Psalm 40–42

A Song of Praise^o

40 I waited patiently for the Lord’s help;

then he listened to me and heard my cry.

²He pulled me out of a dangerous pit,

out of the deadly quicksand.

He set me safely on a rock

and made me secure.

³He taught me to sing a new song,

a song of praise to our God.

Many who see this will take warning

and will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴Happy are those who trust the Lord,

who do not turn to idols

or join those who worship false gods.

⁵You have done many things for us, O Lord our God;

there is no one like you!

You have made many wonderful plans for us.

I could never speak of them all—

their number is so great!

^6*You do not want sacrifices and offerings;

you do not ask for animals burnt whole on the altar

or for sacrifices to take away sins.

Instead, you have given me ears to hear you,

^7*and so I answered, “Here I am;

your instructions for me are in the book of the Law.^p

^8*How I love to do your will, my God!

I keep your teaching in my heart.”

⁹In the assembly of all your people, Lord,

I told the good news that you save us.

You know that I will never stop telling it.

¹⁰I have not kept the news of salvation to myself;

I have always spoken of your faithfulness and help.

In the assembly of all your people I have not been silent

about your loyalty and constant love.

¹¹Lord, I know you will never stop being merciful to me.

Your love and loyalty will always keep me safe.

A Prayer for Help

¹²I am surrounded by many troubles—

too many to count!

My sins have caught up with me,

and I can no longer see;

they are more than the hairs of my head,

and I have lost my courage.

¹³Save me, Lord! Help me now!

¹⁴May those who try to kill me

be completely defeated and confused.

May those who are happy because of my troubles

be turned back and disgraced.

¹⁵May those who jeer at me

be dismayed by their defeat.

¹⁶May all who come to you

be glad and joyful.

May all who are thankful for your salvation

always say, “How great is the Lord!”

¹⁷I am weak and poor, O Lord,

but you have not forgotten me.

You are my saviour and my God—

hurry to my aid!

The Prayer of a Sick Man^q

41 Happy are those who are concerned for the poor;

the Lord will help them when they are in trouble.

²The Lord will protect them and preserve their lives;

he will make them happy in the land;

he will not abandon them to the power of their enemies.

³The Lord will help them when they are sick

and will restore them to health.

⁴I said, “I have sinned against you, Lord;

be merciful to me and heal me.”

⁵My enemies say cruel things about me.

They want me to die and be forgotten.

⁶Those who come to see me are not sincere;

they gather bad news about me

and then go out and tell it everywhere.

⁷All who hate me whisper to each other about me,

they imagine the worst about^r me.

⁸They say, “He is fatally ill;

he will never leave his bed again.”

^9*Even my best friend,

the one I trusted most, the one who shared my food,

has turned against me.

¹⁰Be merciful to me, Lord, and restore my health,

and I will pay my enemies back.

¹¹They will not triumph over me,

and I will know that you are pleased with me.

¹²You will help me, because I do what is right;

you will keep me in your presence for ever.

^13*Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!

Praise him now and for ever! Amen! Amen!

BOOK TWO

The Prayer of a Man in Exile^s

42 As a deer longs for a stream of cool water,

so I long for you, O God.

²I thirst for you, the living God;

when can I go and worship in your presence?

³Day and night I cry,

and tears are my only food;

all the time my enemies ask me,

“Where is your God?”

⁴My heart breaks when I remember the past,

when I went with the crowds to the house of God

and led them as they walked along,

a happy crowd, singing and shouting praise to God.

⁵Why am I so sad?

Why am I so troubled?

I will put my hope in God,

and once again I will praise him,

my saviour and my God.

^6–7Here in exile my heart is breaking,

and so I turn my thoughts to him.

He has sent waves of sorrow over my soul;

chaos roars at me like a flood,

like waterfalls thundering down to the Jordan

from Mount Hermon and Mount Mizar.

⁸May the Lord show his constant love during the day,

so that I may have a song at night,

a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹To God, my defender, I say,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I go on suffering

from the cruelty of my enemies?”

¹⁰I am crushed by their insults,

as they keep on asking me,

“Where is your God?”

¹¹Why am I so sad?

Why am I so troubled?

I will put my hope in God,

and once again I will praise him,

my saviour and my God.