I Will Bless the Lord

26 Of David.

1  qVindicate me, O Lord,

for I have rwalked in my integrity,

and I have strusted in the Lord without wavering.

2  tProve me, O Lord, and try me;

test my heart and umy mind.1

3  For your vsteadfast love is before my eyes,

and I wwalk in your vfaithfulness.

4  I do not xsit with men of yfalsehood,

nor do I consort with hypocrites.

5  I zhate the assembly of evildoers,

and I will not sit with the wicked.

6  I awash my hands in innocence

and go around your altar, O Lord,

7  proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,

and telling all your bwondrous deeds.

8  O Lord, I clove the habitation of your house

and the place where your glory dwells.

9  dDo not sweep my soul away with sinners,

nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

10  in whose hands are evil devices,

and whose right hands are full of ebribes.

11  But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;

redeem me, and be gracious to me.

12  My foot stands on flevel ground;

in gthe great assembly I will bless the Lord.

The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

27 Of David.

1  The Lord is my hlight and my isalvation;

jwhom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold1 of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

2  When evildoers assail me

to keat up my flesh,

my adversaries and foes,

it is they who stumble and fall.

3  lThough an army encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me,

yet2 I will be confident.

4  mOne thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may ndwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon othe beauty of the Lord

and to inquire3 in his temple.

5  For he will phide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will qlift me high upon a rock.

6  And now my rhead shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of sjoy;

tI will sing and make melody to the Lord.

7  uHear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;

be gracious to me and answer me!

8  You have said, v“Seek4 my face.”

My heart says to you,

“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”5

9  wHide not your face from me.

Turn not your servant away in anger,

O you who have been my help.

Cast me not off; forsake me not,

xO God of my salvation!

10  For ymy father and my mother have forsaken me,

but the Lord will ztake me in.

11  aTeach me your way, O Lord,

and lead me on ba level path

because of my enemies.

12  cGive me not up to the will of my adversaries;

for dfalse witnesses have risen against me,

and they ebreathe out violence.

13  I believe that I shall look6 upon fthe goodness of the Lord

in gthe land of the living!

14  hWait for the Lord;

ibe strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!

The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield

28 Of David.

1  To you, O Lord, I call;

jmy rock, be not deaf to me,

lest, if you kbe silent to me,

I become like those who lgo down to the pit.

2  mHear the voice of my pleas for mercy,

when I cry to you for help,

when I nlift up my hands

otoward your most holy sanctuary.1

3  Do not pdrag me off with the wicked,

with the workers of evil,

qwho speak peace with their neighbors

while evil is in their hearts.

4  rGive to them according to their work

and according to the evil of their deeds;

give to them according to the work of their hands;

srender them their due reward.

5  Because they tdo not regard the works of the Lord

or the work of his hands,

he will tear them down and build them up no more.

6  Blessed be the Lord!

For he has uheard the voice of my pleas for mercy.

7  The Lord is my strength and vmy shield;

in him my heart wtrusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults,

and with my xsong I give thanks to him.

8  The Lord is the strength of his people;2

he is ythe saving refuge of his anointed.

9  Oh, save your people and bless zyour heritage!

aBe their shepherd and bcarry them forever.

Ascribe to the Lord Glory

29 A Psalm of David.

1  Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,1

cascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

worship the Lord in dthe splendor of holiness.2

3  The voice of the Lord is over ethe waters;

the God of glory fthunders,

the Lord, over many waters.

4  The voice of the Lord is gpowerful;

the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;

the Lord breaks hthe cedars of Lebanon.

6  He makes Lebanon to iskip like a calf,

and jSirion like a young kwild ox.

7  The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.

8  The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;

the Lord shakes the wilderness of lKadesh.

9  The voice of the Lord makes mthe deer give birth3

and strips the forests bare,

and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10  The Lord sits enthroned over nthe flood;

the Lord sits enthroned oas king forever.

11  May the Lord give pstrength to his people!

May the Lord bless4 his people with qpeace!

Joy Comes with the Morning

30 A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of rthe temple.

1  I will sextol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up

and have not let my foes trejoice over me.

2  O Lord my God, I ucried to you for help,

and you have vhealed me.

3  O Lord, you have brought up my soul from wSheol;

you restored me to life from among those who xgo down to the pit.1

4  Sing praises to the Lord, O you yhis saints,

and zgive thanks to his holy name.2

5  aFor his anger is but for a moment,

and bhis favor is for a lifetime.3

cWeeping may tarry for the night,

but djoy comes with the morning.

6  As for me, I said in my eprosperity,

“I shall never be fmoved.”

7  By your favor, O Lord,

you made my gmountain stand strong;

you hhid your face;

I was idismayed.

8  To you, O Lord, I cry,

and jto the Lord I plead for mercy:

9  “What profit is there in my death,4

if I go down to the pit?5

Will kthe dust praise you?

Will it tell of your faithfulness?

10  lHear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!

O Lord, be my helper!”

11  You have turned for me my mourning into mdancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

12  that my nglory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

31 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1  oIn you, O Lord, do I ptake refuge;

qlet me never be put to shame;

in your rrighteousness deliver me!

2  Incline your ear to me;

rescue me speedily!

Be sa rock of trefuge for me,

a strong fortress to save me!

3  For you are my rock and my fortress;

and for your uname’s sake you lead me and guide me;

4  you vtake me out of wthe net they have hidden for me,

for you are my xrefuge.

5  yInto your hand I commit my spirit;

you have redeemed me, O Lord, zfaithful God.

6  I ahate1 those who pay bregard to worthless cidols,

but I trust in the Lord.

7  I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,

because you have seen my affliction;

you have dknown the distress of my soul,

8  and you have not edelivered me into the hand of the enemy;

you have set my feet in fa broad place.

9  Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am gin distress;

hmy eye is wasted from grief;

my soul and my body also.

10  For my life is spent with sorrow,

and my years with sighing;

my strength fails because of my iniquity,

and imy bones waste away.

11  Because of all my adversaries I have become ja reproach,

especially to my kneighbors,

and an object of dread to my acquaintances;

those who see me in the street lflee from me.

12  I have been mforgotten like one who is dead;

I have become like na broken vessel.

13  For I ohear the whispering of many—

terror on every side!—

pas they scheme together against me,

as they plot to take my life.

14  But I qtrust in you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”

15  My rtimes are in your hand;

srescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

16  tMake your face shine on your servant;

save me in your steadfast love!

17  O Lord, ulet me not be put to shame,

for I call upon you;

let the wicked be put to shame;

let them go vsilently to Sheol.

18  Let the lying lips be mute,

which wspeak xinsolently against the righteous

in pride and contempt.

19  Oh, how abundant is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you

and worked for those who take refuge in you,

yin the sight of the children of mankind!

20  In zthe cover of your presence you hide them

from the plots of men;

you astore them in your shelter

from the strife of tongues.

21  Blessed be the Lord,

for he has wondrously bshown his steadfast love to me

when I was in ca besieged city.

22  I had said in my dalarm,2

“I am ecut off from fyour sight.”

But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy

when I cried to you for help.

23  Love the Lord, all you his gsaints!

The Lord preserves the faithful

but abundantly hrepays the one who acts in pride.

24  iBe strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for the Lord!