Category: Psalm

[1:1] Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.

[1:2] Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night.

[1:3] They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.

[1:4] But evil people are not like this at all; they are like straw that the wind blows away.

[1:5] Sinners will be condemned by God and kept apart from God's own people.

[1:6] The righteous are guided and protected by the Lord, but the evil are on the way to their doom.

[2:1] Why do the nations plan rebellion? Why do people make their useless plots?

[2:2] Their kings revolt, their rulers plot together against the Lord and against the king he chose.

[2:3] “Let us free ourselves from their rule,” they say; “let us throw off their control.”

[2:4] From his throne in heaven the Lord laughs and mocks their feeble plans.

[2:5] Then he warns them in anger and terrifies them with his fury.

[2:6] “On Zion, my sacred hill,” he says, “I have installed my king.”

[2:7] “I will announce,” says the king, “what the Lord has declared. He said to me: ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.

[2:8] Ask, and I will give you all the nations; the whole earth will be yours.

[2:9] You will break them with an iron rod; you will shatter them in pieces like a clay pot.’”

[2:10] Now listen to this warning, you kings; learn this lesson, you rulers of the world:

[2:11] Serve the Lord with fear; tremble

[2:12] and bow down to him; or else his anger will be quickly aroused, and you will suddenly die. Happy are all who go to him for protection.

[3:1] I have so many enemies, Lord, so many who turn against me!

[3:2] They talk about me and say, “God will not help him.”

[3:3] But you, O Lord, are always my shield from danger; you give me victory and restore my courage.

[3:4] I call to the Lord for help, and from his sacred hill he answers me.

[3:5] I lie down and sleep, and all night long the Lord protects me.

[3:6] I am not afraid of the thousands of enemies who surround me on every side.

[3:7] Come, Lord! Save me, my God! You punish all my enemies and leave them powerless to harm me.

[3:8] Victory comes from the Lord— may he bless his people.

[4:1] Answer me when I pray, O God, my defender! When I was in trouble, you helped me. Be kind to me now and hear my prayer.

[4:2] How long will you people insult me? How long will you love what is worthless and go after what is false?

[4:3] Remember that the Lord has chosen the righteous for his own, and he hears me when I call to him.

[4:4] Tremble with fear and stop sinning; think deeply about this, when you lie in silence on your beds.

[4:5] Offer the right sacrifices to the Lord, and put your trust in him.

[4:6] There are many who pray: “Give us more blessings, O Lord. Look on us with kindness!”

[4:7] But the joy that you have given me is more than they will ever have with all their grain and wine.

[4:8] When I lie down, I go to sleep in peace; you alone, O Lord, keep me perfectly safe.

[5:1] Listen to my words, O Lord, and hear my sighs.

[5:2] Listen to my cry for help, my God and king! I pray to you, O Lord;

[5:3] you hear my voice in the morning; at sunrise I offer my prayer and wait for your answer.

[5:4] You are not a God who is pleased with wrongdoing; you allow no evil in your presence.

[5:5] You cannot stand the sight of the proud; you hate all wicked people.

[5:6] You destroy all liars and despise violent, deceitful people.

[5:7] But because of your great love I can come into your house; I can worship in your holy Temple and bow down to you in reverence.

[5:8] Lord, I have so many enemies! Lead me to do your will; make your way plain for me to follow.

[5:9] What my enemies say can never be trusted; they only want to destroy. Their words are flattering and smooth, but full of deadly deceit.

[5:10] Condemn and punish them, O God; may their own plots cause their ruin. Drive them out of your presence because of their many sins and their rebellion against you.

[5:11] But all who find safety in you will rejoice; they can always sing for joy. Protect those who love you; because of you they are truly happy.

[5:12] You bless those who obey you, Lord; your love protects them like a shield.

[6:1] Lord, don't be angry and rebuke me! Don't punish me in your anger!

[6:2] I am worn out, O Lord; have pity on me! Give me strength; I am completely exhausted

[6:3] and my whole being is deeply troubled. How long, O Lord, will you wait to help me?

[6:4] Come and save me, Lord; in your mercy rescue me from death.

[6:5] In the world of the dead you are not remembered; no one can praise you there.

[6:6] I am worn out with grief; every night my bed is damp from my weeping; my pillow is soaked with tears.

[6:7] I can hardly see; my eyes are so swollen from the weeping caused by my enemies.

[6:8] Keep away from me, you evil people! The Lord hears my weeping;

[6:9] he listens to my cry for help and will answer my prayer.

[6:10] My enemies will know the bitter shame of defeat; in sudden confusion they will be driven away.

