Category: Psalms

God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.

1 Sing aloud to God our strength;

Shout for joy to the God of Jacob (Israel).

2 Raise a song, sound the timbrel,

The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.

3 Blow the trumpet at the New Moon,

At thefull moon, on our feast day.

4 For this is a statute for Israel,

An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

5 He established it for a testimony inJoseph

When He went throughout the land of Egypt.

I heard the language [of One whom] I did not know,saying,

6 “I removed the burden from his shoulder;

His hands were freed from the basket.

7 You called in [the time of] trouble and I rescued you;

I answered you in the secret place of thunder;

I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

8 Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you—

O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

9 Let there be no strange god among you,

Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

10 I am the Lordyour God,

Who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

11 “But My people would not listen to My voice,

And Israel did not [consent to] obey Me.

12 So I gave them up to the stubbornness of their heart,

To walk in [the path of] their own counsel.

13 Oh, that My people would listen to Me,

That Israel would walk in My ways!

14 Then I would quickly subdueandhumble their enemies

And turn My hand against their adversaries;

15 Those who hate the Lordwould pretend obedience to Himandcringe before Him,

And their timeof punishmentwould be forever.

16 But I would feed Israel with the finest of the wheat;

And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Unjust Judgments Rebuked.

1 God stands in the divine assembly;

He judges among the gods (divine beings).

2 How long will you judge unjustly

And show partiality to the wicked? Selah.

3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless;

Do justiceandmaintain the rights of the afflicted and destitute.

4 Rescue the weak and needy;

Rescue them from the hand of the wicked.

5 The rulers do not know nor do they understand;

They walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction];

All the foundations of the earth [the fundamental principles of the administration of justice] are shaken.

6 I said, “You aregods;

Indeed, all of you are sons of the Most High.

7 Nevertheless you will die like men

And fall like any one of the princes.”

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth!

For to You belong all the nations.

God Implored to Confound His Enemies.

1 Do not keep silent, O God;

Do not hold Your peace or be still, O God.

2 For behold, Your enemies are in tumult,

And those who hate You have raised their heads [in hatred of You].

3 They concoct crafty schemes against Your people,

And conspire together against Your hiddenandprecious ones.

4 They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation;

Let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”

5 For they have conspired together with one mind;

Against You they make a covenant—

6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Of Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.

8 Assyria also has joined with them;

They have helped the children of Lot [the Ammonites and the Moabites]andhave been an arm [of strength] to them. Selah.

9 Deal with them as [You did] with Midian,

As with Sisera and Jabin at the brook of Kishon,

10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,

Who became like dung for the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb

And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves

The pastures of God.”

13 O my God, make them likewhirling dust,

Like chaff before the wind [worthless and without substance].

14 Like fire consumes the forest,

And like the flame sets the mountains on fire,

15 So pursue them with Your tempest

And terrify them with [the violence of] Your storm.

16 Fill their faces with shameanddisgrace,

That they may [persistently] seek Your name, O Lord.

17 Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever;

Yes, let them be humiliated and perish,

18 That they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord,

Are the Most High over all the earth.

Longing for the Temple Worship.

1 How lovely are Your dwelling places,

O Lordof hosts!

2 My soul (my life, my inner self) longs for and greatly desires the courts of the Lord;

My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

3 The bird has found a house,

And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—

Even Your altars, O Lordof hosts,

My King and my God.

4 Blessedandgreatly favored are those who dwell in Your houseandYour presence;

They will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah.

5 Blessedandgreatly favored is the man whose strength is in You,

Inwhose heart are the highwaysto Zion.

6 Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs;

The early rain also covers it with blessings.

7 They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power];

Each of themappears before God in Zion.

8 O LordGod of hosts, hear my prayer;

Listen, O God of Jacob! Selah.

9 See our shield, O God,

And look at the face of Your anointed [the king as Your representative].

10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else];

I would rather stand [as a doorkeeper] at the threshold of the house of my God

Than to live [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the LordGod is a sun and shield;

The Lordbestows graceandfavor and honor;

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

12 O Lordof hosts,

How blessedandgreatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation].

Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.

1 O Lord, You have [at last] shown favor to Your land [of Canaan];

You have restored [from Babylon] the captives of Jacob (Israel).

2 You have forgiven the wickedness of Your people;

You have covered all their sin. Selah.

3 You have withdrawn all Your wrath,

You have turned away from Your burning anger.

4 Restore us, O God of our salvation,

And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.

5 Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

6 Will You not revive usandbring us to life again,

That Your people may rejoice in You?

7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,

And grant us Your salvation.

8 I will hear [with expectant hope] what God the Lordwill say,

For He will speak peace to His people, to Hisgodly ones—

But let them not turn again to folly.

9 Surely His salvation is near to those who [reverently] fear Him [and obey Him with submissive wonder],

That glory [the manifest presence of God] may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and truthandfaithfulness meet together;

Righteousness and peace kiss each other.

