Online Bible in Modern English The Book of Psalms Book 1 (Chapters 1-41)

Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150

Psalms 1

Contrasting Ways of the Wicked and Righteous  ^*Outline Headers are added as a study aid only, and should not be considered as part of the actual Biblical text

Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stand in the way of sinners,

nor sit in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in Yahweh’s Yahweh is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” law.

On his law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water,

that brings forth its fruit in its season,

whose leaf also does not wither.

Whatever he does shall prosper.

The wicked are not so,

but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked shall perish.

Psalms 2

The Nations Rage in Vain - Reign of God’s Anointed Son

Why do the nations rage,

and the peoples plot a vain thing?

The kings of the earth take a stand,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against Yahweh, and against his AnointedThe word “Anointed” is the same as the word for “Messiah” or “Christ”, saying,

“Let’s break their bonds apart,

and cast their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens will laugh.

The Lord The Hebrew word translated “Lord” is “Adonai”.will have them in derision.

Then he will speak to them in his anger,

and terrify them in his wrath:

“Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”

I will tell of the decree.

Yahweh said to me, “You are my son.

Today I have become your father.

Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance,

the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron.

You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Now therefore be wise, you kings.

Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

Serve Yahweh with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

Give sincere homage to the Son^*or, Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath will soon be kindled.

Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.

Psalms 3

Prayer of Trust in God During Times of Trouble

Yahweh, how my adversaries have increased!

Many are those who rise up against me.

Many there are who say of my soul,

“There is no help for him in God The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “Elohim”.”

SelahMeaning of Hebrew word “Selah” is uncertain. Probably a musical term for an Interlude or Pause (from Hebrew verb “salah”), or a Crescendo (from Hebrew verb “salal” meaning “to lift up”).

But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me,

my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

I cry to Yahweh with my voice,

and he answers me out of his holy hill.

Selah.

I laid myself down and slept.

I awakened; for Yahweh sustains me.

I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people

who have set themselves against me on every side.

Arise, Yahweh!

Save me, my God!

For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone.

You have broken the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to Yahweh.

Your blessing be on your people.

Selah.

Psalms 4

Prayer for Deliverance from Adversity

Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness.

Give me relief from my distress.

Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor?

Will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood?

Selah.

But know that Yahweh has set apart for himself him who is godly:

Yahweh will hear when I call to him.

Stand in awe, and don’t sin.

Search your own heart on your bed, and be still.

Selah.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness.

Put your trust in Yahweh.

Many say, “Who will show us any good?”

Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.

You have put gladness in my heart,

more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.

In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep,

for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.

Psalms 5

Prayer for Deliverance from Wicked Enemies

Give ear to my words, Yahweh.

Consider my meditation.

Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God;

for to you do I pray.

Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice.

In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.

For you are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness.

Evil can’t live with you.

The arrogant shall not stand in your sight.

You hate all workers of iniquity.

You will destroy those who speak lies.

Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house.

I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you.

Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies.

Make your way straight before my face.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth.

Their heart is destruction.

Their throat is an open tomb.

They flatter with their tongue.

Hold them guilty, God.

Let them fall by their own counsels;

Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions,

for they have rebelled against you.

But let all those who take refuge in you rejoice,

Let them always shout for joy, because you defend them.

Let them also who love your name be joyful in you.

For you will bless the righteous.

Yahweh, you will surround him with favor as with a shield.

Psalms 6

Prayer for Mercy and Recovery

Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your anger,

neither discipline me in your wrath.

Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am faint.

Yahweh, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

My soul is also in great anguish.

But you, Yahweh—how long?

Return, Yahweh. Deliver my soul,

and save me for your loving kindness’ sake.

For in death there is no memory of you.

In Sheol Sheol is the place of the dead, who shall give you thanks?

I am weary with my groaning.

Every night I flood my bed.

I drench my couch with my tears.

My eye wastes away because of grief.

It grows old because of all my adversaries.

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity,

for Yahweh has heard the voice of my weeping.

Yahweh has heard my supplication.

Yahweh accepts my prayer.

May all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed.

They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly.

Psalms 7

Prayer for Refuge from, and Judgment for Adversaries

Yahweh, my God, I take refuge in you.

Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,

lest they tear apart my soul like a lion,

ripping it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

Yahweh, my God, if I have done this,

if there is iniquity in my hands,

if I have rewarded evil to him who was at peace with me

(yes, if I have delivered him who without cause was my adversary),

let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it;

yes, let him tread my life down to the earth,

and lay my glory in the dust.

Selah.

Arise, Yahweh, in your anger.

Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries.

Awake for me. You have commanded judgment.

Let the congregation of the peoples surround you.

Rule over them on high.

Yahweh administers judgment to the peoples.

Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness,

and to my integrity that is in me.

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,

but establish the righteous;

their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.

