Psalm 22:1–32:11

¹My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?^t

Why are you so far^u from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?^v

²My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,^w

by night,^x but I find no rest.^b

³Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;^y

you are the one Israel praises.^cz

⁴In you our ancestors put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them.^a

⁵To you they cried out^b and were saved;

in you they trusted^c and were not put to shame.^d

⁶But I am a worm^e and not a man,

scorned by everyone,^f despised^g by the people.

⁷All who see me mock me;^h

they hurl insults,ⁱ shaking their heads.^j

⁸“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,

“let the Lord rescue him.^k

Let him deliver him,^l

since he delights^m in him.”

⁹Yet you brought me out of the womb;ⁿ

you made me trust^o in you, even at my mother’s breast.

¹⁰From birth^p I was cast on you;

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

¹¹Do not be far from me,^q

for trouble is near^r

and there is no one to help.^s

¹²Many bulls^t surround me;^u

strong bulls of Bashan^v encircle me.

¹³Roaring lions^w that tear their prey^x

open their mouths wide^y against me.

¹⁴I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.^z

My heart has turned to wax;^a

it has melted^b within me.

¹⁵My mouth^d is dried up like a potsherd,^c

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;^d

you lay me in the dust^e of death.

¹⁶Dogs^f surround me,

a pack of villains encircles me;

they pierce^eg my hands and my feet.

¹⁷All my bones are on display;

people stare^h and gloat over me.ⁱ

¹⁸They divide my clothes among them

and cast lots^j for my garment.^k

¹⁹But you, Lord, do not be far from me.^l

You are my strength;^m come quicklyⁿ to help me.^o

²⁰Deliver me from the sword,^p

my precious life^q from the power of the dogs.^r

²¹Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;^s

save me from the horns of the wild oxen.^t

²²I will declare your name to my people;

in the assembly^u I will praise you.^v

²³You who fear the Lord, praise him!^w

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!^x

Revere him,^y all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴For he has not despised^z or scorned

the suffering of the afflicted one;^a

he has not hidden his face^b from him

but has listened to his cry for help.^c

²⁵From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;^d

before those who fear you^f I will fulfill my vows.^e

²⁶The poor will eat^f and be satisfied;

those who seek the Lord will praise him—^g

may your hearts live forever!

²⁷All the ends of the earth^h

will remember and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

will bow down before him,ⁱ

²⁸for dominion belongs to the Lord^j

and he rules over the nations.

²⁹All the rich^k of the earth will feast and worship;^l

all who go down to the dust^m will kneel before him—

those who cannot keep themselves alive.ⁿ

³⁰Posterity^o will serve him;

future generations^p will be told about the Lord.

³¹They will proclaim his righteousness,^q

declaring to a people yet unborn:^r

He has done it!^s

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd,^t I lack nothing.^u

²He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,^v

³he refreshes my soul.^w

He guides me^x along the right paths^y

for his name’s sake.^z

⁴Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,^aa

I will fear no evil,^b

for you are with me;^c

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table^d before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;^e

my cup^f overflows.

⁶Surely your goodness and love^g will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

¹The earth is the Lord’s,^h and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;ⁱ

²for he founded it on the seas

and established it on the waters.^j

³Who may ascend the mountain^k of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?^l

⁴The one who has clean hands^m and a pure heart,ⁿ

who does not trust in an idol^o

or swear by a false god.^a

⁵They will receive blessing^p from the Lord

and vindication^q from God their Savior.

⁶Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek your face,^r God of Jacob.^bc

⁷Lift up your heads, you gates;^s

be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King^t of glory^u may come in.^v

⁸Who is this King of glory?

The Lord strong and mighty,^w

the Lord mighty in battle.^x

⁹Lift up your heads, you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

¹⁰Who is he, this King of glory?

The Lord Almighty^y—

he is the King of glory.

Psalm 25^a

Of David.

¹In you, Lord my God,

I put my trust.^z

²I trust in you;^a

do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

³No one who hopes in you

will ever be put to shame,^b

but shame will come on those

who are treacherous^c without cause.

⁴Show me your ways, Lord,

teach me your paths.^d

⁵Guide me in your truth^e and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,^f

and my hope is in you^g all day long.

⁶Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,^h

for they are from of old.

⁷Do not remember the sins of my youthⁱ

and my rebellious ways;^j

according to your love^k remember me,

for you, Lord, are good.^l

⁸Good and upright^m is the Lord;

therefore he instructsⁿ sinners in his ways.