11 Truth springs from the earth,

And righteousness looks down from heaven.

12 Indeed, the Lordwill give what is good,

And our land will yield its produce.

13 Righteousness will go before Him

And will make His footsteps into a way [in which to walk].

A Psalm of Supplication and Trust.

1 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me,

For I am distressed and needy [I long for Your help].

2 Protect my life (soul), for I am godlyandfaithful;

O You my God, save Your servant, who trusts in You [believing in You and relying on You, confidently committing everything to You].

3 Be graciousandmerciful to me, O Lord,

For to You I cry out all the day long.

4 Make Your servant rejoice,

For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul [all that I am—in prayer].

5 For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our sins, sending them away, completely letting them go forever and ever];

And abundant in lovingkindnessandoverflowing in mercy to all those who call upon You.

6 Hear, O Lord, my prayer;

And listen attentively to the voice of my supplications (specific requests)!

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,

For You will answer me.

8 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,

Nor are there any works [of wonder and majesty] like Yours.

9 All nations whom You have made shall come and kneel down in worship before You, O Lord,

And they shall glorify Your name.

10 For You are great and do wondrous works!

You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,

I will walkandlive in Your truth;

Direct my heart to fear Your name [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].

12 I will give thanksandpraise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

And will glorify Your name forevermore.

13 For great is Your lovingkindnessandgraciousness toward me;

And You have rescued my life from the depths of Sheol [from death].

14 O God, arrogantandinsolent men have risen up against me;

A band of violent men have sought my life,

And they have not set You before them.

15 But You, O Lord, are a God [who protects and is] merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.

16 Turn to me, and be gracious to me;

Grant Your strength [Your might and the power to resist temptation] to Your servant,

And save the son of Your handmaid.

17 Show me a sign of [Your] goodwill,

That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,

Because You, O Lord, helped and comforted me.

The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.

1 His foundation is on the holy mountain.

2 The Lordloves the gates of Zion

More than all the dwellings of Jacob (Israel).

3 Glorious things are spoken of you,

O city of God [Jerusalem]. Selah.

4 “I will mention Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon among those who know Me—

Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia (Cush)—

‘This one was born there.’ ”

5 But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her,”

And the Most High Himself will establish her.

6 The Lordwill count, when He registers the peoples,

“This one was born there.” Selah.

7 The singers as well as the players of fluteswill say,

“All my springsandsources of joy are in you [Jerusalem, city of God].”

A Petition to Be Saved from Death.

1 O Lord, the God of my salvation,

I have cried out [for help] by day and in the night before You.

2 Let my prayer come before Youandenter into Your presence;

Incline Your ear to my cry!

3 For my soul is full of troubles,

And my life draws near the grave (Sheol, the place of the dead).

4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit (grave);

I am like a man who has no strength [a mere shadow],

5 Cast away [from the living]andabandoned among the dead,

Like the slain who lie in a [nameless] grave,

Whom You no longer remember,

And they are cut off from Your hand.

6 You have laid me in the lowest pit,

In dark places, in the depths.

7 Your wrath has rested heavily upon me,

And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah.

8 You have put my friends far from me;

You have made me anobject of loathing to them.

I am shut up and I cannot go out.

9 My eye grows dim with sorrow.

O Lord, I have called on You every day;

I have spread out my hands to You [in prayer].

10 Will You perform wonders for the dead?

Shall the departed spirits arise and praise You? Selah.

11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave

Or Your faithfulness in Abaddon (the underworld)?

12 Will Your wonders be known in the darkness?

And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness [where the dead forget and are forgotten]?

13 But I have cried out to You, O Lord, for help;

And in the morning my prayer will come to You.

14 O Lord, why do You reject me?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

15 I was afflicted and close to death from my youth on;

I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.

16 Your fierce wrath has swept over me;

Your terrors have destroyed me.

17 They have surrounded me like flood waters all day long;

They have completely encompassed me.

18 Lover and friend You have placed far from me;

My familiar friends are in darkness.

The Lord’s Covenant with David, and Israel’s Afflictions.

1 I will sing of the goodnessandlovingkindness of the Lordforever;

With my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness from generation to generation.

2 For I have said, “Goodnessandlovingkindness will be built up forever;

In the heavens [unchangeable and majestic] You will establish Your faithfulness.”

3 [God has said] “I have made a covenant with My chosen one;

I have sworn to David My servant,

4 I will establish your seed forever

And I will build up your throne for all generations.” Selah.

5 The heavens (angels) praise Your wonders, O Lord,

Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?

Who among the divine beings is like the Lord,

7 A God greatly fearedandreverently worshiped in the council of the holy [angelic] ones,

And awesome above all those who are around Him?

8 O LordGod of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?

Your faithfulness surrounds You [as an intrinsic, unchangeable part of Your very being].

9 You rule the swelling of the sea;

When its waves rise, You still them.

