Psalm 22:30–32:11

³⁰Their descendants will serve him;

the next generation will be told about the Lord.^ad

³¹They will come and declare his righteousness;

to a people yet to be born

they will declare what he has done.^ae

Psalm 23

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

A psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd;^af

I have what I need.^ag

²He lets me lie down in green pastures;^ah

he leads me beside quiet waters.^ai

³He renews my life;

he leads me along the right paths^D

for his name’s sake.^aj

⁴Even when I go through the darkest valley,^E

I fear no danger,

for you are with me;^ak

your rod and your staff—they comfort me.^al

⁵You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;^am

my cup overflows.^an

⁶Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me

all the days of my life,^ao

and I will dwell in^A the house of the Lord

as long as I live.^Bap

Psalm 24

THE KING OF GLORY

A psalm of David.

¹The earth and everything in it,

the world and its inhabitants,

belong to the Lord;^a

²for he laid its foundation on the seas

and established it on the rivers.^b

³Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?^c

⁴The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,^d

who has not appealed to^C what is false,^e

and who has not sworn deceitfully.

⁵He will receive blessing from the Lord,^f

and righteousness^D from the God of his salvation.^g

⁶Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob.^Eh

Selah

⁷Lift up your heads, you gates!

Rise up, ancient doors!

Then the King of glory will come in.ⁱ

⁸Who is this King of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty,

the Lord, mighty in battle.^j

⁹Lift up your heads, you gates!

Rise up, ancient doors!

Then the King of glory will come in.

¹⁰Who is he, this King of glory?

The Lord of Armies,

he is the King of glory.^k

Selah

Psalm 25

DEPENDENCE ON THE LORD

Of David.

¹Lord, I appeal to you.^Fl

²My God, I trust in you.

Do not let me be disgraced;^m

do not let my enemies gloat over me.ⁿ

³No one who waits for you

will be disgraced;^o

those who act treacherously without cause

will be disgraced.^p

⁴Make your ways known to me, Lord;

teach me your paths.^q

⁵Guide me in your truth and teach me,^r

for you are the God of my salvation;^s

I wait for you all day long.^t

⁶Remember, Lord, your compassion

and your faithful love,

for they have existed from antiquity.^Gu

⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth^v

or my acts of rebellion;^w

in keeping with your faithful love, remember me

because of your goodness, Lord.^x

⁸The Lord is good and upright;^y

therefore he shows sinners the way.^z

⁹He leads the humble in what is right^aa

and teaches them his way.^ab

¹⁰All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth

to those who keep his covenant and decrees.^ac

¹¹Lord, for the sake of your name,

forgive my iniquity, for it is immense.^ad

¹²Who is this person who fears the Lord?^ae

He will show him the way he should choose.^af

¹³He will live a good life,

and his descendants will inherit the land.^Aag

¹⁴The secret counsel of the Lord

is for those who fear him,

and he reveals his covenant to them.^ah

¹⁵My eyes are always on the Lord,

for he will pull my feet out of the net.^ai

¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am alone and afflicted.^aj

¹⁷The distresses of my heart increase;^Bak

bring me out of my sufferings.^al

¹⁸Consider my affliction and trouble,^am

and forgive all my sins.^an

¹⁹Consider my enemies; they are numerous,^ao

and they hate me violently.^ap

²⁰Guard me and rescue me;^a

do not let me be disgraced,

for I take refuge in you.^b

²¹May integrity and what is right

watch over me,

for I wait for you.^c

²²God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses.^d

Psalm 26

PRAYER FOR VINDICATION

Of David.

¹Vindicate me, Lord,

because I have lived with integrity

and have trusted in the Lord without wavering.^e

²Test me, Lord, and try me;

examine my heart and mind.^f

³For your faithful love guides me,^C

and I live by your truth.^g

⁴I do not sit with the worthless

or associate with hypocrites.

⁵I hate a crowd of evildoers,

and I do not sit with the wicked.^h

⁶I wash my hands in innocenceⁱ

and go around your altar, Lord,^j

⁷raising my voice in thanksgiving^k

and telling about your wondrous works.^l

⁸Lord, I love the house where you dwell,

the place where your glory resides.^m

⁹Do not destroy me along with sinners,

or my life along with men of bloodshedⁿ

¹⁰in whose hands are evil schemes

and whose right hands are filled with bribes.^o

¹¹But I live with integrity;

redeem me and be gracious to me.^p

¹²My foot stands on level ground;^q

I will bless the Lord in the assemblies.^r

Psalm 27

MY STRONGHOLD

Of David.

