

Psalm 15 – Standing Firm

Revision 2

A psalm of David.

15 Lord, who can be guest in your tent?

Who may live on your holy mountain?

2 The person whose walk is blameless,

whose conduct is right,

whose words are true and sincere;

3 on whose tongue there sits no slander,

who will not harm a friend,

4 nor cruelly insult a neighbour,

who regards with contempt those rejected by God;

but honours those who obey the Lord,

who keeps an oath, whatever the cost,

5 whose money is lent without interest,

and never takes a bribe to hurt the innocent.

The person who does these things will always stand firm.

Psalm 16 – The Joy of Fellowship with God

Revision 2

A michtam of David.

16 Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

2 I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord,

my happiness rests in you alone.

3 Those who are holy in the land,

they, they alone, are the noble ones;

all my delight is in them.’

4 Those who choose other gods

find endless sorrow.

In their offerings of blood I will have no part

nor take their name on my lips.

5 The Lord is my share and my portion,

my fate is in your strong hands.

6 The boundary lines of my life

mark out delightful country,

my heritage pleases me well.

7 I praise the Lord for his counsel,

which so stirs my heart in the night.

8 I keep the Lord always in mind:

with him at my hand, I can never be moved.

9 So my heart is glad, there is joy inside me;

and in safety of body I live.

10 For you will not give me up to Sheol

nor let any who love you see the pit.

11 You will show me the path that leads to life,

to that fulness of joy which is in your presence,

and the pleasures dispensed by your hand evermore.

Psalm 17 – A Prayer for Deliverance

Revision 2

A prayer of David.

17 Listen, O Lord, to my innocence;

attend to my piercing cry.

Give heed to my prayer

out of lips unfeigned.

2 Let my vindication come from you,

your eyes see the truth.

3 When you test my heart when you visit at night,

and assay me like silver – you can find no evil.

I am determined that my mouth should not lie.

4 I gave earnest heed to the words of your lips.

5 My steps have held fast to the paths of your precepts

and in your tracks have my feet never stumbled.

6 So I call you, O God, with assurance of answer;

bend down your ear to me, hear what I say.

7 Show your marvellous love, you who save from enemies

those who take refuge at your right hand.

8 Keep me as the apple of the eye,

hide me in the shelter of your wings.

9 From wicked people who do me violence,

from deadly foes who crowd around me.

10 They have closed their hearts to pity,

the words of their mouths are haughty.

11 Now they dog us at every step,

keenly watching, to hurl us to the ground,

12 like a lion, longing to tear,

like a young lion, lurking in secret.

13 Arise, Lord, face them and fell them.

By your sword set me free from the wicked,

14 by your hand, O Lord, from those –

whose portion of life is but of this world.

But let your treasured ones have food in plenty

may their children be full and their children satisfied.

15 In my innocence I will see your face,

awake I am filled with a vision of you.

Psalm 18 – A King’s Song of Gratitude

Revision 2

For the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord, who recited the words of this song to the Lord after the Lord had saved him from the power of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

18 I love you, O Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, deliverer,

my God, my rock, where I take refuge,

my shield, my defender, my tower.

3 Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on,

he rescues me from all my foes.

4 The waves of death broke about me,

fearful floods of chaos.

5 Sheol threw cords around me,

snares of death came to meet me.

6 In distress I cried to the Lord,

and shouted for help to my God;

in his temple he heard my voice,

into his ears came my cry.

7 Then the earth shook and quaked,

mountains trembled to their foundations,

and quaked because of his wrath.

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,

devouring fire from his mouth,

coals were kindled by it.

9 Then he bent the sky and came down,

thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew,

darting on wings of wind,

11 with his screen of darkness about him,

in thick dark clouds of water.

12 At the radiance before him there passed

hailstones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord thundered from heaven,

the Most High uttered his voice.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered them,

flashed lightnings, and routed them.

15 The channels of the sea were revealed,

the world was laid bare to its base,

at your rebuke, O Lord,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He stretched from on high, he seized me,

drew me up from the mighty waters,

17 and saved me from those who hated me –

fierce foes, too mighty for me.

18 In my day of distress they assailed me,

but the Lord proved my support.

19 To a spacious place he brought me,

and, for love of me, he saved me.

20 The Lord repays my innocence,

he rewards my cleanness of hands.

21 For I kept the ways of the Lord,

nor have wickedly strayed from my God.

22 His commandments were all before me,

his statutes I put not away.

23 And I was blameless before him,

guarding myself from sin.

24 So the Lord repaid my innocence,

my cleanness of hands in his sight.

25 With the loyal you are loyal,

and with the blameless blameless.

26 With the pure you show yourself pure,

but shrewd with the devious.

27 For the lowly people you save,

but haughty eyes you abase.

28 You are my lamp, Lord,

my God who enlightens my darkness.

29 With you I can storm a rampart,

with my God I can leap a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord is pure.

He is shield to all who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God but the Lord?

And who is a rock but our God?

32 The God who arms me with strength,

who cleared and smoothed my way.

33 He made my feet like hinds’ feet,

and set me up on the heights.

34 He taught my hands how to fight,

and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.

35 The shield of your help you gave me,

your right hand supports me,

you stoop down to make me great.

36 In your strength I took giant strides,

and my feet never slipped.

37 So I chased the foe till I caught them,

and turned not, till I made an end of them.

38 I smashed them, they could not rise,

they fell beneath my feet.

39 You did arm me with strength for war,

you did bow my assailants beneath me.

40 You made my foes turn their back to me,

and those who did hate me I finished.

41 They cried for help, but none saved them;

to the Lord, but he answered them not.

42 I beat them like dust of the market-place,

stamped them like mud of the streets.

43 From the strife of the peoples you saved me,

you made me head of the nations,

peoples I knew not did serve me.

44 On the instant they hear, they obey me,

foreigners come to me cringing.

45 Foreigners lose courage,

and come out of their strongholds trembling.

46 The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock!

Exalted be God, my protector!

47 The God who gave me revenge,

and brought down nations beneath me,

48 who saved me from angry foes,

and set me above my assailants,

safe from the violent.

49 For this I will praise you among the nations,

making music, O Lord, to your name:

50 for great triumphs he grants to his king,

and faithful love he shows his anointed,

to David and his seed evermore.

Psalm 19 – The Glory of God in the Heavens

Revision 2

For the leader. A psalm of David.

19 The heavens declare God’s glory,

the sky tells what his hands have done.

2 Day tells it to day,

night reveals it to night,

3 without speaking, without words;

without the sound of voices.

4 But through all the world their voice carries

their words to the ends of the earth.

He has pitched a tent for the sun in the sky,

5 it comes out like a bridegroom from his bridal chamber,

it joyfully runs its course like a hero.

6 From one end of the heavens it rises,

and round it runs to the other,

and nothing hides from its heat.

In Praise of the Law

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,

renewing life.

The decrees of the Lord are trusty,

making the simple wise.

8 The behests of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart.

The command of the Lord is pure,

giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean,

it endures forever.

The Lord’s judgments are true

and right altogether.

10 More precious are they than gold –

than fine gold in plenty,

and sweeter they are than honey,

that drops from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;

who keeps them has rich reward.

12 Who can know their flaws?

Absolve me from those I know not.

13 Keep your servant from wilful sins –

from falling under their sway:

then blameless and clear will I be

from great offence.

14 May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart

be pleasing to you, Lord,

my rock and redeemer.

Psalm 20 – A Prayer for Victory

Revision 2

For the leader. A psalm of David.

20 The Lord answer you in the day of distress,

the name of the Jacob’s God protect you,

2 sending you help from the temple,

out of Zion supporting you.

3 All your meal-offerings may he remember,

your burnt-offerings look on with favour. Selah

4 May he grant you your heart’s desire,

and bring all your plans to pass.

5 We will shout then for joy at your victory,

and rejoice in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant your every request.

6 Now I am sure that the Lord

will help his anointed.

From his temple in heaven he will answer

by his mighty triumphant right hand.

7 Some in chariots are strong, some in horses;

but our strength is the Lord our God.

8 They will totter and fall,

while we rise and stand firm.

9 Give victory, Lord, to the king,

and answer us when we call.

Psalm 21 – A Prayer after a Victory

Revision 2

For the leader. A psalm of David.

21 The king rejoices, Lord, in your might,

how he exults because of your help!

2 You have granted to him his heart’s desire,

you have not withheld his lips’ request. Selah

3 You came to meet him with rich blessings,

you set on his head a golden crown.

4 He asked you for life, you gave it –

many long days, forever and ever.

5 Great is his glory because of your help,

honour and majesty you lay upon him.

6 For you make him most blessed forever,

you make him glad with the joy of your presence.

7 For the king puts always his trust in the Lord;

the Most High, in his love, will preserve him unshaken.

8 Your hand will reach all your foes,

your right hand, all who hate you.

9 You will make them like a furnace of fire,

when you appear, Lord.

The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath.

