Psalm 1–3

BOOK 1

PSALM 1

The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.

¹How blessed is the man who ^adoes not walk in the ^bcounsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the ^1cpath of sinners,

Nor ^dsit in the seat of scoffers!

²But his ^adelight is ^bin the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates ^cday and ^dnight.

³He will be like ^aa tree firmly planted by ¹streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its ²leaf does not wither;

And ³in whatever he does, ^bhe prospers.

⁴The wicked are not so,

But they are like ^achaff which the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore ^athe wicked will not stand in the ^bjudgment,

Nor sinners in ^cthe assembly of the righteous.

⁶For the Lord ^1aknows the way of the righteous,

But the way of ^bthe wicked will perish.

PSALM 2

The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed.

¹Why are ^athe ¹nations in an uproar

And the peoples ^bdevising a vain thing?

²The ^akings of the earth take their stand

And the rulers take counsel together

^bAgainst the Lord and against His ^1cAnointed, saying,

³“Let us ^atear their fetters apart

And cast away their cords from us!”

⁴He who ¹sits in the heavens ^alaughs,

The Lord ^bscoffs at them.

⁵Then He will speak to them in His ^aanger

And ^bterrify them in His fury, saying,

⁶“But as for Me, I have ¹installed ^aMy King

Upon Zion, ^bMy holy mountain.”

⁷“I will surely tell of the ¹decree of the Lord:

He said to Me, ‘You are ^aMy Son,

Today I have begotten You.

⁸‘Ask of Me, and ^aI will surely give ^bthe ¹nations as Your inheritance,

And the very ^cends of the earth as Your possession.

⁹‘You shall ^1abreak them with a ²rod of iron,

You shall ^bshatter them like ³earthenware.’ ”

¹⁰Now therefore, O kings, ^ashow discernment;

Take warning, O ¹judges of the earth.

¹¹¹Worship the Lord with ^2areverence

And rejoice with ^btrembling.

¹²¹Do homage to ^athe Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,

For ^bHis wrath may ²soon be kindled.

How blessed are all who ^ctake refuge in Him!

PSALM 3

Morning Prayer of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David, when ^†he fled from Absalom his son.

¹O Lord, how ^amy adversaries have increased!

Many are rising up against me.

²Many are saying ¹of my soul,

“There is no ^2adeliverance for him in God.”

³Selah.

³But You, O Lord, are ^aa shield about me,

My ^bglory, and the One who ^clifts my head.

⁴I was crying to the Lord with my voice,

And He ^aanswered me from ^bHis holy ¹mountain.

Selah.

⁵¹I ^alay down and slept;

I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.

⁶I will ^anot be afraid of ten thousands of people

Who have ^bset themselves against me round about.

^7aArise, O Lord; ^bsave me, O my God!

For You ¹have ^csmitten all my enemies on the ²cheek;

You ³have ^dshattered the teeth of the wicked.

^81aSalvation belongs to the Lord;

Your ^bblessing ²be upon Your people!

Selah.