⁹He guides^o the humble in what is right

and teaches them^p his way.

¹⁰All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful^q

toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.^r

¹¹For the sake of your name,^s Lord,

forgive^t my iniquity,^u though it is great.

¹²Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?^v

He will instruct them in the ways^w they should choose.^b

¹³They will spend their days in prosperity,^x

and their descendants will inherit the land.^y

¹⁴The Lord confides^z in those who fear him;

he makes his covenant known^a to them.

¹⁵My eyes are ever on the Lord,^b

for only he will release my feet from the snare.^c

¹⁶Turn to me^d and be gracious to me,^e

for I am lonely^f and afflicted.

¹⁷Relieve the troubles^g of my heart

and free me from my anguish.^h

¹⁸Look on my afflictionⁱ and my distress^j

and take away all my sins.^k

¹⁹See how numerous are my enemies^l

and how fiercely they hate me!^m

²⁰Guard my lifeⁿ and rescue me;^o

do not let me be put to shame,^p

for I take refuge^q in you.

²¹May integrity^r and uprightness^s protect me,

because my hope, Lord,^c is in you.^t

²²Deliver Israel,^u O God,

from all their troubles!

Psalm 26

Of David.

¹Vindicate me,^v Lord,

for I have led a blameless life;^w

I have trusted^x in the Lord

and have not faltered.^y

²Test me,^z Lord, and try me,

examine my heart and my mind;^a

³for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love^b

and have lived^c in reliance on your faithfulness.^d

⁴I do not sit^e with the deceitful,

nor do I associate with hypocrites.^f

⁵I abhor^g the assembly of evildoers

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

⁶I wash my hands in innocence,^h

and go about your altar, Lord,

⁷proclaiming aloud your praiseⁱ

and telling of all your wonderful deeds.^j

⁸Lord, I love^k the house where you live,

the place where your glory dwells.^l

⁹Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

my life with those who are bloodthirsty,^m

¹⁰in whose hands are wicked schemes,ⁿ

whose right hands are full of bribes.^o

¹¹I lead a blameless life;

deliver me^p and be merciful to me.

¹²My feet stand on level ground;^q

in the great congregation^r I will praise the Lord.

Psalm 27

Of David.

¹The Lord is my light^s and my salvation^t—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold^u of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?^v

²When the wicked advance against me

to devour^a me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.^w

³Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;^x

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.^y

⁴One thing^z I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,^a

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

⁵For in the day of trouble^b

he will keep me safe^c in his dwelling;

he will hide me^d in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.^e

⁶Then my head will be exalted^f

above the enemies who surround me;^g

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice^h with shouts of joy;ⁱ

I will sing^j and make music^k to the Lord.

⁷Hear my voice^l when I call, Lord;

be merciful to me and answer me.^m

⁸My heart says of you, “Seek his face!ⁿ”

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

⁹Do not hide your face^o from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;^p

you have been my helper.^q

Do not reject me or forsake^r me,

God my Savior.^s

¹⁰Though my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will receive me.

¹¹Teach me your way,^t Lord;

lead me in a straight path^u

because of my oppressors.^v

¹²Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses^w rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations.

¹³I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord^x

in the land of the living.^y

¹⁴Wait^z for the Lord;

be strong^a and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 28

Of David.

¹To you, Lord, I call;

you are my Rock,

do not turn a deaf ear^b to me.

For if you remain silent,^c

I will be like those who go down to the pit.^d

²Hear my cry for mercy^e

as I call to you for help,

as I lift up my hands^f

toward your Most Holy Place.^g

³Do not drag me away with the wicked,

with those who do evil,

who speak cordially with their neighbors

but harbor malice in their hearts.^h

⁴Repay them for their deeds

and for their evil work;

repay them for what their hands have doneⁱ

and bring back on them what they deserve.^j

⁵Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord

and what his hands have done,^k

he will tear them down

and never build them up again.

⁶Praise be to the Lord,^l

for he has heard my cry for mercy.^m

⁷The Lord is my strengthⁿ and my shield;

my heart trusts^o in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,^p

and with my song I praise him.^q

⁸The Lord is the strength^r of his people,

a fortress of salvation^s for his anointed one.^t

⁹Save your people^u and bless your inheritance;^v

be their shepherd^w and carry them^x forever.

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

¹Ascribe to the Lord,^y you heavenly beings,^z

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