Psalm 13–19

Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹Lord, how long must I wait? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you turn your face away from me?

²How long must I struggle with my thoughts?

How long must my heart be sad day after day?

How long will my enemies keep winning the battle over me?

³Lord my God, look at me and answer me.

Give me new life, or I will die.

⁴Then my enemies will say, “We have beaten him.”

They will be filled with joy when I die.

⁵But I trust in your faithful love.

My heart is filled with joy because you will save me.

⁶I will sing to the Lord.

He has been so good to me.

Psalm 14

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹Foolish people say in their hearts,

“There is no God.”

They do all kinds of horrible and evil things.

No one does anything good.

²The Lord looks down from heaven

on all people.

He wants to see if there are any who understand.

He wants to see if there are any who trust in God.

³All of them have turned away.

They have all become evil.

No one does anything good,

no one at all.

⁴Won’t those who do evil ever learn?

They eat up my people as if they were eating bread.

They don’t call out to the Lord for help.

⁵Just look at them! They are filled with terror

because God is among those who do right.

⁶You who do evil make it hard for poor people to do what they plan to do.

But the Lord is their place of safety.

⁷How I pray that the One who saves Israel will come out of Zion!

Then the Lord will bless his people with great success again.

So let the people of Jacob be filled with joy! Let Israel be glad!

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹Lord, who can live in your sacred tent?

Who can stay on your holy hill?

²Anyone who lives without blame

and does what is right.

He speaks the truth from his heart.

³He doesn’t tell lies about others.

He doesn’t do wrong to his neighbors.

He doesn’t say anything bad about them.

⁴He hates sinful people.

He honors those who have respect for the Lord.

He keeps his promises

even when it hurts.

⁵He lends his money without charging too much interest.

He doesn’t accept money to harm those who aren’t guilty.

Anyone who lives like that

will always be secure.

Psalm 16

A miktam of David.

¹God, keep me safe.

I go to you for safety.

²I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord.

Without you, I don’t have anything that is good.”

³God’s people who live in our land are glorious.

I take great delight in them.

⁴Those who run after other gods

will have nothing but trouble.

I will not pour out offerings of blood to those gods.

My lips will not speak their names.

⁵Lord, everything you have given me is good.

You have made my life secure.

⁶I am very pleased with what you have given me.

I am very happy with what I’ve received from you.

⁷I will praise the Lord. He gives me good advice.

Even at night my heart teaches me.

⁸I know that the Lord is always with me.

He is at my right hand.

I will always be secure.

⁹So my heart is glad. Joy is on my tongue.

My body also will be secure.

¹⁰You will not leave me in the grave.

You will not let your faithful one rot away.

¹¹You always show me the path that leads to life.

You will fill me with joy when I am with you.

You will give me endless pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

¹Lord, hear me when I ask you to treat me fairly.

Listen to my cry for help.

Hear my prayer.

It doesn’t come from lips that tell lies.

²When you hand down your sentence, may it be in my favor.

May your eyes see what is right.

³Look deep down into my heart.

Study me carefully at night.

Put me to the test.

You won’t find anything wrong.

I have made up my mind

that my mouth won’t say sinful things.

⁴I don’t do the things other people do.

By obeying your word

I have kept myself from acting

like those who try to hurt others.

⁵My steps have stayed on your paths.

My feet have not slipped.

⁶God, I call out to you because you will answer me.

Listen to me. Hear my prayer.

⁷Show the wonder of your great love.

By using your powerful right hand,

you save those who go to you for safety from their enemies.

⁸Take good care of me, just as you would take care of your own eyes.

Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

⁹Save me from the sinful people who attack me.

Save me from my deadly enemies who are all around me.

¹⁰They make their hearts hard and stubborn.

Their mouths speak with pride.

¹¹They have tracked me down. They are all around me.

Their eyes watch for a chance to throw me to the ground.

¹²They are like a hungry lion, waiting to attack.

They are like a powerful lion, hiding in the bushes.

¹³Lord, rise up. Oppose them and bring them down.

With your sword, save me from those evil people.

¹⁴Lord, by your power save me from people like that.

They belong to this world. They get their reward in this life.

You satisfy the hunger of those you love.

Their children have plenty.

And those children store up wealth for their children.

¹⁵Because I do what is right, I will enjoy your blessing.

When I wake up, I will be satisfied because I will see you.

Psalm 18

For the director of music. A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang the words of this song to the Lord. He sang them when the Lord saved him from the powerful hand of all of his enemies and of Saul. He said,

¹I love you, Lord.