The fire will devour them.

10 You will sweep their offspring from the earth,

their children from humanity.

11 When they scheme against you

and hatch evil plots – they will fail.

12 For you aim your bow at their faces,

make them turn in flight.

13 Be exalted, Lord, in your strength,

to your might we shall sing and make music.

Psalm 22 – The Sufferer’s Triumph

For the leader; set to “Deer of the Dawn”. A psalm of David.

22 My God, my God, why have you left me,

my rescue so far from the words of my roaring?

2 I cry in the day, you do not answer,

I cry in the night but find no rest.

3 You are the Holy One,

throned on the praises of Israel.

4 In you our ancestors trusted,

they trusted and you delivered them.

5 They cried to you, and found safety,

in you did they trust and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm, not a person;

insulted by others, despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me,

with mouths wide open and wagging heads:

8 ‘He relies on the Lord; let him save him.

Let him rescue the one he holds dear!’

9 But you drew me from the womb,

laid me safely on my mother’s breasts.

10 On your care was I cast from my very birth,

you are my God from my mother’s womb.

11 Be not far from me, for trouble is nigh,

and there is none to help.

12 I am circled by many bulls,

beset by the mighty of Bashan,

13 who face me with gaping jaws,

like ravening roaring lions.

14 Poured out am I like water,

and all my bones are loosened.

My heart is become like wax,

melted within me.

15 My palate is dry as a sherd,

my tongue sticks to my jaws;

in the dust of death you lay me.

16 For dogs are round about me,

a band of knaves encircles me,

gnawing my hands and my feet.

17 I can count my bones, every one.

As for them, they feast their eyes on me.

18 They divide my garments among them,

and over my raiment cast lots.

19 But you, O Lord, be not far,

O my strength, hasten to help me.

20 Deliver my life from the sword

my life from the power of the dogs.

21 Save me from the jaws of the lion,

from the horns of the wild oxen help me.

22 I will tell of your fame to my kindred,

and in the assembly will praise you.

23 Praise the Lord, you who fear him.

All Jacob’s seed, give him glory.

All Israel’s seed, stand in awe of him.

24 For he has not despised nor abhorred

the sorrow of the sorrowful.

He hid not his face from me,

but he listened to my cry for help.

25 Of you is my praise in the great congregation;

my vows I will pay before those who fear him.

26 The afflicted will eat to their heart’s desire,

and those who seek after the Lord will praise him.

Lift up your hearts forever.

27 All will call it to mind, to the ends of the earth,

and turn to the Lord;

and all tribes of the nations will bow down before you.

28 For the kingdom belongs to the Lord:

he is the Lord of the nations.

29 To him will bow down all who sleep in the earth,

and before him bend all who go down to the dust,

and those who could not preserve their lives.

30 My descendants will tell of the Lord

to the next generation;

31 they will declare his righteousness

to people yet to be born:

He has done it.

Psalm 23 – The Good Shepherd

Revision 2

A psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd: I am never in need.

2 He lays me down in green pastures.

He gently leads me to waters of rest,

3 he refreshes my life.

He guides me along paths that are straight,

true to his name.

4 And when my way lies through a valley of gloom,

I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Your rod and your staff comfort me.

5 You spread a table for me

in face of my foes;

with oil you anoint my head,

and my cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and love will pursue me –

all the days of my life.

In the house of the Lord I will live

through the length of the days.

Psalm 24 – The True Worshipper

Of David. A psalm.

24 The earth is the Lord’s and all that it holds,

the world and those who live in it.

2 For he founded it on the seas,

and on the floods he sustains it.

3 Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?

4 The clean of hands, the pure of heart,

who sets not their heart upon sinful things,

nor swears with intent to deceive:

5 they win from the Lord a blessing:

God is their champion and saviour.

6 Such must be those who resort to him,

and seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

The Lords’s Triumphal Entry into the Sanctuary

7 Lift high your heads, you gates –

Higher, you ancient doors;

welcome the glorious king.

8 ‘Who is the glorious king?’

‘The Lord strong and heroic,

the Lord heroic in battle.’

9 Lift high your heads, you gates –

Higher, you ancient doors;

welcome the glorious king.

10 ‘Who is the glorious king?’

‘The Lord, the God of hosts,

he is the glorious king.’ Selah

Psalm 25 – A Prayer for Forgiveness and Protection

A psalm of David.

25 To you, O Lord, I lift up my heart:

all the day I wait for you.

2 In you I trust, put me not to shame;

let not my foes exult over me.

3 None will be shamed who wait for you,

but shame will fall upon wanton traitors.

4 Make me, O Lord, to know your ways:

teach me your paths.

5 In your faithfulness guide me and teach me,

for you are my God and my saviour.

6 Remember your pity, O Lord, and your kindness,

for they have been ever of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth;

remember me in kindness,

because of your goodness, Lord.

8 Good is the Lord and upright,

so he teaches sinners the way.

9 The humble he guides in the right,

he teaches the humble his way.

10 All his ways are loving and loyal

to those who observe his charges and covenant.

11 Be true to your name Lord,

forgive my many sins.

12 Who then is the person who fears the Lord?

He will teach them the way to choose.

13 They will live in prosperity,

their children will inherit the land.

14 The Lord gives guidance to those who fear him,

and with his covenant he makes them acquainted.

15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

for out of the net he brings my foot.

16 Turn to me with your favour,

for I am lonely and crushed

17 In my heart are strain and storm;

bring me out of my distresses.

18 Look on my misery and trouble,

and pardon all my sins,

19 look on my foes oh, so many!

And their cruel hatred towards me.

20 Deliver me, keep me, and shame not

one who takes refuge in you.

21 May integrity and innocence preserve me,

for I wait for you, O Lord.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,

from all its distresses.

Psalm 26 – Prayer of a Devout Worshipper

A psalm of David.

26 Defend me, O Lord, for my walk has been blameless;

in the Lord have I trusted unswervingly:

2 Examine me, Lord, and test me;

test my heart and my mind.

3 For your love is before my eyes,

and your faithfulness governs my way.

4 I never sat down with the worthless,

nor companied with dissemblers.

5 I hate the assembly of knaves,

I would never sit down with the wicked;

6 but, with hands washed in innocence,

I would march round your altar, O Lord,

7 singing loud songs of thanks,

and telling of all your wonders.

8 O Lord, I love your house,

the place where your glory lives.

9 Do not gather me up with sinners;

slay me not with people of blood,

10 whose hands are stained with villainy,

and whose right hand is filled with bribes.

11 But my walk is blameless!

O redeem me, be gracious to me.

12 My foot stands on even ground,

in the choirs I will bless the Lord.

Psalm 27 – If God is for Me

A psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my saviour;

whom then should I fear?

The Lord protects my life;

whom then should I dread?

2 When the wicked drew near to assail me

and eat up my flesh,

it was those who distressed and opposed me

who stumbled and fell.

3 Though against me a host should encamp,

yet my heart would be fearless:

though battle should rise up against me,

still would I be trustful.

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,

and that do I long for –

To live in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the grace of the Lord

and inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of misfortune.

In his sheltering tent he hides me:

he lifts me up on a rock.

6 And now that my head he has lifted

above my encircling foes,

I will march round the altar and sacrifice,

shouting with joy, in his tent,

making music and song to the Lord.

The Serenity of Faith

7 Hear, O Lord, my loud cry,

and graciously answer me.

8 My heart has said to you,

‘Your face, O Lord, I seek.’

9 Hide not your face from me,

reject not your servant in anger:

for you have been my help.

Abandon me not, nor forsake me,

O God of my help:

10 for father and mother have left me;

but the Lord will take me up.

11 Teach me your way, O Lord:

lead me in an even path,

because of my enemies.

12 Give me not up, O Lord,

unto the rage of my foes;

for against me have risen false witnesses,

breathing out cruelty.

13 Firm is the faith I cherish,

that I, in the land of the living,

will yet see the goodness of God.

14 Let your heart be courageous and strong,

and wait on the Lord.

Psalm 28 – An Answered Prayer for Help

Of David.

28 Unto you, O Lord, do I cry;

my rock, be not deaf to me:

lest, through holding your peace, I become

like those who go down to the pit.

2 Hear my loud entreaty,

as I cry for help to you,

lifting my hands, O Lord,

towards your holy chancel.

3 Take me not off with the wicked,

nor with the workers of wrong,

whose speech to their neighbours is friendly,

while evil is in their heart.

4 Give them as they have done,

as their wicked deeds deserve.

As their hands have wrought, so give to them:

requite to them their deserts.

5 They are blind to all that the Lord does,

to all that his hands have wrought;

and so he will tear them down,

to build them up no more.

6 Blest be the Lord, who has heard

my voice as I plead for mercy.

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him.

I was helped: so my heart is exultant,

and in my song I will praise him.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people,

the fortress who saves his anointed.

9 O save your people,

and bless your inheritance.

Be their shepherd

and carry them forever.

