Psalm 23
The Divine ShepherdA Psalm of David.
1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;*
3 he restores my soul.*
He leads me in right paths*
for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley,*
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely* goodness and mercy* shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.*
Psalm 24
Entrance into the TempleOf David. A Psalm.
1The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
3Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
5They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.*
Selah
7Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
8Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
10Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory.
Selah
Psalm 25
Prayer for Guidance and for DeliveranceOf David.
1To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
6Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
8Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11For your name’s sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12Who are they that fear the Lord?
He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13They will abide in prosperity,
and their children shall possess the land.
14The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes his covenant known to them.
15My eyes are ever towards the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me* out of my distress.
18Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
19Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20O guard my life, and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all its troubles.
Psalm 26
Plea for Justice and Declaration of RighteousnessOf David.
1Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
3For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.*
4I do not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5I hate the company of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
6I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
and the place where your glory abides.
9Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10those in whose hands are evil devices,
and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12My foot stands on level ground;
in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.
Psalm 27
Triumphant Song of ConfidenceOf David.
1The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold* of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
3Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
4One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10If my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me up.
11Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.
13I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Psalm 28
Prayer for Help and Thanksgiving for ItOf David.
1To you, O Lord, I call;
my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me,
I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2Hear the voice of my supplication,
as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
towards your most holy sanctuary.*
3Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbours,
while mischief is in their hearts.
4Repay them according to their work,
and according to the evil of their deeds;
repay them according to the work of their hands;
render them their due reward.
5Because they do not regard the works of the Lord,
or the work of his hands,
he will break them down and build them up no more.
6Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
8The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9O save your people, and bless your heritage;
be their shepherd, and carry them for ever.
Psalm 29
The Voice of God in a Great StormA Psalm of David.
1Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,*
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy splendour.
3The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty waters.
4The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,*
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, ‘Glory!’
10The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever.
11May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
June 1 Psalms 18-22
Psalm 18
Royal Thanksgiving for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
13The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.*
14And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
15Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all his ordinances were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26with the pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
27For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28It is you who light my lamp;
the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29By you I can crush a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31For who is God except the Lord?
And who is a rock besides our God?—
32the God who girded me with strength,
and made my way safe.
33He made my feet like the feet of a deer,
and set me secure on the heights.
34He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand has supported me;
your help* has made me great.
36You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
38I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.
40You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43You delivered me from strife with the peoples;*
you made me head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45Foreigners lost heart,
and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me;
48who delivered me from my enemies;
indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.
49For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
50Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants for ever.
Psalm 19
God’s Glory in Creation and the LawTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament* proclaims his handiwork.
2Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
3There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4yet their voice* goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In the heavens* he has set a tent for the sun,
5which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hidden from its heat.
7The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
8the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
9the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
13Keep back your servant also from the insolent;*
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 20
Prayer for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
3May he remember all your offerings,
and regard with favour your burnt sacrifices.
Selah
4May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfil all your plans.
5May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions.
6Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
7Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
8They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright.
9Give victory to the king, O Lord;
answer us when we call.*
Psalm 21
Thanksgiving for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord,
and in your help how greatly he exults!
2You have given him his heart’s desire,
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah
3For you meet him with rich blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4He asked you for life; you gave it to him—
length of days for ever and ever.
5His glory is great through your help;
splendour and majesty you bestow on him.
6You bestow on him blessings for ever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7For the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8Your hand will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9You will make them like a fiery furnace
when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them.
10You will destroy their offspring from the earth,
and their children from among humankind.
11If they plan evil against you,
if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
Psalm 22
Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and HostilityTo the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
3Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
6But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the people.
7All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
8‘Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!’
9Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
10On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
11Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12Many bulls encircle me,
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15my mouth* is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shrivelled;*
17I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
18they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
19But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life* from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued* me.
22I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;*
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,*
but heard when I* cried to him.
25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26The poor* shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live for ever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.*
28For dominion belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
29To him,* indeed, shall all who sleep in* the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.*
30Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord,
31and* proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
Royal Thanksgiving for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
13The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.*
14And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
15Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all his ordinances were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26with the pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
27For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28It is you who light my lamp;
the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29By you I can crush a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31For who is God except the Lord?
And who is a rock besides our God?—
32the God who girded me with strength,
and made my way safe.
33He made my feet like the feet of a deer,
and set me secure on the heights.
34He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand has supported me;
your help* has made me great.
36You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
38I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.
40You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43You delivered me from strife with the peoples;*
you made me head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45Foreigners lost heart,
and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me;
48who delivered me from my enemies;
indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.
49For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
50Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants for ever.
Psalm 19
God’s Glory in Creation and the LawTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament* proclaims his handiwork.
2Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
3There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4yet their voice* goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In the heavens* he has set a tent for the sun,
5which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
6Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and nothing is hidden from its heat.
7The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
8the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
9the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
13Keep back your servant also from the insolent;*
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 20
Prayer for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
3May he remember all your offerings,
and regard with favour your burnt sacrifices.
Selah
4May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfil all your plans.
5May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfil all your petitions.
6Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
7Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
8They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright.
9Give victory to the king, O Lord;
answer us when we call.*
Psalm 21
Thanksgiving for VictoryTo the leader. A Psalm of David.
1In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord,
and in your help how greatly he exults!
2You have given him his heart’s desire,
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah
3For you meet him with rich blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4He asked you for life; you gave it to him—
length of days for ever and ever.
5His glory is great through your help;
splendour and majesty you bestow on him.
6You bestow on him blessings for ever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7For the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8Your hand will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9You will make them like a fiery furnace
when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them.
10You will destroy their offspring from the earth,
and their children from among humankind.
11If they plan evil against you,
if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
Psalm 22
Plea for Deliverance from Suffering and HostilityTo the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
3Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
6But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the people.
7All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
8‘Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!’
9Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
10On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
11Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
12Many bulls encircle me,
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15my mouth* is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shrivelled;*
17I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
18they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
19But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life* from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued* me.
22I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;*
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,*
but heard when I* cried to him.
25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26The poor* shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live for ever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.*
28For dominion belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
29To him,* indeed, shall all who sleep in* the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.*
30Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord,
31and* proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
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