Psalm 13–19

Psalm 13

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?

How long will you look the other way?

²How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,

with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

³Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!

Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

⁴Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”

Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

⁵But I trust in your unfailing love.

I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

⁶I will sing to the Lord

because he is good to me.

Psalm 14

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹Only fools say in their hearts,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;

not one of them does good!

²The Lord looks down from heaven

on the entire human race;

he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,

if anyone seeks God.

³But no, all have turned away;

all have become corrupt.

No one does good,

not a single one!

⁴Will those who do evil never learn?

They eat up my people like bread

and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.

⁵Terror will grip them,

for God is with those who obey him.

⁶The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,

but the Lord will protect his people.

⁷Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?

When the Lord restores his people,

Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?

Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

²Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

speaking the truth from sincere hearts.

³Those who refuse to gossip

or harm their neighbors

or speak evil of their friends.

⁴Those who despise flagrant sinners,

and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,

and keep their promises even when it hurts.

⁵Those who lend money without charging interest,

and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.

Such people will stand firm forever.

Psalm 16

A psalm of David.

¹Keep me safe, O God,

for I have come to you for refuge.

²I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!

Every good thing I have comes from you.”

³The godly people in the land

are my true heroes!

I take pleasure in them!

⁴Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.

I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood

or even speak the names of their gods.

⁵Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.

You guard all that is mine.

⁶The land you have given me is a pleasant land.

What a wonderful inheritance!

⁷I will bless the Lord who guides me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸I know the Lord is always with me.

I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

⁹No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.

My body rests in safety.

¹⁰For you will not leave my soul among the dead

or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.

¹¹You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

¹O Lord, hear my plea for justice.

Listen to my cry for help.

Pay attention to my prayer,

for it comes from honest lips.

²Declare me innocent,

for you see those who do right.

³You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.

You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong.

I am determined not to sin in what I say.

⁴I have followed your commands,

which keep me from following cruel and evil people.

⁵My steps have stayed on your path;

I have not wavered from following you.

⁶I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.

Bend down and listen as I pray.

⁷Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.

By your mighty power you rescue

those who seek refuge from their enemies.

⁸Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.

Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

⁹Protect me from wicked people who attack me,

from murderous enemies who surround me.

¹⁰They are without pity.

Listen to their boasting!

¹¹They track me down and surround me,

watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.

¹²They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart—

like young lions hiding in ambush.

¹³Arise, O Lord!

Stand against them, and bring them to their knees!

Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!

¹⁴By the power of your hand, O Lord,

destroy those who look to this world for their reward.

But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones.

May their children have plenty,

leaving an inheritance for their descendants.

¹⁵Because I am righteous, I will see you.

When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

Psalm 18

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang:

¹I love you, Lord;

you are my strength.

²The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;

my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.

He is my shield, the power that saves me,

and my place of safety.

³I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and he saved me from my enemies.

⁴The ropes of death entangled me;

floods of destruction swept over me.

⁵The grave wrapped its ropes around me;

death laid a trap in my path.

⁶But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;

yes, I prayed to my God for help.

He heard me from his sanctuary;

my cry to him reached his ears.

⁷Then the earth quaked and trembled.

The foundations of the mountains shook;

they quaked because of his anger.

⁸Smoke poured from his nostrils;

fierce flames leaped from his mouth.

Glowing coals blazed forth from him.

⁹He opened the heavens and came down;

dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.

¹⁰Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew,

soaring on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He shrouded himself in darkness,

veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.

¹²Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him

and rained down hail and burning coals.

¹³The Lord thundered from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded

amid the hail and burning coals.

¹⁴He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;

great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused.

¹⁵Then at your command, O Lord,

at the blast of your breath,

the bottom of the sea could be seen,

and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.

¹⁶He reached down from heaven and rescued me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

¹⁷He rescued me from my powerful enemies,

from those who hated me and were too strong for me.

¹⁸They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress,

but the Lord supported me.

¹⁹He led me to a place of safety;

he rescued me because he delights in me.

²⁰The Lord rewarded me for doing right;

he restored me because of my innocence.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord;

I have not turned from my God to follow evil.

²²I have followed all his regulations;

I have never abandoned his decrees.

²³I am blameless before God;

I have kept myself from sin.

²⁴The Lord rewarded me for doing right.

He has seen my innocence.

²⁵To the faithful you show yourself faithful;

to those with integrity you show integrity.

²⁶To the pure you show yourself pure,

but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

²⁷You rescue the humble,

but you humiliate the proud.

²⁸You light a lamp for me.

The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.

²⁹In your strength I can crush an army;

with my God I can scale any wall.

³⁰God’s way is perfect.

All the Lord’s promises prove true.

He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

³¹For who is God except the Lord?

Who but our God is a solid rock?

³²God arms me with strength,

and he makes my way perfect.

³³He makes me as surefooted as a deer,

enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

³⁴He trains my hands for battle;

he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

³⁵You have given me your shield of victory.

Your right hand supports me;

your help has made me great.

³⁶You have made a wide path for my feet

to keep them from slipping.

³⁷I chased my enemies and caught them;

I did not stop until they were conquered.

³⁸I struck them down so they could not get up;

they fell beneath my feet.

³⁹You have armed me with strength for the battle;

you have subdued my enemies under my feet.

⁴⁰You placed my foot on their necks.

I have destroyed all who hated me.

⁴¹They called for help, but no one came to their rescue.

They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer.

⁴²I ground them as fine as dust in the wind.

I swept them into the gutter like dirt.

⁴³You gave me victory over my accusers.

You appointed me ruler over nations;

people I don’t even know now serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me, they submit;

foreign nations cringe before me.

⁴⁵They all lose their courage

and come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!

May the God of my salvation be exalted!

⁴⁷He is the God who pays back those who harm me;

he subdues the nations under me

⁴⁸and rescues me from my enemies.

You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies;

you save me from violent opponents.

⁴⁹For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations;

I will sing praises to your name.

⁵⁰You give great victories to your king;

you show unfailing love to your anointed,

to David and all his descendants forever.

Psalm 19

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

²Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

³They speak without a sound or word;

their voice is never heard.

⁴Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

and their words to all the world.

God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

⁵It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.

It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.

⁶The sun rises at one end of the heavens

and follows its course to the other end.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

⁷The instructions of the Lord are perfect,

reviving the soul.

The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

⁸The commandments of the Lord are right,

bringing joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are clear,

giving…