Psalm 1–41

BOOK I

(Psalms 1–41)

Psalm 1

The Two Ways

¹How happy is the man

who does not follow ^athe advice of the wicked

or take ^bthe path of sinners

or join a group ^cof mockers! ^d

²Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,

and he meditates on it day and night. ^e

³He is like a tree planted beside streams of water ^f

that bears its fruit in season ^gh

and whose leaf does not wither. ⁱ

Whatever he does prospers. ^j

⁴The wicked are not like this;

instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. ^k

⁵Therefore the wicked will not survive ^lthe judgment, ^m

and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.

⁶For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, ⁿ

but the way of the wicked leads to ruin. ^o

Psalm 2

Coronation of the Son

¹Why ^pdo the nations rebel ^qr

and the peoples plot in vain? ^s

²The kings of the earth take their stand, ^t

and the rulers conspire together

against the Lord and His Anointed One: ^uv

³“Let us tear off their chains

and free ourselves from their restraints.” ^wx

⁴The One enthroned ^yin heaven laughs;

the Lord ridicules them. ^z

⁵Then He speaks to them in His anger

and terrifies them in His wrath: ^a

⁶“I have consecrated My King ^b

on Zion, My holy mountain.” ^c

⁷I will declare the Lord’s decree:

He said to Me, “You are My Son; ^d

today I have become Your ^eFather. ^f

⁸Ask of Me,

and I will make the nations Your ^ginheritance

and the ends of the earth Your ^hpossession. ⁱ

⁹You will break ^jthem with a rod of iron;

You ^kwill shatter them like pottery.” ^lm

¹⁰So now, kings, be wise;

receive instruction, you judges of the earth.

¹¹Serve the Lord with reverential awe

and rejoice with trembling. ⁿ

¹²Pay homage to ^othe Son or He ^pwill be angry

and you will perish in your rebellion, ^qr

for His ^sanger may ignite at any moment. ^t

All those who take refuge in Him ^uare happy. ^v

Psalm 3

Confidence in Troubled Times

A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom. ^w

¹Lord, how my foes increase!

There are many who attack me. ^x

²Many say about me,

“There is no help for him in God.” ^ySelah

³But You, Lord, are a shield around me, ^z

my glory, ^aand the One who lifts up my head. ^b

⁴I cry aloud to the Lord,

and He answers me from His holy mountain. ^cSelah

⁵I lie down and sleep;

I wake again because the Lord sustains me. ^d

⁶I am not afraid of the thousands of people

who have taken their stand against me on every side. ^e

⁷Rise up, Lord! ^f

Save me, my God!

You strike all my enemies on the cheek; ^g

You break the teeth of the wicked. ^h

⁸Salvation belongs to the Lord; ⁱ

may Your blessing be on Your people. ^jSelah

Psalm 4

A Night Prayer

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. ^kA Davidic psalm.

¹Answer me when I call,

God, who vindicates me. ^lm

You freed me from affliction; ⁿ

be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

²How long, exalted men, will my honor be insulted? ^o

How long will you love what is worthless ^p

and pursue a lie? Selah

³Know that the Lord has set apart

the faithful for Himself;

the Lord will hear when I call to Him.

⁴Be angry ^qand do not sin; ^r

on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still. ^sSelah

⁵Offer sacrifices in righteousness ^tu

and trust in the Lord. ^v

⁶Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”

Look on us with favor, Lord. ^w

⁷You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and new wine abound. ^x

⁸I will both lie down and sleep in peace, ^y

for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety. ^z

Psalm 5

The Refuge of the Righteous

For the choir director: with the flutes. A Davidic psalm.

¹Listen to my words, Lord;

consider my sighing. ^a

²Pay attention to the sound of my cry, ^b

my King and my God, ^c

for I pray to You.

³At daybreak, ^dLord, You hear my voice;

at daybreak I plead my case to You ^eand watch expectantly.

⁴For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil cannot dwell with You. ^f

⁵The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; ^g

You hate all evildoers. ^h

⁶You destroy those who tell lies; ⁱ

the Lord abhors a man of bloodshed and treachery. ^j

⁷But I enter Your house

by the abundance of Your faithful love; ^k

I bow down toward Your holy temple

in reverential awe of You. ^l

⁸Lord, lead me in Your righteousness ^m

because of my adversaries; ⁿ

make Your way straight before me. ^o

⁹For there is nothing reliable in what they say; ^pq

destruction is within them;

their throat is an open grave;

they flatter with their tongues. ^r

¹⁰Punish them, God;

let them fall by their own schemes. ^s

Drive them out ^tbecause of their many crimes,

for they rebel against You. ^u

¹¹But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; ^v

let them shout for joy forever.

May You shelter them, ^w

and may those who love Your name boast about You. ^x

¹²For You, Lord, bless the righteous one;

You surround him with favor like a shield. ^y

Psalm 6

A Prayer for Mercy

For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. ^zA Davidic psalm.