Psalm 29 – The Lord’s Glory in the Storm

A psalm of David.

29 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,

ascribe to the Lord glory and power

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory he manifests:

bow to the Lord in holy array.

3 The Lord’s voice peals on the waters.

The God of glory has thundered.

He peals o’er the mighty waters.

4 The Lord’s voice sounds with strength,

the Lord’s voice sounds with majesty.

5 The Lord’s voice breaks the cedars,

he breaks the cedars of Lebanon,

6 making Lebanon dance like a calf,

Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The Lord’s voice hews out flames of fire.

8 The Lord’s voice rends the desert,

he rends the desert of Kadesh.

9 The Lord’s voice whirls the oaks,

and strips the forests bare;

and all in his temple say ‘Glory.’

10 The Lord was king at the flood,

the Lord sits throned forever.

11 The Lord gives strength to his people,

he blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 30 – A Song of Thanksgiving for Deliverance

A psalm of David. A song for the dedication of the Temple.

30 I will extol you, O Lord,

because you have lifted me up,

and not suffered my foes to rejoice over me.

2 I cried to you for help,

O Lord my God, and you healed me.

3 You have brought me up, Lord, from Sheol,

from my way to the pit back to life you have called me.

4 Sing praise to the Lord, faithful people;

give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,

his favour endures for a lifetime.

Weeping may lodge for the night,

but the morning brings shouts of joy.

6 When all went well, I imagined

that never should I be shaken.

7 For by your favour, O Lord,

you had set me on mountains strong:

but you hide your face,

and I was confounded.

8 Then to you, Lord, I cried,

to the Lord I begged for mercy,

9 ‘What profit is there in my blood,

if I go down to the pit?

Can you be praised by dust?

Can it tell of your faithfulness?

10 Hear, Lord, and show me your favour,

Lord be a helper to me.’

11 You have turned my mourning to dancing;

my sackcloth you have unloosed,

and clothed me with joy:

12 that unceasingly I should sing your praise,

and give thanks to you, Lord my God, forever.

Psalm 31 – A Prayer for Deliverance from Troubles

For the leader. A psalm of David.

31 In you, O Lord, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

Rescue me in your faithfulness;

2 incline to me your ear.

Deliver me speedily.

Be to me a rock of defence,

a fortified house, to save me.

3 For my rock and my fortress are you;

lead me and guide me so your name will be honoured.

4 Draw me out of the net they have hid for me,

for you yourself are my refuge.

5 Into your hand I commend my spirit:

you ransom me, Lord, faithful God.

6 I hate those devoted to worthless idols;

I trust in the Lord.

7 I will rejoice and be glad in your love,

because you have looked on my misery,

and cared for me in my distress.

8 You have not given me into the enemy’s hand,

you have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am distressed;

my eye is wasted away with sorrow.

10 For my life is consumed with grief,

and my years with sighing.

My strength is broken with misery,

my bones waste away.

11 The scorn of all my foes,

the butt of my neighbours am I,

a terror to my acquaintance.

At the sight of me in the street

people turn quickly away.

12 I am clean forgotten like the dead,

am become like a ruined vessel.

13 I hear the whispers of many –

terror on every side –

scheming together against me,

plotting to take my life.

14 But my trust is in you, Lord.

‘You are my God,’ I say;

15 my times are in your hand, save me

from the hand of the foes who pursue me.

16 Make your face to shine on your servant,

save me in your love.

17 Put me not, O Lord, to shame,

for I have called upon you.

Let the wicked be put to shame

silent in Sheol.

18 Strike the false lips dumb,

that speak proudly against the righteous

with haughtiness and contempt.

19 How great is the goodness

you have treasured for those who fear you,

and wrought for those who take refuge in you,

in plain sight of all!

20 In your sheltering wings you hide them

from plottings of people,

you keep them safe in a bower

from the chiding of tongues.

21 Blest be the Lord

for the wonderful love he has shown me

in time of distress.

22 For I had said in panic,

‘I am driven clean out of your sight.’

But you heard my plea,

when I cried to you for help.

23 Love the Lord, all you faithful;

the Lord protects the loyal,

but repays the haughty in full.

24 Let your hearts be courageous and strong,

all you who wait on the Lord.

Psalm 32 – A Prayer of Confession and Joy

Of David. A maskil.

32 Happy those whose transgression is pardoned,

whose sin is covered.

2 Happy are those, free from falseness of spirit,

to whom the Lord reckons no debt of guilt.

3 When I held my peace, my bones wore away

with my endless groaning;

4 for day and night did your hand

lie heavy upon me.

The sap of my life was dried up

as with fierce summer-heat. Selah

5 I began to acknowledge my sin,

not concealing my guilt;

and the moment I vowed to confess

to the Lord my transgression,

then you yourself did pardon

the guilt of my sin. Selah

6 For this cause let all who are faithful

pray to you in the time of distress;

then, when the great waters rush,

they will not reach to him.

7 For you are my shelter,

you protect me from trouble,

and surround me with deliverance. Selah

8 ‘With my eye steadfastly upon you,

I will instruct and teach you

The way you should go.

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,

that have no understanding,

but need bridle and halter to curb them,

else they will not come near to you.’

10 The godless have many sorrows,

but those who trust in the Lord

will be compassed about by his kindness.

11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you righteous;

and ring out your joy, all you upright in heart.

Psalm 33 – A Hymn of Thanksgiving

33 Shout for joy in the Lord, you righteous:

praise for the upright is seemly.

2 Give thanks to the Lord on the lyre,

play to him on a ten-stringed harp.

3 Sing to him a new song,

play skilfully and shout merrily.

4 For the Lord is straight in his promise;

and all that he does is in faithfulness.

5 Justice and right he loves;

the earth is full of his kindness.

6 By his word the heavens were made,

all their host by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathers the sea in a bottle,

the ocean he puts into store-houses.

8 Let the whole world honour the Lord,

let all who live on earth be in awe.

9 For at his word it came into being,

at his command it stood forth.

10 The Lord frustrates the designs of the nations,

what the peoples have purposed, he brings to nought,

11 but the Lord’s own design will stand forever,

and what his heart has purposed, through all generations.

12 Happy the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people he chose for himself as his own.

13 The Lord looks down from heaven,

he sees all of humanity;

14 from where he rules he gazes

on all who inhabit the earth.

15 He fashions the hearts of them all,

and gives heed to all that they do.

16 It is not by great armies that kings are victorious,

it is not by great strength that a warrior saves himself;

17 false hope is the war-horse to usher in victory,

for all its great might it can provide no escape.

18 See! The eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his kindness;

19 to deliver their life from death,

and to keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait for the Lord:

he is our help and our shield.

21 For in him our heart is glad,

we trust in his holy name.

22 Let your kindness, O Lord, be upon us,

as is our hope in you.

Psalm 34 – The Lord is Mindful of His Own

Of David, when he feigned madness in the presence of Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.

34 I will bless the Lord at all times,

in my mouth will his praise be forever.

2 In the Lord will my heart make her boast,

the humble will hear and be glad.

3 O magnify the Lord with me

and let us extol his name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and, in answer,

he saved me from all my terrors.

5 Look to him and you will be radiant,

with faces unashamed.

6 Here is one who was crushed,

but cried and was heard by the Lord,

and brought safe out of every trouble.

7 The Lord’s angel encamps

about those who fear him, and rescues them.

8 O taste and see that the Lord is good,

happy those who take refuge in him.

9 Fear the Lord, all his people,

for they who fear him lack nothing.

10 Even young lions may be poor and hungry,

but those who seek the Lord

will not lack any good thing.

11 Come, children, listen to me.

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Which of you is desirous of life,

loves many and happy days?

13 Then guard your tongue from evil,

and your lips from speaking deceit.

14 Depart from evil, and do good;

seek peace, and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are towards the righteous,

his ears are towards their cry for help.

16 The Lord sets his face against those who do evil,

to root their memory out of the earth.

17 When righteous cry, they are heard by the Lord,

and he saves them from all their distresses.

18 The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,

he helps those whose spirit is crushed.

19 Many misfortunes befall the righteous,

but the Lord delivers them out of them all.

20 He guards all their bones,

none are broken.

21 Misfortune will slay the ungodly;

those who hate the righteous are doomed.

22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants,

and none will be doomed who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 35 – A Prayer for Deliverance from Malicious Foes

Of David.

35 Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me,

do battle with those who do battle with me.

2 Grasp shield and buckler,

and rise up as my help.

3 Draw spear and battle-axe,

confront those who pursue me.

Assure me that you will help me.

4 Dishonour and shame be on those

who are seeking my life!

Defeat and confusion on those

who are planning my hurt!

5 As chaff before wind may they be,

with the Lord’s angel pursuing them.

6 Slippery and dark be their way,

with his angel thrusting them on.

7 For they wantonly hid their net for me,

and dug a pit to destroy me.

8 Upon them may ruin come unawares;

may the net which they hid catch themselves,

and into the pit may they fall.

