Psalm 31

A PLEA FOR PROTECTION

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

1 Lord, I seek refuge in you;

let me never be disgraced.l

Save me by your righteousness.

2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.

Be a rock of refuge for me,

a mountain fortress to save me.m

3 For you are my rock and my fortress;n

you lead and guide me

for your name’s sake.o

4 You will free me from the net

that is secretly set for me,

for you are my refuge.p

5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit;q

you have redeemed me,B Lord, God of truth.r

6 IC hate those who are devoted to worthless idols,

but I trust in the Lord.s

7 I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love

because you have seen my affliction.

You know the troubles of my soult

8 and have not handed me over to the enemy.u

You have set my feet in a spacious place.v

9 Be gracious to me, Lord,

because I am in distress;w

my eyes are worn out from frustration—

my whole beingD as well.x

10 Indeed, my life is consumed with grief

and my years with groaning;y

my strength has failed

because of my iniquity,E

and my bones waste away.z

11 I am ridiculed by all my adversaries

and even by my neighbors.

I am dreaded by my acquaintances;

those who see me in the street run from me.aa

12 I am forgotten: gone from memory

like a dead person—like broken pottery.ab

13 I have heard the gossip of many;

terror is on every side.ac

When they conspired against me,

they plotted to take my life.ad

14 But I trust in you, Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”ae

15 The course of my life is in your power;af

rescue me from the power of my enemies

and from my persecutors.ag

16 Make your face shine on your servant;ah

save me by your faithful love.ai

17 Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on you.aj

Let the wicked be disgraced;

let them be quietF,G in Sheol.ak

18 Let lying lipsal

that arrogantly speak against the righteous

in proud contempt be silenced.am

19 How great is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you.

In the presence of everyoneA you have acted

for those who take refuge in you.a

20 You hide them in the protection of your presence;*

you conceal them in a shelter

from human schemes,

from quarrelsome tongues.b

21 Blessed be the Lord,

for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me

in a city under siege.c

22 In my alarm I said,

“I am cut off from your sight.”d

But you heard the sound of my pleading

when I cried to you for help.e

23 Love the Lord, all his faithful ones.f

The Lord protects the loyal,

but fully repays the arrogant.g

24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous,*

all you who put your hope in the Lord.h

Psalm 32

THE JOY OF FORGIVENESS

Of David. A Maskil.

1 How joyful is the one

whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered!i

2 How joyful is a person whom

the Lord does not charge with iniquityj

and in whose spirit is no deceit!k

3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle

from my groaning all day long.l

4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me;m

my strength was drainedB

as in the summer’s heat.n

Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you*

and did not conceal my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.o

Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately.C,p

When great floodwaters come,

they will not reach him.q

7 You are my hiding place;r

you protect me from trouble.s

You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.

Selah

8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go;t

with my eye on you, I will give counsel.u

9 Do not be like a horse or mule,

without understanding,

that must be controlled with bit and bridle

or else it will not come near you.v

10 Many pains come to the wicked,w

but the one who trusts in the Lord

will have faithful love surrounding him.x

11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,

you righteous ones;

shout for joy,

all you upright in heart.y

Psalm 33

PRAISE TO THE CREATOR

1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;

praise from the upright is beautiful.z

2 Praise the Lord with the lyre;

make music to him with a ten-stringed harp.aa

3 Sing a new song to him;ab

play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.ac

4 For the word of the Lord is right,

and all his work is trustworthy.ad

5 He loves righteousness and justice;ae

the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.af

6 The heavens were made by the word of the Lord,ag

and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.ah

7 He gathers the water of the sea into a heap;D

he puts the depths into storehouses.ai

8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.a

9 For he spoke, and it came into being;

he commanded, and it came into existence.b

10 The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations;

he thwarts the plans of the peoples.c

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

the plans of his heart from generation to generation.d

12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—

the people he has chosen to be his own possession!e

13 The Lord looks down from heaven;

he observes everyone.f

14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth

from his dwelling place.g

15 He forms the hearts of them all;

he considers all their works.h

16 A king is not saved by a large army;

a warrior will not be rescued by great strength.i

17 The horse is a false hope for safety;

it provides no escape by its great power.j

18 But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him—

those who depend on his faithful lovek

19 to rescue them from death

and to keep them alive in famine.l

20 We wait for the Lord;m

he is our help and shield.n

21 For our hearts rejoice in himo

because we trust in his holy name.p

22 May your faithful love rest on us, Lord,

for we put our hope in you.q