Psalm 42-72

The Voice

⁴ With a broken heart,
    I remember times before
When I was with Your people. Those were better days.
    I used to lead them happily into the True God’s house,
Singing with joy, shouting thanksgivings with abandon,
    joining the congregation in the celebration.
⁵ Why am I so overwrought?
    Why am I so disturbed?
Why can’t I just hope in God?
    Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One
    who saves me and is my life.
⁶ My God, my soul is so traumatized;
    the only help is remembering You wherever I may be;
From the land of the Jordan to Hermon’s high place
    to Mount Mizar.
⁷ In the roar of Your waterfalls,
    ancient depths surge, calling out to the deep.
All Your waves break over me;
    am I drowning?
⁸ Yet in the light of day, the Eternal shows me His love.
    When night settles in and all is dark, He keeps me company—
    His soothing song, a prayerful melody to the True God of my life.

⁹ Even still, I will say to the True God, my rock and strength:
    “Why have You forgotten me?
Why must I live my life so depressed, crying endlessly
    while my enemies have the upper hand?”
¹⁰ My enemies taunt me.
    They shatter my soul the way a sword shatters a man’s bones.
They keep taunting all the day long,
    “Where is He, your True God?”

¹¹ Why am I so overwrought,
    Why am I so disturbed?
Why can’t I just hope in God?
    Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One
    who saves me, my God.

³ O my God, shine Your light and truth
    to help me see clearly,
To lead me to Your holy mountain,
    to Your home.
⁴ Then I will go to God’s altar with nothing to hide.
    I will go to God, my rapture;
I will sing praises to You and play my strings,
    unloading my cares, unleashing my joys, to You, God, my God.

⁵ O my soul, why are you so overwrought?
    Why are you so disturbed?
Why can’t I just hope in God? Despite all my emotions, I will hope in God again.
    I will believe and praise the One
    who saves me and is my life,
My Savior and my God.

⁴ You are my King, my God!
    You ordained victories for Jacob and his people!
⁵ You are our victory, pushing back the enemy;
    at the sound of Your name, we crush the opposition.
⁶ I don’t trust in my weapons
    or in my strength to win me victory.
⁷ But You rescue us from our foes;
    You shame our enemies.
⁸ We shout Your name all day long;
    we will praise Your name forever!

[pause]^[e]

⁹ But wait, God, where have You gone? Why have You shamed us?
    Why do our armies stand alone?
¹⁰ Without Your help we must retreat from our enemy,
    and the very ones who despise us pillage us.
¹¹ You have offered us up to our enemies,
    like sheep to the slaughter, meat for their feast,
    and You have dispersed us among the nations.
¹² You sold Your people for mere pennies,
    and You gained nothing from the deal.

¹³ You have made us a joke to our friends and neighbors,
    mocked and ridiculed by all those around us.
¹⁴ You have brought us infamy among the nations
    and made us an object of scorn and laughter to our neighbors.
¹⁵ Disgrace follows me everywhere I go; I am constantly embarrassed.
    Shame is written across my face
¹⁶ Because of the taunting and berating of those who are against me,
    because the enemy seeks revenge against me.

¹⁷ All this has happened to us,
    yet we have never forgotten You;
    we have not broken Your covenant with us.
¹⁸ Our hearts stayed true to You;
    we have never left Your path;
    we follow on.
¹⁹ Yet You have tested us, left us defeated in a land of jackals,
    and shrouded us with the veil of death.

²⁰ Even if we had forgotten the name of our God
    or offered praise to another god,
²¹ Would not the True God have known it?
    For He can see the hidden places of our hearts.
²² On Your behalf, our lives are endangered constantly;
    we are like sheep awaiting slaughter.^[f]

²³ Wake up, Lord! Why do You slumber?
    Get up! Do not reject us any longer!
²⁴ Why are You still hiding from us?
    Why are You still ignoring our suffering and trouble?
²⁵ Look and You will see our souls now dwell in the dust;
    our bodies hug the earth.
²⁶ Rise up and help us;
    restore us for the sake of Your boundless love.

