Psalm 22:1–32:11

^1aMy God, my God, why have You forsaken me?

^1bFar from my deliverance are the words of my ^2cgroaning.

²O my God, I ^acry by day, but You do not answer;

And by night, but ¹I have no rest.

³Yet ^aYou are holy,

O You who ¹are enthroned upon ^bthe praises of Israel.

⁴In You our fathers ^atrusted;

They trusted and You ^bdelivered them.

⁵To You they cried out and were delivered;

^aIn You they trusted and were not ¹disappointed.

⁶But I am a ^aworm and not a man,

A ^breproach of men and ^cdespised by the people.

⁷All who see me ^1asneer at me;

They ²separate with the lip, they ^bwag the head, saying,

⁸“¹Commit yourself to the Lord; ^alet Him deliver him;

Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”

⁹Yet You are He who ^abrought me forth from the womb;

You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.

¹⁰Upon You I was cast ^afrom ¹birth;

You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

^11aBe not far from me, for ¹trouble is near;

For there is ^bnone to help.

¹²Many ^abulls have surrounded me;

Strong bulls of ^bBashan have encircled me.

¹³They ^aopen wide their mouth at me,

As a ravening and a roaring ^blion.

¹⁴I am ^apoured out like water,

And all my ^bbones are out of joint;

My ^cheart is like wax;

It is melted within ¹me.

¹⁵My ^astrength is dried up like a potsherd,

And ^bmy tongue cleaves to my jaws;

And You ^clay me ¹in the dust of death.

¹⁶For ^adogs have surrounded me;

¹A band of evildoers has encompassed me;

²They ^bpierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷I can count all my bones.

^aThey look, they stare at me;

¹⁸They ^adivide my garments among them,

And for my clothing they cast lots.

¹⁹But You, O Lord, ^abe not far off;

O You my help, ^bhasten to my assistance.

²⁰Deliver my ¹soul from ^athe sword,

My ^bonly life from the ²power of the dog.

²¹Save me from the ^alion’s mouth;

From the horns of the ^bwild oxen You ^canswer me.

²²I will ^atell of Your name to my brethren;

In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

^23aYou who fear the Lord, praise Him;

All you ¹descendants of Jacob, ^bglorify Him,

And ^cstand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.

²⁴For He has ^anot despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Nor has He ^bhidden His face from him;

But ^cwhen he cried to Him for help, He heard.

²⁵From You comes ^amy praise in the great assembly;

I shall ^bpay my vows before those who fear Him.

²⁶The ¹afflicted will eat and ^abe satisfied;

Those who seek Him will ^bpraise the Lord.

Let your ^cheart live forever!

²⁷All the ^aends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,

And all the ^bfamilies of the nations will worship before ¹You.

²⁸For the ^akingdom is the Lord’s

And He ^brules over the nations.

²⁹All the ^1aprosperous of the earth will eat and worship,

All those who ^bgo down to the dust will bow before Him,

Even he who ^2ccannot keep his soul alive.

^301aPosterity will serve Him;

It will be told of the Lord to ^bthe coming generation.

³¹They will come and ^awill declare His righteousness

To a people ^bwho will be born, that He has performed it.

PSALM 23

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my ^ashepherd,

I ¹shall ^bnot want.

²He makes me lie down in ^agreen pastures;

He ^bleads me beside ^1cquiet waters.

³He ^arestores my soul;

He ^bguides me in the ^1cpaths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

⁴Even though I ^awalk through the ¹valley of the shadow of death,

I ^bfear no ²evil, for ^cYou are with me;

Your ^drod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵You ^aprepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You ¹have ^banointed my head with oil;

My ^ccup overflows.

⁶¹Surely ^agoodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will ^2bdwell in the house of the Lord ³forever.

PSALM 24

The King of Glory Entering Zion.

A Psalm of David.

¹The ^aearth is the Lord’s, and ¹all it contains,

The ^bworld, and those who dwell in it.

²For He has ^afounded it upon the seas

And established it upon the rivers.

³Who may ^aascend into the ^bhill of the Lord?

And who may stand in His holy ^cplace?

⁴He who has ^aclean hands and a ^bpure heart,

Who has not ^clifted up his soul ¹to falsehood

And has not ^dsworn deceitfully.

⁵He shall receive a ^ablessing from the Lord

And ^1brighteousness from the God of his salvation.

⁶¹This is the generation of those who ^aseek Him,

Who seek Your face—even Jacob.

²Selah.

^7aLift up your heads, O gates,

And be lifted up, O ¹ancient doors,

That the King of ^bglory may come in!

⁸Who is the King of glory?

The Lord ^astrong and mighty,

The Lord ^bmighty in battle.

⁹Lift up your heads, O gates,

And lift them up, O ¹ancient doors,

That the King of ^aglory may come in!

¹⁰Who is this King of glory?

The Lord of ^ahosts,

He is the King of glory.

Selah.

PSALM 25

Prayer for Protection, Guidance and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

¹To You, O Lord, I ^alift up my soul.

²O my God, in You ^aI trust,

Do not let me ^bbe ashamed;

Do not let my ^cenemies exult over me.

