PSALM 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;my cup overflows. 

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of The Lord forever.. 

PSALM 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish? 

My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, but I find no rest. 

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

you are the one Israel praises. 

In you our ancestors put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them. 

To you they cried out and were saved;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 

But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 

All who see me mock me;

they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 

“He trusts in the Lord,” they say, "let the Lord rescue him.

Let him deliver him,since he delights in him.” 

Yet you brought me out of the womb;

you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 

From birth I was cast on you;

from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 

Do not be far from me,

for trouble is nearand there is no one to help. 

Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 

Roaring lions that tear their preyopen their mouths wide against me. 

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has turned to wax;

it has melted within me. 

My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

you lay me in the dust of death. 

Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me;

they pierce my hands and my feet. 

All my bones are on display;

people stare and gloat over me. 

They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. 

But you, Lord, do not be far from me.

You are my strength; come quickly to help me. 

Deliver me from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dogs. 

Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;

save me from the horns of the wild oxen. 

I will declare your name to my people;

in the assembly I will praise you. 

You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 

For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one;

he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. 

PSALM 21

O Lord, in Your strength the king will be glad,

And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice! 

You have given him his heart’s desire,

And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. 

For You meet him with the blessings of good things;

You set a crown of fine gold on his head.

He asked life of You, You gave it to him

Length of days forever and ever. 

His glory is great through Your salvation,

Splendor and majesty You place upon him. 

For You make him most blessed forever;

You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence. 

For the king trusts in the Lord,

And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not be shaken. 

Your hand will find out all your enemies;

Your right hand will find out those who hate you. 

You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger;

The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath,

And fire will devour them. 

Their offspring You will destroy from the earth,

And their descendants from among the sons of men.

Though they intended evil against You

And devised a plot,

They will not succeed. 

For You will make them turn their back;

You will aim with Your bow strings at their faces. 

Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength;

We will sing and praise Your power. 

PSALM 20

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!

May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! 

May He send you help from the sanctuary and support you from Zion! 

May He remember all your meal offerings and find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah. 

May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your counsel! 

We will sing for joy over your victory, 

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

With the saving strength of His right hand. 

Some boast in chariots and some in horses,

But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God. 

They have bowed down and fallen,

But we have risen and stood upright.

Save, O Lord;

May the King answer us in the day we call. 

PSALM 19

The heavens are telling the glory of God

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours forth speech,

and night to night declare knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;

their voice is not heard;

yet their voice goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,

which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,

and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

and its circuit to the end of them;

and nothing is hid from its heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the decrees of the LORD are sure,

making wise the simple;

the precepts of the LORD are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is clear,

enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever;

the ordinances of the LORD are true

and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey,

and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

But who can detect their errors?

Clear me from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also from the insolent,

don’t let them have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,

and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable to you,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

PSALM 18

I will love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

my God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;

so shall I be saved from my enemies.

         

The pangs of death surrounded me,

and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD,

and cried out to my God;

he heard my voice from his temple,

and my cry came before him, even to his ears.

         

Then the earth shook and trembled;

the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,

because he was angry.

Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

coals were kindled by it.

He bowed the heavens also, and came down

with darkness under his feet.

And he rode upon a cherub, and flew;

he flew upon the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his secret place;

his canopy around him was dark waters

and thick clouds of the skies.

From the brightness before him,

his thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

         

The LORD thundered from heaven,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

He sent out his arrows and scattered the foe,

lightnings in abundance, and he vanquished them.

Then the channels of the sea were seen,

the foundations of the world were uncovered

at your rebuke, O LORD,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

         

He sent from above, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me,

for they were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

He also brought me out into a broad place;

he delivered me because he delighted in me.

         

The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands

he has recompensed me.

For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

For all his judgments were before me,

and I did not put away his statutes from me.

I was also blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my iniquity.

Therefore the LORD has recompensed me

according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

         

With the merciful you will show yourself merciful;

with a blameless man you will show yourself blameless;

with the pure you will show yourself pure;

and with the devious you will show yourself shrewd.

For you will save the humble people,

but will bring down haughty looks.

For you will light my lamp;

the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

For by you I can run against a troop,

by my God I can leap over a wall.

As for God, his way is perfect;

the word of the LORD is proven;

he is a shield to all who trust in him.

         

For who is God, except the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength,

and makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

and sets me on my high places.