² Better by far are you than all others, my king;
    gracious words flow from your lips;
    indeed, God has blessed you forever.

³ With your sword at your side,
    you are glorious, majestic,
    a mighty warrior.

⁴ Ride on in splendor; ride into battle victorious,
    for the sake of truth, humility, and justice.
    Perform awesome acts, trained by your powerful right hand.
⁵ Razor-sharp arrows leap from your bow
    to pierce the heart of the king’s foes;
    they lie, defeated, before you.

⁶ O God, Your throne is eternal;
    You will rule your kingdom with a scepter of justice.
⁷     You have loved what is right and hated what is evil.

That is why God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness and lifted you above your companions.^[i]
8 All of your clothing is drenched in the rich scent of myrrh, aloes, and cassia;
    In palaces decked out with ivory, beautiful stringed instruments play for your pleasure.
⁹ At a royal wedding with the daughters of kings among the guests of honor,
    your bride-queen stands at your right, adorned in gold from Ophir.

¹⁰ Hear this, daughter; pay close attention to what I am about to say:
    you must forget your people and even your father’s house.
¹¹ Because the king yearns for your beauty,
    humble yourself before him, for he is now your lord.
¹² The daughter of Tyre arrives with a gift;
    the wealthy will bow and plead for your favor.
¹³ A stunning bride, the king’s daughter waits within;
    her clothing is skillfully woven with gold.
¹⁴ She, in her richly embroidered gown, is carried to the king,
    her virgin companions following close behind.

¹⁵ They walk in a spirit of celebration and gratefulness.
    In delight, they enter the palace of the king.

¹⁶ O king, in this place where your ancestors reigned, you will have sons;
    you will make them princes throughout all the land.
¹⁷ I will make sure your name is remembered by all future generations
    so that the people will offer you thanks and praise now and forever.

¹ God is our shelter and our strength.
    When troubles seem near, God is nearer, and He’s ready to help.
So why run and hide?
² No fear, no pacing, no biting fingernails.
    When the earth spins out of control, we are sure and fearless.
    When mountains crumble and the waters run wild, we are sure and fearless.
³ Even in heavy winds and huge waves,
    or as mountains shake, we are sure and fearless.

[pause]^[k]

⁴ A pure stream flows—never to be cut off—
    bringing joy to the city where God makes His home,
    the sacred site where the Most High chooses to live.
⁵ The True God never sleeps and always resides in the city of joy;
    He makes it unstoppable, unshakable.
    When it awakes at dawn, the True God has already been at work.
⁶ Trouble is on the horizon for the outside nations, not long until kingdoms will fall;
    God’s voice thunders and the earth shakes.
⁷ You know the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, surrounds us and protects us;
    the True God of Jacob is our shelter, close to His heart.

[pause]

⁸ Come, gaze, fix your eyes on what the Eternal can do.
    Amazing, He has worked desolation here on this battlefield, earth.
⁹ God can stop wars anywhere in the world.
    He can make scrap of all weapons: snap bows, shatter spears,
    and burn shields.
¹⁰ “Be still, be calm, see, and understand I am the True God.
    I am honored among all the nations.
    I am honored over all the earth.”
¹¹ You know the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, surrounds us and protects us;
    the True God of Jacob is our shelter, close to His heart.

[pause]

[pause]^[l]

⁵ The True God ascends the throne acclaimed by shouts of the people.
    The Eternal is announced by the blast of a trumpet.
⁶ Sing! Shout! Play instruments!
    Praise our God and King; sing praises to Him who is worthy.
⁷ For He is the King of all the earth. Sing praise, all who can.
    Put words to music, and then sing praises
⁸ At the feet of the God who sits on His holy throne,
    ruling over all the nations.
⁹ All those with influence in this world—princes, kings, and satraps—
    gather with those who follow Abraham’s God.
For these defenders belong to God
    who reigns over the nations!

