The Holy Bible

[15:1] Lord, who may enter your Temple? Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?

[15:2] Those who obey God in everything and always do what is right, whose words are true and sincere,

[15:3] and who do not slander others. They do no wrong to their friends nor spread rumors about their neighbors.

[15:4] They despise those whom God rejects, but honor those who obey the Lord. They always do what they promise, no matter how much it may cost.

[15:5] They make loans without charging interest and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent. Whoever does these things will always be secure.

[16:1] Protect me, O God; I trust in you for safety.

[16:2] I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; all the good things I have come from you.”

[16:3] How excellent are the Lord's faithful people! My greatest pleasure is to be with them.

[16:4] Those who rush to other gods bring many troubles on themselves. I will not take part in their sacrifices; I will not worship their gods.

[16:5] You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.

[16:6] How wonderful are your gifts to me; how good they are!

[16:7] I praise the Lord, because he guides me, and in the night my conscience warns me.

[16:8] I am always aware of the Lord's presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me.

[16:9] And so I am thankful and glad, and I feel completely secure,

[16:10] because you protect me from the power of death. I have served you faithfully, and you will not abandon me to the world of the dead.

[16:11] You will show me the path that leads to life; your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever.

[17:1] Listen, O Lord, to my plea for justice; pay attention to my cry for help! Listen to my honest prayer.

[17:2] You will judge in my favor, because you know what is right.

[17:3] You know my heart. You have come to me at night; you have examined me completely and found no evil desire in me. I speak no evil,

[17:4] as others do; I have obeyed your command and have not followed paths of violence.

[17:5] I have always walked in your way and have never strayed from it.

[17:6] I pray to you, O God, because you answer me; so turn to me and listen to my words.

[17:7] Reveal your wonderful love and save me; at your side I am safe from my enemies.

[17:8] Protect me as you would your very eyes; hide me in the shadow of your wings

[17:9] from the attacks of the wicked. Deadly enemies surround me;

[17:10] they have no pity and speak proudly.

[17:11] They are around me now, wherever I turn, watching for a chance to pull me down.

[17:12] They are like lions, waiting for me, wanting to tear me to pieces.

[17:13] Come, Lord! Oppose my enemies and defeat them! Save me from the wicked by your sword;

[17:14] save me from those who in this life have all they want. Punish them with the sufferings you have stored up for them; may there be enough for their children and some left over for their children's children!

[17:15] But I will see you, because I have done no wrong; and when I awake, your presence will fill me with joy.

[18:1] How I love you, Lord! You are my defender.

[18:2] The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.

[18:3] I call to the Lord, and he saves me from my enemies. Praise the Lord!

[18:4] The danger of death was all around me; the waves of destruction rolled over me.

[18:5] The danger of death was around me, and the grave set its trap for me.

[18:6] In my trouble I called to the Lord; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.

[18:7] Then the earth trembled and shook; the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered, because God was angry.

[18:8] Smoke poured out of his nostrils, a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.

[18:9] He tore the sky open and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.

[18:10] He flew swiftly on his winged creature; he traveled on the wings of the wind.

[18:11] He covered himself with darkness; thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.

[18:12] Hailstones and flashes of fire came from the lightning before him and broke through the dark clouds.

[18:13] Then the Lord thundered from the sky; and the voice of the Most High was heard.

[18:14] He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; with flashes of lightning he sent them running.

[18:15] The floor of the ocean was laid bare, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered, when you rebuked your enemies, Lord, and roared at them in anger.

[18:16] The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me; he pulled me out of the deep waters.

[18:17] He rescued me from my powerful enemies and from all those who hate me— they were too strong for me.

[18:18] When I was in trouble, they attacked me, but the Lord protected me.

[18:19] He helped me out of danger; he saved me because he was pleased with me.

[18:20] The Lord rewards me because I do what is right; he blesses me because I am innocent.

[18:21] I have obeyed the law of the Lord; I have not turned away from my God.

[18:22] I have observed all his laws; I have not disobeyed his commands.

[18:23] He knows that I am faultless, that I have kept myself from doing wrong.

[18:24] And so he rewards me because I do what is right, because he knows that I am innocent.

[18:25] O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you; completely good to those who are perfect.

[18:26] You are pure to those who are pure, but hostile to those who are wicked.

[18:27] You save those who are humble, but you humble those who are proud.

[18:28] O Lord, you give me light; you dispel my darkness.

[18:29] You give me strength to attack my enemies and power to overcome their defenses.

[18:30] This God—how perfect are his deeds! How dependable his words! He is like a shield for all who seek his protection.

[18:31] The Lord alone is God; God alone is our defense.

[18:32] He is the God who makes me strong, who makes my pathway safe.

[18:33] He makes me sure-footed as a deer; he keeps me safe on the mountains.

[18:34] He trains me for battle, so that I can use the strongest bow.

[18:35] O Lord, you protect me and save me; your care has made me great, and your power has kept me safe.

[18:36] You have kept me from being captured, and I have never fallen.

[18:37] I pursue my enemies and catch them; I do not stop until I destroy them.

[18:38] I strike them down, and they cannot rise; they lie defeated before me.

[18:39] You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies.

[18:40] You make my enemies run from me; I destroy those who hate me.

[18:41] They cry for help, but no one saves them; they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.

[18:42] I crush them, so that they become like dust which the wind blows away. I trample on them like mud in the streets.

[18:43] You saved me from a rebellious people and made me ruler over the nations; people I did not know have now become my subjects.

[18:44] Foreigners bow before me; when they hear me, they obey.

[18:45] They lose their courage and come trembling from their fortresses.

[18:46] The Lord lives! Praise my defender! Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.

[18:47] He gives me victory over my enemies; he subdues the nations under me

[18:48] and saves me from my foes. O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies and protect me from violent people.