9 Then I will exult in the Lord,

and be joyful because of his help;

10 and all my being will say,

‘Who, O Lord, is like you,

who save the helpless from those too strong for them,

the poor and the helpless from those who despoil them?’

11 Violent witnesses rise,

and ask of me things that I know not.

12 Evil for good they requite me,

leaving me inwardly comfortless.

13 But when they were sick, I put on sackcloth,

and chastened myself with fasting.

I prayed with head bowed low,

14 as if for my friend or my brother.

I went about bowed and in mourning,

as one who laments his mother.

15 When I stumbled, they gleefully gathered,

strangers gathered around me,

and tore at me without ceasing,

16 impiously mocking and mocking,

bearing their teeth at me.

17 How long, Lord, will you look on?

Rescue me from their roaring,

my precious life from the lions.

18 I will then give you thanks in the great congregation,

and praise you before many people.

19 Suffer not those to rejoice over me

who are falsely my foes,

suffer not those who without cause abhor me

to wink with the eye.

20 For it is not peace that they speak

of those who are quiet in the land;

but treacherous charges they plot.

21 With wide open mouths they shout,

‘Hurrah! Hurrah!

With our own eyes we saw it.’

22 But you have seen, too, O Lord,

keep not silence, O Lord,

be not far from me.

23 Bestir you, awake, for my right

my God, my Lord, for my cause.

24 You are just, Lord: win for me justice,

let them not rejoice over me,

25 inwardly saying, ‘Hurrah!

The desire of our hearts at last!

Now we have swallowed him up.’

26 Shame and confusion together

on those who rejoice at my hurt!

Clothed with shame and dishonour

be those who are haughty to me!

27 Let such as delight in my cause

ring out their gladness,

and say evermore,

‘Great is the Lord whose delight

is the well-being of his servant.’

28 Then my tongue will tell of your justice,

and all the day long of your praise.

Psalm 36 – The Triumphant Power of God’s Love

For the leader. Of the servant of the Lord, of David.

36 Sin whispers within the heart of the wicked,

who have no dread of God before their eyes.

2 It flatters them in their eyes

that their sin will not be found out.

3 First, their speech becomes wicked and false,

they give up acting wisely and well.

4 Then they plot deliberate wrong,

take their stand on the wicked way,

without the least shrinking from evil.

5 Your love, O Lord, touches the heavens,

your faithfulness reaches the clouds.

6 Your justice is like the great mountains,

your judgments are like the broad sea.

Lord, you save people and animals.

7 How precious your love, O God!

All may seek shelter in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on the fat of your house,

they drink of your brook of delights.

9 For with you is the fountain of life,

in the light that is yours we see light.

10 O continue your grace to the faithful,

your love to the upright in heart.

11 Let no arrogant foot tread upon me,

no wicked hand drive me to exile.

12 There the workers of wrong lie prostrate,

thrust down to rise up no more.

Psalm 37 – Trust in the Lord and Do Good

Of David.

37 Be not kindled to wrath at the wicked,

nor envious of those who work wrong;

2 for, like grass, they will speedily wither,

and fade like the green of young grass.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

remain in the land, and deal faithfully:

4 then the Lord will be your delight,

he will grant you your heart’s petitions.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act,

6 making clear as the light your right,

and your just cause clear as the noon-day.

7 In silence and patience wait on the Lord.

Be not kindled to anger at those who prosper.

At those who execute evil devices.

8 Desist from anger, abandon wrath:

be not kindled to anger it leads but to evil:

9 for evildoers will be cut off,

but the land will be theirs, who wait on the Lord.

10 Yet but a little, and the wicked vanish:

look at their place: they are there no more.

11 But the humble will have the land,

and the rapture of peace in abundance.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous,

snarls like a wild animal;

13 the Lord laughs,

for he sees that his day is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn the sword, and bent the bow,

to fell the poor, to slay those who walk uprightly;

15 but their sword will pierce their own heart,

and their bows will be broken in pieces.

16 Better is the righteous person’s little

than the wealth of many wicked.

17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The Lord watches over the days of the blameless,

their heritage will continue forever.

19 They will not be shamed in the evil time,

in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

20 Because the wicked will perish:

but the foes of the Lord, like a brand in the oven,

will vanish, like smoke they will vanish.

21 The wicked must borrow and cannot pay back,

but the righteous is lavish and gives.

22 For those blest by the Lord inherit the land,

while those whom he curses will be cut off.

23 The Lord supports the steps

of those with whom he is pleased.

24 Though they fall, they will not be cast headlong,

for the Lord holds their hands.

25 Never, from youth to age,

have I seen the righteous forsaken,

or their children begging bread.

26 They are ever lavishly lending,

and their children are fountains of blessing.

27 Turn away from evil and do good

and you will live in the land forever.

28 For the Lord loves justice,

he does not forsake his friends.

The unrighteous will be destroyed forever,

and the seed of the wicked will be cut off.

29 But the land will belong to the righteous,

they will live upon it forever,

30 The mouth of the righteous murmurs wisdom,

and words of justice are on their tongues.

31 The law of their God is in their heart,

their steps are never unsteady.

32 The wicked watches the righteous,

and seeks to put them to death.

33 But the Lord leaves them not in their hand:

at their trial they will not be held guilty.

34 Wait on the Lord, and observe his way:

he will lift you to honour the land will be yours,

you will feast your eyes on the doom of the wicked.

35 I have seen the wicked exultant,

lifting themselves like a cedar of Lebanon.

36 But the moment I passed, they vanished!

I sought for them, but they could not be found.

37 Preserve your honour and practise uprightness,

for such a person fares well in the end.

38 But transgressors will perish together.

Cut off are the wicked forever.

39 The righteous are saved by the Lord,

who in time of distress is their refuge:

40 the Lord helps and rescue them,

from the wicked he rescues and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 38 – A Confession and Prayer for Deliverance

A Psalm of David. A lament.

38 Reprove me not, Lord, in your anger,

and chasten me not in your wrath;

2 for your arrows have sunk into me,

and your hand lies heavy upon me.

3 In my flesh is no soundness

because of your anger,

no health in my bones,

because of my sin.

4 For that my guilt

is gone over my head:

it weighs like a burden

too heavy for me.

5 My wounds stink and fester,

for my foolishness I am tormented.

6 Bent and bowed am I utterly,

all the day going in mourning.

7 My loins are filled with burning,

and in my flesh is no soundness.

8 I am utterly crushed and numb;

I cry louder than lion roars.

9 Lord, you know all that I long for,

my groans are not hidden from you.

10 My heart is throbbing,

my strength has failed me.

The light of my eyes –

even it is gone from me.

11 My dear ones and friends keep aloof,

and my neighbours stand afar off.

12 They who aim at my life lay their snares,

they who seek my hurt speak of ruin,

nursing treachery all the day long.

13 But I turn a deaf ear and hear not;

like the dumb I open not my mouth.

14 I am like one without hearing,

with no arguments in my mouth.

15 For my hope, O Lord, is in you.

You will answer, O Lord my God,

16 when I utter the hope that those

who made scorn of my tottering feet

may not rejoice over me.

17 For I am ready to fall,

my pain forsakes me never.

18 I acknowledge my guilt,

I am anxious because of my sin:

19 My wanton assailants are strong,

those who wrongfully hate me are many,

20 who render me evil for good,

and oppose me, because I make good my goal.

21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;

my God, be not far from me.

22 Hasten to help me,

O Lord my saviour.

Psalm 39 – The Pathos of Life

For the leader; for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

39 I vowed to watch my words,

and sin not with my tongue,

but to put on my mouth a muzzle,

while the wicked were in my presence.

2 I was silent and dumb,

speechless:

but my pain was stirred up.

3 My heart grew hot within me;

as I mused, the fire was kindled,

till at last the words came to my tongue.

4 ‘Teach me, O Lord, my end,

and the sum of my days what it is.

Let me know how transient I am.

5 See! My days you have made but a span,

and my life is as nothing before you.

It is but as a breath that everyone stands: Selah

6 it is but in mere semblance we walk to and fro,

and all our noise is for nothing.

We heap up, and know not who will gather.’

7 And now, what wait I for, Lord?

My hope is in you.

8 From all my transgressions deliver me;

make me not the scorn of the fool.

9 I am dumb, never opening my mouth,

for this is your own doing.

10 Remove your stroke from off me:

by the might of your hand I am spent.

11 When you rebuke someone to punish their sins,

you consume, like a moth, what they treasures.

Everyone is only a breath. Selah

12 Hear my prayer, O Lord;

attend to my cry for help.

Hold not your peace at my tears.

For I am but a guest of yours,

a stranger visiting, like all my ancestors.

13 Look away from me, let me smile again,

before I die and am gone.

Psalm 40 – Thanksgiving and Petition

For the leader. A psalm of David.

40 For the Lord I waited and waited,

till, inclining to me,

he heard my cry.