⁴ Not long ago, enemy kings gathered together
    and moved forward as one to attack the city.
⁵ When they saw Mount Zion, they were amazed;
    amazement became fear, then panic. They fled for their lives.
⁶ They were overtaken by terror, trembling in anguish
    like a woman in childbirth.
⁷ God, You shattered the ships of Tarshish
    with the mighty east wind.
⁸ As we have heard stories of Your greatness,
    now we have also seen it with our own eyes
    right here, in the city of the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies.
Right here, in our God’s city,
    the True God will preserve her forever.

[pause]^[n]

⁹ We have meditated upon Your loyal love, O God,
    within Your holy temple.
¹⁰ Just as Your name reaches to the ends of the earth, O God,
    so Your praise flows there too;
Your right hand holds justice.
¹¹ So because of Your judgments,
    may Mount Zion be delighted!
    May the villages of Judah celebrate!

¹² Explore Zion; make an accounting,
    note all her towers;
¹³ Reflect upon her defenses;
    stroll through her palaces
So that you can tell the coming generation all about her.
¹⁴ For so is God,
    our True God, forever and ever;
    He will be our guide till the end.

¹ Listen up, everyone!
    All you who reside in this world, give an ear!
² Everyone—rich and poor,
    young and old, wise and foolish, humble and mighty—
³ My mouth will overflow with wisdom;
    the reflections of my heart will guide you to understand the nature of life.
⁴ I will tune my ear to the words of a proverb;
    to the sounds of a harp, I will reveal my riddle.

⁵ Why should I be afraid when dark evils swirl about me,
    when I am walking among the sin of evildoers—
⁶ Those who depend on their own fortunes,
    who boast about their earthly riches?
⁷ One person can’t grant salvation to another
    or make a payment to the True God for another.
⁸ Redeeming a life is costly;
    no premium is enough, ever enough,
⁹ That one’s body might live on forever
    and never fear the grave’s decay.

¹⁰ Everyone knows that even the wisest ones die,
    perishing together with the foolish and the stupid.
For all die—beggars and kings, fools and wise men.
    Their wealth remains behind for others.
¹¹ Although they wish to dwell in fine houses forever,
    their graves are their real resting places.
    Their homes are for all future generations,
    yet for a while they have named lands after themselves.
¹² [No one, regardless of how rich or important, can live forever;
    he is]^[o] just like the animals that perish and decay.

¹³ This is the destiny of those foolish souls who have faith only in themselves;
    this will be the end of those happy to follow in their ways.

[pause]^[p]

¹⁴ The fate of fools is the grave, and just like sheep,
    death will feast on them.
The righteous will rule over them at dawn,
    their bodies, their outward forms, rotting in the grave
    far away from their great mansions.
¹⁵ But God will reach into the grave and save my life from its power.
    He will fetch me and take me into His eternal house.

[pause]

¹⁶ Do not be afraid of the rich and powerful
    as their prestige and honor grow,
¹⁷ For they cannot take anything with them when they die.
    Their fame and glory will not follow them into the grave.
¹⁸ During their lives, they seek every blessing and advantage
    because others praise you when you’ve done well.
¹⁹ But they will soon join their ancestors, for all of time,
    among the tombs of the faithless—a place of no light.
²⁰ Anyone who is rich or important without understanding
    is just like the animals that perish and decay.

³ Our God will come, and He will not enter on a whisper.
    A fire will devour the earth before Him;
    the wind will storm wildly about Him.
⁴ He calls heaven above and earth below
    to assist in bringing judgment on His people.
⁵ “Gather up those who are aligned with Me; bring them to Me;
    bring everyone who belongs to Me who have made covenant sacrifice.”
⁶ And the heavens shout of His justice,
    for He is the True God, an honest judge.

[pause]^[q]

⁷ “Listen, My people, I have something to say:
    O Israel, My testimony comes against you;
    I am God, your God.
⁸ I am not going to scold you because of your sacrifices;
    your burnt offerings are always before Me.
⁹ I will not accept the best bull from your fields
    or goats from your meadow,
¹⁰ For they are already Mine, just as the forest beast
    and the cattle grazing over a thousand hills are Mine.
¹¹ Every bird flying over the mountains I know;
    every animal roaming over the fields belongs to Me.