He teaches my hands to make war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

         

You have also given me the shield of your salvation;

your right hand has held me up,

your gentleness has made me great.

You enlarged my path under me,

so my feet did not slip.

         

I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;

neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

I have wounded them,

so that they could not rise;

they have fallen under my feet.

For you have armed me with strength for the battle;

you have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

You have also given me the necks of my enemies,

so that I destroyed those who hated me.

They cried out, but there was none to save;

even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;

I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;

you have made me the head of the nations;

a people I have not known shall serve me.

As soon as they hear of me they obey me;

the foreigners submit to me.

The foreigners fade away,

and come frightened from their hideouts.

         

The LORD lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

It is God who avenges me,

and subdues the peoples under me;

he delivers me from my enemies.

You also lift me up above those who rise against me;

you have delivered me from the violent man.

Therefore I will give thanks to you, O LORD,

among the Gentiles,

and sing praises to your name.

         

Great deliverance he gives to his king,

and shows mercy to his anointed,

to David and his descendants forevermore.

PSALM 17

Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;

listen to my cry.

Give ear to my prayer –

it does not rise from deceitful lips.

May my vindication come from you;

may your eyes see what is right.

Though you probe my heart and examine me at night,

though you test me, you will find nothing;

I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.

As for the deeds of men –

by the word of your lips

I have kept myself

from the ways of the violent.

My steps have held to your paths;

my feet have not slipped.

I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;

give ear to me and hear my prayer.

Show the wonder of your great love,

you who save by your right hand

those who take refuge in you from their foes.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings

from the wicked who assail me,

from my mortal enemies who surround me.

They close up their callous hearts,

and their mouths speak with arrogance.

They have tracked me down, they now surround me,

with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

They are like a lion hungry for prey,

like a great lion crouching in cover.

Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down;

rescue me from the wicked by your sword.

O LORD, by your hand save me from such men,

from men of this world whose reward is in this life.

You still the hunger of those you cherish;

their sons have plenty,

and they store up wealth for their children.

And I – in righteousness I will see your face;

when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

PSALM 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I put my trust.

         

O my soul, you have said to the LORD,

“You are my LORD,

my goodness is nothing apart from you.”

As for the saints who are on the earth,

“They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”

         

 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;

 their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,

 nor take up their names on my lips.

         

O LORD, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

you maintain my lot.

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

yes, I have a good inheritance.

         

I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;

my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set the LORD always before me;

because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

         

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

my flesh also will rest in hope.

For you will not leave my soul in Sheol,

nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

You will show me the path of life;

in your presence is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

PSALM 15

O LORD, who may abide in your tent?

Who may dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,

and speaks truth in his heart.

He does not slander with his tongue,

nor does evil to his neighbor,

nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

in whose eyes a reprobate is despised,

but who honors those who fear the LORD;

he swears to his own hurt and does not change;

he does not put out his money at interest,

nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things will never be shaken.

PSALM 14

The fool has said in his heart,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt,

they have done abominable works,

there is none who does good.

         

The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,

to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

They have all turned aside,

they have together become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

no, not one.

         

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and do not call on the LORD?

There they are in great fear,

for God is with the generation of the righteous.

You shame the counsel of the poor,

but the LORD is his refuge.

         

Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!

When the LORD brings back the captivity of his people,

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

PSALM 13

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

         

Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;

enlighten my eyes,

lest I sleep the sleep of death;

lest my enemy say,

“I have prevailed against him”;

lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

         

But I have trusted in your mercy;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

PSALM 12

Help, O LORD, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;

the faithful have disappeared from humankind.

They utter lies to each other;

with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,

the tongue that makes great boasts,

those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;

our lips are our own – who is our master?”

“Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,

I will now rise up,” says the LORD;

“I will place them in the safety for which they long.”

The promises of the LORD are promises that are pure,

silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

You, O LORD, will protect us;

you will guard us from this generation forever.

On every side the wicked prowl,

as vileness is exalted among humankind.

PSALM 11

In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to me,

“Flee like a bird to the mountains;

for look, the wicked bend the bow,

they have fitted their arrow to the string,

to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.

If the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

The LORD is in his holy temple;

the LORD’s throne is in heaven.

His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.

The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,

and his soul hates the lover of violence.

On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur;

a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

For the LORD is righteous;

he loves righteous deeds;

the upright  shall behold his face.

PSALM 10

Lord, why are you so far away?

