The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

19 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1  iThe heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above1 proclaims his handiwork.

2  Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

3  There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard.

4  jTheir kvoice2 goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for lthe sun,

5  mwhich comes out like na bridegroom leaving his chamber,

and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

6  Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

and its circuit to the end of them,

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7  oThe law of the Lord is perfect,3

previving the soul;

qthe testimony of the Lord is rsure,

smaking wise tthe simple;

8  uthe precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is vpure,

wenlightening the eyes;

9  the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules4 of the Lord are xtrue,

and righteous altogether.

10  More to be desired are they than ygold,

even much zfine gold;

asweeter also than honey

and drippings of bthe honeycomb.

11  Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

cin keeping them there is great reward.

12  dWho can discern his errors?

eDeclare me innocent from fhidden faults.

13  gKeep back your servant also from hpresumptuous sins;

let them not have idominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless,

and innocent of great transgression.

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

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my jrock and my kredeemer.

The Fool Says, There Is No God

14 To the choirmaster. Of David.

1  gThe hfool says in his heart, i“There is no God.”

They are jcorrupt, they do abominable deeds;

kthere is none who does good.

2  The Lord llooks down from heaven on the children of man,

to see if there are any who understand,1

who mseek after God.

3  They have all turned aside; together they have become ncorrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

4  Have they no oknowledge, all the evildoers

who peat up my people as they eat bread

and qdo not call upon the Lord?

5  There they are in great terror,

for God is with rthe generation of the righteous.

6  You would shame the plans of the poor,

but2 the Lord is his srefuge.

7  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the Lord trestores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?

15 A Psalm of David.

1  O Lord, uwho shall sojourn in your vtent?

Who shall dwell on your wholy hill?

2  He who xwalks blamelessly and ydoes what is right

and zspeaks truth in his heart;

3  who adoes not slander with his tongue

and does no evil to his neighbor,

nor btakes up a reproach against his friend;

4  cin whose eyes a vile person is despised,

but who honors those who fear the Lord;

who dswears to his own hurt and does not change;

5  who edoes not put out his money at interest

and fdoes not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be gmoved.

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

16 A hMiktam1 of David.

1  Preserve me, O God, for in you I itake refuge.

2  I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

jI have no good apart from you.”

3  As for kthe saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,

in whom is all my delight.2

4  The sorrows of those who run after3 another god shall multiply;

their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out

or ltake their names on my lips.

5  The Lord is mmy chosen portion and my ncup;

you hold my olot.

6  pThe lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7  I bless the Lord who qgives me counsel;

in rthe night also my sheart instructs me.4

8  tI have uset the Lord always before me;

because he is at my vright hand, I shall not be wshaken.

9  Therefore my heart is glad, and my xwhole being5 rejoices;

my flesh also dwells secure.

10  For you will not abandon my soul to ySheol,

zor let your aholy one see bcorruption.6

11  You make known to me cthe path of life;

in your presence there is dfullness of joy;

at your right hand are epleasures forevermore.

In the Shadow of Your Wings

17 A fPrayer of David.

1  Hear a just cause, O Lord; gattend to my cry!

Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

2  From your presence hlet my vindication come!

Let your eyes behold the right!

3  You have itried my heart, you have jvisited me by knight,

you have ltested me, and you will find nothing;

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

4  With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

5  My steps have mheld fast to your paths;

my feet have not slipped.

6  I ncall upon you, for you will answer me, O God;

oincline your ear to me; hear my words.

7  pWondrously show1 your steadfast love,

O Savior of those who seek refuge

from qtheir adversaries at your right hand.

8  Keep me as rthe apple of your eye;

hide me in sthe shadow of your wings,

9  from the wicked who do me violence,

my deadly enemies who tsurround me.

10  uThey close their hearts to pity;

with their mouths they vspeak arrogantly.

11  They have now surrounded our wsteps;

they set their eyes to xcast us to the ground.

12  He is like a lion eager to tear,

as a young lion ylurking in ambush.

13  Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

14  from men by your hand, O Lord,

from zmen of the world whose aportion is in this life.2

You fill their womb with treasure;3

they are satisfied with bchildren,

and they leave their abundance to their infants.

15  As for me, I shall cbehold your face in righteousness;

when I dawake, I shall be esatisfied with your likeness.