Holy Bible
Psalms
Psalm 98
A psalm.
1Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
5make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
6with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
7Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
8Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;
9let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 99
1The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.
2Great is the LORD in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.
3Let them praise your great and awesome name—he is holy.
4The King is mighty, he loves justice—you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.
5Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.
6Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them.
7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.
8LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.[249]
9Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[250]; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 101
Of David. A psalm.
1I will sing of your love and justice; to you, LORD, I will sing praise.
2I will be careful to lead a blameless life—when will you come to me?
I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.
3I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.
I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
4The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.
5Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.
6My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
7No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.
8Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.
Psalm 102[251]
A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the LORD.
1Hear my prayer, LORD; let my cry for help come to you.
2Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.
3For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers.
4My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
I forget to eat my food.
5In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones.
6I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.
7I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof.
8All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse.
9For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears
10because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11My days are like the evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.
12But you, LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.
13You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.
14For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity.
15The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
16For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.
17He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.
18Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:
19“The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth,
20to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.”
21So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem
22when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD.
23In the course of my life[252] he broke my strength; he cut short my days.
24So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations.
25In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.
27But you remain the same, and your years will never end.
28The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.”
Psalm 103
Of David.
1Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
3who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
8The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
9He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
15The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
16the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
19The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
20Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
21Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
22Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, my soul.
Psalm 104
1Praise the LORD, my soul.
LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.
4He makes winds his messengers,[253] flames of fire his servants.
5He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.
6You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
7But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.
9You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.
10He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains.
11They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.
13He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth:
15wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.
16The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers.
18The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
19He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.
20You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.
22The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens.
23Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.
24How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small.
26There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
27All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.
28When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
29When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
31May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works—
32he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.
35But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, my soul.
Praise the LORD.[254]
Psalm 105
1Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
2Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
3Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
5Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6you his servants, the descendants of Abraham, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
8He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.
10He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”
12When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,
13they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
14He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:
15“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
16He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.
18They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons,
19till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.
20The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.
21He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,
22to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.
23Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes,
25whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.
26He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27They performed his signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.
28He sent darkness and made the land dark—for had they not rebelled against his words?
29He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.
30Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
32He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;
33he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.
34He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;
35they ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil.
36Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.
40They asked, and he brought them quail; he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.
42For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.
43He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
45that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.
Praise the LORD.[255]
Psalm 106
1Praise the LORD.[256]
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?
3Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.
4Remember me, LORD, when you show favor to your people, come to my aid when you save them,
5that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise.
6We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
7When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.[257]
8Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.
9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert.
10He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
11The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived.
12Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.
13But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
14In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test.
15So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them.
16In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.
17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram.
18Fire blazed among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.
19At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
21They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,
22miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23So he said he would destroy them—had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.
24Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.
25They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.
26So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
28They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;
29they aroused the LORD’s anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
30But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked.
31This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.
32By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.[258]
34They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them,
35but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
36They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods.
38They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
40Therefore the LORD was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.
41He gave them into the hands of the nations, and their foes ruled over them.
42Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.
43Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.
44Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;
45for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
46He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy.
47Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
48Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD.
Psalm 107
1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.[259]
4Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.
6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
7He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
8Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
10Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High.
12So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
14He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.
15Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.
17Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.
19Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
20He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
21Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.
26They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away.
27They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end.
28Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
29He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea[260] were hushed.
30They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.
31Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
33He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle.
37They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish.
39Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste.
41But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.
42The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.
Psalm 108[261]
A song. A psalm of David.
1My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
2Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
3I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
4For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
6Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.
7God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
8Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.
9Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?
12Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.
13With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
Psalm 109
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent,
2for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause.
4In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
5They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.
6Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.
8May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.
9May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
10May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven[262] from their ruined homes.
11May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
13May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.
14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may blot out their name from the earth.
16For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17He loved to pronounce a curse—may it come back on him.
He found no pleasure in blessing—may it be far from him.
18He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.
19May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.
20May this be the LORD’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.
21But you, Sovereign LORD, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23I fade away like an evening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.
25I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your unfailing love.
27Let them know that it is your hand, that you, LORD, have done it.
28While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.
29May my accusers be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him.
31For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.
Psalm 110
Of David. A psalm.
1The LORD says to my lord:[263]
“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
2The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
3Your troops will be willing on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb.[264]
4The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
5The Lord is at your right hand[265]; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7He will drink from a brook along the way,[266] and so he will lift his head high.
Psalm 111[267]
1Praise the LORD.[268]
I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.
4He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
6He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.
7The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
8They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
9He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—holy and awesome is his name.
10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
Psalm 112[269]
1Praise the LORD.[270]
Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands.
2Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
4Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.
6Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.
7They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn[271] will be lifted high in honor.
10The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
Psalm 113
1Praise the LORD.[272]
Praise the LORD, you his servants; praise the name of the LORD.
2Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.
3From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.
4The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.
5Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,
6who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
7He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.
9He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.
Praise the LORD.
Psalm 114
1When Israel came out of Egypt,
Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2Judah became God’s sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;
4the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like lambs.
5Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
6Why, mountains, did you leap like rams, you hills, like lambs?
7Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.
Psalm 115
1Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
2Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
4But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
5They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
9All you Israelites, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield.