My shield is with God,

who saves the upright in heart.

God is a righteous judge,

yes, a God who has indignation every day.

If a man doesn’t relent, he will sharpen his sword;

he has bent and strung his bow.

He has also prepared for himself the instruments of death.

He makes ready his flaming arrows.

Behold, he travails with iniquity.

Yes, he has conceived mischief,

and brought forth falsehood.

He has dug a hole,

and has fallen into the pit which he made.

The trouble he causes shall return to his own head.

His violence shall come down on the crown of his own head.

I will give thanks to Yahweh according to his righteousness,

and will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High.

Psalms 8

God’s Glory and Man’s Dignity

Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,

who has set your glory above the heavens!

From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength,

because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;

what is man, that you think of him?

What is the son of man, that you care for him?

For you have made him a little lower than GodHebrew “Elohim” typically means “God” but can also mean “gods,” “princes,” or “angels.”,

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You make him ruler over the works of your hands.

You have put all things under his feet:

All sheep and cattle,

yes, and the animals of the field,

The birds of the sky, the fish of the sea,

and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

Yahweh, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalms 9

Praise for God’s Justice and Marvelous Works

I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart.

I will tell of all your marvelous works.

I will be glad and rejoice in you.

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish in your presence.

For you have maintained my just cause.

You sit on the throne judging righteously.

You have rebuked the nations.

You have destroyed the wicked.

You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

The enemy is overtaken by endless ruin.

The very memory of the cities which you have overthrown has perished.

But Yahweh reigns forever.

He has prepared his throne for judgment.

He will judge the world in righteousness.

He will administer judgment to the peoples in uprightness.

Yahweh will also be a high tower for the oppressed;

a high tower in times of trouble.

Those who know your name will put their trust in you,

for you, Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to Yahweh, who dwells in Zion,

and declare among the people what he has done.

For he who avenges blood remembers them.

He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted.

Have mercy on me, Yahweh.

See my affliction by those who hate me,

and lift me up from the gates of death;

that I may show forth all your praise.

In the gates of the daughter of Zion, I will rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made.

In the net which they hid, their own foot is taken.

Yahweh has made himself known.

He has executed judgment.

The wicked is snared by the work of his own hands.

Meditation. Selah.

The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol,

even all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

Arise, Yahweh! Don’t let man prevail.

Let the nations be judged in your sight.

Put them in fear, Yahweh.

Let the nations know that they are only men.

Selah.

Psalms 10

Prayer for Deliverance from Wicked Adversaries

Why do you stand far off, Yahweh?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak.

They are caught in the schemes that they devise.

For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings.

He blesses the greedy, and condemns Yahweh.

The wicked, in the pride of his face,

has no room in his thoughts for God.

His ways are prosperous at all times.

He is haughty, and your laws are far from his sight.

As for all his adversaries, he sneers at them.

He says in his heart, “I shall not be shaken.

For generations I shall have no trouble.”

His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression.

Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

He lies in wait near the villages.

From ambushes, he murders the innocent.

His eyes are secretly set against the helpless.

He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush.

He lies in wait to catch the helpless.

He catches the helpless, when he draws him in his net.

The helpless are crushed.

They collapse.

They fall under his strength.

He says in his heart, “God has forgotten.

He hides his face.

He will never see it.”

Arise, Yahweh!

God, lift up your hand!

Don’t forget the helpless.

Why does the wicked person condemn God,

and say in his heart, “God won’t call me into account?”

But you do see trouble and grief.

You consider it to take it into your hand.

You help the victim and the fatherless.

Break the arm of the wicked.

As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.

Yahweh is King forever and ever!

The nations will perish out of his land.

Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble.

You will prepare their heart.

You will cause your ear to hear,

to judge the fatherless and the oppressed,

that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.

Psalms 11

Song of Trust in God while Society’s Foundations are Collapsing

In Yahweh, I take refuge.

How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain!”

For, behold, the wicked bend their bows.

They set their arrows on the strings,

that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

If the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?

Yahweh is in his holy temple.

Yahweh is on his throne in heaven.

His eyes observe.

His eyes examine the children of men.

Yahweh examines the righteous,

but the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates.

On the wicked he will rain blazing coals;

fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

For Yahweh is righteous.

He loves righteousness.

The upright shall see his face.

Psalms 12

Plea for Help against Oppression by a Wicked Generation

Help, Yahweh; for the godly man ceases.

For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

Everyone lies to his neighbor.

They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,

and the tongue that boasts,

who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail.

Our lips are our own.

Who is lord over us?”

“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise,” says Yahweh;

“I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”

The words of Yahweh are flawless words,

as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.

You will keep them, Yahweh.

You will preserve them from this generation forever.

The wicked walk on every side,

when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.

Psalms 13

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

How long, Yahweh?

Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

having sorrow in my heart every day?

How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

Behold, and answer me, Yahweh, my God.

Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him;”

Lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your loving kindness.

My heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to Yahweh,

because he has been good to me.

Psalms 14

The Fool says “There is no God” - Corruption of the Human Race

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt.

They have done abominable works.

There is none who does good.

Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men,

to see if there were any who did understand,

who did seek after God.

They have all gone aside.

They have together become corrupt.

There is none who does good, no, not one.

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and don’t call on Yahweh?

There they were in great fear,

for God is in the generation of the righteous.

You frustrate the plan of the poor,

because Yahweh is his refuge.

Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!

When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people,

then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Psalms 15

Portrait of the Godly

Yahweh, who shall dwell in your sanctuary?

Who shall live on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly does what is right,

and speaks truth in his heart;

He who doesn’t slander with his tongue,

nor does evil to his friend,

nor casts slurs against his fellow man;

In whose eyes a vile man is despised,

but who honors those who fear Yahweh;

he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change;

he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury,

nor take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be shaken.

Psalms 16

Song of Trust in God for Security

Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge.

My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.

Apart from you I have no good thing.”

As for the saints who are in the earth,

they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god.

Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,

nor take their names on my lips.

Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup.

You made my lot secure.

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel.

Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set Yahweh always before me.

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices.

My body shall also dwell in safety.

For you will not leave my soul in Sheol,

neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

You will show me the path of life.

In your presence is fullness of joy.

In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Psalms 17

Prayer for Protection in the Shadow of God’s Wings

Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea;

Give ear to my prayer, that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips.

Let my sentence come forth from your presence.

Let your eyes look on equity.

You have proved my heart.

You have visited me in the night.

You have tried me, and found nothing.

I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey.

As for the works of men, by the word of your lips,

I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.

My steps have held fast to your paths.

My feet have not slipped.

I have called on you, for you will answer me, God.

Turn your ear to me.

Hear my speech.

Show your marvelous loving kindness,

you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies.

Keep me as the apple of your eye.

Hide me under the shadow of your wings,

from the wicked who oppress me,

my deadly enemies, who surround me.

They close up their callous hearts.

With their mouth they speak proudly.

They have now surrounded us in our steps.

They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.

He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey,

as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

Arise, Yahweh, confront him. Cast him down.

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword;

from men by your hand, Yahweh,

from men of the world, whose portion is in this life.

You fill the belly of your cherished ones.

Your sons have plenty,

and they store up wealth for their children.

As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness.

I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.

Psalms 18

Praise to God for Victory

I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised;

and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death surrounded me.

The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

The cords of Sheol were around me.

The snares of death came on me.

In my distress I called on Yahweh,

and cried to my God.

He heard my voice out of his temple.

My cry before him came into his ears.

Then the earth shook and trembled.

The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken,

because he was angry.

Smoke went out of his nostrils.

Consuming fire came out of his mouth.

Coals were kindled by it.

He bowed the heavens also, and came down.

Thick darkness was under his feet.

He rode on a cherub, and flew.

Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him,

darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,

hailstones and coals of fire.

Yahweh also thundered in the sky.

The Most High uttered his voice:

hailstones and coals of fire.

He sent out his arrows, and scattered them;

Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.

Then the channels of waters appeared.

The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He sent from on high.

He took me.

He drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

They came on me in the day of my calamity,

but Yahweh was my support.

He brought me forth also into a large place.

He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness.

According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

For all his ordinances were before me.

I didn’t put away his statutes from me.

I was also blameless with him.

I kept myself from my iniquity.

Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.

With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.

With the pure, you will show yourself pure.

With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

For you will save the afflicted people,

but the haughty eyes you will bring down.

For you will light my lamp, Yahweh.

My God will light up my darkness.

For by you, I advance through a troop.

By my God, I leap over a wall.

As for God, his way is perfect.

The word of Yahweh is tried.

He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

For who is God, except Yahweh?

Who is a rock, besides our God,

the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?

He makes my feet like deer’s feet,

and sets me on my high places.

He teaches my hands to war,

so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of your salvation.

Your right hand sustains me.

Your gentleness has made me great.

You have enlarged my steps under me,

My feet have not slipped.

I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them.

Neither will I turn again until they are consumed.

I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise.

They shall fall under my feet.

For you have armed me with strength to the battle.

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,

that I might cut off those who hate me.

They cried, but there was none to save;

even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.

Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind.

I cast them out as the mire of the streets.

You have delivered me from the strivings of the people.

You have made me the head of the nations.

A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me.

The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.

The foreigners shall fade away,

and shall come trembling out of their close places.

Yahweh lives; and blessed be my rock.

Exalted be the God of my salvation,

even the God who executes vengeance for me,

and subdues peoples under me.

He rescues me from my enemies.

Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.

You deliver me from the violent man.

Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,

and will sing praises to your name.

He gives great deliverance to his king,

and shows loving kindness to his anointed,

to David and to his seed, forevermore.

Psalms 19

The Glory of  God in Creation and the Law

The heavens declare the glory of God.

The expanse shows his handiwork.

Day after day they pour forth speech,

and night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech nor language,

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice has gone out through all the earth,

their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for the sun,

which is as a bridegroom coming out of his room,

like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.

His going forth is from the end of the heavens,

his circuit to its ends;

There is nothing hidden from its heat.

Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul.

Yahweh’s testimony is sure, making wise the simple.

Yahweh’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart.

Yahweh’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever.

Yahweh’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is your servant warned.

In keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?

Forgive me from hidden errors.

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins.

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I will be upright.

I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.

Psalms 20

Trusting in God for Victory

May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble.

May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high,

send you help from the sanctuary,

grant you support from Zion,

remember all your offerings,

and accept your burnt sacrifice.

Selah.

May He grant you your heart’s desire,

and fulfill all your counsel.

We will triumph in your salvation.

In the name of our God, we will set up our banners.

May Yahweh grant all your requests.

Now I know that Yahweh saves his anointed.

He will answer him from his holy heaven,

with the saving strength of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses,

but we trust the name of Yahweh our God.

They are bowed down and fallen,

but we rise up, and stand upright.

Save, Yahweh!

Let the King answer us when we call!

Psalms 21

Rejoicing in God-given Salvation and Victory

The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh!

How greatly he rejoices in your salvation!

You have given him his heart’s desire,

and have not withheld the request of his lips.

Selah.

For you meet him with the blessings of goodness.

You set a crown of fine gold on his head.

He asked life of you, you gave it to him,

even length of days forever and ever.

His glory is great in your salvation.

You lay honor and majesty on him.

For you make him most blessed forever.

You make him glad with joy in your presence.

For the king trusts in Yahweh.

Through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved.

Your hand will find out all of your enemies.

Your right hand will find out those who hate you.

You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger.

Yahweh will swallow them up in his wrath.

The fire shall devour them.

You will destroy their descendants from the earth,

their posterity from among the children of men.

For they intended evil against you.

They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed.

For you will make them turn their back,

when you aim drawn bows at their face.

Be exalted, Yahweh, in your strength,

so we will sing and praise your power.

Psalms 22

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” - Suffering and Praise

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don’t answer;

in the night season, and am not silent.

But you are holy,

you who inhabit the praises of Israel.

Our fathers trusted in you.

They trusted, and you delivered them.

They cried to you, and were delivered.

They trusted in you, and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm, and no man;

a reproach of men, and despised by the people.

All those who see me mock me.

They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,

“He trusts in Yahweh; let him deliver him.

Let him rescue him, since he delights in him.”

But you brought me out of the womb.

You made me trust at my mother’s breasts.

I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb.

You are my God since my mother bore me.

Don’t be far from me, for trouble is near.

For there is none to help.

Many bulls have surrounded me.

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

They open their mouths wide against me,

lions tearing prey and roaring.

I am poured out like water.

All my bones are out of joint.

My heart is like wax;

it is melted within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have brought me into the dust of death.

For dogs have surrounded me.

A company of evildoers have enclosed me.

They have pierced my hands and feetper Dead Sea Scrolls.   Masoretic Text reads, “Like a lion, they pin my hands and feet.”.

I can count all of my bones.

They look and stare at me.

They divide my garments among them.

They cast lots for my clothing.

But don’t be far off, Yahweh.

You are my help: hurry to help me.

Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dog.

Save me from the lion’s mouth!

Yes, from the horns of the wild oxen, you have answered me.

I will declare your name to my brothers.

In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you.

You who fear Yahweh, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him!

Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,

Neither has he hidden his face from him;

but when he cried to him, he heard.

Of you comes my praise in the great assembly.

I will pay my vows before those who fear him.

The humble shall eat and be satisfied.

They shall praise Yahweh who seek after him.

Let your hearts live forever.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh.

All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.

For the kingdom is Yahweh’s.

He is the ruler over the nations.

All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship.

All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him,

even he who can’t keep his soul alive.

Posterity shall serve him.

Future generations shall be told about the Lord.

They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born,

for he has done it.

Psalms 23

The Good Shepherd

Yahweh is my shepherd:

I shall lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil.

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.

Psalms 24

The King of Glory

The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness;

the world, and those who dwell therein.

For he has founded it on the seas,

and established it on the floods.

Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill?

Who may stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart;

who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood,

and has not sworn deceitfully.

He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh,

righteousness from the God of his salvation.

This is the generation of those who seek Him,

who seek your face—even Jacob.

Selah.

Lift up your heads, you gates!