¹² I would not come to you if I were hungry,
    for the world and all it contains are Mine.
¹³ Do you really think I eat bull meat?
    Or drink goat’s blood?
¹⁴ Set out a sacrifice I can accept: your thankfulness.
    Be true to your word to the Most High.
¹⁵ When you are in trouble, call for Me.
    I will come and rescue you,
    and you will honor Me.”

¹⁶ But to those acting against Him, God says,
    “Who do you think you are?
    Listing off My laws,
    acting as if your life is in alignment with My ways?
¹⁷ For it’s clear that you despise My guidance;
    you throw My wise words over your shoulder.
¹⁸ You play with thieves,
    spend your time with adulterers.

¹⁹ Evil runs out of your mouth;
    your tongue is wrapped in deceit.
²⁰ You sit back and gossip about your brother;
    you slander your mother’s son.
²¹ While you did these things, I kept silent;
    somehow you got the idea that I was like you.
But now My silence ends, and I am going to indict you.
    I’ll state the charge against you clearly, face-to-face.

²² All you who have forgotten Me, your God, should think about what I have said,
    or I will tear you apart and leave no one to save you.
²³ Set out a sacrifice I can accept: your thankfulness.
    Do this, and you will honor Me.
    Those who straighten up their lives
    will know the saving grace of God.”

¹ Look on me with a heart of mercy, O God,
    according to Your generous love.
According to Your great compassion,
    wipe out every consequence of my shameful crimes.
² Thoroughly wash me, inside and out, of all my crooked deeds.
    Cleanse me from my sins.

³ For I am fully aware of all I have done wrong,
    and my guilt is there, staring me in the face.
⁴ It was against You, only You, that I sinned,
    for I have done what You say is wrong, right before Your eyes.
So when You speak, You are in the right.
    When You judge, Your judgments are pure and true.^[r]
5 For I was guilty from the day I was born,
    a sinner from the time my mother became pregnant with me.

⁶ But still, You long to enthrone truth throughout my being;
    in unseen places deep within me, You show me wisdom.
⁷ Cleanse me of my wickedness with hyssop, and I will be clean.
    If You wash me, I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Help me hear joy and happiness as my accompaniment,
    so my bones, which You have broken, will dance in delight instead.
⁹ Cover Your face so You will not see my sins,
    and erase my guilt from the record.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God;
    restore within me a sense of being brand new.
¹¹ Do not throw me far away from Your presence,
    and do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Give back to me the deep delight of being saved by You;
    let Your willing Spirit sustain me.

¹³ If You do, I promise to teach rebels Your ways
    and help sinners find their way back to You.
¹⁴ Free me from the guilt of murder, of shedding a man’s blood,
    O God who saves me.
    Now my tongue, which was used to destroy, will be used to sing with deep delight of how right and just You are.

¹⁵ O Lord, pry open my lips
    that this mouth will sing joyfully of Your greatness.
¹⁶ I would surrender my dearest possessions or destroy all that I prize to prove my regret,
    but You don’t take pleasure in sacrifices or burnt offerings.
¹⁷ What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit
    because a broken spirit, O God,
    a heart that honestly regrets the past,
You won’t detest.

¹⁸ Be good to Zion; grant her Your favor.
    Make Jerusalem’s walls steady and strong.
¹⁹ Then there will be sacrifices made,
    burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings,
With right motives that will delight You.
    And costly young bulls will be offered up to Your altar, only the best.

¹ Why do you boast of all the trouble you stir up, O mighty one,
    when the constant, unfailing love of God is what truly lasts?
² Have you listened to yourself?
    Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
    full of lies that slash and tear right to the soul.
³ You’ve fallen in love with evil and have no interest in what He calls good.
    You prefer your own lies to speaking what is true.

[pause]^[t]

⁴ You love words that destroy people, don’t you,
    lying tongue?

⁵ You won’t be smiling
    when the True God brings His justice and destroys you forever.
    He will come into your home, snatch you away,
    and pull you from the land of the living.

