June 1 Psalms 18-22

Psalm 18
Royal Thanksgiving for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
so I shall be saved from my enemies.


4The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.


6In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.


7Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
13The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.*
14And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
15Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.


16He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.


20The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all his ordinances were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.


25With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26with the pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
27For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28It is you who light my lamp;
the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29By you I can crush a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.


31For who is God except the Lord?
And who is a rock besides our God?—
32the God who girded me with strength,
and made my way safe.
33He made my feet like the feet of a deer,
and set me secure on the heights.
34He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand has supported me;
your help* has made me great.
36You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
38I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.
40You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.


43You delivered me from strife with the peoples;*
you made me head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45Foreigners lost heart,
and came trembling out of their strongholds.


46The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me;
48who delivered me from my enemies;
indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.


49For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
50Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants for ever.
Psalm 19
God’s Glory in Creation and the LawTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament* proclaims his handiwork.
2Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
3There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4yet 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,
5which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hidden from its heat.


7The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
8the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
9the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.


11Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
13Keep back your servant also from the insolent;*
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.


14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 20
Prayer for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
3May he remember all your offerings,
and regard with favour your burnt sacrifices.
Selah


4May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfil all your plans.
5May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions.


6Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
7Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
8They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright.


9Give victory to the king, O Lord;
answer us when we call.*
Psalm 21
Thanksgiving for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord,
and in your help how greatly he exults!
2You have given him his heart’s desire,
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah
3For you meet him with rich blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4He asked you for life; you gave it to him—
length of days for ever and ever.
5His glory is great through your help;
splendour and majesty you bestow on him.
6You bestow on him blessings for ever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7For the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.


8Your hand will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9You will make them like a fiery furnace
when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them.
10You will destroy their offspring from the earth,
and their children from among humankind.
11If they plan evil against you,
if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.


13Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
Psalm 22
Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and HostilityTo the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.


3Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.


6But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the people.
7All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
8‘Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!’


9Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
10On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
11Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.


12Many bulls encircle me,
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.


14I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15my mouth* is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.


16For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shrivelled;*
17I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
18they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.


19But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life* from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!


From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued* me.
22I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;*
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,*
but heard when I* cried to him.


25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26The poor* shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live for ever!


27All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.*
28For dominion belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.


29To him,* indeed, shall all who sleep in* the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.*
30Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord,
31and* proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.