Be lifted up, you everlasting doors,

and the King of glory will come in.

Who is the King of glory?

Yahweh strong and mighty,

Yahweh mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates;

yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors,

and the King of glory will come in.

Who is this King of glory?

Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory!

Selah.

Psalms 25

Prayer for Instruction, Pardon and Deliverance

To you, Yahweh, do I lift up my soul.

My God, I have trusted in you.

Don’t let me be shamed.

Don’t let my enemies triumph over me.

Yes, no one who waits for you shall be shamed.

They shall be shamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Show me your ways, Yahweh.

Teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth, and teach me,

For you are the God of my salvation,

I wait for you all day long.

Yahweh, remember your tender mercies and your loving kindness,

for they are from old times.

Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions.

Remember me according to your loving kindness,

for your goodness’ sake, Yahweh.

Good and upright is Yahweh,

therefore he will instruct sinners in the way.

He will guide the humble in justice.

He will teach the humble his way.

All the paths of Yahweh are loving kindness and truth

to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

For your name’s sake, Yahweh,

pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

What man is he who fears Yahweh?

He shall instruct him in the way that he shall choose.

His soul shall dwell at ease.

His seed shall inherit the land.

The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him.

He will show them his covenant.

My eyes are ever on Yahweh,

for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn to me, and have mercy on me,

for I am desolate and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart are enlarged.

Oh bring me out of my distresses.

Consider my affliction and my travail.

Forgive all my sins.

Consider my enemies, for they are many.

They hate me with cruel hatred.

Oh keep my soul, and deliver me.

Let me not be disappointed, for I take refuge in you.

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for you.

Redeem Israel, God,

out all of his troubles.

Psalms 26

Prayer for Justice; Declaration of Integrity

Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity.

I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering.

Examine me, Yahweh, and prove me.

Try my heart and my mind.

For your loving kindness is before my eyes.

I have walked in your truth.

I have not sat with deceitful men,

neither will I go in with hypocrites.

I hate the assembly of evildoers,

and will not sit with the wicked.

I will wash my hands in innocence,

so I will go about your altar, Yahweh;

that I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard,

and tell of all your wondrous works.

Yahweh, I love the habitation of your house,

the place where your glory dwells.

Don’t gather my soul with sinners,

nor my life with bloodthirsty men;

in whose hands is wickedness,

their right hand is full of bribes.

But as for me, I will walk in my integrity.

Redeem me, and be merciful to me.

My foot stands in an even place.

In the congregations I will bless Yahweh.

Psalms 27

Confidently Trusting in God for Strength and Salvation

Yahweh is my light and my salvation.

Whom shall I fear?

Yahweh is the strength of my life.

Of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh,

even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.

Though an army should encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear.

Though war should rise against me,

even then I will be confident.

One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after,

that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life,

to see Yahweh’s beauty,

and to inquire in his temple.

For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion.

In the covert of his tabernacle he will hide me.

He will lift me up on a rock.

Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me.

I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent.

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.

Hear, Yahweh, when I cry with my voice.

Have mercy also on me, and answer me.

When you said, “Seek my face,”

my heart said to you, “I will seek your face, Yahweh.”

Don’t hide your face from me.

Don’t put your servant away in anger.

You have been my help.

Don’t abandon me,

neither forsake me, God of my salvation.

When my father and my mother forsake me,

then Yahweh will take me up.

Teach me your way, Yahweh.

Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.

Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,

for false witnesses have risen up against me,

such as breathe out cruelty.

I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living.

Wait for Yahweh.

Be strong, and let your heart take courage.

Yes, wait for Yahweh.

Psalms 28

Prayer for Help and Praise for God’s Response

To you, Yahweh, I call.

My rock, don’t be deaf to me;

lest, if you are silent to me,

I would become like those who go down into the pit.

Hear the voice of my petitions, when I cry to you,

when I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

Don’t draw me away with the wicked,

with the workers of iniquity who speak peace with their neighbors,

but mischief is in their hearts.

Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings.

Give them according to the operation of their hands.

Bring back on them what they deserve.

Because they don’t respect the works of Yahweh,

nor the operation of his hands,

he will break them down and not build them up.

Blessed be Yahweh,

because he has heard the voice of my petitions.

Yahweh is my strength and my shield.

My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped.

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices.

With my song I will thank him.

Yahweh is their strength.

He is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.

Save your people,

and bless your inheritance.

Be their shepherd also,

and bear them up forever.

Psalms 29

God’s Voice and Glory in the Midst of a Storm

Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of the mighty,

ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.

Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name.

Worship Yahweh in holy array.

Yahweh’s voice is on the waters.

The God of glory thunders, even Yahweh on many waters.

Yahweh’s voice is powerful.

Yahweh’s voice is full of majesty.

The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars.

