Psalm 20–21

A Prayer for the King

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

20May the Lord answer you in times of trouble.

May the God of Jacob protect you.

²May he send you help from his Temple

and support you from Mount Zion.

³May he remember all your offerings

and accept all your sacrifices.

Selah

⁴May he give you what you want

and make all your plans succeed,

⁵and we will shout for joy when you succeed,

and we will raise a flag in the name of our God.

May the Lord give you all that you ask for.

⁶Now I know the Lord helps his appointed king.

He answers him from his holy heaven

and saves him with his strong right hand.

⁷Some trust in chariots, others in horses,

but we trust the Lord our God.

⁸They are overwhelmed and defeated,

but we march forward and win.

⁹Lord, save the king!

Answer us when we call for help.

Thanksgiving for the King

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

21Lord, the king rejoices because of your strength;

he is so happy when you save him!

²You gave the king what he wanted

and did not refuse what he asked for.

Selah

³You put good things before him

and placed a gold crown on his head.

⁴He asked you for life,

and you gave it to him,

so his years go on and on.

⁵He has great glory because you gave him victories;

you gave him honor and praise.

⁶You always gave him blessings;

you made him glad because you were with him.

⁷The king truly trusts the Lord.

Because God Most High always loves him,

he will not be overwhelmed.

⁸Your hand is against all your enemies;

those who hate you will feel your power.

⁹When you appear,

you will burn them as in a furnace.

In your anger you will swallow them up,

and fire will burn them up.

¹⁰You will destroy their families from the earth;

their children will not live.

¹¹They made evil plans against you,

but their traps won’t work.

¹²You will make them turn their backs

when you aim your arrows at them.

¹³Be supreme, Lord, in your power.

We sing and praise your greatness.