Psalm 75
Thanksgiving for God’s Wondrous DeedsTo the leader: Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks; your name is near.
People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2At the set time that I appoint
I will judge with equity.
3When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep its pillars steady.
Selah
4I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast’,
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;
5do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with insolent neck.’
6For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7but it is God who executes judgement,
putting down one and lifting up another.
8For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed;
he will pour a draught from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
9But I will rejoice* for ever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
Psalm 76
Israel’s God—Judge of All the EarthTo the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1In Judah God is known,
his name is great in Israel.
2His abode has been established in Salem,
his dwelling-place in Zion.
3There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.
Selah
4Glorious are you, more majestic
than the everlasting mountains.*
5The stout-hearted were stripped of their spoil;
they sank into sleep;
none of the troops
was able to lift a hand.
6At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both rider and horse lay stunned.
7But you indeed are awesome!
Who can stand before you
when once your anger is roused?
8From the heavens you uttered judgement;
the earth feared and was still
9when God rose up to establish judgement,
to save all the oppressed of the earth.
Selah
10Human wrath serves only to praise you,
when you bind the last bit of your* wrath around you.
11Make vows to the Lord your God, and perform them;
let all who are around him bring gifts
to the one who is awesome,
12who cuts off the spirit of princes,
who inspires fear in the kings of the earth.
Psalm 77
God’s Mighty Deeds RecalledTo the leader: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A Psalm.
1I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
3I think of God, and I moan;
I meditate, and my spirit faints.
Selah
4You keep my eyelids from closing;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5I consider the days of old,
and remember the years of long ago.
6I commune* with my heart in the night;
I meditate and search my spirit:*
7‘Will the Lord spurn for ever,
and never again be favourable?
8Has his steadfast love ceased for ever?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
9Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?’
Selah
10And I say, ‘It is my grief
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.’
11I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
I will remember your wonders of old.
12I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty deeds.
13Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
14You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
16When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
the very deep trembled.
17The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
18The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
19Your way was through the sea,
your path, through the mighty waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
20You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalm 78
God’s Goodness and Israel’s IngratitudeA Maskil of Asaph.
1Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3things that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
4We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
5He established a decree in Jacob,
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach to their children;
6that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8and that they should not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9The Ephraimites, armed with* the bow,
turned back on the day of battle.
10They did not keep God’s covenant,
but refused to walk according to his law.
11They forgot what he had done,
and the miracles that he had shown them.
12In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels
in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13He divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters stand like a heap.
14In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all night long with a fiery light.
15He split rocks open in the wilderness,
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16He made streams come out of the rock,
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19They spoke against God, saying,
‘Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed out
and torrents overflowed,
can he also give bread,
or provide meat for his people?’
21Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of rage;
a fire was kindled against Jacob,
his anger mounted against Israel,
22because they had no faith in God,
and did not trust his saving power.
23Yet he commanded the skies above,
and opened the doors of heaven;
24he rained down on them manna to eat,
and gave them the grain of heaven.
25Mortals ate of the bread of angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
26He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27he rained flesh upon them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28he let them fall within their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
30But before they had satisfied their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31the anger of God rose against them
and he killed the strongest of them,
and laid low the flower of Israel.
32In spite of all this they still sinned;
they did not believe in his wonders.
33So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in terror.
34When he killed them, they sought for him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.
36But they flattered him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37Their heart was not steadfast towards him;
they were not true to his covenant.
38Yet he, being compassionate,
forgave their iniquity,
and did not destroy them;
often he restrained his anger,
and did not stir up all his wrath.
39He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes and does not come again.
40How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved him in the desert!
41They tested God again and again,
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42They did not keep in mind his power,
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;
43when he displayed his signs in Egypt,
and his miracles in the fields of Zoan.
44He turned their rivers to blood,
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46He gave their crops to the caterpillar,
and the fruit of their labour to the locust.
47He destroyed their vines with hail,
and their sycomores with frost.
48He gave over their cattle to the hail,
and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49He let loose on them his fierce anger,
wrath, indignation, and distress,
a company of destroying angels.
50He made a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague.
51He struck all the firstborn in Egypt,
the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52Then he led out his people like sheep,
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid;
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54And he brought them to his holy hill,
to the mountain that his right hand had won.
55He drove out nations before them;
he apportioned them for a possession
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56Yet they tested the Most High God,
and rebelled against him.
They did not observe his decrees,
57but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors;
they twisted like a treacherous bow.
58For they provoked him to anger with their high places;
they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
59When God heard, he was full of wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mortals,
61and delivered his power to captivity,
his glory to the hand of the foe.
62He gave his people to the sword,
and vented his wrath on his heritage.
63Fire devoured their young men,
and their girls had no marriage song.
64Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows made no lamentation.
65Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a warrior shouting because of wine.
66He put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting disgrace.
67He rejected the tent of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loves.
69He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded for ever.
70He chose his servant David,
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71from tending the nursing ewes he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel, his inheritance.
72With upright heart he tended them,
and guided them with skilful hand.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
June 10 Psalms 70-74
Psalm 70
Prayer for Deliverance from EnemiesTo the leader. Of David, for the memorial offering.
1Be pleased, O God, to deliver me.
O Lord, make haste to help me!
2Let those be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life.
Let those be turned back and brought to dishonour
who desire to hurt me.
3Let those who say, ‘Aha, Aha!’
turn back because of their shame.
4Let all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation
say evermore, ‘God is great!’
5But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!
Psalm 71
Prayer for Lifelong Protection and Help
1In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
3Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress,* to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
5For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
6Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
7I have been like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all day long.
9Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
do not forsake me when my strength is spent.
10For my enemies speak concerning me,
and those who watch for my life consult together.
11They say, ‘Pursue and seize that person
whom God has forsaken,
for there is no one to deliver.’
12O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
13Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
let those who seek to hurt me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14But I will hope continually,
and will praise you yet more and more.
15My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all day long,
though their number is past my knowledge.
16I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord God,
I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.
17O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18So even to old age and grey hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might
to all the generations to come.*
Your power 19and your righteousness, O God,
reach the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
20You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
21You will increase my honour,
and comfort me once again.
22I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have rescued.
24All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help,
for those who tried to do me harm
have been put to shame, and disgraced.
Psalm 72
Prayer for Guidance and Support for the KingOf Solomon.
1Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
5May he live* while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9May his foes* bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
11May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.
12For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
13He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live!
May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all day long.
16May there be abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field.
17May his name endure for ever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;*
may they pronounce him happy.
18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19Blessed be his glorious name for ever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.Amen and Amen.
20The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
BOOK III(Psalms 73-89)
Psalm 73
Plea for Relief from OppressorsA Psalm of Asaph.
