Psalms

This book of poetry is filled with prayers and songs that express the full range of human emotion. The psalms represent personal journals of the writers’ relationships with God. The thoughts and feelings they express help their readers draw near to the Lord as well. Some of these psalms were used in public worship services.

BOOK I

Psalms 1–41

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the onea

who does not walkb in step with the wickedc

or stand in the wayd that sinners takee

or sitf in the company of mockers,g

2 but whose delighth is in the law of the Lord,i

and who meditatesj on his law day and night.

3 That person is like a treek planted by streamsl of water,m

which yields its fruitn in season

and whose leafo does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.p

4 Not so the wicked!

They are like chaffq

that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not standr in the judgment,s

nor sinners in the assemblyt of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches overu the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.v

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations conspirea

and the peoples plotw in vain?

2 The kingsx of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the Lord and against his anointed,y saying,

3 “Let us break their chainsz

and throw off their shackles.”a

4 The One enthronedb in heaven laughs;c

the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his angerd

and terrifies them in his wrath,e saying,

6 “I have installed my kingf

on Zion,g my holy mountain.h”

7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;i

today I have become your father.j

8 Ask me,

and I will make the nationsk your inheritance,l

the ends of the earthm your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of ironb;n

you will dash them to pieceso like pottery.p”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;q

be warned, you rulersr of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fears

and celebrate his rulet with trembling.u

12 Kiss his son,v or he will be angry

and your way will lead to your destruction,

for his wrathw can flare up in a moment.

Blessedx are all who take refugey in him.

Psalm 3a

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.z

1 Lord, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.a”b

3 But you, Lord, are a shieldb around me,

my glory, the One who lifts my head high.c

4 I call out to the Lord,d

and he answers me from his holy mountain.e

5 I lie down and sleep;f

I wake again,g because the Lord sustains me.

6 I will not fearh though tens of thousands

assail me on every side.i

7 Arise,j Lord!

Deliver me,k my God!

Strikel all my enemies on the jaw;

break the teethm of the wicked.

8 From the Lord comes deliverance.n

May your blessingo be on your people.

Psalm 4a

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

1 Answer mep when I call to you,

my righteous God.

Give me relief from my distress;q

have mercyr on me and hear my prayer.s

2 How long will you people turn my gloryt into shame?u

How long will you love delusions and seek false godsb?c v

3 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servantw for himself;

the Lord hearsx when I call to him.

4 Tremble andd do not sin;y

when you are on your beds,z

search your hearts and be silent.

5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous

and trust in the Lord.a

6 Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”

Let the light of your face shine on us.b

7 Fill my heartc with joyd

when their grain and new winee abound.

8 In peacef I will lie down and sleep,g

for you alone, Lord,

make me dwell in safety.h

Psalm 5a

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

1 Listeni to my words, Lord,

consider my lament.j

2 Hear my cry for help,k

my King and my God,l

for to you I pray.

3 In the morning,m Lord, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait expectantly.n

4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;

with you, evil peopleo are not welcome.

5 The arrogantp cannot standq

in your presence.

You hater all who do wrong;

6 you destroy those who tell lies.s

The bloodthirsty and deceitful

you, Lord, detest.

7 But I, by your great love,

can come into your house;

in reverencet I bow downu

toward your holy temple.v

8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousnessw

because of my enemies—

make your way straightx before me.

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;

their heart is filled with malice.

Their throat is an open grave;y

with their tongues they tell lies.z

10 Declare them guilty, O God!

Let their intrigues be their downfall.

Banish them for their many sins,a

for they have rebelledb against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

let them ever sing for joy.c

Spread your protection over them,

that those who love your named may rejoice in you.e

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;f

you surround themg with your favor as with a shield.h

Psalm 6a

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith.b A psalm of David.

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your angeri

or discipline me in your wrath.

2 Have mercy on me,j Lord, for I am faint;k

heal me,l Lord, for my bones are in agony.m

3 My soul is in deep anguish.n

How long,o Lord, how long?

4 Turn,p Lord, and deliver me;

save me because of your unfailing love.q

5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Who praises you from the grave?r

6 I am worn outs from my groaning.t

All night long I flood my bed with weepingu

and drench my couch with tears.v

7 My eyes grow weakw with sorrow;

they fail because of all my foes.

8 Away from me,x all you who do evil,y

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;z

the Lord accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;a

they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.b

Psalm 7a

A shiggaionb c of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

1 Lord my God, I take refuged in you;

save and deliver mee from all who pursue me,f

2 or they will tear me apart like a liong

and rip me to pieces with no one to rescueh me.

3 Lord my God, if I have done this

and there is guilt on my handsi—

4 if I have repaid my ally with evil

or without causej have robbed my foe—

5 then let my enemy pursue and overtakek me;

let him trample my life to the groundl

and make me sleep in the dust.c m

6 Arise,n Lord, in your anger;

rise up against the rage of my enemies.o

Awake,p my God; decree justice.

7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

while you sit enthroned over them on high.q

8 Let the Lord judger the peoples.

Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,s

according to my integrity,t O Most High.u

9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked

and make the righteous secure—v

you, the righteous Godw

who probes minds and hearts.x

10 My shieldd y is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart.z

11 God is a righteous judge,a

a God who displays his wrathb every day.

12 If he does not relent,c

hee will sharpen his sword;d

he will bend and string his bow.e

13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;

he makes ready his flaming arrows.f

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil

conceives trouble and gives birthg to disillusionment.

15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out

falls into the pith they have made.i

16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;

their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;j

I will sing the praisesk of the name of the Lord Most High.l

Psalm 8a

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

1 Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your namem in all the earth!

You have set your gloryn

in the heavens.o

2 Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a strongholdp against your enemies,

to silence the foeq and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,r

the work of your fingers,s

the moon and the stars,t

which you have set in place,

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?c u

5 You have made themd a little lower than the angelse v

and crowned themf with glory and honor.w

6 You made them rulersx over the works of your hands;y

you put everything under theirg feet:z

7 all flocks and herds,a

and the animals of the wild,b

8 the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,c

all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!d

Psalm 9a,b

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

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;e

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.f

2 I will be glad and rejoiceg in you;

I will sing the praisesh of your name,i O Most High.

3 My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

4 For you have upheld my rightj and my cause,k

sitting enthronedl as the righteous judge.m

5 You have rebuked the nationsn and destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their nameo for ever and ever.

6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;p

even the memory of themq has perished.

7 The Lord reigns forever;r

he has established his thrones for judgment.

8 He rules the world in righteousnesst

and judges the peoples with equity.u

9 The Lord is a refugev for the oppressed,w

a stronghold in times of trouble.x

10 Those who know your namey trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsakenz those who seek you.a

11 Sing the praisesb of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;c

proclaim among the nationsd what he has done.e

12 For he who avenges bloodf remembers;

he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.g

13 Lord, see how my enemiesh persecute me!

Have mercyi and lift me up from the gates of death,j

14 that I may declare your praisesk

in the gates of Daughter Zion,l

and there rejoice in your salvation.m

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;n

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.o

16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.c p

17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,q

all the nations that forget God.r