2 From the horrible pit he drew me,

up out of the miry clay;

he set my feet on a rock,

and my steps he made firm.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,

of praise to our God.

Many see it, and, filled with awe,

put their trust in the Lord.

4 Happy the person who has put

in the Lord their trust,

not looking to false gods

or turning to idols.

5 With us you have wrought in rich measure,

O Lord our God,

your marvels and purposes for us –

none may compare with you –

were I to declare or to tell them,

past counting are they.

6 In offerings bloody or bloodless

you have no delight,

but with open ears you have made me.

Burnt-offering and offering for sin

are not what you ask.

7 Then said I, ‘Here I am,

as the roll of the book has enjoined.

8 My delight, O God, is to do your will,

and your law is within my heart.’

9 Well, O Lord, you know

that, with lips unrestrained,

your righteousness I told

in the great congregation,

10 not hiding it in my heart.

I have told of your steadfast help,

from the great congregation I hid not

your love and your faithfulness.

11 So do not restrain, Lord,

your pity from us.

Your love and your faithfulness – ever

may they be our shield.

12 For evils that cannot be numbered

have compassed me round.

My transgressions have followed me up –

I can bear it no more.

They are more than the hairs of my head,

and my heart has forsaken me.

13 O Lord, be pleased to deliver me,

haste to my help, O Lord.

14 May those who are seeking my life

be ashamed and confounded together;

may those who delight in my hurt

be defeated and brought to dishonour.

15 May those who hurrah over me

be dumbfounded because of their shame.

16 But may all who seek after you

rejoice and be glad in you.

May all those eager for your aid,

say, ‘Great is the Lord’ evermore.

17 I am weak and needy,

yet the Lord cares for me.

You are my help and deliverer;

don’t delay, my God.

Psalm 41 – A Prayer for Healing and Vindication

For the leader; for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

41 Happy are those who consider the weak;

in the day of misfortune the Lord will deliver them.

2 He will keep them safe, happy, and long in the land,

and not give them up to the rage of their foes.

3 The Lord will sustain them on bed of languishing;

tending their sickness, as long as they lie.

4 For this cause I say, ‘Lord, show me your favour;

heal me, because I have sinned against you.’

5 My enemies speak of me nothing but evil,

‘When will he die, and his name pass away?’

6 When one comes to see me, their words ring hollow;

their heart keeps gathering mischief the while;

and when they go out, they give it speech.

7 In secret they whisper together against me,

all those who hate me plot evil against me.

8 ‘Some fatal disease has fastened upon him;

and now that he lies, he will rise up no more.’

9 My most trusted friend, on whom I relied,

who ate of my bread, has turned against me.

10 But do you, Lord, graciously raise me up,

that I may pay them their due reward.

11 By this will I know you delight in me:

if my foes may not shout over me in triumph.

12 For my innocence you uphold me,

and set me forever before your face.

13 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting,

Amen and Amen.

Psalm 42 – Yearning for God

Revision 2

For the leader. A maskil of the Korahites.

42 Like the hart which longs

for brooks of water,

I long

for you, God.

2 I thirst for God,

for my living God.

When shall I enter in,

and see the face of God?

3 My tears have been my food

by day and by night;

for they say to me all the day long,

‘Where is your God?’

4 My heart floods with sorrow,

as I call to mind:

how I used to pass on with the throng,

at their head, to the house of God,

with glad shouts and giving of thanks,

in the throng who kept festival.

5 Why am I downcast?

Why this moaning within me?

Hope in God;

for yet will I praise him,

my help, my God.

6 I am sunk in my misery;

I will therefore call you to mind

from the land of Jordan and Hermon,

the mountain Mizar.

7 Flood is calling to flood

at the noise of your cataracts;

all your waves and your breakers

have passed over me.

8 In the day I cry to the Lord

to summon his kindness;

and the song that I sing in the night

is a prayer to the living God.

9 I say to God my rock,

‘Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I walk so sadly,

so hard pressed by the foe?’

10 It pierces me to the heart

to hear the enemy’s taunts,

as all the day long they say to me,

‘Where is your God?’

11 Why am I downcast?

Why this moaning within me?

Hope in God;

for yet will I praise him,

my help, my God.

Psalm 43 – Plea for Help

43 Right me, defend my cause

against a pitiless people.

From the crafty and crooked,

O God, deliver me.

2 For you are God my protector:

why have you cast me off?

Why must I walk so sadly,

so hard pressed by the foe?

3 Send forth your light and your truth,

let them be my guides:

to your holy hill let them bring me,

to the place where you live.

4 Then will I go to God’s altar,

to God my rejoicing;

and with joy on the lyre I will praise you,

O God, my God.

5 Why am I downcast?

Why this moaning within me?

Hope in God;

for yet will I praise him,

my help, my God.

Psalm 44 – A Lament in Defeat

For the leader. Of the Korahites. A maskil.

44 O God, we have heard with our ears,

all our ancestors have told us

of the work that you wrought in their day,

your wonders in days of old,

2 uprooting and crushing the nations,

then planting and settling them.

For it wasn’t their own sword that won them the land,

3 it was not their own arm that brought them the victory.

Yours was the hand and the arm,

yours was the face that shone on them with favour.

4 It was you, my king and my God,

that ordained the victories of Jacob.

5 Through you we can thrust back our foes,

and by your name tread down our assailants:

6 for not in my bow do I trust,

nor can my sword win me the victory.

7 Our victory comes from you,

and confusion to those who hate us.

8 In God we boast all the day long,

and your name will we praise forever. Selah

9 Yet you have spurned and disgraced us,

in not going forth with our armies,

10 and in making us flee from the foe,

so that those who hated us plundered us.

11 You have let us be eaten like sheep,

you have scattered us over the world,

12 sold your people for a pittance,

and getting no gain from their price.

13 You have made us the butt of our neighbours,

the derision and scorn of all round us.

14 O’er the world you have made us a byword,

the nations at us shake their heads.

15 My disgrace is forever before me,

my face is covered with shame,

16 at the words of blasphemer and scoffer,

at the sight of the foe and the vengeful.

17 All this has come upon us,

yet we have not forgotten you

nor falsely dealt with your covenant.

18 Our heart has not turned back,

nor our steps declined from your way,

19 that you thus should have crushed us down,

and covered us over with gloom,

in the place where the jackals roam.

20 Had we forgotten the name of our God,

or stretched out our hands to a god that was strange,

21 would God not have searched this out?

For he knows the heart and its secrets.

22 But in your cause it is we are killed all the day,

and counted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Rouse yourself, why do you sleep Lord?

Awake, cast us not off forever.

24 Why do you hide your face,

forgetting our stress and our misery?

25 For we have sunk down to the dust,

our bodies cling to the ground.

26 Arise, come to our help:

for your love’s sake, ransom us.

Psalm 45 – Song for the Marriage of a King

For the leader; on shoshannim. Of the Korahites. A maskil. A love song.

45 My heart is astir with beautiful words:

I will sing a song, concerning the king,

with tongue like the pen of a ready writer.

2 Your beauty is more than mortal,

grace is shed over your lips:

therefore God has blessed you forever.

3 Warrior, strap your sword on your thigh.

What glory and splendour!

4 Good fortune attend you, as forth you ride

in the cause of good faith, and as champion of justice.

May your arm instruct you in deeds of dread.

5 Sharp are your arrows; nations fall under you:

pierced to the heart are the foes of the king.

6 Your throne shall endure for ever and ever

your royal sceptre a sceptre of equity.

7 Right you love and wrong you hate:

therefore the Lord your God anoints you

With oil of gladness above your fellows.

8 With myrrh, aloes, and cassia your robes are all fragrant,

you are gladdened by music of ivory harps.

9 King’s daughters stand ready with jewels for you,

at your right hand the queen in gold of Ophir.

10 Listen, daughter, and see; and incline your ear:

forget your folk and your father’s house.

11 And when the king desires your beauty,

bow to him, for he is your lord.

12 So shall the Tyrians come with gifts,

and the richest of people will do you homage.

13 The king’s daughter is glorious altogether,

with dress of pearls inwrought with gold.

14 In many-coloured robes she is led to the king,

with the virgin companions she brought in her train.

15 The king’s palace they enter with joy and rejoicing.

16 May sons of yours take the place of your fathers,

whom you will make princes in all the land.

17 Your name will I celebrate world without end,

so that nations shall praise you for ever and ever.

Psalm 46 – Our God is a Mighty Fortress

For the leader. Of the Korahites, on alamoth. A song.

46 God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

2 So we have no fear, though earth should change,

and the hills totter into the heart of the ocean.

3 Let its waters roar and foam,

let the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

On our side is the Lord of hosts,

our sure defence is the God of Jacob. Selah

4 A river there is, whose streams make glad

God’s city, the home the Most High has hallowed.

5 God is within her: she cannot be shaken.

God helps her at the turn of the morning.

6 Nations roared, kingdoms tottered:

he uttered his voice, earth melted away.

