Psalm 22–32

Psalm 22

For the choir director; according to ayyeleth hashachar;^aa psalm by David. 

¹My God, my God, 

why have you abandoned me? 

Why are you so far away from helping me, 

so far away from the words of my groaning? 

²My God, 

I cry out by day, but you do not answer— 

also at night, but I find no rest. 

³Yet, you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 

⁴Our ancestors trusted you. 

They trusted, and you rescued them. 

⁵They cried to you and were saved. 

They trusted you and were never disappointed. 

⁶Yet, I am a worm and not a man. 

I am scorned by humanity and despised by people. 

⁷All who see me make fun of me. 

Insults pour from their mouths. 

They shake their heads and say, 

⁸“Put yourself in the Lord’s hands. 

Let the Lord save him! 

Let God rescue him since he is pleased with him!” 

⁹Indeed, you are the one who brought me out of the womb, 

the one who made me feel safe at my mother’s breasts. 

¹⁰I was placed in your care from birth. 

From my mother’s womb you have been my God. 

¹¹Do not be so far away from me. 

Trouble is near, and there is no one to help. 

¹²Many bulls have surrounded me. 

Strong bulls from Bashan have encircled me. 

¹³They have opened their mouths to attack me 

like ferocious, roaring lions. 

¹⁴I am poured out like water, 

and all my bones are out of joint. 

My heart is like wax. 

It has melted within me. 

¹⁵My strength is dried up like pieces of broken pottery. 

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. 

You lay me down in the dust of death. 

¹⁶Dogs have surrounded me. 

A mob has encircled me. 

They have pierced my hands and feet. 

¹⁷I can count all my bones. 

People stare. 

They gloat over me. 

¹⁸They divide my clothes among themselves. 

They throw dice for my clothing. 

¹⁹Do not be so far away, O Lord. 

Come quickly to help me, O my strength. 

²⁰Rescue my soul from the sword, 

my life from vicious dogs. 

²¹Save me from the mouth of the lion 

and from the horns of wild oxen. 

You have answered me. 

²²I will tell my people about your name. 

I will praise you within the congregation. 

²³All who fear the Lord, praise him! 

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! 

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

²⁴The Lord has not despised or been disgusted 

with the plight of the oppressed one. 

He has not hidden his face from that person. 

The Lord heard when that oppressed person 

cried out to him for help. 

²⁵My praise comes from you while I am among those assembled for worship. 

I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear the Lord. 

²⁶Oppressed people will eat until they are full. 

Those who look to the Lord will praise him. 

May you live forever. 

²⁷All the ends of the earth will remember and return to the Lord. 

All the families from all the nations will worship you 

²⁸because the kingdom belongs to the Lord 

and he rules the nations. 

²⁹All prosperous people on earth will eat and worship. 

All those who go down to the dust will kneel in front of him, 

even those who are barely alive. 

³⁰There will be descendants who serve him, 

a generation that will be told about the Lord. 

³¹They will tell people yet to be born about his righteousness— 

that he has finished it. 

Psalm 23

A psalm by David. 

¹The Lord is my shepherd. 

I am never in need. 

²He makes me lie down in green pastures. 

He leads me beside peaceful waters. 

³He renews my soul. 

He guides me along the paths of righteousness 

for the sake of his name. 

⁴Even though I walk through the dark valley of death, 

because you are with me, I fear no harm. 

Your rod and your staff give me courage. 

⁵You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch. 

You anoint my head with oil. 

My cup overflows. 

⁶Certainly, goodness and mercy will stay close to me all the days of my life, 

and I will remain in the Lord’s house for days without end. 

Psalm 24

A psalm by David. 

¹The earth and everything it contains are the Lord’s. 

The world and all who live in it are his. 

²He laid its foundation on the seas 

and set it firmly on the rivers. 

³Who may go up the Lord’s mountain? 

Who may stand in his holy place? 

⁴⸤The one who⸥ has clean hands and a pure heart 

and does not long for what is false 

or lie when he is under oath. 

⁵⸤This person⸥ will receive a blessing from the Lord 

and righteousness from God, his savior. 

⁶This is the person who seeks him, 

who searches for the face of the God of Jacob.^b

Selah 

⁷Lift your heads, you gates. 

Be lifted, you ancient doors, 

so that the king of glory may come in. 

⁸Who is this king of glory? 

The Lord, strong and mighty! 

The Lord, heroic in battle! 

⁹Lift your heads, you gates. 

Be lifted, you ancient doors, 

so that the king of glory may come in. 

¹⁰Who, then, is this king of glory? 

The Lord of Armies is the king of glory! 

Selah 

Psalm 25^a

By David. 

¹To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. 

²I trust you, O my God. 

Do not let me be put to shame. 

Do not let my enemies triumph over me. 

³No one who waits for you will ever be put to shame, 

but all who are unfaithful will be put to shame. 

⁴Make your ways known to me, O Lord, 

and teach me your paths. 

⁵Lead me in your truth and teach me 

because you are God, my savior. 

I wait all day long for you. 

