Psalm 22:1–32:11

¹My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?

²O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer;

and by night, but find no rest.

³Yet thou art holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

⁴In thee our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

⁵To thee they cried, and were saved;

in thee they trusted, and were not disappointed.

⁶But I am a worm, and no man;

scorned by men, and despised by the people.

⁷All who see me mock at me,

they make mouths at me, they wag their heads;

⁸“He committed his cause to the Lord; let him deliver him,

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

⁹Yet thou art he who took me from the womb;

thou didst keep me safe upon my mother’s breasts.

¹⁰Upon thee was I cast from my birth,

and since my mother bore me thou hast been my God.

¹¹Be not far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is none to help.

¹²Many bulls encompass me,

strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

¹³they open wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring lion.

¹⁴I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax,

it is melted within my breast;

¹⁵my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

thou dost lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁶Yea, dogs are round about me;

a company of evildoers encircle me;

they have pierced^m my hands and feet—

¹⁷I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

¹⁸they divide my garments among them,

and for my raiment they cast lots.

¹⁹But thou, O Lord, be not far off!

O thou my help, hasten to my aid!

²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword,

my lifeⁿ from the power of the dog!

²¹Save me from the mouth of the lion,

my afflicted soul from the horns of the wild oxen!

²²I will tell of thy name to my brethren;

in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee:

²³You who fear the Lord, praise him!

all you sons of Jacob, glorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel!

²⁴For he has not despised or abhorred

the affliction of the afflicted;

and he has not hid his face from him,

but has heard, when he cried to him.

²⁵From thee comes my praise in the great congregation;

my vows I will pay before those who fear him.

²⁶The afflicted^p shall eat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts live for ever!

²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the Lord;

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before him.^q

²⁸For dominion belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations.

²⁹Yea, to him^r shall all the proud of the earth bow down;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

and he who cannot keep himself alive.

³⁰Posterity shall serve him;

men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation,

³¹and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,

that he has wrought it.

PSALM 23

A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;

²he makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters;^s

³he restores my soul.^t

He leads me in paths of righteousness^u

for his name’s sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,^v

I fear no evil;

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff,

they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

thou anointest my head with oil,

my cup overflows.

⁶Surely^w goodness and mercy^x shall follow me

all the days of my life;

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

for ever.^y

PSALM 24

A Psalm of David.

¹The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein;

²for he has founded it upon the seas,

and established it upon the rivers.

³Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

⁴He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false,

and does not swear deceitfully.

⁵He will receive blessing from the Lord,

and vindication from the God of his salvation.

⁶Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob.^z [Selah

⁷Lift up your heads, O gates!

and be lifted up, O ancient doors!

that the King of glory may come in.

⁸Who is the King of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty,

the Lord, mighty in battle!

⁹Lift up your heads, O gates!

and be lifted up, O ancient doors!

that the King of glory may come in.

¹⁰Who is this King of glory?

The Lord of hosts,

he is the King of glory! Selah

PSALM 25

A Psalm of David.

¹To thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

²O my God, in thee I trust,

let me not be put to shame;

let not my enemies exult over me.

³Yea, let none that wait for thee be put to shame;

let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

⁴Make me to know thy ways, O Lord;

teach me thy paths.

⁵Lead me in thy truth, and teach me,

for thou art the God of my salvation;

for thee I wait all the day long.

⁶Be mindful of thy mercy, O Lord, and of thy steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

⁷Remember not the sins of my youth, or my transgressions;

according to thy steadfast love remember me,

for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord!

⁸Good and upright is the Lord;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

⁹He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way.

¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹For thy name’s sake, O Lord,

pardon my guilt, for it is great.

¹²Who is the man that fears the Lord?

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

¹³He himself shall abide in prosperity,

and his children shall possess the land.

¹⁴The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,

and he makes known to them his covenant.

¹⁵My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶Turn thou to me, and be gracious to me;

for I am lonely and afflicted.

¹⁷Relieve the troubles of my heart,

and bring me^b out of my distresses.

¹⁸Consider my affliction and my trouble,

and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹Consider how many are my foes,

and with what violent hatred they hate me.

²⁰Oh guard my life, and deliver me;

let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in thee.

²¹May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for thee.

²²Redeem Israel, O God,

out of all his troubles.

PSALM 26

A Psalm of David.

¹Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have walked in my integrity,

and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

²Prove me, O Lord, and try me;

test my heart and my mind.

³For thy steadfast love is before my eyes,

and I walk in faithfulness to thee.^c

⁴I do not sit with false men,

nor do I consort with dissemblers;

⁵I hate the company of evildoers,

and I will not sit with the wicked.

⁶I wash my hands in innocence,

and go about thy altar, O Lord,

⁷singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,

and telling all thy wondrous deeds.

⁸O Lord, I love the habitation of thy house,

and the place where thy glory dwells.

⁹Sweep me not away with sinners,

nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

¹⁰men in whose hands are evil devices,

and whose right hands are full of bribes.

¹¹But as for me, I walk in my integrity;

redeem me, and be gracious to me.

¹²My foot stands on level ground;

in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.

PSALM 27

A Psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold^d of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

²When evildoers assail me,

uttering slanders against me,^e

my adversaries and foes,

they shall stumble and fall.

³Though a host encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me,

yet I will be confident.

⁴One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after;

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in his temple.

⁵For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent,

he will set me high upon a rock.

⁶And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies round about me;

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

⁷Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,

be gracious to me and answer me!

⁸Thou hast said, “Seek ye my face.”

My heart says to thee,

“Thy face, Lord, do I seek.”

⁹Hide not thy face from me.

Turn not thy servant away in anger,

thou who hast been my help.

Cast me not off, forsake me not,

O God of my salvation!

¹⁰For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

but the Lord will take me up.

¹¹Teach me thy way, O Lord;

and lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

¹²Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

for false witnesses have risen against me,

and they breathe out violence.

¹³I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living!

¹⁴Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

yea, wait for the Lord!

PSALM 28

A Psalm of David.

¹To thee, O Lord, I call;

my rock, be not deaf to me,

lest, if thou be silent to me,

I become like those who go down to the Pit.

²Hear the voice of my supplication,

as I cry to thee for help,

as I lift up my hands

toward thy most holy sanctuary.^f

³Take me not off with the wicked,

with those who are workers of evil,

who speak peace with their neighbors,

while mischief is in their hearts.

⁴Requite them according to their work,

and according to the evil of their deeds;

requite them according to the work of their hands;

render them their due reward.

⁵Because they do not regard the works of the Lord,

or the work of his hands,

he will break them down and build them up no more.

⁶Blessed be the Lord!

for he has heard the voice of my supplications.

⁷The Lord is my strength and my shield;

in him my heart trusts;

so I am helped, and my heart exults,

and with my song I give thanks to him.

⁸The Lord is the strength of his people,

he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

⁹O save thy people, and bless thy heritage;

be thou their shepherd, and carry them for ever.

PSALM 29

A Psalm of David.

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