7 On our side is the Lord of hosts,

our sure defence is the God of Jacob.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,

working appallingly in the earth.

9 He stills wars to the ends of the earth –

breaking the bow, snapping the spear,

burning the chariots in the fire.

10 ‘Refrain; and know surely that I am God,

high over the nations, high over the world.’

11 On our side is the Lord of Hosts,

our sure defence is the God of Jacob. Selah

Psalm 47 – The Lord’s Universal Sovereignty

For the leader. Of the Korahites. A psalm.

47 Clap your hands, all you peoples:

shout to God in ringing cries.

2 For the Lord is most high and dread,

a great king over all the earth.

3 He subdues the peoples under us,

the nations under our feet;

4 he chooses our heritage for us,

the glory of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

5 God is gone up with a shout,

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6 Sing praise to our God, sing praises:

sing praise to our king, sing praises.

7 For king of all earth is he:

praise God in a skilful song.

8 God is king over all the nations,

God sits on his holy throne.

9 Princes of nations gather

with the people of Abraham’s God:

for the shields of the earth are God’s;

greatly exalted is he.

Psalm 48 – The Marvellous Deliverance of Zion

A song. A psalm of the Korahites.

48 Great is the Lord and worthy all praise

in the city of our God.

His holy mountain, 2 that rises so fair,

is the joy of all the world.

Like the mount of the gods is Mount Zion,

the city of the great king.

3 Once God made himself known

as the defence of her palaces.

4 For see! A concert of kings

passed over the frontier together.

5 But one glance, and they were astounded;

they hastened away in dismay.

6 Trembling took hold of them there,

like the pains of a woman in labour.

7 They were shattered, as east wind shatters

the giant ships in pieces.

8 What we heard, we now have seen

in the city of the Lord of hosts,

the city of our God.

God will uphold her forever. Selah

9 We think, O God, of your love,

in the midst of your temple.

10 Your fame, O God, like your name, shall extend

to the ends of the earth.

Victory fills your hand.

11 Let mount Zion be glad;

let the daughters of Judah rejoice

because of your judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, go round her;

count her towers.

13 Set your mind on her ramparts,

consider her palaces;

that you tell to the next generation

14 That such is God,

our God he it is who shall guide us

for ever and ever.

Psalm 49 – The Problem of the Prosperity of the Wicked

For the leader. Of the Korahites. A psalm.

49 Hear this, you peoples all;

attend, all you who live in the world

2 people of low degree and high,

the rich and the poor together.

3 My mouth shall utter wisdom,

the thoughts of a seeing heart.

4 I incline my ear to a proverb,

on the lyre I will open my riddle.

5 Why should I be afraid in the days of misfortune,

when circled by wicked and cunning foes,

6 who put their trust in their wealth,

and boast of their boundless riches?

7 For assuredly no one can ransom themselves,

or give to God the price of their life,

8 for the ransom of a life is costly,

no payment is ever enough,

9 to keep them alive for ever and ever,

so as never to see the pit at all.

10 But see it they will. Even wise people die,

the fool and the brutish perish alike,

and abandon their wealth to others.

11 The grave is their everlasting home,

the place they shall live in for ever and ever,

though after their own names they called whole lands.

12 Despite their wealth,

they perish like dumb animals.

13 This is the fate of the confident fool,

and the end of those who are pleased with their portion. Selah

14 Like sheep they descend to Sheol

with Death for their shepherd;

down they go straight to the grave,

and their form wastes away in their home below.

15 But God will assuredly ransom my life

from the hand of Sheol;

for he will receive me. Selah

16 So be not afraid when someone grows rich,

when the wealth of their house increases.

17 Not a shred of it all can they take when they die,

wealth cannot follow them down.

18 Though they count themselves happy, when they are alive,

and win praise from many for faring so well,

19 they must join their ancestors,

who see the light nevermore.

20 The wealthy are without understanding,

they perish like dumb animals.

Psalm 50 – True Worship

A psalm of Asaph.

50 The Lord God has spoken: He summons the earth

from sunrise to sunset.

2 From Zion, perfection of beauty,

God’s glory shines forth.

3 Our God comes, he cannot keep silence,

devouring fire is before him,

and furious tempest around him.

4 He summons the heavens above

and the earth to judge his people.

5 Gather to him his saints

by covenant-sacrifice bound to him;

6 that the heavens may declare his justice,

for a God of justice is he. Selah

7 ‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak,

and protest to you, O Israel:

I am the Lord, your God.

8 Not for your sacrifices will I reprove you

your burnt-offerings are ever before me

9 Not a bullock will I take from your house,

nor male goats out of your folds;

10 for all beasts of the forest are mine,

and the kine on a thousand hills.

11 I know all the birds of the air,

all that moves on the fields is mine.

12 Were I hungry, I would not tell you,

for the world and its fulness are mine.

13 Am I such as to eat bulls’ flesh,

or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer to God a thank-offering,

pay the Most High your vows.

15 Summon me in the day of distress,

I will rescue you, so will you honour me.’

16 But to the wicked God says:

‘What right have you to talk of my statutes,

or take my covenant into your mouth

17 while you yourself hate correction,

and cast my words behind you?

18 When you see a thief, you run with them;

with adulterers you keep company.

19 You let your mouth loose for evil,

your tongue contrives deceit.

20 You shamefully speak of your kin,

and slander your own mother’s son.

21 And because I kept silence at this,

you did take me for one like yourself.

But I will convict you and show you plainly.

22 ‘Now you who forget God, mark this,

lest I rend you, past hope of deliverance.

23 Those who bring a thank-offering honour me;

but to those: who follows my way,

I will show the salvation of God.’

Psalm 51 – God be Merciful to Me, the Sinner

For the leader. A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet come to him after he had been with Bathsheba.

51 In your kindness, O God, be gracious to me,

in your own great pity blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me clean of my guilt,

make me pure of my sin.

3 For well I know my transgressions,

my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, only you, have I sinned,

and done that which is wrong in your sight:

you therefore are just when you speak,

and clear when you utter judgment.

5 See! In guilt was I brought to the birth,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6 It’s the innermost truth you desire,

give me therefore true wisdom of heart.

7 Purge me clean with hyssop,

wash me whiter than snow.

8 Fill me with joy and gladness,

let the bones you have broken rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out my guilt altogether.

10 Create me a clean heart, O God,

put a new steadfast spirit within me.

11 Cast me not forth from your presence,

withdraw not your holy spirit.

12 Give me back the joy of your help,

with a willing spirit sustain me.

13 I will teach your ways to transgressors,

and sinners shall turn to you.

14 Save me from blood, O God,

and my tongue shall ring out your faithfulness.

15 Open my lips, O Lord,

and my mouth shall declare your praise.

16 For in sacrifice you have no pleasure,

in gifts of burnt-offering no delight.

17 The sacrifice pleasing to God

is a spirit that is broken;

a heart that is crushed, O God,

you will not despise.

18 Do good in your pleasure to Zion,

build the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then will you welcome the due forms of sacrifice,

then on your altars shall bullocks be offered.

Psalm 52 – The Doom of Arrogance

For the leader. A maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul that David had gone to Abimelech’s house.

52 Why glory in mischief, you hero?

God’s kindness is all the day.

2 Engulfing ruin you plot,

your tongue like a razor sharpened,

you practiser of deceit.

3 Evil, not good, you love,

and falsehood, not words of truth. Selah

4 But you love all words that devour,

and a tongue that is given to deceit.

5 But God, on his part, shall destroy you forever,

grasp you and pluck you out of your tent,

and root you out of the land of the living. Selah

6 Smitten with awe at the sight,

the righteous shall laugh at you.

7 ‘Look’ (they will say) ‘at the hero

who did not make God his stronghold,

but trusted in his great wealth

and in the strength of his riches.’

8 But I am like a fresh olive-tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the kindness of God

for ever and evermore.

9 I will render you thanks for ever

for what you have done.

I will tell how good you are

in the presence of those who love you.

Psalm 53 – The Folly of Denying God

Revision 2

For the leader. On mahalath. A maskil of David.

53 Fools say in their heart,

‘There is no God.’

Vile, hateful their life is;

not one does good.

2 From heaven God looks out

on humans, to see

if any are wise,

and care for God.

3 But all have turned bad,

the taint is on all;

not one does good,

no, not one.

4 Have they learned their lesson,

those workers of evil?

Who ate up my people,

eating, devouring,

never calling to the Lord.

5 Sore afraid will they be,

where no fear was;

when God scatters the bones

of the godless people.

They will be put to shame,

when God rejects them.

6 If only help from Zion

would come for Israel!

When God brings his people

a change of fortune,

how glad will be Jacob,

and Israel how joyful!

Psalm 54 – A Prayer for Deliverance from Oppression

For the leader. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “David is in hiding among us”.

54 Save me, O God, by your name,

by your power secure for me justice.

2 Listen, O God, to my prayer,

attend to the words of my mouth.