¹Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger;

do not discipline me in Your wrath. ^a

²Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak; ^bc

heal me, ^dLord, for my bones are shaking; ^e

³my whole being is shaken with terror. ^f

And You, Lord—how long? ^g

⁴Turn, Lord! Rescue me;

save me because of Your faithful love. ^h

⁵For there is no remembrance of You in death;

who can thank You in Sheol? ⁱ

⁶I am weary from my groaning; ^j

with my tears I dampen my pillow ^k

and drench my bed every night. ^l

⁷My eyes are swollen from grief; ^m

they ⁿgrow old because of all my enemies.

⁸Depart from me, all evildoers,

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. ^o

⁹The Lord has heard my plea for help; ^p

the Lord accepts my prayer. ^q

¹⁰All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror;

they will turn back ^rand suddenly be disgraced. ^s

Psalm 7

Prayer for Justice

A Shiggaion ^tof David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, ^ua Benjaminite.

¹Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You; ^v

save me from all my pursuers and rescue me ^w

²or they ^xwill tear me like a lion,

ripping me apart with no one to rescue me. ^yz

³Yahweh my God, if I have done this,

if there is injustice on my hands, ^a

⁴if I have done harm to one at peace with me ^b

or have plundered ^cmy adversary without cause, ^d

⁵may an enemy pursue and overtake me;

may he trample me to the ground ^e

and leave my honor in the dust. ^fSelah

⁶Rise up, Lord, in Your anger;

lift Yourself up against the fury of my adversaries; ^g

awake for me; ^hi

You have ordained ^ja judgment. ^k

⁷Let the assembly of peoples gather around You; ^l

take Your seat ^mon high over it. ⁿ

⁸The Lord judges the peoples; ^o

vindicate me, Lord,

according to my righteousness and my integrity. ^pq

⁹Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, ^r

but establish the righteous. ^s

The One who examines the thoughts and emotions ^t

is a righteous God. ^u

¹⁰My shield is with ^vGod, ^w

who saves the upright in heart. ^x

¹¹God is a righteous judge

and a God who shows His wrath every day. ^y

¹²If anyone does not repent,

God ^zwill sharpen His sword; ^a

He has strung ^bHis bow and made it ready. ^c

¹³He has prepared His deadly weapons;

He tips His arrows with fire. ^d

¹⁴See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,

conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit. ^e

¹⁵He dug a pit and hollowed it out

but fell into the hole he had made. ^f

¹⁶His trouble comes back on his own head,

and his violence falls on the top of his head. ^g

¹⁷I will thank the Lord for His righteousness;

I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High. ^h

Psalm 8

God’s Glory, Man’s Dignity

For the choir director: on the Gittith. ⁱA Davidic psalm.

¹Yahweh, our Lord,

how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth! ^j

You have covered the heavens with Your majesty. ^kl

²Because of Your adversaries,

You have established a stronghold ^m

from the mouths of children and nursing infants ⁿ

to silence the enemy and the avenger.

³When I observe Your heavens,

the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You set in place, ^o

⁴what is man that You remember him,

the son of man that You look after him? ^p

⁵You made him little less than God ^qr

and crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶You made him lord over the works of Your hands;

You put everything under his feet: ^st

⁷all the sheep and oxen,

as well as the animals in the wild,

⁸the birds of the sky,

and the fish of the sea

that pass through the currents of the seas. ^u

⁹Yahweh, our Lord,

how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!

Psalm 9

Celebration of God’s Justice

For the choir director: according to Muth-labben. ^vA Davidic psalm.

¹I will thank Yahweh with all my heart;

I will declare all Your wonderful works. ^w

²I will rejoice and boast about You; ^x

I will sing about Your name, Most High. ^y

³When my enemies retreat,

they stumble and perish before You. ^z

⁴For You have upheld my just cause; ^ab

You are seated on Your throne as a righteous judge. ^c

⁵You have rebuked the nations: ^d

You have destroyed the wicked; ^e

You have erased their name forever and ever. ^f

⁶The enemy has come to eternal ruin;

You have uprooted the cities,

and the very memory of them has perished. ^g

⁷But the Lord sits enthroned forever; ^h

He has established His throne for judgment. ⁱ

⁸He judges the world with righteousness;

He executes judgment on the nations with fairness. ^j

⁹The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

a refuge in times of trouble. ^k

¹⁰Those who know Your name trust in You

because You have not abandoned

those who seek You, Yahweh. ^l

¹¹Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; ^m

proclaim His deeds among the nations. ⁿ

¹²For the One who seeks an accounting

for bloodshed remembers them; ^o

He does not forget the cry of the afflicted. ^p

¹³Be gracious to me, Lord;

consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me. ^q

Lift me up from the gates of death, ^r

¹⁴so that I may declare all Your praises.

I will rejoice in Your salvation ^s

within the gates of Daughter Zion.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they made;

their foot is caught in the net they have concealed. ^t

¹⁶The Lord has revealed Himself;

He has executed justice, ^u

striking down ^vthe wicked ^w

by the work of their hands. ^xHiggaion. Selah

¹⁷The wicked will return to Sheol ^y—

all the nations that forget God. ^z

¹⁸For the oppressed will not…