Psalm 11–41

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

¹In the Lord I take refuge.^f

How then can you say to me:

“Flee^g like a bird to your mountain.^h

²For look, the wicked bend their bows;ⁱ

they set their arrows^j against the strings

to shoot from the shadows^k

at the upright in heart.^l

³When the foundations^m are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple;ⁿ

the Lord is on his heavenly throne.^o

He observes everyone on earth;^p

his eyes examine^q them.

⁵The Lord examines the righteous,^r

but the wicked, those who love violence,

he hates with a passion.^s

⁶On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulfur;^t

a scorching wind^u will be their lot.

⁷For the Lord is righteous,^v

he loves justice;^w

the upright^x will see his face.^y

Psalm 12^a

For the director of music. According to sheminith.^b A psalm of David.

¹Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;^z

those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

²Everyone lies^a to their neighbor;

they flatter with their lips

but harbor deception in their hearts.^b

³May the Lord silence all flattering lips^c

and every boastful tongue—^d

⁴those who say,

“By our tongues we will prevail;^e

our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

⁵“Because the poor are plundered^f and the needy groan,^g

I will now arise,^h” says the Lord.

“I will protect themⁱ from those who malign them.”

⁶And the words of the Lord are flawless,^j

like silver purified^k in a crucible,^l

like gold^c refined seven times.

⁷You, Lord, will keep the needy safe^m

and will protect us forever from the wicked,ⁿ

⁸who freely strut^o about

when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Psalm 13^a

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹How long,^p Lord? Will you forget me^q forever?

How long will you hide your face^r from me?

²How long must I wrestle with my thoughts^s

and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?^t

³Look on me^u and answer,^v Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes,^w or I will sleep in death,^x

⁴and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,^y”

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.^z

⁵But I trust in your unfailing love;^a

my heart rejoices in your salvation.^b

⁶I will sing^c the Lord’s praise,

for he has been good to me.

Psalm 14

14:1–7pp—Ps 53:1–6

For the director of music. Of David.

¹The fool^a says in his heart,

“There is no God.”^d

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;

there is no one who does good.

²The Lord looks down from heaven^e

on all mankind

to see if there are any who understand,^f

any who seek God.^g

³All have turned away,^h all have become corrupt;ⁱ

there is no one who does good,^j

not even one.^k

⁴Do all these evildoers know nothing?^l

They devour my people^m as though eating bread;

they never call on the Lord.ⁿ

⁵But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,

for God is present in the company of the righteous.

⁶You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,

but the Lord is their refuge.^o

⁷Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!^p

When the Lord restores^q his people,

let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹Lord, who may dwell^r in your sacred tent?^s

Who may live on your holy mountain?^t

²The one whose walk is blameless,^u

who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth^v from their heart;

³whose tongue utters no slander,^w

who does no wrong to a neighbor,

and casts no slur on others;

⁴who despises a vile person

but honors^x those who fear the Lord;

who keeps an oath^y even when it hurts,

and does not change their mind;

⁵who lends money to the poor without interest;^z

who does not accept a bribe^a against the innocent.

Whoever does these things

will never be shaken.^b

Psalm 16

A miktam^a of David.

¹Keep me safe,^c my God,

for in you I take refuge.^d

²I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;^e

apart from you I have no good thing.”^f

³I say of the holy people^g who are in the land,^h

“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

⁴Those who run after other godsⁱ will suffer^j more and more.

I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods

or take up their names^k on my lips.

⁵Lord, you alone are my portion^l and my cup;^m

you make my lotⁿ secure.

⁶The boundary lines^o have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.^p

⁷I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;^q

even at night^r my heart instructs me.

⁸I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

With him at my right hand,^s I will not be shaken.^t

⁹Therefore my heart is glad^u and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure,^v

¹⁰because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,^w

nor will you let your faithful^b one^x see decay.^y

¹¹You make known to me the path of life;^z

you will fill me with joy in your presence,^a

with eternal pleasures^b at your right hand.^c

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

¹Hear me,^d Lord, my plea is just;

listen to my cry.^e

Hear^f my prayer—

it does not rise from deceitful lips.^g

²Let my vindication^h come from you;

may your eyes see what is right.ⁱ

³Though you probe my heart,^j

though you examine me at night and test me,^k

you will find that I have planned no evil;^l

my mouth has not transgressed.^m

⁴Though people tried to bribe me,

I have kept myself from the ways of the violent

through what your lips have commanded.

