Holy Bible
Psalms
Psalm 1
1Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
4Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 2
1Why do the nations conspire[1] and the peoples plot in vain?
2The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, 3“Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”
4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
5He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.
8Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9You will break them with a rod of iron[2]; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 3[3]
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”[4]
3But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
7Arise, LORD!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
8From the LORD comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Psalm 4[5]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods[6]?[7]
3Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
4Tremble and[8] do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
5Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the LORD.
6Many, LORD, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
7Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound.
8In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 5[9]
For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.
1Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament.
2Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
4For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome.
5The arrogant cannot stand in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
6you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, LORD, detest.
7But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.
8Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me.
9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies.
10Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.
11But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Psalm 6[10]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith.[11] A psalm of David.
1LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
2Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, LORD, how long?
4Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
5Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?
6I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.
7My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.
8Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.
10All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
Psalm 7[12]
A shiggaion[13] of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, 2or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands—
4if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe—
5then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.[14]
6Arise, LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
7Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high.
8Let the LORD judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.
9Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.
10My shield[15] is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.
11God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.
12If he does not relent, he[16] will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.
13He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.
14Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made.
16The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.
17I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 8[17]
For the director of music. According to gittith.[18] A psalm of David.
1LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens.
2Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?[19]
5You have made them[20] a little lower than the angels[21] and crowned them[22] with glory and honor.
6You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their[23] feet:
7all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 9[24],[25]
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.
1I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
3My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.
4For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
5You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.
7The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.
8He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.
9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
11Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.
12For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.
13LORD, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, 14that I may declare your praises in the gates of Daughter Zion, and there rejoice in your salvation.
15The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16The LORD is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.[26]
17The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.
18But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
19Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.
20Strike them with terror, LORD; let the nations know they are only mortal.
Psalm 10[27]
1Why, LORD, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
4In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by[28] him; he sneers at all his enemies.
6He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
7His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.
11He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.”
12Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?
14But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
15Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out.
16The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.
17You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 18defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.
Psalm 11
For the director of music. Of David.
1In the LORD I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.
2For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
3When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
4The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.
5The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.
6On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.
7For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
Psalm 12[29]
For the director of music. According to sheminith.[30] A psalm of David.
1Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
3May the LORD silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—
4those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
5“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”
6And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold[31] refined seven times.
7You, LORD, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, 8who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.
Psalm 13[32]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.
Psalm 14
For the director of music. Of David.
1The fool[33] says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
2The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
3All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
4Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD.
5But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.
6You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.
7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Psalm 15
A psalm of David.
1LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;
3whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others;
4who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;
5who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things will never be shaken.
Psalm 16
A miktam[34] of David.
1Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
2I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
3I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.
5LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
8I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
10because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful[35] one see decay.
11You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
1Hear me, LORD, my plea is just; listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips.
2Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.
3Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed.
4Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded.
5My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.
6I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
9from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
10They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.
11They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover.
13Rise up, LORD, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14By your hand save me from such people, LORD, from those of this world whose reward is in this life.
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies; may their children gorge themselves on it, and may there be leftovers for their little ones.
15As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
Psalm 18[36]
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1I love you, LORD, my strength.
2The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield[37] and the horn[38] of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
7The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.
8Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
9He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
10He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.[39]
14He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
17He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
19He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
20The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
22All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
23I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
24The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, 26to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
27You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
29With your help I can advance against a troop[40]; with my God I can scale a wall.
30As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
31For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
32It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
33He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.
34He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great.
36You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.
39You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.
40You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them[41] like mud in the streets.
43You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me, 44foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.
46The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
47He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, 48who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me.
49Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.
50He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing love to his anointed, to David and to his descendants forever.
Psalm 19[42]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
3They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
4Yet their voice[43] goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.
10They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
11By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 20[44]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
3May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.[45]
4May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
5May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.
6Now this I know:
The LORD gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.
7Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
9LORD, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!
Psalm 21[46]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.[47]
3You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—length of days, for ever and ever.
5Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7For the king trusts in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.
8Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.
9When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them.
10You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind.
11Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12You will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.
13Be exalted in your strength, LORD; we will sing and praise your might.
Psalm 22[48]
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?
2My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.[49]
3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises.[50]
4In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
5To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
7All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
8“He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
9Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me.
14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.
15My mouth[51] is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
16Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce[52] my hands and my feet.
17All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.
18They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.
19But you, LORD, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
22I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.
23You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you[53] I will fulfill my vows.
26The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him—may your hearts live forever!
27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.
29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
31They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[54]
I will 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 your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 24
Of David. A psalm.
1The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
2for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
3Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.[55]
5They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.
6Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.[56],[57]
7Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—he is the King of glory.
Psalm 25[58]
Of David.
1In you, LORD my God, I put my trust.
2I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.
4Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.
5Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
6Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
7Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good.
8Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
10All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.[59]
13They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.
14The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
15My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.
18Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.
19See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!
20Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD,[60] is in you.
22Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!
Psalm 26
Of David.
1Vindicate me, LORD, for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered.
2Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;
3for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.
4I do not sit with the deceitful, nor do I associate with hypocrites.
5I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, LORD, 7proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
8LORD, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.
9Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with those who are bloodthirsty, 10in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.
11I lead a blameless life; deliver me and be merciful to me.
12My feet stand on level ground; in the great congregation I will praise the LORD.
Psalm 27
Of 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 the wicked advance against me to devour[61] me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
3Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
4One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
5For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.
6Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.
10Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.
11Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.
13I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 28
Of David.
1To you, LORD, I call; you are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.
2Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.
3Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.
4Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back on them what they deserve.
5Because they have no regard for the deeds of the LORD and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again.
6Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
8The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
1Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his[62] holiness.
3The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
4The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion[63] like a young wild ox.
7The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
8The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9The voice of the LORD twists the oaks[64] and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
11The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.