10House of Aaron, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield.
11You who fear him, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield.
12The LORD remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron,
13he will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.
14May the LORD cause you to flourish, both you and your children.
15May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
16The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind.
17It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to the place of silence;
18it is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore.
Praise the LORD.[273]
Psalm 116
1I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
2Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
3The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“LORD, save me!”
5The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
6The LORD protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.
7Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
8For you, LORD, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
9that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10I trusted in the LORD when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
12What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me?
13I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
14I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.
16Truly I am your servant, LORD;
I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
17I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.
18I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19in the courts of the house of the LORD—in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD.[274]
Psalm 117
1Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
2For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD.[275]
Psalm 118
1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
3Let the house of Aaron say:
“His love endures forever.”
4Let those who fear the LORD say:
“His love endures forever.”
5When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place.
6The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
8It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans.
9It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
10All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
11They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
12They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
13I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.
14The LORD is my strength and my defense[276]; he has become my salvation.
15Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!
16The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
18The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.
19Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
20This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.
21I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.
22The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
23the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.
25LORD, save us!
LORD, grant us success!
26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
From the house of the LORD we bless you.[277]
27The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up[278] to the horns of the altar.
28You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 119[279]
Aleph
1Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—
3they do no wrong but follow his ways.
4You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
5Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!
6Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.
7I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.
8I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.
Beth
9How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
10I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
12Praise be to you, LORD; teach me your decrees.
13With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
14I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
15I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
16I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
Gimel
17Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word.
18Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
19I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.
20My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
21You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed, those who stray from your commands.
22Remove from me their scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.
23Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees.
24Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.
Daleth
25I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.
26I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.
27Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
29Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law.
30I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.
31I hold fast to your statutes, LORD; do not let me be put to shame.
32I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.
He
33Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.[280]
34Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
35Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
36Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
37Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.[281]
38Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.
39Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good.
40How I long for your precepts!
In your righteousness preserve my life.
Waw
41May your unfailing love come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your promise;
42then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
43Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.
44I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.
45I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
46I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,
47for I delight in your commands because I love them.
48I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees.
Zayin
49Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.
50My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.
51The arrogant mock me unmercifully, but I do not turn from your law.
52I remember, LORD, your ancient laws, and I find comfort in them.
53Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law.
54Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.
55In the night, LORD, I remember your name, that I may keep your law.
56This has been my practice:
I obey your precepts.
Heth
57You are my portion, LORD;
I have promised to obey your words.
58I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
59I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.
61Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
I will not forget your law.
62At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.
63I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.
64The earth is filled with your love, LORD; teach me your decrees.
Teth
65Do good to your servant according to your word, LORD.
66Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.
67Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
68You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.
69Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,
I keep your precepts with all my heart.
70Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.
71It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
72The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Yodh
73Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.
74May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.
75I know, LORD, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
77Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.
78May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.
79May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes.
80May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.
Kaph
81My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.
82My eyes fail, looking for your promise;
I say, “When will you comfort me?”
83Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do not forget your decrees.
84How long must your servant wait?
When will you punish my persecutors?
85The arrogant dig pits to trap me, contrary to your law.
86All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
87They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88In your unfailing love preserve my life, that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.
Lamedh
89Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
90Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
91Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.
92If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
94Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
95The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes.
96To all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless.
Mem
97Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.
99I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
101I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
102I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
103How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
Nun
105Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
106I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.
107I have suffered much; preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.
108Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.
109Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.
110The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.
111Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
112My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.[282]
Samekh
113I hate double-minded people, but I love your law.
114You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
115Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
116Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.
117Uphold me, and I will be delivered;
I will always have regard for your decrees.
118You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their delusions come to nothing.
119All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes.
120My flesh trembles in fear of you;
I stand in awe of your laws.
Ayin
121I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors.
122Ensure your servant’s well-being; do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.
124Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.
125I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.
126It is time for you to act, LORD; your law is being broken.
127Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold,
128and because I consider all your precepts right,
I hate every wrong path.
Pe
129Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.
130The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
131I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.
132Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.
133Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
134Redeem me from human oppression, that I may obey your precepts.
135Make your face shine on your servant and teach me your decrees.
136Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
Tsadhe
137You are righteous, LORD, and your laws are right.
138The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.
139My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words.
140Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.
141Though I am lowly and despised,
I do not forget your precepts.
142Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.
143Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.
144Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live.
Qoph
145I call with all my heart; answer me, LORD, and I will obey your decrees.
146I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes.
147I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.
148My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.
149Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, LORD, according to your laws.
150Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.
151Yet you are near, LORD, and all your commands are true.
152Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.
Resh
153Look on my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law.
154Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.
155Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.
156Your compassion, LORD, is great; preserve my life according to your laws.
157Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes.
158I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word.
159See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, LORD, in accordance with your love.
160All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
Sin and Shin
161Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.
162I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.
163I hate and detest falsehood but I love your law.
164Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.
165Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
166I wait for your salvation, LORD, and I follow your commands.
167I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.
168I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.
Taw
169May my cry come before you, LORD; give me understanding according to your word.
170May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.
171May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees.
172May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.
173May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.
174I long for your salvation, LORD, and your law gives me delight.
175Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.
176I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.