[7:1] O Lord, my God, I come to you for protection; rescue me and save me from all who pursue me,

[7:2] or else like a lion they will carry me off where no one can save me, and there they will tear me to pieces. if I have betrayed a friend or without cause done violence to my enemy — if I have done any of these things—

[7:5] then let my enemies pursue me and catch me, let them cut me down and kill me and leave me lifeless on the ground!

[7:6] Rise in your anger, O Lord! Stand up against the fury of my enemies; rouse yourself and help me! Justice is what you demand,

[7:7] so bring together all the peoples around you, and rule over them from above.

[7:8] You are the judge of all people. Judge in my favor, O Lord; you know that I am innocent.

[7:9] You are a righteous God and judge our thoughts and desires. Stop the wickedness of evildoers and reward those who are good.

[7:10] God is my protector; he saves those who obey him.

[7:11] God is a righteous judge and always condemns the wicked.

[7:12] If they do not change their ways, God will sharpen his sword. He bends his bow and makes it ready;

[7:13] he takes up his deadly weapons and aims his burning arrows.

[7:14] See how wicked people think up evil; they plan trouble and practice deception.

[7:15] But in the traps they set for others, they themselves get caught.

[7:16] So they are punished by their own evil and are hurt by their own violence.

[7:17] I thank the Lord for his justice; I sing praises to the Lord, the Most High.

[8:1] O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world! Your praise reaches up to the heavens;

[8:2] it is sung by children and babies. You are safe and secure from all your enemies; you stop anyone who opposes you.

[8:3] When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places—

[8:4] what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them?

[8:5] Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honor.

[8:6] You appointed them rulers over everything you made; you placed them over all creation:

[8:7] sheep and cattle, and the wild animals too;

[8:8] the birds and the fish and the creatures in the seas.

[8:9] O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world!

[9:1] I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done.

[9:2] I will sing with joy because of you. I will sing praise to you, Almighty God.

[9:3] My enemies turn back when you appear; they fall down and die.

[9:4] You are fair and honest in your judgments, and you have judged in my favor.

[9:5] You have condemned the heathen and destroyed the wicked; they will be remembered no more.

[9:6] Our enemies are finished forever; you have destroyed their cities, and they are completely forgotten.

[9:7] But the Lord is king forever; he has set up his throne for judgment.

[9:8] He rules the world with righteousness; he judges the nations with justice.

[9:9] The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a place of safety in times of trouble.

[9:10] Those who know you, Lord, will trust you; you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.

[9:11] Sing praise to the Lord, who rules in Zion! Tell every nation what he has done!

[9:12] God remembers those who suffer; he does not forget their cry, and he punishes those who wrong them.

[9:13] Be merciful to me, O Lord! See the sufferings my enemies cause me! Rescue me from death, O Lord,

[9:14] that I may stand before the people of Jerusalem and tell them all the things for which I praise you. I will rejoice because you saved me.

[9:15] The heathen have dug a pit and fallen in; they have been caught in their own trap.

[9:16] The Lord has revealed himself by his righteous judgments, and the wicked are trapped by their own deeds.

[9:17] Death is the destiny of all the wicked, of all those who reject God.

[9:18] The needy will not always be neglected; the hope of the poor will not be crushed forever.

[9:19] Come, Lord! Do not let anyone defy you! Bring the heathen before you and pronounce judgment on them.

[9:20] Make them afraid, O Lord; make them know that they are only mortal beings.

[10:1] Why are you so far away, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself when we are in trouble?

[10:2] The wicked are proud and persecute the poor; catch them in the traps they have made.

[10:3] The wicked are proud of their evil desires; the greedy curse and reject the Lord.

[10:4] The wicked do not care about the Lord; in their pride they think that God doesn't matter.

[10:5] The wicked succeed in everything. They cannot understand God's judgments; they sneer at their enemies.

[10:6] They say to themselves, “We will never fail; we will never be in trouble.”

[10:7] Their speech is filled with curses, lies, and threats; they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.

[10:8] They hide themselves in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people. They spy on their helpless victims;

[10:9] they wait in their hiding place like lions. They lie in wait for the poor; they catch them in their traps and drag them away.

[10:10] The helpless victims lie crushed; brute strength has defeated them.

[10:11] The wicked say to themselves, “God doesn't care! He has closed his eyes and will never see me!”

[10:12] O Lord, punish those wicked people! Remember those who are suffering!

[10:13] How can the wicked despise God and say to themselves, “He will not punish me”?

[10:14] But you do see; you take notice of trouble and suffering and are always ready to help. The helpless commit themselves to you; you have always helped the needy.

[10:15] Break the power of wicked and evil people; punish them for the wrong they have done until they do it no more.

[10:16] The Lord is king forever and ever. Those who worship other gods will vanish from his land.

[10:17] You will listen, O Lord, to the prayers of the lowly; you will give them courage.

[10:18] You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans; you will judge in their favor, so that mortal men may cause terror no more.