1Truly God is good to the upright,*
to those who are pure in heart.
2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had nearly slipped.
3For I was envious of the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4For they have no pain;
their bodies are sound and sleek.
5They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not plagued like other people.
6Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them like a garment.
7Their eyes swell out with fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues range over the earth.
10Therefore the people turn and praise them,*
and find no fault in them.*
11And they say, ‘How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?’
12Such are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13All in vain I have kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14For all day long I have been plagued,
and am punished every morning.
15If I had said, ‘I will talk on in this way’,
I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I perceived their end.
18Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20They are* like a dream when one awakes;
on awaking you despise their phantoms.
21When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like a brute beast towards you.
23Nevertheless I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24You guide me with your counsel,
and afterwards you will receive me with honour.*
25Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength* of my heart and my portion for ever.
27Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
you put an end to those who are false to you.
28But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
to tell of all your works.
Psalm 74
Plea for Help in Time of National HumiliationA Maskil of Asaph.
1O God, why do you cast us off for ever?
Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2Remember your congregation, which you acquired long ago,
which you redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage.
Remember Mount Zion, where you came to dwell.
3Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;
the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.
4Your foes have roared within your holy place;
they set up their emblems there.
5At the upper entrance they hacked
the wooden trellis with axes.*
6And then, with hatchets and hammers,
they smashed all its carved work.
7They set your sanctuary on fire;
they desecrated the dwelling-place of your name,
bringing it to the ground.
8They said to themselves, ‘We will utterly subdue them’;
they burned all the meeting-places of God in the land.
9We do not see our emblems;
there is no longer any prophet,
and there is no one among us who knows how long.
10How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name for ever?
11Why do you hold back your hand;
why do you keep your hand in* your bosom?
12Yet God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the earth.
13You divided the sea by your might;
you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you gave him as food* for the creatures of the wilderness.
15You cut openings for springs and torrents;
you dried up ever-flowing streams.
16Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you established the luminaries* and the sun.
17You have fixed all the bounds of the earth;
you made summer and winter.
18Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,
and an impious people reviles your name.
19Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild animals;
do not forget the life of your poor for ever.
20Have regard for your* covenant,
for the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of violence.
21Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.
22Rise up, O God, plead your cause;
remember how the impious scoff at you all day long.
23Do not forget the clamour of your foes,
the uproar of your adversaries that goes up continually.
Prayer for Deliverance from EnemiesTo the leader. Of David, for the memorial offering.
1Be pleased, O God, to deliver me.
O Lord, make haste to help me!
2Let those be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life.
Let those be turned back and brought to dishonour
who desire to hurt me.
3Let those who say, ‘Aha, Aha!’
turn back because of their shame.
4Let all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation
say evermore, ‘God is great!’
5But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!
Psalm 71
Prayer for Lifelong Protection and Help
1In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me and save me.
3Be to me a rock of refuge,
a strong fortress,* to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
5For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
6Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
7I have been like a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all day long.
9Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
do not forsake me when my strength is spent.
10For my enemies speak concerning me,
and those who watch for my life consult together.
11They say, ‘Pursue and seize that person
whom God has forsaken,
for there is no one to deliver.’
12O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
13Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
let those who seek to hurt me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14But I will hope continually,
and will praise you yet more and more.
15My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all day long,
though their number is past my knowledge.
16I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord God,
I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.
17O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18So even to old age and grey hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might
to all the generations to come.*
Your power 19and your righteousness, O God,
reach the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
20You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
21You will increase my honour,
and comfort me once again.
22I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have rescued.
24All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help,
for those who tried to do me harm
have been put to shame, and disgraced.
Psalm 72
Prayer for Guidance and Support for the KingOf Solomon.
1Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
5May he live* while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9May his foes* bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
11May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.
12For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
13He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live!
May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all day long.
16May there be abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field.
17May his name endure for ever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;*
may they pronounce him happy.
18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19Blessed be his glorious name for ever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.Amen and Amen.
20The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
BOOK III(Psalms 73-89)
Psalm 73
Plea for Relief from OppressorsA Psalm of Asaph.
1Truly God is good to the upright,*
to those who are pure in heart.
2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had nearly slipped.
3For I was envious of the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4For they have no pain;
their bodies are sound and sleek.
5They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not plagued like other people.
6Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them like a garment.
7Their eyes swell out with fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues range over the earth.
10Therefore the people turn and praise them,*
and find no fault in them.*
11And they say, ‘How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?’
12Such are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13All in vain I have kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14For all day long I have been plagued,
and am punished every morning.
15If I had said, ‘I will talk on in this way’,
I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I perceived their end.
18Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20They are* like a dream when one awakes;
on awaking you despise their phantoms.
21When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like a brute beast towards you.
23Nevertheless I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24You guide me with your counsel,
and afterwards you will receive me with honour.*
25Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength* of my heart and my portion for ever.
27Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;
you put an end to those who are false to you.
28But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
to tell of all your works.
Psalm 74
Plea for Help in Time of National HumiliationA Maskil of Asaph.
1O God, why do you cast us off for ever?
Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2Remember your congregation, which you acquired long ago,
which you redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage.
Remember Mount Zion, where you came to dwell.
3Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;
the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.
4Your foes have roared within your holy place;
they set up their emblems there.
5At the upper entrance they hacked
the wooden trellis with axes.*
6And then, with hatchets and hammers,
they smashed all its carved work.
7They set your sanctuary on fire;
they desecrated the dwelling-place of your name,
bringing it to the ground.
8They said to themselves, ‘We will utterly subdue them’;
they burned all the meeting-places of God in the land.
9We do not see our emblems;
there is no longer any prophet,
and there is no one among us who knows how long.
10How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name for ever?
11Why do you hold back your hand;
why do you keep your hand in* your bosom?
12Yet God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the earth.
13You divided the sea by your might;
you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you gave him as food* for the creatures of the wilderness.
15You cut openings for springs and torrents;
you dried up ever-flowing streams.
16Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you established the luminaries* and the sun.
17You have fixed all the bounds of the earth;
you made summer and winter.
18Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs,
and an impious people reviles your name.
19Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild animals;
do not forget the life of your poor for ever.
20Have regard for your* covenant,
for the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of violence.
21Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.
22Rise up, O God, plead your cause;
remember how the impious scoff at you all day long.
23Do not forget the clamour of your foes,
the uproar of your adversaries that goes up continually.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
June 9 Psalms 65-69
Psalm 65
Thanksgiving for Earth’s BountyTo the leader. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
2 O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
3When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
4Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
5By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
6By your* strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
7You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
8Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
Psalm 66
Praise for God’s Goodness to IsraelTo the leader. A Song. A Psalm.
1Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.
3Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name.’
Selah
5Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might for ever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let the rebellious not exalt themselves.
Selah
8Bless our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard,
9who has kept us among the living,
and has not let our feet slip.
10For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
11You brought us into the net;
you laid burdens on our backs;
12you let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.*
13I will come into your house with burnt-offerings;
I will pay you my vows,
14those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15I will offer to you burnt-offerings of fatlings,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats.
Selah
16Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
17I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
18If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.
Psalm 67
The Nations Called to Praise GodTo the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
2that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
5Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
6The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
7May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him.
Psalm 68
Praise and ThanksgivingTo the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.
1Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.
2As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.
3But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.
4Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds*—
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.
5Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6God gives the desolate a home to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.
7O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,
Selah
8the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;
10your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11The Lord gives the command;
great is the company of those* who bore the tidings:
12 ‘The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!’
The women at home divide the spoil,
13 though they stay among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with green gold.
14When the Almighty* scattered kings there,
snow fell on Zalmon.
15O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
where the Lord will reside for ever?
17With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands,
the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.*
18You ascended the high mount,
leading captives in your train
and receiving gifts from people,
even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there.
19Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Selah
20Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
21But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.
22The Lord said,
‘I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23so that you may bathe* your feet in blood,
so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.’
24Your solemn processions are seen,* O God,
the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them girls playing tambourines:
26‘Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!’
27There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in a body,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28Summon your might, O God;
show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before.
29Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings bear gifts to you.
30Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample* under foot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.*
31Let bronze be brought from Egypt;
let Ethiopia* hasten to stretch out its hands to God.
32Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
Selah
33O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
35Awesome is God in his* sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
Psalm 69
Prayer for Deliverance from PersecutionTo the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.
1Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
3I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.
4More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal
must I now restore?
5O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,
O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you be dishonoured because of me,
O God of Israel.
7It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my face.
8I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.
9It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10When I humbled my soul with fasting,*
they insulted me for doing so.
11When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
12I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
13But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful help 14rescue me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
15Do not let the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or the Pit close its mouth over me.
16Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
17Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.
18Draw near to me, redeem me,
set me free because of my enemies.
19You know the insults I receive,
and my shame and dishonour;
my foes are all known to you.
20Insults have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none.
21They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22Let their table be a trap for them,
a snare for their allies.
23Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually.
24Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let your burning anger overtake them.
25May their camp be a desolation;
let no one live in their tents.
26For they persecute those whom you have struck down,
and those whom you have wounded, they attack still more.*
27Add guilt to their guilt;
may they have no acquittal from you.
28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
29But I am lowly and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, protect me.
30I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31This will please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33For the Lord hears the needy,
and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
34Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.
35For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah;
and his servants shall live* there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall live in it.
Thanksgiving for Earth’s BountyTo the leader. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
2 O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
3When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
4Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
5By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
6By your* strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
7You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
8Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
Psalm 66
Praise for God’s Goodness to IsraelTo the leader. A Song. A Psalm.
1Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.
3Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name.’
Selah
5Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might for ever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let the rebellious not exalt themselves.
Selah
8Bless our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard,
9who has kept us among the living,
and has not let our feet slip.
10For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
11You brought us into the net;
you laid burdens on our backs;
12you let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.*
13I will come into your house with burnt-offerings;
I will pay you my vows,
14those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15I will offer to you burnt-offerings of fatlings,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats.
Selah
16Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
17I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
18If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.
Psalm 67
The Nations Called to Praise GodTo the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
2that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Selah
5Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
6The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.
7May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him.
Psalm 68
Praise and ThanksgivingTo the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.
1Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.
2As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.
3But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.
4Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds*—
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.
5Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6God gives the desolate a home to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.
7O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,
Selah
8the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;
10your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11The Lord gives the command;
great is the company of those* who bore the tidings:
12 ‘The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!’
The women at home divide the spoil,
13 though they stay among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with green gold.
14When the Almighty* scattered kings there,
snow fell on Zalmon.
15O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
where the Lord will reside for ever?
17With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands,
the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.*
18You ascended the high mount,
leading captives in your train
and receiving gifts from people,
even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there.
19Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Selah
20Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
21But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.
22The Lord said,
‘I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23so that you may bathe* your feet in blood,
so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.’
24Your solemn processions are seen,* O God,
the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them girls playing tambourines:
26‘Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!’
27There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in a body,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28Summon your might, O God;
show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before.
29Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings bear gifts to you.
30Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample* under foot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.*
31Let bronze be brought from Egypt;
let Ethiopia* hasten to stretch out its hands to God.
32Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
Selah
33O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
35Awesome is God in his* sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
Psalm 69
Prayer for Deliverance from PersecutionTo the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.
1Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
3I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.
4More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal
must I now restore?
5O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.
6Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,
O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you be dishonoured because of me,
O God of Israel.
7It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my face.
8I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.
9It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10When I humbled my soul with fasting,*
they insulted me for doing so.
11When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
12I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
13But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful help 14rescue me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
15Do not let the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or the Pit close its mouth over me.
16Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
17Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.
18Draw near to me, redeem me,
set me free because of my enemies.
19You know the insults I receive,
and my shame and dishonour;
my foes are all known to you.
20Insults have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none.
21They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22Let their table be a trap for them,
a snare for their allies.
23Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually.
24Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let your burning anger overtake them.
25May their camp be a desolation;
let no one live in their tents.
26For they persecute those whom you have struck down,
and those whom you have wounded, they attack still more.*
27Add guilt to their guilt;
may they have no acquittal from you.
28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
29But I am lowly and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, protect me.
30I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31This will please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33For the Lord hears the needy,
and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
34Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.
35For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah;
and his servants shall live* there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall live in it.
Monday, June 8, 2009
June 8 Psalms 58-64
Psalm 58
Prayer for VengeanceTo the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam.
1Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?*
Do you judge people fairly?
2No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.
3The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their birth, speaking lies.
4They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7Let them vanish like water that runs away;
like grass let them be trodden down* and wither.
8Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime;
like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.
9Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11People will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth.’
Psalm 59
Prayer for Deliverance from EnemiesTo the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.
1Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
2Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty save me.
3Even now they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.
Selah
6Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
7There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words* on their lips—
for ‘Who’, they think,* ‘will hear us?’
8But you laugh at them, O Lord;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9O my strength, I will watch for you;
for you, O God, are my fortress.
10My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
make them totter by your power, and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
12For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath;
consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
Selah
14Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15They roam about for food,
and growl if they do not get their fill.
16But I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge on the day of my distress.
17O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
Psalm 60
Prayer for National Victory after DefeatTo the leader: according to The Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1O God, you have rejected us, broken our defences;
you have been angry; now restore us!