Yes, Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes them also to skip like a calf;

Lebanon and Sirion like a young, wild ox.

Yahweh’s voice strikes with flashes of lightning.

Yahweh’s voice shakes the wilderness.

Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

Yahweh’s voice makes the deer calve,

and strips the forests bare.

In his temple everything says, “Glory!”

Yahweh sat enthroned at the FloodHebrew mabbûl used only here and in the Genesis Flood account.

Yes, Yahweh sits as King forever.

Yahweh will give strength to his people.

Yahweh will bless his people with peace.

Psalms 30

Prayer and Praise for Protection from Enemies

I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up,

and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.

Yahweh my God, I cried to you,

and you have healed me.

Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol.

You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Sing praise to Yahweh, you saints of his.

Give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment.

His favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may stay for the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,

“I shall never be moved.”

You, Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong;

but when you hid your face, I was troubled.

I cried to you, Yahweh.

To Yahweh I made supplication:

“What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit?

Shall the dust praise you?

Shall it declare your truth?

Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me.

Yahweh, be my helper.”

You have turned my mourning into dancing for me.

You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,

To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent.

Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Psalms 31

Prayer for Protection and Praise for Deliverance

In you, Yahweh, I take refuge.

Let me never be disappointed.

Deliver me in your righteousness.

Bow down your ear to me.

Deliver me speedily.

Be to me a strong rock,

a house of defense to save me.

For you are my rock and my fortress,

therefore for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.

Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me,

for you are my stronghold.

Into your hand I commend my spirit.

You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth.

I hate those who regard lying vanities,

but I trust in Yahweh.

I will be glad and rejoice in your loving kindness,

for you have seen my affliction.

You have known my soul in adversities.

You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy.

You have set my feet in a large place.

Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am in distress.

My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief.

For my life is spent with sorrow,

my years with sighing.

My strength fails because of my iniquity.

My bones are wasted away.

Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors,

A fear to my acquaintances.

Those who saw me on the street fled from me.

I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man.

I am like broken pottery.

For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side,

while they conspire together against me,

they plot to take away my life.

But I trust in you, Yahweh.

I said, “You are my God.”

My times are in your hand.

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

Make your face to shine on your servant.

Save me in your loving kindness.

Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you.

Let the wicked be disappointed.

Let them be silent in Sheol.

Let the lying lips be mute,

which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.

Oh how great is your goodness,

which you have laid up for those who fear you,

which you have worked for those who take refuge in you,

before the sons of men!

In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man.

You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.

Praise be to Yahweh,

for he has shown me his marvelous loving kindness in a strong city.

As for me, I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before your eyes.”

Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.

Oh love Yahweh, all you his saints!

Yahweh preserves the faithful,

and fully recompenses him who behaves arrogantly.

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who hope in Yahweh.

Psalms 32

Blessed are the Forgiven

Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity,

in whose spirit there is no deceit.

When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy on me.

My strength was sapped in the heat of summer.

Selah.

I acknowledged my sin to you.

I didn’t hide my iniquity.

I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh,

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Selah.

For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found.

Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him.

You are my hiding place.

You will preserve me from trouble.

You will surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go.

I will counsel you with my eye on you.

Don’t be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding,

who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you.

Many sorrows come to the wicked,

but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in Yahweh.

Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous!

Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!

Psalms 33

Praise to the Creator God for His Greatness

Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous!

Praise is fitting for the upright.

Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre.

Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.

Sing to him a new song.

Play skillfully with a shout of joy!

For the word of Yahweh is right.

All his work is done in faithfulness.

He loves righteousness and justice.

The earth is full of the loving kindness of Yahweh.

By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made;

all their army by the breath of his mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap.

He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear Yahweh.

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

For he spoke, and it was done.

He commanded, and it stood firm.

Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing.

He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.

The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever,

the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,

the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.

Yahweh looks from heaven.

He sees all the sons of men.

From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

he who fashions all of their hearts;

and he considers all of their works.

There is no king saved by the multitude of an army.

A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

A horse is a vain thing for safety,

neither does he deliver any by his great power.

Behold, Yahweh’s eye is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his loving kindness;

to deliver their soul from death,

to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul has waited for Yahweh.

He is our help and our shield.

For our heart rejoices in him,

because we have trusted in his holy name.

Let your loving kindness be on us, Yahweh,

since we have hoped in you.

Psalms 34

Praise for Deliverance of the Righteous

I will bless Yahweh at all times.

His praise will always be in my mouth.

My soul shall boast in Yahweh.

The humble shall hear of it, and be glad.

Oh magnify Yahweh with me.

Let us exalt his name together.

I sought Yahweh, and he answered me,

and delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to him, and were radiant.

Their faces shall never be covered with shame.

This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him,

and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him,

and delivers them.

Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good.

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints,

for there is no lack with those who fear him.

