Category: Psalms

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple.

[31:1] In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!

[31:2] Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

[31:3] For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;

[31:4] you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.

[31:5] Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

[31:6] I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.

[31:7] I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul,

[31:8] and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.

[31:9] Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also.

[31:10] For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.

[31:11] Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.

[31:12] I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.

[31:13] For I hear the whispering of many— terror on every side!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

[31:14] But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

[31:15] My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

[31:16] Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!

[31:17] O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol.

[31:18] Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.

[31:19] Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

[31:20] In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.

[31:21] Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.

[31:22] I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.

[31:23] Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

[31:24] Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

[32:1] Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

[32:2] Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

[32:3] For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

[32:4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

[32:5] I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

[32:6] Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

[32:7] You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

[32:8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

[32:9] Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

[32:10] Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

[32:11] Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

A Maskil of David.

[33:1] Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.

[33:2] Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

[33:3] Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

[33:4] For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

[33:5] He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

[33:6] By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

[33:7] He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.

[33:8] Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

[33:9] For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

[33:10] The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

[33:11] The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

[33:12] Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

[33:13] The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;

[33:14] from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

[33:15] he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.

[33:16] The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

[33:17] The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

[33:18] Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

[33:19] that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

[33:20] Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

[33:21] For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

[33:22] Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

[34:1] I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[34:2] My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.

[34:3] Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

[34:4] I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

[34:5] Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

[34:6] This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

[34:7] The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

[34:8] Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

[34:9] Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

[34:10] The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

[34:11] Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

[34:12] What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?

[34:13] Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

[34:14] Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

[34:15] The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

[34:16] The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[34:17] When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[34:18] The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

[34:19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

[34:20] He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

[34:21] Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

[34:22] The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

[35:1] Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!

[35:2] Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help!

[35:3] Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”

[35:4] Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me!

[35:5] Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away!

[35:6] Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!

[35:7] For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.

[35:8] Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction!

[35:9] Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation.

[35:10] All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

[35:11] Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know.

[35:12] They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft.

[35:13] But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

[35:14] I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.

[35:15] But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;

[35:16] like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth.

[35:17] How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions!

[35:18] I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.

[35:19] Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause.

[35:20] For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit.

[35:21] They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”

[35:22] You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me!

[35:23] Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord!

[35:24] Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me!

[35:25] Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart’s desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”

[35:26] Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me!

[35:27] Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

[35:28] Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.

Of David.

[36:1] Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.

[36:2] For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

[36:3] The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

[36:4] He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

[36:5] Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

[36:6] Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.

[36:7] How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

[36:8] They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

[36:9] For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

[36:10] Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

[36:11] Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

[36:12] There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord.

[37:1] Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

[37:2] For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

[37:3] Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

[37:4] Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

[37:5] Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

[37:6] He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

[37:7] Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

[37:8] Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

[37:9] For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

[37:10] In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

[37:11] But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

[37:12] The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him,

[37:13] but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

[37:14] The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;

[37:15] their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

[37:16] Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.

[37:17] For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

[37:18] The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever;

[37:19] they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.

[37:20] But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

[37:21] The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;

[37:22] for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

[37:23] The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;

[37:24] though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

[37:25] I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.

[37:26] He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

[37:27] Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.

[37:28] For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

[37:29] The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.

[37:30] The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

[37:31] The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.

[37:32] The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death.

[37:33] The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

[37:34] Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

[37:35] I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.

[37:36] But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.

[37:37] Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.

[37:38] But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

[37:39] The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

[37:40] The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Of David.

[38:1] O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!

[38:2] For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.

[38:3] There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

[38:4] For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

[38:5] My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,

[38:6] I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.

[38:7] For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.

[38:8] I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

[38:9] O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.

[38:10] My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.

[38:11] My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.

[38:12] Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.

[38:13] But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

[38:14] I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.

[38:15] But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

[38:16] For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!”

[38:17] For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me.

[38:18] I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.

[38:19] But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully.

[38:20] Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.

[38:21] Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me!

[38:22] Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

[39:1] I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”

[39:2] I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.

[39:3] My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

[39:4] “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!

[39:5] Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah

[39:6] Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

[39:7] “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

[39:8] Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool!

[39:9] I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.

[39:10] Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand.

[39:11] When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah

[39:12] “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.

[39:13] Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!”

To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

[40:1] I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

[40:2] He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

[40:3] He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

[40:4] Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

[40:5] You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.

[40:6] In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.

[40:7] Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:

[40:8] I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

[40:9] I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.

[40:10] I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.

[40:11] As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

[40:12] For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.

[40:13] Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!

[40:14] Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!

[40:15] Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

[40:16] But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!”

[40:17] As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!