Psalm 1–41

Book One (Psalms 1–41)

Psalm 1

¹Oh, the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners,

or join in with mockers.

²But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

³They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

and they prosper in all they do.

⁴But not the wicked!

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.

⁵They will be condemned at the time of judgment.

Sinners will have no place among the godly.

⁶For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 2

¹Why are the nations so angry?

Why do they waste their time with futile plans?

²The kings of the earth prepare for battle;

the rulers plot together

against the Lord

and against his anointed one.

³“Let us break their chains,” they cry,

“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

⁴But the one who rules in heaven laughs.

The Lord scoffs at them.

⁵Then in anger he rebukes them,

terrifying them with his fierce fury.

⁶For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne

in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.”

⁷The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:

“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.

Today I have become your Father.

⁸Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,

the whole earth as your possession.

⁹You will break them with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots.’ ”

¹⁰Now then, you kings, act wisely!

Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

¹¹Serve the Lord with reverent fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

¹²Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry,

and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—

for his anger flares up in an instant.

But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

Psalm 3

A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.

¹O Lord, I have so many enemies;

so many are against me.

²So many are saying,

“God will never rescue him!”

Interlude

³But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;

you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.

⁴I cried out to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy mountain.

Interlude

⁵I lay down and slept,

yet I woke up in safety,

for the Lord was watching over me.

⁶I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies

who surround me on every side.

⁷Arise, O Lord!

Rescue me, my God!

Slap all my enemies in the face!

Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

⁸Victory comes from you, O Lord.

May you bless your people.

Interlude

Psalm 4

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

¹Answer me when I call to you,

O God who declares me innocent.

Free me from my troubles.

Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

²How long will you people ruin my reputation?

How long will you make groundless accusations?

How long will you continue your lies?

Interlude

³You can be sure of this:

The Lord set apart the godly for himself.

The Lord will answer when I call to him.

⁴Don’t sin by letting anger control you.

Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Interlude

⁵Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,

and trust the Lord.

⁶Many people say, “Who will show us better times?”

Let your face smile on us, Lord.

⁷You have given me greater joy

than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.

⁸In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Psalm 5

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.

¹O Lord, hear me as I pray;

pay attention to my groaning.

²Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,

for I pray to no one but you.

³Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.

Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

⁴O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;

you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.

⁵Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,

for you hate all who do evil.

⁶You will destroy those who tell lies.

The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.

⁷Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;

I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.

⁸Lead me in the right path, O Lord,

or my enemies will conquer me.

Make your way plain for me to follow.

⁹My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.

Their deepest desire is to destroy others.

Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.

Their tongues are filled with flattery.

¹⁰O God, declare them guilty.

Let them be caught in their own traps.

Drive them away because of their many sins,

for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them sing joyful praises forever.

Spread your protection over them,

that all who love your name may be filled with joy.

¹²For you bless the godly, O Lord;

you surround them with your shield of love.

Psalm 6

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.

¹O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your rage.

²Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.

Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

³I am sick at heart.

How long, O Lord, until you restore me?

⁴Return, O Lord, and rescue me.

Save me because of your unfailing love.

⁵For the dead do not remember you.

Who can praise you from the grave?

⁶I am worn out from sobbing.

All night I flood my bed with weeping,

drenching it with my tears.

⁷My vision is blurred by grief;

my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

⁸Go away, all you who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

⁹The Lord has heard my plea;

the Lord will answer my prayer.

¹⁰May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.

May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Psalm 7

A psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.

¹I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!

²If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,

tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³O Lord my God, if I have done wrong

or am guilty of injustice,

⁴if I have betrayed a friend

or plundered my enemy without cause,

⁵then let my enemies capture me.

Let them trample me into the ground

and drag my honor in the dust.

Interlude

⁶Arise, O Lord, in anger!

Stand up against the fury of my enemies!

Wake up, my God, and bring justice!

⁷Gather the nations before you.

Rule over them from on high.

⁸The Lord judges the nations.

Declare me righteous, O Lord,

for I am innocent, O Most High!

⁹End the evil of those who are wicked,

and defend the righteous.

For you look deep within the mind and heart,

O righteous God.

¹⁰God is my shield,

saving those whose hearts are true and right.

¹¹God is an honest judge.

He is angry with the wicked every day.

¹²If a person does not repent,

God will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

¹³He will prepare his deadly weapons

and shoot his flaming arrows.

¹⁴The wicked conceive evil;

they are pregnant with trouble

and give birth to lies.

¹⁵They dig a deep pit to trap others,

then fall into it themselves.

¹⁶The trouble they make for others backfires on them.

The violence they plan falls on their own heads.

¹⁷I will thank the Lord because he is just;

I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 8

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

¹O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Your glory is higher than the heavens.

²You have taught children and infants

to tell of your strength,

silencing your enemies

and all who oppose you.

³When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

the moon and the stars you set in place—

⁴what are mere mortals that you should think about them,

human beings that you should care for them?

⁵Yet you made them only a little lower than God

and crowned them with glory and honor.

⁶You gave them charge of everything you made,

putting all things under their authority—

⁷the flocks and the herds

and all the wild animals,

⁸the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,

and everything that swims the ocean currents.

⁹O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Psalm 9

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Death of the Son.”

¹I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

²I will be filled with joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

³My enemies retreated;

they staggered and died when you appeared.

⁴For you have judged in my favor;

from your throne you have judged with fairness.

⁵You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;

you have erased their names forever.

⁶The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;

the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.

⁷But the Lord reigns forever,

executing judgment from his throne.

⁸He will judge the world with justice

and rule the nations with fairness.

⁹The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,

a refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁰Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem.

Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.

¹²For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.

He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

¹³Lord, have mercy on me.

See how my enemies torment me.

Snatch me back from the jaws of death.

¹⁴Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,

so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.

Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.

¹⁶The Lord is known for his justice.

The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.

Quiet Interlude

¹⁷The wicked will go down to the grave.

This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.

¹⁸But the needy will not be ignored forever;

the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

¹⁹Arise, O Lord!

Do not let mere mortals defy you!

Judge the nations!

²⁰Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.

Let the nations know they are merely human.

Interlude

Psalm 10

¹O Lord, why do you stand so far away?

Why do…