Why do you hide when there is trouble?

Proudly the wicked chase down those who suffer.

Let them be caught in their own traps.

They brag about the things they want.

They bless the greedy but hate the LORD.

The wicked people are too proud.

They do not look for God;

there is no room for God in their thoughts.

They always succeed.

They are far from keeping your laws;

they make fun of their enemies.

They say to themselves, "Nothing bad will ever happen to me;

I will never be ruined."

Their mouths are full of curses, lies, and threats;

they use their tongues for sin and evil.

They hide near the villages.

They look for innocent people to kill;

they watch in secret for the helpless.

They wait in hiding like a lion.

They wait to catch poor people;

they catch the poor in nets.

The poor are thrown down and crushed;

they are defeated because the others are stronger.

The wicked think, "God has forgotten us.

He doesn't see what is happening."

Lord, rise up and punish the wicked.

Don't forget those who need help.

Why do wicked people hate God?

They say to themselves, "God won't punish us."

LORD, surely you see these cruel and evil things;

look at them and do something.

People in trouble look to you for help.

You are the one who helps the orphans.

Break the power of wicked people.

Punish them for the evil they have done.

The LORD is King forever and ever.

Destroy from your land those nations that do not worship you.

LORD, you have heard what the poor people want.

Do what they ask, and listen to them.

Protect the orphans and put an end to suffering

so they will no longer be afraid of evil people.

PSALM 9

I will praise you, O LORD, with my whole heart;

I will tell of all your marvelous works.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

         

When my enemies turn back,

they shall fall and perish at your presence.

For you have maintained my right and my cause;

you sat on the throne judging in righteousness.

You have rebuked the nations,

you have destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

         

O enemy, destructions are finished forever!

And you have destroyed cities;

even their memory has perished.

But the LORD shall endure forever;

he has prepared his throne for judgment.

He shall judge the world in righteousness,

and he shall administer judgment

for the peoples in uprightness.

         

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,

a refuge in times of trouble.

And those who know your name will put their trust in you;

for you, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

         

Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion!

Declare his deeds among the people.

When he avenges blood, he remembers them;

he does not forget the cry of the humble.

Have mercy on me, O LORD!

Consider my trouble from those who hate me,

you who lift me up from the gates of death,

that I may tell of all your praise

in the gates of the daughter of Zion.

I will rejoice in your salvation.

         

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;

in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.

The LORD is known by the judgment he executes;

the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Selah  

         

The wicked shall be turned into hell,

and all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten;

the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

         

Arise, O LORD,

do not let man prevail;

let the nations be judged in your sight.

Put them in fear, O LORD,

that the nations may know themselves to be but men.  

Selah

PSALM 8

O how majestic is your name in all the earth,
who have displayed your splendor above the heavens!

From the mouth of infants and nursing babes

you have established strength

because of your adversaries,

to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;

what is man that you take thought of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than God,

and you crown him with glory and majesty!

You make him to rule over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,

all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our LORD,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

PSALM 7

LORD my God, I take refuge in you;

save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

or they will tear me apart like a lion

and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

LORD my God, if I have done this

and there is guilt on my hands –

if I have repaid my ally with evil

or without cause have robbed my foe –

then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;

let him trample my life to the ground

and make me sleep in the dust.

Arise, LORD, in your anger;

rise up against the rage of my enemies.

Awake, my God; decree justice.

Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

while you sit enthroned over them on high.

Let the LORD judge the peoples.

Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness,

according to my integrity, O Most High.

Bring to an end the violence of the wicked

and make the righteous secure –

you, the righteous God

who probes minds and hearts.

My shield is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart.

God is a righteous judge,

a God who displays his wrath every day.

If he does not relent,

he will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

He has prepared his deadly weapons;

he makes ready his flaming arrows.

Those who are pregnant with evil

conceive trouble and give birth to disillusionment.

Those who dig a hole and scoop it out

fall into the pit they have made.

The trouble they cause recoils on them;

their violence comes down on their own heads.

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;

I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

PSALM 6

LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint;

heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.

My soul is in deep anguish.

How long, LORD, how long?

Turn, LORD, and deliver me;

save me because of your unfailing love.

Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Who praises you from the grave?

I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping

and drench my couch with tears.

My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

they fail because of all my foes.

Away from me, all you who do evil,

for the LORD has heard my weeping.

The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;

the LORD accepts my prayer.

All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;

they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.