10 You have crushed Rahab (Egypt) like one who is slain;

You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;

The world and all that is in it, You have foundedandestablished them.

12 The north and the south, You have created them;

Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

13 You have a strong arm;

Mighty is Your hand, Your right hand is exalted.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

15 Blessedandhappy are the people who know the joyful sound [of the trumpet’s blast]!

They walk, O Lord, in the lightandfavor of Your countenance!

16 In Your name they rejoice all the day,

And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

17 For You are the glory of their strength [their proud adornment],

And by Your favor our horn is exalted.

18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,

And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Once You spoke in a vision to Your godly ones,

And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty [giving him the power to be a champion for Israel];

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found David My servant;

With My holy oil I have anointed him,

21 With whom My hand shall be establishedandsteadfast;

My arm also shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy will not outwit him,

Nor will the wicked man afflictorhumiliate him.

23 I will crush his adversaries before him,

And strike those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and My steadfast lovingkindness shall be with him,

And in My name shall his horn be exalted [great power and prosperity shall be conferred upon him].

25 I will alsoset his hand on the [Mediterranean] sea,

And his right hand on the rivers [the tributaries of the Euphrates].

26 He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

27 I will also make him My firstborn (preeminent),

The highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My lovingkindness I will keep for him forevermore,

And My covenant will be confirmed to him.

29 His descendants I will establish forever,

And his throne [will endure] as the days of heaven.

30 “If his childrenturn away from My law

And do not walk in My ordinances,

31 If they break My statutes

And do not keep My commandments,

32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod [of discipline],

And [correct] their wickedness with stripes.

33 Nevertheless, I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,

Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.

34 My covenant I will not violate,

Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.

35 Once [for all] I have sworn by My holiness, [My vow which cannot be violated];

I will not lie to David.

36 Hisdescendants shall endure forever

And his throne [will continue] as the sun before Me.

37 It shall be established forever like the moon,

And the witness in the heavens is ever faithful.” Selah.

38 But [in apparent contradiction of all this] You [the faithful Lord] have cast off and rejected;

You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.

39 You have spurnedandrepudiated the covenant with Your servant;

You have profaned his crown [by casting it] in the dust.

40 You have broken down all his [city] walls;

You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

41 All who pass along the road rob him;

He has become the scorn of his neighbors.

42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

You have made all his enemies rejoice.

43 Also, You have turned back the edge of his sword

And have not made him [strong enough] to stand in battle.

44 You have put an end to his splendor

And have hurled his throne to the ground.

45 You have shortened the days of his youth;

You have covered him with shame. Selah.

46 How long, O Lord?

Will You hide Yourself forever?

Will Your wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember how fleeting my lifetime is;

For what vanity, [for what emptiness, for what futility, for what wisp of smoke] You have created all the sons of men!

48 What man can live and not see death?

Can he rescue his soul from the [powerful] hand of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead)? Selah.

49 O Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses [so abundant in the days of David and Solomon],

Which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?

50 Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants [scorned, insulted, and disgraced];

How I bear inmy heart the reproach of all the many peoples,

51 With which Your enemies have taunted, O Lord,

With which they have mocked the footsteps of Your anointed.

52 Blessed be the Lordforevermore!

Amen and Amen.

God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.

1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place [our refuge, our sanctuary, our stability] in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were born

Or before You had given birth to the earth and the world,

Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God.

3 You turn man back to dust,

And say, “Return [to the earth], O children of [mortal] men!”

4 For athousand years in Your sight

Are like yesterday when it is past,

Or as a watch in the night.

5 You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep [forgotten as soon as they are gone];

In the morning they are like grass which grows anew—

6 In the morning it flourishes and springs up;

In the evening it wilts and withers away.

7 For we have been consumed by Your anger

And by Your wrath we have been terrified.

8 You have placed our wickedness before you,

Our secretsins[which we tried to conceal, You have placed] in the [revealing] light of Your presence.

9 For all our days pass away in Your wrath;

We have finished our years like a whispered sigh.

10 The days of our life areseventy years—

Or even, if because of strength, eighty years;

Yet their pride [in additional years] is only labor and sorrow,

For it is soon gone and we fly away.

11 Who understands the power of Your anger? [Who connects this brevity of life among us with Your judgment of sin?]

And Your wrath, [who connects it] with the [reverent] fear that is due You?

12 So teach us to number our days,

That we may cultivateandbring to You a heart of wisdom.

13 Turn, O Lord[from Your fierce anger]; how long will it be?

Be compassionate toward Your servants—revoke Your sentence.

14 O satisfy us with Your lovingkindness in the morning [now, before we grow older],

That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad in proportion to the days You have afflicted us,

And the years we have suffered evil.

16 Let Your work [the signs of Your power] be revealed to Your servants

And Your [glorious] majesty to their children.

17 And let the [gracious] favor of the Lord our God be on us;

Confirm for us the work of our hands—

Yes, confirm the work of our hands.