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.
Monday, June 8, 2009
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.’
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