Psalm 1–41

BOOK I

Psalms 1–41

Psalm 1

¹Blessed is the one who obeys the law of the Lord.

He doesn’t follow the advice of evil people.

He doesn’t make a habit of doing what sinners do.

He doesn’t join those who make fun of the Lord and his law.

²Instead, he takes delight in the law of the Lord.

He thinks about his law day and night.

³He is like a tree that is planted near a stream of water.

It always bears its fruit at the right time.

Its leaves don’t dry up.

Everything godly people do turns out well.

⁴Sinful people are not like that at all.

They are like straw

that the wind blows away.

⁵When the Lord judges them, their life will come to an end.

Sinners won’t have any place among those who are godly.

⁶The Lord watches over the lives of those who are godly.

But the lives of sinful people will lead to their death.

Psalm 2

¹Why do the nations plan evil together?

Why do they make useless plans?

²The kings of the earth take their stand against the Lord.

The rulers of the earth gather together against his anointed king.

³“Let us break free from their chains,” they say.

“Let us throw off their ropes.”

⁴The One who sits on his throne in heaven laughs.

The Lord makes fun of those rulers and their plans.

⁵When he is angry, he warns them.

When his anger blazes out, he terrifies them.

⁶He says to them,

“I have placed my king on my holy mountain of Zion.”

⁷I will announce what the Lord has promised.

He said to me, “You are my son.

Today I have become your father.

⁸Ask me, and I will give the nations to you.

All nations on earth will belong to you.

⁹You will rule them with an iron rod.

You will break them to pieces like clay pots.”

¹⁰Kings, be wise!

Rulers of the earth, be warned!

¹¹Serve the Lord and have respect for him.

Serve him with joy and trembling.

¹²Obey the son completely, or he will be angry.

Your way of life will lead to your death.

His anger can blaze out at any moment.

Blessed are all those who go to him for safety.

Psalm 3

A psalm of David when he ran away from his son Absalom.

¹Lord, I have so many enemies!

So many people are rising up against me!

²Many are saying about me,

“God will not save him.” Selah

³Lord, you are like a shield that keeps me safe.

You honor me. You help me win the battle.

⁴I call out to the Lord.

He answers me from his holy hill. Selah

⁵I lie down and sleep.

I wake up again, because the Lord takes care of me.

⁶I won’t be afraid of the tens of thousands

who are lined up against me on every side.

⁷Lord, rise up!

My God, save me!

Strike all my enemies in the face.

Break the teeth of sinful people.

⁸Lord, you are the one who saves.

May your blessing be on your people. Selah

Psalm 4

For the director of music. A psalm of David to be played on stringed instruments.

¹My faithful God,

answer me when I call out to you.

Give me rest from my trouble.

Show me your favor. Hear my prayer.

²How long will you people turn my glory into shame?

How long will you love what will certainly fail you?

How long will you pray to statues of gods? Selah

³Remember that the Lord has set his faithful people apart for himself.

The Lord will hear me when I call out to him.

⁴When you are angry, do not sin.

When you are in bed,

look deep down inside you and be silent. Selah

⁵Offer sacrifices to the Lord in the right way.

Trust in him.

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

Lord, let us see your face smiling on us with favor.

⁷You have filled my heart with great joy.

It is greater than the joy of people who have lots of grain and fresh wine.

⁸I will lie down and sleep in peace.

Lord, you alone keep me safe.

Psalm 5

For the director of music. A psalm of David to be played on flutes.

¹Lord, listen to my words.

Pay attention when I sigh.

²My King and my God,

listen to me when I cry for help.

I pray to you.

³Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.

In the morning I pray to you.

I wait for you in hope.

⁴God, you aren’t happy with anything that is evil.

Those who do what is wrong can’t live where you are.

⁵Those who are proud can’t stand in front of you.

You hate everyone who does what is evil.

⁶You destroy those who tell lies.

Lord, you hate murderers and those who cheat others.

⁷Because of your great love

I will come into your house.

With deep respect I will bow down

toward your holy temple.

⁸Lord, I have many enemies.

Lead me in your right path.

Make your way smooth and straight for me.

⁹Not a word from their mouths can be trusted.

Their hearts are filled with plans to destroy others.

Their throats are like open graves.

With their tongues they tell lies.

¹⁰God, show that they are guilty.

Let their evil plans bring them down.

Send them away because of their many sins.

They have refused to obey you.

¹¹But let all those who go to you for safety be glad.

Let them always sing with joy.

Spread your cover over them and keep them safe.

Then those who love you will be glad because of you.

¹²Lord, you bless those who do what is right.

