Psalm 16–20

Psalm 16

The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory

A aMichtam of David.

1 Preserve 1me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord,

“You are my Lord,

bMy goodness is nothing apart from You.”

3 As for the saints who are on the earth,

“They are the excellent ones, in cwhom is all my delight.”

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;

Their drink offerings of dblood I will not offer,

eNor take up their names on my lips.

5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You 2maintain my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;

My 3heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 fI have set the Lord always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will 4rest in hope.

10 gFor You will not leave my soul in 5Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to 6see corruption.

11 You will show me the hpath of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 17

Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation

A Prayer of David.

1 Hear a just cause, O Lord,

Attend to my cry;

Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.

2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;

Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.

3 You have tested my heart;

You have visited me in the night;

aYou have 1tried me and have found 2nothing;

I have purposed that my mouth shall not btransgress.

4 Concerning the works of men,

By the word of Your lips,

I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.

5 cUphold my steps in Your paths,

That my footsteps may not slip.

6 dI have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;

Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.

7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,

O You who 3save those who trust in You

From those who rise up against them.

8 Keep me as the 4apple of Your eye;

Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

9 From the wicked who oppress me,

From my deadly enemies who surround me.

10 They have closed up their efat hearts;

With their mouths they fspeak proudly.

11 They have now surrounded us in our steps;

They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,

12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey,

And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

13 Arise, O Lord,

Confront him, cast him down;

Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,

14 With Your hand from men, O Lord,

From men of the world who have their portion in this life,

And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.

They are satisfied with children,

And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.

15 As for me, gI will see Your face in righteousness;

hI shall be satisfied when I iawake in Your likeness.

Psalm 18

God the Sovereign Savior

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David aThe Servant of the Lord, Who Spoke to the Lord The Words of bThis Song on the Day that the Lord Delivered Him from the Hand of All His Enemies and from the Hand of Saul. And He Said:

1 I cwill love You, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my 1strength, din whom I will trust;

My shield and the 2horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I will call upon the Lord, ewho is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

4 fThe pangs of death surrounded me,

And the floods of 3ungodliness made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

7 gThen the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,

Because He was angry.

8 Smoke went up from His nostrils,

And devouring fire from His mouth;

Coals were kindled by it.

9 hHe bowed the heavens also, and came down

With darkness under His feet.

10 iAnd He rode upon a cherub, and flew;

jHe flew upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness His secret place;

kHis canopy around Him was dark waters

And thick clouds of the skies.

12 lFrom the brightness before Him,

His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered mHis voice,

4Hailstones and coals of fire.

14 nHe sent out His arrows and scattered 5the foe,

Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,

The foundations of the world were uncovered

At Your rebuke, O Lord,

At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

16 oHe sent from above, He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me,

For they were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the Lord was my support.

19 pHe also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

20 qThe Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands

He has recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all His judgments were before me,

And I did not put away His statutes from me.

23 I was also blameless 6before Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity.

24 rTherefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25 sWith the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;

With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

And twith the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

27 For You will save the humble people,

But will bring down uhaughty looks.

28 vFor You will light my lamp;

The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

29 For by You I can 7run against a troop,

By my God I can leap over a wall.

30 As for God, wHis way is perfect;

xThe word of the Lord is 8proven;

He is a shield yto all who trust in Him.

31 zFor who is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

32 It is God who aarms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect.

33 bHe makes my feet like the feet of deer,

And csets me on my high places.

34 dHe teaches my hands to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your right hand has held me up,

Your gentleness has made me great.

36 You enlarged my path under me,

eSo my feet did not slip.

37 I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;

Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

38 I have wounded them,

So that they could not rise;

They have fallen under my feet.

39 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have 9subdued under me those who rose up against me.

40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies,

So that I destroyed those who hated me.

41 They cried out, but there was none to save;

fEven to the Lord, but He did not answer them.

42 Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;

I gcast them out like dirt in the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;

hYou have made me the head of the 1nations;

iA people I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me they obey me;

The foreigners 2submit to me.

45 jThe foreigners fade away,

And come frightened from their hideouts.

46 The Lord lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 It is God who avenges me,

kAnd subdues the peoples under me;

48 He delivers me from my enemies.

lYou also lift me up above those who rise against me;

You have delivered me from the violent man.

49 mTherefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the 3Gentiles,

And sing praises to Your name.

50 nGreat deliverance He gives to His king,

And shows mercy to His anointed,

To David and his 4descendants forevermore.

Psalm 19

The Perfect Revelation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 The aheavens declare the glory of God;

And the bfirmament 1shows 2His handiwork.

2 Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

4 cTheir 3line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a 4tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

dAnd rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,

And its circuit to the other end;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 eThe law of the Lord is perfect, 5converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making fwise the simple;

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than ggold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the 6honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?

hCleanse me from secret faults.

13 Keep back Your servant also from ipresumptuous sins;

Let them not have jdominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,

And I shall be innocent of 7great transgression.

14 kLet the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my 8strength and my lRedeemer.

Psalm 20

The Assurance of God’s Saving Work

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob 1defend you;

2 May He send you help from the sanctuary,

And strengthen you out of Zion;

3 May He remember all your offerings,

And accept your burnt sacrifice.

Selah

4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,

And afulfill all your 2purpose.

5 We will rejoice in your salvation,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the Lord saves His 3anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

With the saving strength of His right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in bhorses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8 They have bowed down and fallen;

But we have risen and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord!

May the King answer us when we call.