2You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3You have made your people suffer hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.
4You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
to rally to it out of bowshot.*
Selah
5Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,*
so that those whom you love may be rescued.
6God has promised in his sanctuary:*
‘With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my sceptre.
8Moab is my wash-basin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.’
9Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
12With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
Psalm 61
Assurance of God’s ProtectionTo the leader: with stringed instruments. Of David.
1Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I;
3for you are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
4Let me abide in your tent for ever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
Selah
5For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
7May he be enthroned for ever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8So I will always sing praises to your name,
as I pay my vows day after day.
Psalm 62
Song of Trust in God AloneTo the leader: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
2He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
3How long will you assail a person,
will you batter your victim, all of you,
as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.
They take pleasure in falsehood;
they bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse.
Selah
5For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7On God rests my deliverance and my honour;
my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
8Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
Selah
9Those of low estate are but a breath,
those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than a breath.
10Put no confidence in extortion,
and set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.
For you repay to all
according to their work.
Psalm 63
Comfort and Assurance in God’s PresenceA Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,*
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10they shall be given over to the power of the sword,
they shall be prey for jackals.
11But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Psalm 64
Prayer for Protection from EnemiesTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from the dread enemy.
2Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the scheming of evildoers,
3who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
4shooting from ambush at the blameless;
they shoot suddenly and without fear.
5They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, ‘Who can see us?*
6 Who can search out our crimes?*
We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.’
For the human heart and mind are deep.
7But God will shoot his arrow at them;
they will be wounded suddenly.
8Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin;*
all who see them will shake with horror.
9Then everyone will fear;
they will tell what God has brought about,
and ponder what he has done.
10Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him.
Let all the upright in heart glory.
Prayer for VengeanceTo the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam.
1Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?*
Do you judge people fairly?
2No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.
3The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their birth, speaking lies.
4They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7Let them vanish like water that runs away;
like grass let them be trodden down* and wither.
8Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime;
like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.
9Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11People will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth.’
Psalm 59
Prayer for Deliverance from EnemiesTo the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.
1Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
2Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty save me.
3Even now they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.
Selah
6Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
7There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words* on their lips—
for ‘Who’, they think,* ‘will hear us?’
8But you laugh at them, O Lord;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9O my strength, I will watch for you;
for you, O God, are my fortress.
10My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
make them totter by your power, and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
12For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath;
consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
Selah
14Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15They roam about for food,
and growl if they do not get their fill.
16But I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge on the day of my distress.
17O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
Psalm 60
Prayer for National Victory after DefeatTo the leader: according to The Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1O God, you have rejected us, broken our defences;
you have been angry; now restore us!
2You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3You have made your people suffer hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.
4You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
to rally to it out of bowshot.*
Selah
5Give victory with your right hand, and answer us,*
so that those whom you love may be rescued.
6God has promised in his sanctuary:*
‘With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my sceptre.
8Moab is my wash-basin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.’
9Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.
12With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
Psalm 61
Assurance of God’s ProtectionTo the leader: with stringed instruments. Of David.
1Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I;
3for you are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
4Let me abide in your tent for ever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
Selah
5For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
7May he be enthroned for ever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8So I will always sing praises to your name,
as I pay my vows day after day.
Psalm 62
Song of Trust in God AloneTo the leader: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
2He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
3How long will you assail a person,
will you batter your victim, all of you,
as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.
They take pleasure in falsehood;
they bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse.
Selah
5For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7On God rests my deliverance and my honour;
my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
8Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
Selah
9Those of low estate are but a breath,
those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than a breath.
10Put no confidence in extortion,
and set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.
For you repay to all
according to their work.
Psalm 63
Comfort and Assurance in God’s PresenceA Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,*
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10they shall be given over to the power of the sword,
they shall be prey for jackals.
11But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Psalm 64
Prayer for Protection from EnemiesTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from the dread enemy.
2Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the scheming of evildoers,
3who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
4shooting from ambush at the blameless;
they shoot suddenly and without fear.
5They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, ‘Who can see us?*
6 Who can search out our crimes?*
We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.’
For the human heart and mind are deep.
7But God will shoot his arrow at them;
they will be wounded suddenly.
8Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin;*
all who see them will shake with horror.
9Then everyone will fear;
they will tell what God has brought about,
and ponder what he has done.
10Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him.
Let all the upright in heart glory.
June 7 Psalms 51-57
Psalm 51
Prayer for Cleansing and PardonTo the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgement.
5Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6You desire truth in the inward being;*
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right* spirit within me.
11Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing* spirit.
13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased.
17The sacrifice acceptable to God* is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt-offerings and whole burnt-offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Psalm 52
Judgement on the DeceitfulTo the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’
1Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done against the godly?*
All day long 2you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.
3You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking the truth.
Selah
4You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
5But God will break you down for ever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
Selah
6The righteous will see, and fear,
and will laugh at the evildoer,* saying,
7‘See the one who would not take
refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches,
and sought refuge in wealth!’*
8But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
9I will thank you for ever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim* your name, for it is good.
Psalm 53
Denunciation of GodlessnessTo the leader: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.
1Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;
there is no one who does good.
2God looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
5There they shall be in great terror,
in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;*
they will be put to shame,* for God has rejected them.
6O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Psalm 54
Prayer for VindicationTo the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, ‘David is in hiding among us.’
1Save me, O God, by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2Hear my prayer, O God;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3For the insolent have risen against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they do not set God before them.
Selah
4But surely, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of* my life.
5He will repay my enemies for their evil.
In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
6With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Psalm 55
Complaint about a Friend’s TreacheryTo the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
1Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2Attend to me, and answer me;
I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught 3by the noise of the enemy,
because of the clamour of the wicked.
For they bring* trouble upon me,
and in anger they cherish enmity against me.
4My heart is in anguish within me,
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6And I say, ‘O that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;
Selah
8I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.’
9Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech;
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its market-place.
12It is not enemies who taunt me—
I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—
I could hide from them.
13But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend,
14with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house of God with the throng.
15Let death come upon them;
let them go down alive to Sheol;
for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16But I call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.
17Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.
18He will redeem me unharmed
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19God, who is enthroned from of old,
Selah
will hear, and will humble them—
because they do not change,
and do not fear God.
20My companion laid hands on a friend
and violated a covenant with me*
21with speech smoother than butter,
but with a heart set on war;
with words that were softer than oil,
but in fact were drawn swords.
22Cast your burden* on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
23But you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
Psalm 56
Trust in God under PersecutionTo the leader: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. Of David. A Miktam, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me;
all day long foes oppress me;
2my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many fight against me.
O Most High, 3when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid;
what can flesh do to me?