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger,

but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.

Come, you children, listen to me.

I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

Who is someone who desires life,

and loves many days, that he may see good?

Keep your tongue from evil,

and your lips from speaking lies.

Depart from evil, and do good.

seek peace, and pursue it.

Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous.

His ears listen to their cry.

Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears,

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart,

and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.

He protects all of his bones.

Not one of them is broken.

Evil shall kill the wicked.

Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants.

None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.

Psalms 35

Prayer for Victory over Enemies

Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me.

Fight against those who fight against me.

Take hold of shield and buckler,

and stand up for my help.

Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me.

Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”

Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor.

Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.

Let them be as chaff before the wind,

Yahweh’s angel driving them on.

Let their way be dark and slippery,

Yahweh’s angel pursuing them.

For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me.

Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.

Let destruction come on him unawares.

Let his net that he has hidden catch himself.

Let him fall into that destruction.

My soul shall be joyful in Yahweh.

It shall rejoice in his salvation.

All my bones shall say, “Yahweh, who is like you,

who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him;

yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?”

Unrighteous witnesses rise up.

They ask me about things that I don’t know about.

They reward me evil for good,

to the bereaving of my soul.

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.

I afflicted my soul with fasting.

My prayer returned into my own bosom.

I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother.

I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.

But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together.

The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn’t know it.

They tore at me, and didn’t cease.

Like the profane mockers in feasts,

they gnashed their teeth at me.

Lord, how long will you look on?

Rescue my soul from their destruction,

my precious life from the lions.

I will give you thanks in the great assembly.

I will praise you among many people.

Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me;

neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.

For they don’t speak peace,

but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me.

They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!”

You have seen it, Yahweh. Don’t keep silent.

Lord, don’t be far from me.

Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God!

My Lord, contend for me!

Vindicate me, Yahweh my God, according to your righteousness.

Don’t let them gloat over me.

Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!”

Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity.

Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.

Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause.

Yes, let them say continually, “Yahweh be magnified,

who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!”

My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.

Psalms 36

Human Wickedness and the Preciousness of God’s Love

An oracle is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked:

“There is no fear of God before his eyes.”

For he flatters himself in his own eyes,

too much to detect and hate his sin.

The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit.

He has ceased to be wise and to do good.

He plots iniquity on his bed.

He sets himself in a way that is not good.

He doesn’t abhor evil.

Your loving kindness, Yahweh, is in the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God.

Your judgments are like a great deep.

Yahweh, you preserve man and animal.

How precious is your loving kindness, God!

The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.

They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house.

You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures.

For with you is the spring of life.

In your light shall we see light.

Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you,

your righteousness to the upright in heart.

Don’t let the foot of pride come against me.

Don’t let the hand of the wicked drive me away.

There the workers of iniquity are fallen.

They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.

Psalms 37

Patience and Trust in God for Salvation of the Righteous and Destruction of the Wicked

Don’t fret because of evildoers,

neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

and wither like the green herb.

Trust in Yahweh, and do good.

Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.

Also delight yourself in Yahweh,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to Yahweh.

Trust also in him, and he will do this:

he will make your righteousness go forth as the light,

and your justice as the noon day sun.

Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him.

Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way,

because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.

Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing.

For evildoers shall be cut off,

but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.

For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more.

Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there.

But the humble shall inherit the land,

and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The wicked plots against the just,

and gnashes at him with his teeth.

The Lord will laugh at him,

for he sees that his day is coming.

The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow,

to cast down the poor and needy,

to kill those who are upright in the way.

Their sword shall enter into their own heart.

Their bows shall be broken.

Better is a little that the righteous has,

than the abundance of many wicked.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,

but Yahweh upholds the righteous.

Yahweh knows the days of the perfect.

Their inheritance shall be forever.

They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil.

In the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

But the wicked shall perish.

The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields.

They will vanish—

vanish like smoke.

The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back,

but the righteous give generously.

For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land.

Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.

A man’s goings are established by Yahweh.

He delights in his way.

Though he stumble, he shall not fall,

for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.

I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,

nor his children begging for bread.

All day long he deals graciously, and lends.

His seed is blessed.

Depart from evil, and do good.

Live securely forever.

For Yahweh loves justice,

and doesn’t forsake his saints.

They are preserved forever,

but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.

The righteous shall inherit the land,

and live in it forever.

The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom.

His tongue speaks justice.

The law of his God is in his heart.

None of his steps shall slide.

The wicked watches the righteous,

and seeks to kill him.

Yahweh will not leave him in his hand,

nor condemn him when he is judged.

Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land.

When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

I have seen the wicked in great power,

spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.

But he passed away, and behold, he was not.

Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.

Mark the perfect man, and see the upright,

for there is a future for the man of peace.

As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together.

The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh.

He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

Yahweh helps them, and rescues them.

He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,

Because they have taken refuge in him.