3 For proud men have risen against me,

and terrible men seek my life,

men who do not set God before them. Selah

4 But see! God is my helper,

the Lord is sustaining my life.

5 Let their evil fall back on my foes:

cut them off in your faithfulness, Lord.

6 Then will I bring you glad sacrifice,

praising your gracious name;

7 for from all distress you have saved me,

and feasted my eyes on my foes.

Psalm 55 – Betrayed by a Friend

Revision 2

For the leader. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David.

55 Listen, God, to my prayer.

Don’t hide yourself from my pleading.

2 Hear me, and answer;

for bitter is my lament.

3 I am wild with the noise of the foe,

with the clamour of the ungodly;

for they hurl disaster upon me,

and attack me with fury.

4 My heart shudders within me,

terrors of deaths press on me,

5 fear and trembling attack me,

and horror wraps me round.

6 O for the wings of a dove:

I would fly away and rest.

7 I would wander far away,

find refuge in the wilderness. Selah

8 I would find myself a shelter

from raging wind and tempest.

9 Confuse them, Lord, upset their plans;

for I see violence and strife in the city.

10 By day and by night they make their rounds

on the city walls,

while within is crime and trouble,

11 within is ruin.

Her market-place is never free

of deceit and tyranny.

The Treacherous Friend

12 The taunts were not those of a foe

that I could have borne;

the disdain was not that of an enemy

I could have shunned them:

13 but it was you, my equal,

my dear and familiar friend.

14 We used to be so close,

together we walked in God’s house with the crowd.

15 May death suddenly take them,

may they go down to Sheol alive,

for evil lives in their homes and their hearts.

16 But I will call on God,

the Lord will save me.

17 Evening and morning and noon

I lament and moan.

He will hear my voice;

18 though I am attacked by many

he will rescue me,

unharmed from the war.

19 God, who sits on his ancient throne

will hear and will humble them,

for they never change,

they never fear God. Selah

20 My friend turned against me,

betrayed his word.

21 His mouth was smoother than butter,

but war filled his heart.

His words were softer than oil,

but sharper than swords.

22 Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you.

He will never let the righteous

be shaken.

23 But you, God, will hurl them down

to the deepest pit.

Bloody and treacherous people

will not live out half their days;

but I will trust you.

Psalm 56 – A Prayer of Trust in God

For the leader. On jonath elem rehokim. Of David. A michtam, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 O God, be gracious to me,

for people trample upon me,

all the day righting and pressing me.

2 All the day enemies trample me;

many there be

who contend with me bitterly.

3 In the day of my terror

I trust in you.

4 In God I maintain my cause,

in God I fearlessly trust.

What can flesh do to me?

5 They torture me all the day,

they ceaselessly plan to hurt me,

6 banded together in secret,

watching my every step,

as those who hope for my death.

7 Pay them out for their sin, O God,

hurl down the strong in your anger.

8 You yourself count my wanderings.

Put in your bottle my tears

are they not in your book?

9 Then shall my foes be turned back

in the day that I call.

Of this I am sure,

because God is for me.

10 In God I maintain my cause,

in the Lord I maintain my cause.

11 In God I fearlessly trust,

what can people do to me?

12 Your vows are upon me, O God,

I will render thank-offerings to you;

13 because you have saved me from death,

my feet from stumbling,

to the end that I walk before God

in the light of the living.

Psalm 57 – A Prayer for Protection from Persecution

For the leader. Al tashheth. A michtam of David, when he fled from Saul into a cave.

57 Be gracious, O God, be gracious to me,

for in you I take shelter.

In your sheltering wings I take refuge,

till ruin be over past.

2 I cry to the Most High God,

to the God who accomplishes for me.

3 He will send me his succour from heaven,

he will thrust away those who would trample me. Selah

4 In the midst of lions I lie,

who devour human prey.

Their teeth are spears and arrows,

and their tongue is a sharpened sword.

5 Be exalted, God, o’er the heavens,

and your glory o’er all the earth.

6 They set a net for my feet,

but in it was their own foot caught.

Before me they dug a pit,

but they fell into it themselves. Selah

7 My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast.

I would sing, I would make music;

8 awake, my soul.

Awake, harp and lyre;

I would wake the dawn.

9 I would praise you among the peoples, O Lord,

and make music among the nations to you;

10 for great to heaven is your love,

and your faithfulness to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, God, o’er the heavens,

and your glory o’er all the earth.

Psalm 58 – A Prayer for Vengeance on Unjust Judges

For the leader. Al tashheth. Of David. A michtam.

58 Do you speak what is right, you gods?

With equity judge you your people?

2 In the land you practise iniquity – all of you;

violence do you dispense with your hands.

3 The wicked go astray from the womb

liars take the wrong path from their birth.

4 Venom have they like the venom of snakes,

they are like the deaf adder that stops her ears,

5 and refuses to listen to the voice of the charmer,

or binder of spells, no matter how cunning.

6 O God, break to pieces the teeth in their mouth,

tear out the great teeth of the young lions, Lord.

7 May they melt away like running water!

Like tender grass, cut down may they be!

8 Like the snail that dissolves on its crawling path,

like the birth untimely which sees not the sunlight.

9 Faster than a thorn-fire heats your pots,

he will come with his tempest and sweep them away.

10 The sight of such vengeance will gladden the righteous;

their feet they will wash in the blood of the wicked.

11 People will say, ‘Yes, the just are rewarded:

yes, on the earth is a God who is Judge.’

Psalm 59 – A Prayer for Safety

For the leader. Al tashheth. Of David. A michtam, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

59 Save me, O God, from my enemies;

secure me from my assailants.

2 Save me from those who do wrong,

save me from the bloodthirsty.

3 For see! They lay ambush for me,

strong men are banded against me

not for sin or transgression of mine,

for no guilt of mine, O Lord,

4 they run and make ready. Awake!

Come forth to meet me, and see!

5 You, O Lord of hosts,

God of Israel, awake!

And punish the proud, every one;

spare none of the traitors vile. Selah

6 At evening they come,

and, howling like dogs,

make their round in the city.

7 Look at their venomous mouths,

tongues like swords,

they think no one

hears them.

8 But you, Lord, laugh at them,

you mock all the insolent.

9 My strength, I will sing to you,

for God is my sure retreat.

10 My God with his love will meet me,

and feast my eyes on my foes.

11 Slay them not, lest my people forget,

let your hosts keep them roaming and wandering.

12 In their sinful speech snare them, O Lord;

and may they be trapped in their pride,

for the curses and lies that they utter.

13 In your wrath make a clean end of them,

that people, to the ends of the earth,

may know that God rules in Jacob. Selah

14 At evening they come,

and, howling like dogs,

make their round in the city.

15 They roam about for a feast,

and snarl, if they get not their fill.

16 But I will sing of your might;

I will ring out your love in the morning.

For to me you have been a sure refuge,

a retreat in the day of my trouble.

17 My strength, I will sing praise to you,

for God is my sure retreat,

my faithful God.

Psalm 60 – A Prayer after Defeat in Battle

For the leader. On shushan eduth. A michtam of David (for teaching), when he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and defeated twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

60 O God, you have spurned and broken us,

routing us in your wrath – restore us!

2 You have shaken the land and cleft it;

heal its tottering breaches.

3 You have made your people drink hardship,

and given us wine of reeling.

4 You have given those who fear you a banner,

a rallying-place from the bow, Selah

5 for the rescue of your beloved.

Save by your right hand and answer us.

6 God did solemnly swear:

‘As victor will I divide Shechem,

and mete out the valley of Succoth.

7 Mine is Gilead, mine is Manasseh,

Ephraim is the defence of my head,

Judah my sceptre of rule,

8 Moab the pot that I wash in,

Edom – I cast my shoe over it,

I shout o’er Philistia in triumph.’

9 O to be brought to the fortified city!

O to be led into Edom!

10 Have you not spurned us, O God?

You do not march forth with our armies.

11 Grant us help from the foe,

for human help is worthless.

12 With God we shall yet do bravely:

he himself will tread down our foes.

Psalm 61 – Our God is a Strong Tower

For the leader. On stringed instruments. Of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God,

be attentive to my prayer.

2 From the ends of the earth I call

unto you, when my heart is faint:

lead me to the rock

that is high above me.

3 For you are a refuge to me,

a strong tower in face of the foe.

4 O to be guest in your tent forever,

hiding beneath your sheltering wings! Selah

5 For you, O God, do hear my vows,

and grant the desires of those who fear you.

6 Add many days to the life of the king;

may his years endure throughout all generations.

7 In the presence of God be he throned forever;

may kindness and faithfulness watch over him.

8 And I will sing praise to your name forever,

paying my vows day after day.

Psalm 62 – Quietness and Confidence

For the leader. On jeduthun. A psalm of David.

62 I wait alone in silence for God;

From him comes my help.

2 Yes, he is my rock, my help, my retreat,

I shall not be shaken too sorely.

3 How long will you, all of you, batter a man,

as one might a leaning wall?