5All day long they seek to injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6They stir up strife, they lurk,
they watch my steps.
As they hoped to have my life,
7 so repay* them for their crime;
in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your record?
9Then my enemies will retreat
on the day when I call.
This I know, that* God is for me.
10In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?
12My vows to you I must perform, O God;
I will render thank-offerings to you.
13For you have delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
Psalm 57
Praise and Assurance under PersecutionTo the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
1Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
until the destroying storms pass by.
2I cry to God Most High,
to God who fulfils his purpose for me.
3He will send from heaven and save me,
he will put to shame those who trample on me.
Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4I lie down among lions
that greedily devour* human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp swords.
5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
6They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen into it themselves.
Selah
7My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
9I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
Prayer for Cleansing and PardonTo the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgement.
5Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6You desire truth in the inward being;*
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right* spirit within me.
11Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing* spirit.
13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased.
17The sacrifice acceptable to God* is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt-offerings and whole burnt-offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Psalm 52
Judgement on the DeceitfulTo the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’
1Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done against the godly?*
All day long 2you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.
3You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking the truth.
Selah
4You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
5But God will break you down for ever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
Selah
6The righteous will see, and fear,
and will laugh at the evildoer,* saying,
7‘See the one who would not take
refuge in God,
but trusted in abundant riches,
and sought refuge in wealth!’*
8But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
9I will thank you for ever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim* your name, for it is good.
Psalm 53
Denunciation of GodlessnessTo the leader: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.
1Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts;
there is no one who does good.
2God looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
3They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
4Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
5There they shall be in great terror,
in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;*
they will be put to shame,* for God has rejected them.
6O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Psalm 54
Prayer for VindicationTo the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, ‘David is in hiding among us.’
1Save me, O God, by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2Hear my prayer, O God;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3For the insolent have risen against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they do not set God before them.
Selah
4But surely, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of* my life.
5He will repay my enemies for their evil.
In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
6With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Psalm 55
Complaint about a Friend’s TreacheryTo the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
1Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2Attend to me, and answer me;
I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught 3by the noise of the enemy,
because of the clamour of the wicked.
For they bring* trouble upon me,
and in anger they cherish enmity against me.
4My heart is in anguish within me,
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6And I say, ‘O that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;
Selah
8I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.’
9Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech;
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its market-place.
12It is not enemies who taunt me—
I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—
I could hide from them.
13But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend,
14with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house of God with the throng.
15Let death come upon them;
let them go down alive to Sheol;
for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16But I call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.
17Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.
18He will redeem me unharmed
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19God, who is enthroned from of old,
Selah
will hear, and will humble them—
because they do not change,
and do not fear God.
20My companion laid hands on a friend
and violated a covenant with me*
21with speech smoother than butter,
but with a heart set on war;
with words that were softer than oil,
but in fact were drawn swords.
22Cast your burden* on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
23But you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
Psalm 56
Trust in God under PersecutionTo the leader: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. Of David. A Miktam, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me;
all day long foes oppress me;
2my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many fight against me.
O Most High, 3when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid;
what can flesh do to me?
5All day long they seek to injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6They stir up strife, they lurk,
they watch my steps.
As they hoped to have my life,
7 so repay* them for their crime;
in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your record?
9Then my enemies will retreat
on the day when I call.
This I know, that* God is for me.
10In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?
12My vows to you I must perform, O God;
I will render thank-offerings to you.
13For you have delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
Psalm 57
Praise and Assurance under PersecutionTo the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
1Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
until the destroying storms pass by.
2I cry to God Most High,
to God who fulfils his purpose for me.
3He will send from heaven and save me,
he will put to shame those who trample on me.
Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4I lie down among lions
that greedily devour* human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp swords.
5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
6They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen into it themselves.
Selah
7My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
9I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
June 6 Psalms 44-50
Psalm 44
National Lament and Prayer for HelpTo the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.
1We have heard with our ears, O God,
our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
3for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for you delighted in them.
4You are my King and my God;
you command* victories for Jacob.
5Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants.
6For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
7But you have saved us from our foes,
and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name for ever.
Selah
9Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
and have not gone out with our armies.
10You made us turn back from the foe,
and our enemies have taken spoil for themselves.
11You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
and have scattered us among the nations.
12You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13You have made us the taunt of our neighbours,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughing-stock* among the peoples.
15All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
16at the words of the taunters and revilers,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17All this has come upon us,
yet we have not forgotten you,
or been false to your covenant.
18Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way,
19yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
and covered us with deep darkness.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God,
or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22Because of you we are being killed all day long,
and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not cast us off for ever!
24Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25For we sink down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26Rise up, come to our help.
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
Psalm 45
Ode for a Royal WeddingTo the leader: according to Lilies. Of the Korahites. A Maskil. A love song.
1My heart overflows with a goodly theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2You are the most handsome of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you for ever.
3Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your glory and majesty.
4In your majesty ride on victoriously
for the cause of truth and to defend* the right;
let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.
6Your throne, O God,* endures for ever and ever.
Your royal sceptre is a sceptre of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honour;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;
forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people* of Tyre will seek your favour with gifts,
the richest of the people 13with all kinds of wealth.
The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;*
14 in many-coloured robes she is led to the king;
behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16In the place of ancestors you, O king,* shall have sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
17I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;
therefore the peoples will praise you for ever and ever.
Psalm 46
God’s Defence of His City and PeopleTo the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.
1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present* help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Selah
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of the city;* it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.*
Selah
8Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10‘Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.’
11The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.*
Selah
Psalm 47
God’s Rule over the NationsTo the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
3He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
Selah
5God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.*
8God is king over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
9The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted.
Psalm 48
The Glory and Strength of ZionA Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.
1Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, 2beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
3Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defence.
4Then the kings assembled,
they came on together.
5As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
6trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labour,
7as when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
8As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes for ever.
Selah
9We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns* of Judah rejoice
because of your judgements.
12Walk about Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
13consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God,
our God for ever and ever.
He will be our guide for ever.
Psalm 49
The Folly of Trust in RichesTo the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3My mouth shall speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,*
there is no price one can give to God for it.
8For the ransom of life is costly,
and can never suffice,
9that one should live on for ever
and never see the grave.*
10When we look at the wise, they die;
fool and dolt perish together
and leave their wealth to others.
11Their graves* are their homes for ever,
their dwelling-places to all generations,
though they named lands their own.
12Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.
13Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
the end of those* who are pleased with their lot.
Selah
14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,*
and their form shall waste away;
Sheol shall be their home.*
15But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me.
Selah
16Do not be afraid when some become rich,
when the wealth of their houses increases.
17For when they die they will carry nothing away;
their wealth will not go down after them.
18Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
—for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19they* will go to the company of their ancestors,
who will never again see the light.
20Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.
Psalm 50
The Acceptable SacrificeA Psalm of Asaph.
1The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3Our God comes and does not keep silence,
before him is a devouring fire,
and a mighty tempest all around him.
4He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5‘Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’
6The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.
Selah
7‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt-offerings are continually before me.
9I will not accept a bull from your house,
or goats from your folds.
10For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know all the birds of the air,*
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12‘If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
14Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,*
and pay your vows to the Most High.
15Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.’
16But to the wicked God says:
‘What right have you to recite my statutes,
or take my covenant on your lips?
17For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18You make friends with a thief when you see one,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19‘You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20You sit and speak against your kin;
you slander your own mother’s child.
21These things you have done and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
22‘Mark this, then, you who forget God,
or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
to those who go the right way*
I will show the salvation of God.’
National Lament and Prayer for HelpTo the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.
1We have heard with our ears, O God,
our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
3for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for you delighted in them.
4You are my King and my God;
you command* victories for Jacob.
5Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants.
6For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
7But you have saved us from our foes,
and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name for ever.
Selah
9Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
and have not gone out with our armies.
10You made us turn back from the foe,
and our enemies have taken spoil for themselves.
11You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
and have scattered us among the nations.
12You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13You have made us the taunt of our neighbours,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughing-stock* among the peoples.
15All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
16at the words of the taunters and revilers,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17All this has come upon us,
yet we have not forgotten you,
or been false to your covenant.
18Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way,
19yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
and covered us with deep darkness.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God,
or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22Because of you we are being killed all day long,
and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not cast us off for ever!
24Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25For we sink down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26Rise up, come to our help.
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
Psalm 45
Ode for a Royal WeddingTo the leader: according to Lilies. Of the Korahites. A Maskil. A love song.
1My heart overflows with a goodly theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2You are the most handsome of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you for ever.
3Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your glory and majesty.
4In your majesty ride on victoriously
for the cause of truth and to defend* the right;
let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king’s enemies;
the peoples fall under you.
6Your throne, O God,* endures for ever and ever.
Your royal sceptre is a sceptre of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honour;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear;
forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people* of Tyre will seek your favour with gifts,
the richest of the people 13with all kinds of wealth.
The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;*
14 in many-coloured robes she is led to the king;
behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16In the place of ancestors you, O king,* shall have sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
17I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;
therefore the peoples will praise you for ever and ever.
Psalm 46
God’s Defence of His City and PeopleTo the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.
1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present* help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Selah
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of the city;* it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.*
Selah
8Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10‘Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.’
11The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.*
Selah
Psalm 47
God’s Rule over the NationsTo the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
3He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
4He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
Selah
5God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.*
8God is king over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
9The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted.
Psalm 48
The Glory and Strength of ZionA Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.
1Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, 2beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
3Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defence.
4Then the kings assembled,
they came on together.
5As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
6trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labour,
7as when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
8As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes for ever.
Selah
9We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns* of Judah rejoice
because of your judgements.
12Walk about Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
13consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God,
our God for ever and ever.
He will be our guide for ever.
Psalm 49
The Folly of Trust in RichesTo the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3My mouth shall speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,*
there is no price one can give to God for it.
8For the ransom of life is costly,
and can never suffice,
9that one should live on for ever
and never see the grave.*
10When we look at the wise, they die;
fool and dolt perish together
and leave their wealth to others.
11Their graves* are their homes for ever,
their dwelling-places to all generations,
though they named lands their own.
12Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.
13Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
the end of those* who are pleased with their lot.
Selah
14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,*
and their form shall waste away;
Sheol shall be their home.*
15But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me.
Selah
16Do not be afraid when some become rich,
when the wealth of their houses increases.
17For when they die they will carry nothing away;
their wealth will not go down after them.
18Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
—for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19they* will go to the company of their ancestors,
who will never again see the light.
20Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.
Psalm 50
The Acceptable SacrificeA Psalm of Asaph.
1The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3Our God comes and does not keep silence,
before him is a devouring fire,
and a mighty tempest all around him.
4He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5‘Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’
6The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.
Selah
7‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt-offerings are continually before me.
9I will not accept a bull from your house,
or goats from your folds.
10For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know all the birds of the air,*
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12‘If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats?
14Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,*
and pay your vows to the Most High.
15Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.’
16But to the wicked God says:
‘What right have you to recite my statutes,
or take my covenant on your lips?
17For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18You make friends with a thief when you see one,
and you keep company with adulterers.
19‘You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20You sit and speak against your kin;
you slander your own mother’s child.
21These things you have done and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
22‘Mark this, then, you who forget God,
or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me;
to those who go the right way*
I will show the salvation of God.’
Friday, June 5, 2009
June 5 Psalms 39-43
Psalm 39
Prayer for Wisdom and ForgivenessTo the leader: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1I said, ‘I will guard my ways
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence.’
2I was silent and still;
I held my peace to no avail;
my distress grew worse,
3 my heart became hot within me.
While I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4‘Lord, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
5You have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.
Selah
6 Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
they heap up, and do not know who will gather.
7‘And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
8Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn of the fool.
9I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
for it is you who have done it.
10Remove your stroke from me;
I am worn down by the blows* of your hand.
11‘You chastise mortals
in punishment for sin,
consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
surely everyone is a mere breath.
Selah
12‘Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
do not hold your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing guest,
an alien, like all my forebears.
13Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,
before I depart and am no more.’
Psalm 40
Thanksgiving for Deliverance and Prayer for HelpTo the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the desolate pit,*
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
4Happy are those who make
the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after false gods.
5You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.
6Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
but you have given me an open ear.*
Burnt-offering and sin-offering
you have not required.
7Then I said, ‘Here I am;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.*
8I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.’
9I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11Do not, O Lord, withhold
your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
keep me safe for ever.
12For evils have encompassed me
without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.
13Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.
14Let all those be put to shame and confusion
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonour
who desire my hurt.
15Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, ‘Aha, Aha!’
16But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’
17As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.
Psalm 41
Assurance of God’s Help and a Plea for HealingTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1Happy are those who consider the poor;*
the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
2The Lord protects them and keeps them alive;
they are called happy in the land.
You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
3The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.*
4As for me, I said, ‘O Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.’
5My enemies wonder in malice
when I will die, and my name perish.
6And when they come to see me, they utter empty words,
while their hearts gather mischief;
when they go out, they tell it abroad.
7All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
8They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,
that I will not rise again from where I lie.
9Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted,
who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
10But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them.
11By this I know that you are pleased with me;
because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
12But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence for ever.
13Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.Amen and Amen.