¹The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom should I fear?^s

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

whom should I dread?^t

²When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,^u

my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.^v

³Though an army deploys against me,

my heart will not be afraid;

though a war breaks out against me,

I will still be confident.^w

⁴I have asked one thing from the Lord;

it is what I desire:

to dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,^x

gazing on the beauty of the Lord^y

and seeking him in his temple.^z

⁵For he will conceal me in his shelter

in the day of adversity;

he will hide me under the cover of his tent;

he will set me high on a rock.^aa

⁶Then my head will be high

above my enemies around me;^ab

I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy.^ac

I will sing and make music to the Lord.^ad

⁷Lord, hear my voice when I call;

be gracious to me and answer me.^ae

⁸My heart says this about you:

“Seek^A his face.”

Lord, I will seek your face.^af

⁹Do not hide your face from me;^ag

do not turn your servant away in anger.^ah

You have been my helper;^ai

do not leave me or abandon me,

God of my salvation.

¹⁰Even if my father and mother abandon me,

the Lord cares for me.^aj

¹¹Because of my adversaries,

show me your way, Lord,

and lead me on a level path.^ak

¹²Do not give me over to the will of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

breathing violence.^al

¹³I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.^a

¹⁴Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart be courageous.^b

Wait for the Lord.^c

Psalm 28

MY STRENGTH

Of David.

¹Lord, I call to you;

my rock, do not be deaf to me.^d

If you remain silent to me,

I will be like those going down to the Pit.^e

²Listen to the sound of my pleading

when I cry to you for help,

when I lift up my hands

toward your holy sanctuary.^f

³Do not drag me away with the wicked,

with the evildoers,

who speak in friendly ways with their neighbors

while malice is in their hearts.^g

⁴Repay them according to what they have done—

according to the evil of their deeds.

Repay them according to the work of their hands;

give them back what they deserve.^h

⁵Because they do not consider

what the Lord has done

or the work of his hands,

he will tear them down and not rebuild them.ⁱ

⁶Blessed be the Lord,

for he has heard the sound of my pleading.^j

⁷The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.^k

Therefore my heart celebrates,

and I give thanks to him with my song.^l

⁸The Lord is the strength of his people;^A

he is a stronghold of salvation for his anointed.^m

⁹Save your people, bless your possession,

shepherd them, and carry them forever.ⁿ

Psalm 29

THE VOICE OF THE LORD

A psalm of David.

¹Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,^B

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

²Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

worship the Lord

in the splendor of his holiness.^Co

³The voice of the Lord is above the waters.

The God of glory thunders—

the Lord, above the vast water,^p

⁴the voice of the Lord in power,

the voice of the Lord in splendor.^q

⁵The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;

the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.^r

⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,^s

and Sirion, like a young wild ox.^t

⁷The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire.^u

⁸The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;

the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.^v

⁹The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth^Aw

and strips the woodlands bare.^x

In his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

the Lord sits enthroned, King forever.^y

¹¹The Lord gives his people strength;^z

the Lord blesses his people with peace.^aa

Psalm 30

JOY IN THE MORNING

A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Of David.

¹I will exalt you, Lord,

because you have lifted me up^ab

and have not allowed my enemies

to triumph over me.^ac

²Lord my God,

I cried to you for help, and you healed me.^ad

³Lord, you brought me up from Sheol;^ae

you spared me from among those

going down^B to the Pit.^a

⁴Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones,

and praise his holy name.^b

⁵For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor, a lifetime.

Weeping may stay overnight,

but there is joy in the morning.^c

⁶When I was secure, I said,

“I will never be shaken.”^d

⁷Lord, when you showed your favor,

you made me stand like a strong mountain;^e

when you hid your face, I was terrified.^f

⁸Lord, I called to you;

I sought favor from my Lord:^g

⁹“What gain is there in my death,

if I go down to the Pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it proclaim your truth?^h

¹⁰Lord, listen and be gracious to me;

Lord, be my helper.”ⁱ

¹¹You turned my lament into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,^j

¹²so that I can sing to you and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will praise you forever.^k

Psalm 31

A PLEA FOR PROTECTION

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

¹Lord, I seek refuge in you;

let me never be disgraced.^l

Save me by your righteousness.

²Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.

Be a rock of refuge for me,

a mountain fortress to save me.^m

³For you are my rock and my fortress;ⁿ

you lead and guide me

for your name’s sake.^o

⁴You will free me from the net

that is secretly set for me,

for you are my refuge.^p

⁵Into your hand I entrust my spirit;^q

you have redeemed me,^A Lord, God of truth.^r

⁶I^B hate those who are devoted to worthless idols,

but I trust in the Lord.^s

⁷I…