4 From his height

they are planning to topple him.

They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouth,

but inwardly they curse. Selah

5 I wait alone in silence for God;

for from him comes my hope.

6 Yes, he is my rock, my help, my retreat,

I shall not be shaken too sorely.

7 On God rests my honour and safety,

in God is my strong rock, my refuge.

8 Trust in him, all you people assembled,

pour out your heart in his presence;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

9 The lowly are nought but a breath,

the lofty are but an illusion:

in the balances up they go,

they are lighter than breath altogether.

10 Trust not in gain of extortion,

set no vain hopes in robbery.

As for wealth, if it bears fruit,

set not your heart upon it.

11 One thing God has uttered,

two things there are which I heard

that power belongs to God,

12 and to you, too, O Lord, belongs kindness;

for you requite each person

according to what they have done.

Psalm 63 – Athirst for God

A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 O God, my God, you, you do I seek:

my heart thirsts for you,

my body faints for you

in a parched and waterless land.

2 As I in the temple have seen you,

beholding your power and your glory,

3 for better than life is your kindness:

my lips shall utter your praise.

4 So, while I live, I will bless you,

and lift up my hands in your name.

5 As with marrow and fat am I feasted;

with joyful lips I will praise you.

6 I call you to mind on my bed,

and muse on you in the night watches;

7 for you have been my help,

I joyfully sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 I cling close after you,

your right hand holds me up.

9 But those who seek after my life

shall go down to the depths of the earth,

10 given o’er to the power of the sword,

or as prey for jackals to devour.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God:

all who own his allegiance will glory.

For the mouth of the false shall be stopped.

Psalm 64 – A Prayer for Deliverance from Malicious Foes

For the leader. A psalm of David.

64 Hear, O my God, the voice of my lament:

guard my life from the dread of the foe.

2 Hide me from villains who secretly plot,

from the blustering throng of the workers of evil,

3 who have sharpened their tongue like a sword,

and aimed bitter words like arrows,

4 which from ambush they launch at the blameless,

shooting swiftly and unafraid.

5 They strengthen their wicked purpose,

they tell of the snares they have hidden,

they say to themselves, ‘Who can see?’

6 They think out their crimes full cunningly

hidden deep in their crafty hearts.

7 But God with his arrow will shoot them,

swiftly shall they be smitten.

8 For their tongue he will bring them to ruin,

all will shudder with horror at the sight of them.

9 Then every person, touched to awe,

as they ponder what God has wrought,

will tell the tale of his deeds.

10 In the Lord shall the righteous rejoice,

in him shall they take refuge;

and all the true-hearted shall glory.

Psalm 65 – Hymn for a Thanksgiving Festival

For the leader. A psalm of David. A song.

65 It is seemly to praise you, O God, in Zion,

and to you shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem.

2 O you who hear prayer,

unto you shall all flesh come.

3 Our sins are too mighty for us,

our transgressions you only can cover them.

4 Happy the person who you choose

to live beside you in your courts.

O may we be filled with the joys

of your house, of your holy temple.

5 In dread deeds you loyally answer us,

O God of our salvation,

whom all ends of the earth put their trust in,

and islands far away.

6 By your strength you establish the hills,

you are armed with might;

7 you still the roaring of seas,

and the turmoil of nations,

8 so that those who live at earth’s bounds

are awed at your signs:

the lands of the sunrise and sunset

you make to ring with joy.

9 You visit and water the earth;

you greatly enrich her

with the river of God, which is full of water.

You prepare the corn thereof,

10 watering her furrows,

settling her ridges;

you make her soft with showers,

and bless what grows thereon.

11 You crown the year with your goodness,

your chariot tracks drip with fatness.

12 The desert pastures are lush,

the hills greened with joy.

13 The meadows are clothed with flocks,

the valleys are covered with corn;

they shout to each other and sing.

Psalm 66 – Thanksgiving for National Deliverance

For the leader. A song. A psalm.

66 Shout to God, all the earth,

2 sing praise to his glorious name,

sing his glorious praise.

3 Say to God, ‘How dread are your works,

so great is your might that your enemies cringe to you.

4 All the earth does homage to you,

singing praises to you,

singing praise to your name.’ Selah

5 Come and see what God has done,

awe-inspiring is he in his works among people.

6 He turns the sea into dry land,

and people cross the river on foot.

Let us therefore rejoice in him,

7 the mighty Ruler eternal,

whose eyes keep watch on the nations,

that no rebel lift up his head. Selah

8 O bless our God, you peoples;

sound aloud his praise,

9 who keeps us in life,

and keeps our feet from slipping.

10 For you, God, have tested us,

have tried us, as silver is tried.

11 You did bring us into prison,

and put chains upon us,

12 you did let people ride over our head.

We went through fire and through water,

but you led us out to a spacious place.

13 I will enter your house with burnt-offerings,

I will pay to you my vows,

14 which my open lips have uttered,

arid my mouth has declared in my straits.

15 I will offer you offerings of fatlings,

with the odour of burning rams,

I will sacrifice bullocks with goats. Selah

16 Come and hear my story

all who fear God –

of what he has done for me.

17 For my mouth had no sooner invoked him

than his praise was under my tongue.

18 Had I cherished sin in my heart,

the Lord would never have listened.

19 But assuredly God has listened,

and attended to my loud prayer.

20 Blessed be God, who turned not aside

my prayer, nor withdrew his kindness from me.

Psalm 67 – A Harvest Thanksgiving

For the leader. On stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

67 Bless us, O God, with your favour,

let the light of your face fall upon us; Selah

2 that the world may know your way,

and all nations your power to save.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let the peoples all of them praise you.

4 Let the nations ring out their joy;

for you govern the peoples with equity,

and guide the nations on earth. Selah

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God,

let the peoples, all of them, praise you.

6 The earth has yielded her increase

by the blessing of God, our God.

7 May this blessing of ours win people to him

to all the ends of the earth.

Psalm 68 – Victory

For the leader. Of David. A psalm. A song.

68 God arises, his enemies scatter:

they who hate him flee before him.

2 As smoke before wind is driven,

as wax melts before fire,

so before God vanish the wicked.

3 But the righteous rejoice in God’s presence,

they exult with exceeding joy.

4 Sing to God, make music to his name,

his name is the Lord, praise him who rides on the clouds,

and exult in his presence.

5 Father of orphans, defender of widows,

is God in his holy abode.

6 God brings home the lonely,

he leads forth the prisoner to comfort,

so that none but the rebel lives cheerless.

7 God, when you went in front of your people

in your march through the desert, Selah

8 earth shook, the heavens poured rain

at the presence of God, Sinai’s God

at the presence of God, Israel’s God.

9 Rain in abundance, God, you did sprinkle,

restoring the languishing land of your heritage.

10 A dwelling therein your people found:

in your goodness, O God, you did care for the poor.

11 The Lord spoke the glad tidings of victory,

a great army of women proclaim it:

12 ‘Kings of armies they flee, they flee,

and the housewife divides the spoil:

13 dove’s wings covered with silver

and pinions with shimmer of gold,

14 set with stones, like snow upon Zalmon.’

15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan,

a mountain of peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

16 You high-peaked mountains, why look you askance

at the mountain which God has desired for his home

whereon the Lord will live forever?

17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand:

the Lord came from Sinai, his holy place.

18 You did mount the height with trains of your captives,

and gifts that you had received from the people.

The rebels shall live with the Lord God.

19 Blest be the Lord who sustains us daily,

the God who is also our saviour. Selah

20 Our God is a God who is saviour.

The ways of escape from death

are known to the Lord God.

21 Yes, God will shatter the head of his foes

the rough scalp of those who strut on in their sins.

22 The Lord said: ‘I will bring you home from Bashan,

home from the depths of the sea,

23 that your feet you may bathe in blood,

and your dogs lick their share of the foe.’

24 In the temple appear God’s triumphal processions,

processions in praise of my king and my God,

25 with singers in front, and minstrels behind,

and maidens with timbrels between them, singing,

26 ‘You of the well-spring of Israel,

bless the Lord God in the dance.’

27 There, in front, is Benjamin the little,

the princes of Judah beside them,

the princes of Zebulon, princes of Naphtali.

28 God, show your strength,

your godlike might,

as you did in the past,

29 from your temple that crowns Jerusalem.

Kings shall bring tribute to you.

30 Rebuke the beast of the reed,

the herd of bulls, with the calves of the peoples.

Trample down the lovers of lies.

Scatter the nations whose joy is in war.

31 May they come from Egypt with gifts of oil,

Ethiopia haste with full hands to God.

32 Sing to God, O you kingdoms of earth,

make melody to the Lord. Selah

33 Praise him who rides on the ancient heavens.

See! He utters his voice, his mighty voice.

34 Ascribe strength to the God over Israel,

whose strength and majesty live in the skies.

35 Awe-inspiring is God in his holy place,

it is Israel’s God

who gives strength and might to his people.

Blessed be God.