BOOK II(Psalms 42-72)
Psalm 42
Longing for God and His Help in DistressTo the leader. A Maskil of the Korahites.
1As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
2My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?
3My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me continually,
‘Where is your God?’
4These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,*
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival.
5Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help 6and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7Deep calls to deep
at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
have gone over me.
8By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9I say to God, my rock,
‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
because the enemy oppresses me?’
10As with a deadly wound in my body,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
‘Where is your God?’
11Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
Psalm 43
Prayer to God in Time of Trouble
1Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust
deliver me!
2For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
because of the oppression of the enemy?
3O send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
4Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.
5Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
Prayer for Wisdom and ForgivenessTo the leader: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1I said, ‘I will guard my ways
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence.’
2I was silent and still;
I held my peace to no avail;
my distress grew worse,
3 my heart became hot within me.
While I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4‘Lord, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
5You have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.
Selah
6 Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
they heap up, and do not know who will gather.
7‘And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
8Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn of the fool.
9I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
for it is you who have done it.
10Remove your stroke from me;
I am worn down by the blows* of your hand.
11‘You chastise mortals
in punishment for sin,
consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
surely everyone is a mere breath.
Selah
12‘Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
do not hold your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing guest,
an alien, like all my forebears.
13Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,
before I depart and am no more.’
Psalm 40
Thanksgiving for Deliverance and Prayer for HelpTo the leader. Of David. A Psalm.
1I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the desolate pit,*
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
4Happy are those who make
the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after false gods.
5You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.
6Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
but you have given me an open ear.*
Burnt-offering and sin-offering
you have not required.
7Then I said, ‘Here I am;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.*
8I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.’
9I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11Do not, O Lord, withhold
your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
keep me safe for ever.
12For evils have encompassed me
without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.
13Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.
14Let all those be put to shame and confusion
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonour
who desire my hurt.
15Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, ‘Aha, Aha!’
16But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’
17As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.
Psalm 41
Assurance of God’s Help and a Plea for HealingTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1Happy are those who consider the poor;*
the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
2The Lord protects them and keeps them alive;
they are called happy in the land.
You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
3The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.*
4As for me, I said, ‘O Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.’
5My enemies wonder in malice
when I will die, and my name perish.
6And when they come to see me, they utter empty words,
while their hearts gather mischief;
when they go out, they tell it abroad.
7All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
8They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,
that I will not rise again from where I lie.
9Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted,
who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
10But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them.
11By this I know that you are pleased with me;
because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
12But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence for ever.
13Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.Amen and Amen.
BOOK II(Psalms 42-72)
Psalm 42
Longing for God and His Help in DistressTo the leader. A Maskil of the Korahites.
1As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
2My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and behold
the face of God?
3My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me continually,
‘Where is your God?’
4These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,*
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival.
5Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help 6and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7Deep calls to deep
at the thunder of your cataracts;
all your waves and your billows
have gone over me.
8By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9I say to God, my rock,
‘Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk about mournfully
because the enemy oppresses me?’
10As with a deadly wound in my body,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me continually,
‘Where is your God?’
11Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
Psalm 43
Prayer to God in Time of Trouble
1Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust
deliver me!
2For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
because of the oppression of the enemy?
3O send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
4Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.
5Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
June 4 Psalms 35-38
Psalm 35
Prayer for Deliverance from EnemiesOf David.
1Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
2Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to help me!
3Draw the spear and javelin
against my pursuers;
say to my soul,
‘I am your salvation.’
4Let them be put to shame and dishonour
who seek after my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
who devise evil against me.
5Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7For without cause they hid their net* for me;
without cause they dug a pit* for my life.
8Let ruin come on them unawares.
And let the net that they hid ensnare them;
let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord,
exulting in his deliverance.
10All my bones shall say,
‘O Lord, who is like you?
You deliver the weak
from those too strong for them,
the weak and needy from those who despoil them.’
11Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me about things I do not know.
12They repay me evil for good;
my soul is forlorn.
13But as for me, when they were sick,
I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting.
I prayed with head bowed* on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother;
I went about as one who laments for a mother,
bowed down and in mourning.
15But at my stumbling they gathered in glee,
they gathered together against me;
ruffians whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
16they impiously mocked more and more,*
gnashing at me with their teeth.
17How long, O Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my life from the lions!
18Then I will thank you in the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me,
or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20For they do not speak peace,
but they conceive deceitful words
against those who are quiet in the land.
21They open wide their mouths against me;
they say, ‘Aha, Aha,
our eyes have seen it.’
22You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent!
O Lord, do not be far from me!
23Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defence,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and do not let them rejoice over me.
25Do not let them say to themselves,
‘Aha, we have our heart’s desire.’
Do not let them say, ‘We have swallowed you* up.’
26Let all those who rejoice at my calamity
be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me
be clothed with shame and dishonour.
27Let those who desire my vindication
shout for joy and be glad,
and say evermore,
‘Great is the Lord,
who delights in the welfare of his servant.’
28Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all day long.
Psalm 36
Human Wickedness and Divine GoodnessTo the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
1Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
before their eyes.
2For they flatter themselves in their own eyes
that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;
they have ceased to act wisely and do good.
4They plot mischief while on their beds;
they are set on a way that is not good;
they do not reject evil.
5Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgements are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.
7How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
10O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
11Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12There the evildoers lie prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Psalm 37
Exhortation to Patience and TrustOf David.
1Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
8Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant prosperity.
12The wicked plot against the righteous,
and gnash their teeth at them;
13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.
14The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
15their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide for ever;
19they are not put to shame in evil times,
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23Our steps* are made firm by the Lord,
when he delights in our* way;
24though we stumble,* we* shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us* by the hand.
25I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.
27Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide for ever.
28For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe for ever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it for ever.
30The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.
31The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.
32The wicked watch for the righteous,
and seek to kill them.
33The Lord will not abandon them to their power,
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.
34Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
35I have seen the wicked oppressing,
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.*
36Again I* passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.
37Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.
39The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Psalm 38
A Penitent Sufferer’s Plea for HealingA Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.
1O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or discipline me in your wrath.
2For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
4For my iniquities have gone over my head;
they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.
5My wounds grow foul and fester
because of my foolishness;
6I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
all day long I go around mourning.
7For my loins are filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am utterly spent and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
9O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,
and my neighbours stand far off.
12Those who seek my life lay their snares;
those who seek to hurt me speak of ruin,
and meditate treachery all day long.
13But I am like the deaf, I do not hear;
like the mute, who cannot speak.
14Truly, I am like one who does not hear,
and in whose mouth is no retort.
15But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16For I pray, ‘Only do not let them rejoice over me,
those who boast against me when my foot slips.’
17For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin.