⁵My steps have held to your paths;ⁿ

my feet have not stumbled.^o

⁶I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;^p

turn your ear to me^q and hear my prayer.^r

⁷Show me the wonders of your great love,^s

you who save by your right hand^t

those who take refuge^u in you from their foes.

⁸Keep me^v as the apple of your eye;^w

hide me^x in the shadow of your wings^y

⁹from the wicked who are out to destroy me,

from my mortal enemies who surround me.^z

¹⁰They close up their callous hearts,^a

and their mouths speak with arrogance.^b

¹¹They have tracked me down, they now surround me,^c

with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

¹²They are like a lion^d hungry for prey,^e

like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

¹³Rise up,^f Lord, confront them, bring them down;^g

with your sword rescue me from the wicked.

¹⁴By your hand save me from such people, Lord,

from those of this world^h whose reward is in this life.ⁱ

May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;

may their children gorge themselves on it,

and may there be leftovers^j for their little ones.

¹⁵As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;

when I awake,^k I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.^l

Psalm 18^a

18:Title–50pp—2Sa 22:1–51

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

¹I love you, Lord, my strength.^m

²The Lord is my rock,ⁿ my fortress^o and my deliverer;^p

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,^q

my shield^br and the horn^c of my salvation,^s my stronghold.

³I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,^t

and I have been saved from my enemies.^u

⁴The cords of death^v entangled me;

the torrents^w of destruction overwhelmed me.

⁵The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death^x confronted me.

⁶In my distress^y I called to the Lord;^z

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;^a

my cry came^b before him, into his ears.

⁷The earth trembled^c and quaked,^d

and the foundations of the mountains shook;^e

they trembled because he was angry.^f

⁸Smoke rose from his nostrils;^g

consuming fire^h came from his mouth,

burning coalsⁱ blazed out of it.

⁹He parted the heavens and came down;^j

dark clouds^k were under his feet.

¹⁰He mounted the cherubim^l and flew;

he soared^m on the wings of the wind.ⁿ

¹¹He made darkness his covering,^o his canopy^p around him—

the dark rain clouds of the sky.

¹²Out of the brightness of his presence^q clouds advanced,

with hailstones^r and bolts of lightning.^s

¹³The Lord thundered^t from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded.^d

¹⁴He shot his arrows^u and scattered the enemy,

with great bolts of lightning^v he routed them.^w

¹⁵The valleys of the sea were exposed

and the foundations^x of the earth laid bare

at your rebuke,^y Lord,

at the blast of breath from your nostrils.^z

¹⁶He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.^a

¹⁷He rescued me from my powerful enemy,^b

from my foes, who were too strong for me.^c

¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my disaster,^d

but the Lord was my support.^e

¹⁹He brought me out into a spacious place;^f

he rescued me because he delighted in me.^g

²⁰The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;^h

according to the cleanness of my handsⁱ he has rewarded me.^j

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord;^k

I am not guilty of turning^l from my God.

²²All his laws are before me;^m

I have not turned away from his decrees.

²³I have been blamelessⁿ before him

and have kept myself from sin.

²⁴The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,^o

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵To the faithful^p you show yourself faithful,^q

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

²⁶to the pure^r you show yourself pure,

but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^s

²⁷You save the humble^t

but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.^u

²⁸You, Lord, keep my lamp^v burning;

my God turns my darkness into light.^w

²⁹With your help^x I can advance against a troop^e;

with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect:^y

The Lord’s word is flawless;^z

he shields^a all who take refuge^b in him.

³¹For who is God besides the Lord?^c

And who is the Rock^d except our God?

³²It is God who arms me with strength^e

and keeps my way secure.^f

³³He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;^g

he causes me to stand on the heights.^h

³⁴He trains my hands for battle;ⁱ

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You make your saving help my shield,

and your right hand sustains^j me;

your help has made me great.

³⁶You provide a broad path^k for my feet,

so that my ankles do not give way.^l

³⁷I pursued my enemies^m and overtook them;

I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

³⁸I crushed themⁿ so that…