³Indeed, ^anone of those who wait for You will be ashamed;

¹Those who ^bdeal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

^4aMake me know Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

⁵Lead me in ^aYour truth and teach me,

For You are the ^bGod of my salvation;

For You I ^cwait all the day.

^6aRemember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,

For they have been ^1bfrom of old.

⁷Do not remember the ^asins of my youth or my transgressions;

^bAccording to Your lovingkindness remember me,

For Your ^cgoodness’ sake, O Lord.

^8aGood and ^bupright is the Lord;

Therefore He ^cinstructs sinners in the way.

⁹He ^aleads the ¹humble in justice,

And He ^bteaches the humble His way.

¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are ^alovingkindness and truth

To ^bthose who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

¹¹For ^aYour name’s sake, O Lord,

^bPardon my iniquity, for it is great.

¹²Who is the man who ^afears the Lord?

He will ^binstruct him in the way he should choose.

¹³His soul will ^aabide in ¹prosperity,

And his ²descendants will ^binherit the ³land.

¹⁴The ^1asecret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,

²And He will ^bmake them know His covenant.

¹⁵My ^aeyes are continually toward the Lord,

For He will ^1bpluck my feet out of the net.

^16aTurn to me and be gracious to me,

For I am ^blonely and afflicted.

¹⁷¹The ^atroubles of my heart are enlarged;

Bring me ^bout of my distresses.

^18aLook upon my affliction and my ¹trouble,

And ^bforgive all my sins.

¹⁹Look upon my enemies, for they ^aare many,

And they ^bhate me with violent hatred.

^20aGuard my soul and deliver me;

Do not let me ^bbe ashamed, for I take refuge in You.

²¹Let ^aintegrity and uprightness preserve me,

For ^bI wait for You.

^22aRedeem Israel, O God,

Out of all his troubles.

PSALM 26

Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.

A Psalm of David.

^11aVindicate me, O Lord, for I have ^bwalked in my integrity,

And I have ^ctrusted in the Lord ^2dwithout wavering.

^2aExamine me, O Lord, and try me;

^bTest my ¹mind and my heart.

³For Your ^alovingkindness is before my eyes,

And I have ^bwalked in Your ¹truth.

⁴I do not ^asit with ¹deceitful men,

Nor will I go with ^2bpretenders.

⁵I ^ahate the assembly of evildoers,

And I will not sit with the wicked.

⁶I shall ^awash my hands in innocence,

And I will go about ^bYour altar, O Lord,

⁷That I may proclaim with the voice of ^athanksgiving

And declare all Your ¹wonders.

⁸O Lord, I ^alove the habitation of Your house

And the place ¹where Your ^bglory dwells.

^9aDo not ¹take my soul away along with sinners,

Nor my life with ^bmen of bloodshed,

¹⁰In whose hands is a ^awicked scheme,

And whose right hand is full of ^bbribes.

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

^bRedeem me, and be gracious to me.

^12aMy foot stands on a ^blevel place;

In the ^ccongregations I shall bless the Lord.

PSALM 27

A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.

A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my ^alight and my ^bsalvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the ^1cdefense of my life;

^dWhom shall I dread?

²When evildoers came upon me to ^adevour my flesh,

My adversaries and my enemies, they ^bstumbled and fell.

³Though a ^ahost encamp against me,

My heart will not fear;

Though war arise against me,

In spite of this I ¹shall be ^bconfident.

^4aOne thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:

That I may ^bdwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To behold ^cthe ¹beauty of the Lord

And to ^2dmeditate in His temple.

⁵For in the ^aday of trouble He will ^bconceal me in His ¹tabernacle;

In the secret place of His tent He will ^chide me;

He will ^dlift me up on a rock.

⁶And now ^amy head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,

And I will offer in His tent ^bsacrifices ¹with shouts of joy;

I will ^csing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

^7aHear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,

And be gracious to me and ^banswer me.

⁸When You said, “^aSeek My face,” my heart said to You,

“Your face, O Lord, ^bI shall seek.”

^9aDo not hide Your face from me,

Do not turn Your servant away in ^banger;

You have been ^cmy help;

^dDo not abandon me nor ^eforsake me,

O God of my salvation!

¹⁰¹For my father and ^amy mother have forsaken me,

But ^bthe Lord will take me up.

^11aTeach me Your way, O Lord,

And lead me in a ^blevel path

Because of ¹my foes.

¹²Do not deliver me over to the ^1adesire of my adversaries,

For ^bfalse witnesses have risen against me,

And such as ^cbreathe out violence.

¹³¹I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the ^agoodness of the Lord

In the ^bland of the living.

^14aWait for the Lord;

Be ^bstrong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for the Lord.

PSALM 28

A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.

A Psalm of David.

¹To You, O Lord, I call;

My ^arock, do not be deaf to me,

For if You ^bare silent to me,

I will become like those who ^cgo down to the pit.

²Hear the ^avoice of my supplications when I cry to You for help,

When I ^blift up my hands ^ctoward ¹Your holy ^dsanctuary.

^3aDo not drag me away with the wicked

And with those who work iniquity,

Who ^bspeak peace with their neighbors,

While evil is in their hearts.

⁴Requite them ^aaccording to their work and according to the evil of their practices;

Requite them according to the deeds of their hands;

Repay them their ¹recompense.

⁵Because they …