19Those who are my foes without cause* are mighty,
and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20Those who render me evil for good
are my adversaries because I follow after good.
21Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me;
22make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.
Prayer for Deliverance from EnemiesOf David.
1Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
2Take hold of shield and buckler,
and rise up to help me!
3Draw the spear and javelin
against my pursuers;
say to my soul,
‘I am your salvation.’
4Let them be put to shame and dishonour
who seek after my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
who devise evil against me.
5Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7For without cause they hid their net* for me;
without cause they dug a pit* for my life.
8Let ruin come on them unawares.
And let the net that they hid ensnare them;
let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord,
exulting in his deliverance.
10All my bones shall say,
‘O Lord, who is like you?
You deliver the weak
from those too strong for them,
the weak and needy from those who despoil them.’
11Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me about things I do not know.
12They repay me evil for good;
my soul is forlorn.
13But as for me, when they were sick,
I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting.
I prayed with head bowed* on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother;
I went about as one who laments for a mother,
bowed down and in mourning.
15But at my stumbling they gathered in glee,
they gathered together against me;
ruffians whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
16they impiously mocked more and more,*
gnashing at me with their teeth.
17How long, O Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their ravages,
my life from the lions!
18Then I will thank you in the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me,
or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20For they do not speak peace,
but they conceive deceitful words
against those who are quiet in the land.
21They open wide their mouths against me;
they say, ‘Aha, Aha,
our eyes have seen it.’
22You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent!
O Lord, do not be far from me!
23Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defence,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and do not let them rejoice over me.
25Do not let them say to themselves,
‘Aha, we have our heart’s desire.’
Do not let them say, ‘We have swallowed you* up.’
26Let all those who rejoice at my calamity
be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me
be clothed with shame and dishonour.
27Let those who desire my vindication
shout for joy and be glad,
and say evermore,
‘Great is the Lord,
who delights in the welfare of his servant.’
28Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all day long.
Psalm 36
Human Wickedness and Divine GoodnessTo the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
1Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
before their eyes.
2For they flatter themselves in their own eyes
that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3The words of their mouths are mischief and deceit;
they have ceased to act wisely and do good.
4They plot mischief while on their beds;
they are set on a way that is not good;
they do not reject evil.
5Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
6Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgements are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.
7How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
9For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
10O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
11Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12There the evildoers lie prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Psalm 37
Exhortation to Patience and TrustOf David.
1Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
8Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant prosperity.
12The wicked plot against the righteous,
and gnash their teeth at them;
13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.
14The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
15their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide for ever;
19they are not put to shame in evil times,
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23Our steps* are made firm by the Lord,
when he delights in our* way;
24though we stumble,* we* shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us* by the hand.
25I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.
27Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide for ever.
28For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe for ever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it for ever.
30The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.
31The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.
32The wicked watch for the righteous,
and seek to kill them.
33The Lord will not abandon them to their power,
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.
34Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
35I have seen the wicked oppressing,
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.*
36Again I* passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.
37Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.
39The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
Psalm 38
A Penitent Sufferer’s Plea for HealingA Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.
1O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or discipline me in your wrath.
2For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
4For my iniquities have gone over my head;
they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.
5My wounds grow foul and fester
because of my foolishness;
6I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
all day long I go around mourning.
7For my loins are filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am utterly spent and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
9O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,
and my neighbours stand far off.
12Those who seek my life lay their snares;
those who seek to hurt me speak of ruin,
and meditate treachery all day long.
13But I am like the deaf, I do not hear;
like the mute, who cannot speak.
14Truly, I am like one who does not hear,
and in whose mouth is no retort.
15But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16For I pray, ‘Only do not let them rejoice over me,
those who boast against me when my foot slips.’
17For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin.
19Those who are my foes without cause* are mighty,
and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20Those who render me evil for good
are my adversaries because I follow after good.
21Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me;
22make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
June 3 Psalms 30-34
Psalm 30
Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave IllnessA Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the temple. Of David.
1I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.*
4Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5For his anger is but for a moment;
his favour is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6As for me, I said in my prosperity,
‘I shall never be moved.’
7By your favour, O Lord,
you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8To you, O Lord, I cried,
and to the Lord I made supplication:
9‘What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
O Lord, be my helper!’
11You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
12so that my soul* may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.
Psalm 31
Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from EnemiesTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
6You hate* those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
9Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
10For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,*
and my bones waste away.
11I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horror* to my neighbours,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
12I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13For I hear the whispering of many—
terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
15My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
17Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,
for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.
19O how abundant is your goodness
that you have laid up for those who fear you,
and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of everyone!
20In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious tongues.
21Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.
22I had said in my alarm,
‘I am driven far* from your sight.’
But you heard my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.
23Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
Psalm 32
The Joy of ForgivenessOf David. A Maskil.
1Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3While I kept silence, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up* as by the heat of summer.
Selah
5Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Selah
6Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress,* the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
7You are a hiding-place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
Selah
8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
10Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
11Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Psalm 33
The Greatness and Goodness of God
1Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
2Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3Sing to him a new song;
play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
8Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
14From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth—
15he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
16A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
18Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
21Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Psalm 34
Praise for Deliverance from TroubleOf David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5Look to him, and be radiant;
so your* faces shall never be ashamed.
6This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
7The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
9O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
15The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
18The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
20He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave IllnessA Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the temple. Of David.
1I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.*
4Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5For his anger is but for a moment;
his favour is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6As for me, I said in my prosperity,
‘I shall never be moved.’
7By your favour, O Lord,
you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8To you, O Lord, I cried,
and to the Lord I made supplication:
9‘What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
O Lord, be my helper!’
11You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
12so that my soul* may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.
Psalm 31
Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from EnemiesTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
6You hate* those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
9Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
10For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,*
and my bones waste away.
11I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horror* to my neighbours,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
12I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13For I hear the whispering of many—
terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
15My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
17Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,
for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.
19O how abundant is your goodness
that you have laid up for those who fear you,
and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of everyone!
20In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious tongues.
21Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.
22I had said in my alarm,
‘I am driven far* from your sight.’
But you heard my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.
23Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
Psalm 32
The Joy of ForgivenessOf David. A Maskil.
1Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3While I kept silence, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up* as by the heat of summer.
Selah
5Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Selah
6Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress,* the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
7You are a hiding-place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
Selah
8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
10Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
11Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Psalm 33
The Greatness and Goodness of God
1Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
2Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3Sing to him a new song;
play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
8Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
14From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth—
15he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
16A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
18Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
21Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Psalm 34
Praise for Deliverance from TroubleOf David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5Look to him, and be radiant;
so your* faces shall never be ashamed.
6This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
7The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
9O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
15The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
16The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
18The Lord is near to the broken-hearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
20He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
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