Psalms 38

A Penitent Prayer for Healing

Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your wrath,

neither chasten me in your hot displeasure.

For your arrows have pierced me,

your hand presses hard on me.

There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation,

neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin.

For my iniquities have gone over my head.

As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

My wounds are loathsome and corrupt,

because of my foolishness.

I am pained and bowed down greatly.

I go mourning all day long.

For my waist is filled with burning.

There is no soundness in my flesh.

I am faint and severely bruised.

I have groaned by reason of the anguish of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before you.

My groaning is not hidden from you.

My heart throbs.

My strength fails me.

As for the light of my eyes, it has also left me.

My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague.

My kinsmen stand far away.

They also who seek after my life lay snares.

Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things,

and meditate deceits all day long.

But I, as a deaf man, don’t hear.

I am as a mute man who doesn’t open his mouth.

Yes, I am as a man who doesn’t hear,

in whose mouth are no reproofs.

For in you, Yahweh, do I hope.

You will answer, Lord my God.

For I said, “Don’t let them gloat over me,

or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”

For I am ready to fall.

My pain is continually before me.

For I will declare my iniquity.

I will be sorry for my sin.

But my enemies are vigorous and many.

Those who hate me without reason are numerous.

They who also render evil for good are adversaries to me,

because I follow what is good.

Don’t forsake me, Yahweh.

My God, don’t be far from me.

Hurry to help me,

Lord, my salvation.

Psalms 39

The Transient Nature of this Earthly Life

I said, “I will watch my ways, so that I don’t sin with my tongue.

I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.”

I was mute with silence.

I held my peace, even from good.

My sorrow was stirred.

My heart was hot within me.

While I meditated, the fire burned:

I spoke with my tongue:

“Yahweh, show me my end,

what is the measure of my days.

Let me know how frail I am.

Behold, you have made my days handbreadths.

My lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely every man stands as a breath.”

Selah.

“Surely every man walks like a shadow.

Surely they busy themselves in vain.

He heaps up, and doesn’t know who shall gather.

Now, Lord, what do I wait for?

My hope is in you.

Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish.

I was mute.

I didn’t open my mouth,

because you did it.

Remove your scourge away from me.

I am overcome by the blow of your hand.

When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity,

You consume his wealth like a moth.

Surely every man is but a breath.”

Selah.

“Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and give ear to my cry.

Don’t be silent at my tears.

For I am a stranger with you,

a foreigner, as all my fathers were.

Oh spare me, that I may recover strength,

before I go away, and exist no more.”

Psalms 40

Trusting as God as Helper and Deliverer

I waited patiently for Yahweh.

He turned to me, and heard my cry.

He brought me up also out of a horrible pit,

out of the miry clay.

He set my feet on a rock,

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God.

Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Yahweh.

Blessed is the man who makes Yahweh his trust,

and doesn’t respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Many, Yahweh, my God, are the wonderful works which you have done,

and your thoughts which are toward us.

They can’t be declared back to you.

If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire.

You have opened my ears.

You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.

Then I said, “Behold, I have come.

It is written about me in the book in the scroll.

I delight to do your will, my God.

Yes, your law is within my heart.”

I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly.

Behold, I will not seal my lips, Yahweh, you know.

I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart.

I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation.

I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly.

Don’t withhold your tender mercies from me, Yahweh.

Let your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me.

For innumerable evils have surrounded me.

My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up.

They are more than the hairs of my head.

My heart has failed me.

Be pleased, Yahweh, to deliver me.

Hurry to help me, Yahweh.

Let them be disappointed and confounded together who seek after my soul to destroy it.

Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt.

Let them be desolate by reason of their shame that tell me, “Aha! Aha!”

Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.

Let such as love your salvation say continually, “Let Yahweh be exalted!”

But I am poor and needy.

May the Lord think about me.

You are my help and my deliverer.

Don’t delay, my God.

Psalms 41

God’s Mercy and Grace during Times of Adversity

Blessed is he who considers the poor.

Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.

Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive.

He shall be blessed on the earth,

and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.

Yahweh will sustain him on his sickbed,

and restore him from his bed of illness.

I said, “Yahweh, have mercy on me!

Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

My enemies speak evil against me:

“When will he die, and his name perish?”

If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood.

His heart gathers iniquity to itself.

When he goes abroad, he tells it.

All who hate me whisper together against me.

They imagine the worst for me.

“An evil disease,” they say, “has afflicted him.

Now that he lies he shall rise up no more.”

Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,

who ate bread with me,

has lifted up his heel against me.

But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me, and raise me up,

that I may repay them.

By this I know that you delight in me,

because my enemy doesn’t triumph over me.

As for me, you uphold me in my integrity,

and set me in your presence forever.

Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,

from everlasting and to everlasting!

Amen and amen.

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