Like a shield, your loving care keeps them safe.

Psalm 6

For the director of music. For sheminith. A psalm of David to be played on stringed instruments.

¹Lord, don’t correct me when you are angry.

Don’t punish me when you are burning with anger.

²Lord, have mercy on me. I’m so weak.

Lord, heal me. My body is full of pain.

³My soul is very troubled.

Lord, how long will it be until you save me?

⁴Lord, turn to me and help me.

Save me. Your love never fails.

⁵People can’t remember you when they are dead.

How can they praise you when they are in the grave?

⁶My groaning has worn me out.

All night long my tears flood my bed.

My bed is wet because of my crying.

⁷I’m so sad I can’t see very well.

My eyesight gets worse because of all of my enemies.

⁸Get away from me, all of you who do evil.

The Lord has heard my sobbing.

⁹The Lord has heard my cry for his favor.

The Lord accepts my prayer.

¹⁰All of my enemies will be troubled and put to shame.

They will turn back in dishonor. It will happen suddenly.

Psalm 7

A shiggaion of David. He sang it to the Lord about Cush, who was from the tribe of Benjamin.

¹Lord my God, I go to you for safety.

Help me. Save me from all those who are chasing me.

²If you don’t, they will tear me apart as if they were lions.

They will rip me to pieces so that no one can save me.

³Lord my God, suppose I have done something wrong.

Suppose I am guilty.

⁴I have done evil to my friend.

Or I have robbed my enemy without any reason.

⁵If I have done any of those things, let my enemy chase me and catch me.

Let him walk all over me.

Let him bury me in the dust. Selah

⁶Lord, rise up in your anger.

Rise up against the great anger of my enemies.

My God, wake up. Command that the right thing be done.

⁷Let all the people of the earth gather around you.

Rule over them from your throne in heaven.

⁸Lord, judge all people.

Lord, judge me. But remember that I have done what is right.

Most High God, remember that I am honest.

⁹God, you always do what is right.

You look deep down inside the hearts and minds of people.

Bring to an end the terrible things sinful people do.

Make godly people safe.

¹⁰The Most High God is like a shield that keeps me safe.

He saves those whose hearts are honest.

¹¹God judges fairly.

He shows his anger every day.

¹²If evil people don’t change their ways,

God will sharpen his sword.

He will get his bow ready to use.

¹³He has prepared his deadly weapons.

He has made his flaming arrows ready.

¹⁴Anyone who is full of evil

plans trouble and ends up telling lies.

¹⁵Anyone who digs a hole and shovels it out

falls into the pit he has made.

¹⁶The trouble he causes comes back on him.

The terrible things he does come down on his own head.

¹⁷I will give thanks to the Lord because he does what is right.

I will sing praise to the Lord Most High.

Psalm 8

For the director of music. For gittith. A psalm of David.

¹Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in the whole earth!

You have made your glory

higher than the heavens.

²You have made sure that children

and infants praise you.

You have done it because of your enemies.

You have done it to put a stop to their talk.

³I think about the heavens.

I think about what your fingers have created.

I think about the moon and stars

that you have set in place.

⁴What is a human being that you think about him?

What is a son of man that you take care of him?

⁵You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings.

You placed on him a crown of glory and honor.

⁶You made human beings the rulers over all that your hands have created.

You put everything under their control.

⁷They rule over all flocks and herds

and over the wild animals.

⁸They rule over the birds of the air

and over the fish in the ocean.

They rule over everything that swims in the oceans.

⁹Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in the whole earth!

Psalm 9

For the director of music. A psalm of David to the tune of “The Death of the Son.”

¹Lord, I will praise you with all my heart.

I will tell about all of the miracles you have done.

²I will be glad and full of joy because of you.

Most High God, I will sing praise to you.

³My enemies turn back.

They fall down and die right in front of you.

⁴You have proved that I haven’t done anything wrong.

You have sat on your throne and judged fairly.

⁵You have punished the nations. You have destroyed evil people.

You have erased their names from your book for ever and ever.

⁶The enemy has been destroyed forever.

You have leveled their cities to the ground.

Even the memory of them is gone.

⁷The Lord rules forever.

He has set up his throne so that he can judge people.

⁸He will judge the world in keeping with what is right.

He will rule over all of its people fairly.

⁹The Lord is a place of safety for those who have been beaten down.

He keeps them safe in times of trouble.

¹⁰Lord, those who know you will trust in you.

You have never deserted those who look to you.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord. He rules from his throne in Zion.

Tell among the nations what he has done.

¹²The One who pays back murderers remembers.

He doesn’t forget the cries of those who are hurting.

¹³…