You give me strength.

²The Lord is my rock and my fort. He is the One who saves me.

My God is my rock. I go to him for safety.

He is like a shield to me. He’s the power that saves me. He’s my place of safety.

³I call out to the Lord. He is worthy of praise.

He saves me from my enemies.

⁴The ropes of death were almost wrapped around me.

A destroying flood swept over me.

⁵The ropes of the grave were tight around me.

Death set its trap in front of me.

⁶When I was in trouble, I called out to the Lord.

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice.

My cry for help reached his ears.

⁷The earth trembled and shook.

The base of the mountains rocked back and forth.

It trembled because the Lord was angry.

⁸Smoke came out of his nose.

Flames of fire came out of his mouth.

Burning coals blazed out of it.

⁹He opened the heavens and came down.

Dark clouds were under his feet.

¹⁰He got on the cherubim and flew.

The wings of the wind lifted him up.

¹¹He covered himself with darkness.

The dark rain clouds of the sky were like a tent around him.

¹²Clouds came out of the brightness that was all around him.

They came with hailstones and flashes of lightning.

¹³The Lord thundered from heaven.

The voice of the Most High God was heard.

¹⁴He shot his arrows and scattered our enemies.

He sent great flashes of lightning and chased the enemies away.

¹⁵The bottom of the sea could be seen.

The foundations of the earth were uncovered.

Lord, it happened when your anger blazed out.

It came like a blast of breath from your nose.

¹⁶He reached down from heaven. He took hold of me.

He lifted me out of deep waters.

¹⁷He saved me from my powerful enemies.

He set me free from those who were too strong for me.

¹⁸They stood up to me when I was in trouble.

But the Lord helped me.

¹⁹He brought me out into a wide and safe place.

He saved me because he was pleased with me.

²⁰The Lord has been good to me because I do what is right.

He has rewarded me because I lead a pure life.

²¹I have lived the way the Lord wanted me to.

I haven’t done evil by turning away from my God.

²²I keep all of his laws in mind.

I haven’t turned away from his commands.

²³He knows that I am without blame.

He knows I’ve kept myself from sinning.

²⁴The Lord has rewarded me for doing what is right.

He has rewarded me because I haven’t done anything wrong.

²⁵Lord, to those who are faithful you show that you are faithful.

To those who are without blame you show that you are without blame.

²⁶To those who are pure you show that you are pure.

But to those whose paths are crooked you show that you are clever.

²⁷You save those who aren’t proud.

But you bring down those whose eyes are proud.

²⁸Lord, you keep the lamp of my life burning brightly.

You are my God. You bring light into my darkness.

²⁹With your help I can attack a troop of soldiers.

With the help of my God I can climb over a wall.

³⁰God’s way is perfect.

The word of the Lord doesn’t have any flaws.

He is like a shield

to all who go to him for safety.

³¹Who is God except the Lord?

Who is the Rock except our God?

³²God gives me strength for the battle.

He makes my way perfect.

³³He makes my feet like the feet of a deer.

He helps me stand on the highest places.

³⁴He trains my hands to fight every battle.

My arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵Lord, you are like a shield that keeps me safe. You help me win the battle.

Your strong right hand keeps me going.

You bend down to make me great.

³⁶You give me a wide path to walk on

so that I don’t twist my ankles.

³⁷I chased my enemies and caught them.

I didn’t turn back until they were destroyed.

³⁸I crushed them so that they couldn’t get up.

They fell under my feet.

³⁹Lord, you gave me strength to fight the battle.

You made my enemies bow down at my feet.

⁴⁰You made them turn their backs and run away.

So I destroyed my enemies.

⁴¹They cried out for help. But there was no one to save them.

They called out to you. But you didn’t answer them.

⁴²I beat them as fine as dust blown by the wind.

I poured them out like mud in the streets.

⁴³You saved me when my own people attacked me.

You made me the ruler over nations.

People I didn’t know serve me now.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear me, they obey me.

People from other lands bow down to me in fear.

⁴⁵All of them give up hope.

They come trembling out of their hiding places.

⁴⁶The Lord lives! Give praise to my Rock!

Give honor to God my Savior!

⁴⁷He is the God who pays my enemies back.

He brings the nations under my control.

⁴⁸He saves me from my enemies.

You have honored me more than them.

You have saved me from men who want to hurt me.

⁴⁹Lord, I will praise you among the nations.

I will sing praises to you.

⁵⁰The Lord helps his king win great battles.

He shows his faithful love to his anointed king.

He shows it to me and…