⁶Remember, O Lord, your compassionate and merciful deeds. 

They have existed from eternity. 

⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth or my rebellious ways. 

Remember me, O Lord, in keeping with your mercy and your goodness. 

⁸The Lord is good and decent. 

That is why he teaches sinners the way they should live. 

⁹He leads humble people to do what is right, 

and he teaches them his way. 

¹⁰Every path of the Lord is ⸤one of⸥ mercy and truth 

for those who cling to his promise^band written instructions. 

¹¹For the sake of your name, O Lord, 

remove my guilt, because it is great. 

¹²Who, then, is this person that fears the Lord? 

He is the one whom the Lord will teach which path to choose. 

¹³He will enjoy good things in life, 

and his descendants will inherit the land. 

¹⁴The Lord advises those who fear him. 

He reveals to them the intent of his promise. 

¹⁵My eyes are always on the Lord. 

He removes my feet from traps. 

¹⁶Turn to me, and have pity on me. 

I am lonely and oppressed. 

¹⁷Relieve my troubled heart, 

and bring me out of my distress. 

¹⁸Look at my misery and suffering, 

and forgive all my sins. 

¹⁹See how my enemies have increased in number, 

how they have hated me with vicious hatred! 

²⁰Protect my life, and rescue me! 

Do not let me be put to shame. 

I have taken refuge in you. 

²¹Integrity and honesty will protect me because I wait for you. 

²²Rescue Israel, O God, from all its troubles! 

Psalm 26

By David. 

¹Judge me favorably, O Lord, 

because I have walked with integrity 

and I have trusted you without wavering. 

²Examine me, O Lord, and test me. 

Look closely into my heart and mind. 

³I see your mercy in front of me. 

I walk in the light of your truth. 

⁴I did not sit with liars, 

and I will not be found among hypocrites. 

⁵I have hated the mob of evildoers 

and will not sit with wicked people. 

⁶I will wash my hands in innocence. 

I will walk around your altar, O Lord, 

⁷so that I may loudly sing a hymn of thanksgiving 

and tell about all your miracles. 

⁸O Lord, I love the house where you live, 

the place where your glory dwells. 

⁹Do not sweep away my soul along with hardened sinners 

or my life along with bloodthirsty people. 

¹⁰Evil schemes are in their hands. 

Their right hands are full of bribes. 

¹¹But I walk with integrity. 

Rescue me, and have pity on me. 

¹²My feet stand on level ground. 

I will praise the Lord with the choirs in worship. 

Psalm 27

By David. 

¹The Lord is my light and my salvation. 

Who is there to fear? 

The Lord is my life’s fortress. 

Who is there to be afraid of? 

²Evildoers closed in on me to tear me to pieces. 

My opponents and enemies stumbled and fell. 

³Even though an army sets up camp against me, 

my heart will not be afraid. 

Even though a war breaks out against me, 

I will still have confidence ⸤in the Lord⸥. 

⁴I have asked one thing from the Lord. 

This I will seek: 

to remain in the Lord’s house all the days of my life 

in order to gaze at the Lord’s beauty 

and to search for an answer in his temple. 

⁵He hides me in his shelter when there is trouble. 

He keeps me hidden in his tent. 

He sets me high on a rock. 

⁶Now my head will be raised above my enemies who surround me. 

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

I will sing and make music to praise the Lord. 

⁷Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud. 

Have pity on me, and answer me. 

⁸⸤When you said,⸥ 

“Seek my face,” 

my heart said to you, 

“O Lord, I will seek your face.”^a

⁹Do not hide your face from me. 

Do not angrily turn me away. 

You have been my help. 

Do not leave me! 

Do not abandon me, O God, my savior! 

¹⁰Even if my father and mother abandon me, 

the Lord will take care of me. 

¹¹Teach me your way, O Lord. 

Lead me on a level path 

because I have enemies who spy on me. 

¹²Do not surrender me to the will of my opponents. 

False witnesses have risen against me. 

They breathe out violence. 

¹³I believe that I will see the goodness of the Lord 

in this world of the living. 

¹⁴Wait with hope for the Lord. 

Be strong, and let your heart be courageous. 

Yes, wait with hope for the Lord. 

Psalm 28

By David. 

¹O Lord, I call to you. 

O my rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. 

If you remain silent, 

I will be like those who go into the pit. 

²Hear my prayer for mercy when I call to you for help, 

when I lift my hands toward your most holy place. 

³Do not drag me away with wicked people, 

with troublemakers who speak of peace with their neighbors 

but have evil in their hearts. 

⁴Pay them back for what they have done, 

for their evil deeds. 

Pay them back for what their hands have done, 

and give them what they deserve. 

⁵The Lord will tear them down and never build them up again, 

because they never consider what he has done 

or what his hands have made. 

⁶Thank the Lord! 

He has heard my prayer for mercy! 

⁷The Lord is my strength and my shield. 

My heart trusted him, so I received help. 

My heart is triumphant; I give thanks to him with my song. 

⁸The Lord is the strength of his…