[18:49] And so I praise you among the nations; I sing praises to you.

[18:50] God gives great victories to his king; he shows constant love to the one he has chosen, to David and his descendants forever.

[19:1] How clearly the sky reveals God's glory! How plainly it shows what he has done!

[19:2] Each day announces it to the following day; each night repeats it to the next.

[19:3] No speech or words are used, no sound is heard;

[19:4] yet their message goes out to all the world and is heard to the ends of the earth. God made a home in the sky for the sun;

[19:5] it comes out in the morning like a happy bridegroom, like an athlete eager to run a race.

[19:6] It starts at one end of the sky and goes across to the other. Nothing can hide from its heat.

[19:7] The law of the Lord is perfect; it gives new strength. The commands of the Lord are trustworthy, giving wisdom to those who lack it.

[19:8] The laws of the Lord are right, and those who obey them are happy. The commands of the Lord are just and give understanding to the mind.

[19:9] Reverence for the Lord is good; it will continue forever. The judgments of the Lord are just; they are always fair.

[19:10] They are more desirable than the finest gold; they are sweeter than the purest honey.

[19:11] They give knowledge to me, your servant; I am rewarded for obeying them.

[19:12] None of us can see our own errors; deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults!

[19:13] Keep me safe, also, from willful sins; don't let them rule over me. Then I shall be perfect and free from the evil of sin.

[19:14] May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!

[20:1] May the Lord answer you when you are in trouble! May the God of Jacob protect you!

[20:2] May he send you help from his Temple and give you aid from Mount Zion.

[20:3] May he accept all your offerings and be pleased with all your sacrifices.

[20:4] May he give you what you desire and make all your plans succeed.

[20:5] Then we will shout for joy over your victory and celebrate your triumph by praising our God. May the Lord answer all your requests.

[20:6] Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his chosen king; he answers him from his holy heaven and by his power gives him great victories.

[20:7] Some trust in their war chariots and others in their horses, but we trust in the power of the Lord our God.

[20:8] Such people will stumble and fall, but we will rise and stand firm.

[20:9] Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.

[21:1] The king is glad, O Lord, because you gave him strength; he rejoices because you made him victorious.

[21:2] You have given him his heart's desire; you have answered his request.

[21:3] You came to him with great blessings and set a crown of gold on his head.

[21:4] He asked for life, and you gave it, a long and lasting life.

[21:5] His glory is great because of your help; you have given him fame and majesty.

[21:6] Your blessings are with him forever, and your presence fills him with joy.

[21:7] The king trusts in the Lord Almighty; and because of the Lord's constant love he will always be secure.

[21:8] The king will capture all his enemies; he will capture everyone who hates him.

[21:9] He will destroy them like a blazing fire when he appears. The Lord will devour them in his anger, and fire will consume them.

[21:10] None of their descendants will survive; the king will kill them all.

[21:11] They make their plans, and plot against him, but they will not succeed.

[21:12] He will shoot his arrows at them and make them turn and run.

[21:13] We praise you, Lord, for your great strength! We will sing and praise your power.

[22:1] My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come.

[22:2] During the day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer; I call at night, but get no rest.

[22:3] But you are enthroned as the Holy One, the one whom Israel praises.

[22:4] Our ancestors put their trust in you; they trusted you, and you saved them.

[22:5] They called to you and escaped from danger; they trusted you and were not disappointed.

[22:6] But I am no longer a human being; I am a worm, despised and scorned by everyone!

[22:7] All who see me make fun of me; they stick out their tongues and shake their heads.

[22:8] “You relied on the Lord,” they say. “Why doesn't he save you? If the Lord likes you, why doesn't he help you?”

[22:9] It was you who brought me safely through birth, and when I was a baby, you kept me safe.

[22:10] I have relied on you since the day I was born, and you have always been my God.

[22:11] Do not stay away from me! Trouble is near, and there is no one to help.

[22:12] Many enemies surround me like bulls; they are all around me, like fierce bulls from the land of Bashan.

[22:13] They open their mouths like lions, roaring and tearing at me.

[22:14] My strength is gone, gone like water spilled on the ground. All my bones are out of joint; my heart is like melted wax.

[22:15] My throat is as dry as dust, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have left me for dead in the dust.

[22:16] An evil gang is around me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; they tear at my hands and feet.

[22:17] All my bones can be seen. My enemies look at me and stare.

[22:18] They gamble for my clothes and divide them among themselves.

[22:19] O Lord, don't stay away from me! Come quickly to my rescue!

[22:20] Save me from the sword; save my life from these dogs.

[22:21] Rescue me from these lions; I am helpless before these wild bulls.

[22:22] I will tell my people what you have done; I will praise you in their assembly:

[22:23] “Praise him, you servants of the Lord! Honor him, you descendants of Jacob! Worship him, you people of Israel!

[22:24] He does not neglect the poor or ignore their suffering; he does not turn away from them, but answers when they call for help.”

[22:25] In the full assembly I will praise you for what you have done; in the presence of those who worship you I will offer the sacrifices I promised.

[22:26] The poor will eat as much as they want; those who come to the Lord will praise him. May they prosper forever!

[22:27] All nations will remember the Lord. From every part of the world they will turn to him; all races will worship him.

[22:28] The Lord is king, and he rules the nations.

[22:29] All proud people will bow down to him; all mortals will bow down before him.

[22:30] Future generations will serve him; they will speak of the Lord to the coming generation.

[22:31] People not yet born will be told: “The Lord saved his people.”

[23:1] The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.

[23:2] He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.

[23:3] He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths, as he has promised.

[23:4] Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me.

[23:5] You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me; you welcome me as an honored guest and fill my cup to the brim.

[23:6] I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life; and your house will be my home as long as I live.