[pause]

⁶ Those who are just will see what happens to you and be afraid.
    And some of them will laugh and say,
⁷ “Hey, look! Over there is the one who didn’t take
    shelter in the True God;
Instead, he trusted in his great wealth
    and got what he wanted by destroying others!”

⁸ But my life is abundant—like a lush olive tree
    cared for at the house of the one True God.
I put my trust in His kind love
    forever and ever; it will never fail.
⁹ Because of all You have done,
    I will humble myself and thank You forever.
With Your faithful people at my side,
    I will put my hope in Your good reputation.

² From heaven the one True God examines the earth
    to see if any understand the big picture,
    if any seek to know the True God.

³ All have turned back to their wicked ways; they’ve become totally perverse.
    Not one of them does good,
    not even one.

⁴ Do the wicked relish their ignorance,
    the wicked ones who consume My people as if they were bread
    and fail to call upon the True God?

⁵ They trembled with great fear,
    though they’d never been afraid before,
Because the True God ravaged the bones of those who rose against you.
    You humiliated them because the True God spat them out.

⁶ Oh, that the liberation of Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the True God reclaims His people,
    let Jacob celebrate; let Israel rejoice.

¹ Liberate me, O God, by the authority of Your name.
    Vindicate me through Your legendary power.
² Hear my prayer, O God;
    let the words of my mouth reach Your sympathetic ear.

³ The truth is, these strangers are rallying against me;
    cold-blooded men seek to slay me;
    they have no respect for You.

[pause]^[x]

⁴ But see now! God comes to rescue me;
    the Lord is my valiant supporter.
⁵ He will repay my enemies for the harm they have done; they are doomed!
    According to Your faithful promises, silence them.

⁶ I will sacrifice to You willingly;
    I will lift Your name by shouts of thanksgiving, O Eternal One, for Your name is good.
⁷ God has pulled me out from every one of the troubles that encompass me,
    and I have seen what it means to stand over my enemies in triumph.

⁴ My heart seizes within my chest; I am in anguish!
    I am terrified my life could end on any breath.
⁵ I shiver and shudder in fear;
    I can’t stop because this horror is just too much.
⁶ I said, “If only my arms were wings like the dove’s!
    I would fly away from here and find rest—
⁷ Yes, I would venture far
    and weave a nest in the wilderness.

[pause]^[z]

⁸ “I would rush to take refuge
    away from the violent storm and pounding winds.”

⁹ Throw them off, O Lord. Confuse their speech, and frustrate their plans,
    for violence and contention are building within the city.
I can see it with my own eyes.
¹⁰ They plot day and night, scurrying the city walls like rats,
    trouble and evil lurking everywhere.
¹¹ In the heart of the city, destruction awaits.
    Oppression and lies swarm the streets,
    and they will not take leave; no, they will not go.

¹² If it were just an enemy sneering at me,
    I could take it.
If it were just someone who has always hated me, treating me like dirt,
    I’d simply hide away.
¹³ But it is you! A man like me,
    my old friend, my companion.
¹⁴ We enjoyed sweet conversation,
    walking together in the house of God among the pressing crowds.
¹⁵ Let death sneak up on them,
    swallow them alive into the pit of death.
    Why? Because evil stirs in their homes; evil is all around them.
¹⁶ But I, I shall call upon God,
    and by His word, the Eternal shall save me.
¹⁷ Evening, morning, and noon I will plead;
    I will grumble and moan before Him
    until He hears my voice.
¹⁸ And He will rescue my soul, untouched,
    plucked safely from the battle,
    despite the many who are warring against me.
¹⁹ God, enthroned from ancient times through eternity,
    will hear my prayers and strike them down.

[pause]

For they have refused change;
    they supply their every need and have no fear of God.

²⁰ My friend has become a foe, breaking faith, tearing down peace.
    He’s betrayed our covenant.
²¹ Oh, how his pleasant voice is smoother than butter,
    while his heart is enchanted by war.
Oh, how his words are smoother than oil,
    and yet each is a sword drawn in his hand.

²² Cast your troubles upon the Eternal;
    His care is unceasing!
He will not allow
    His righteous to be shaken.

²³ But You, O God, You will drive them
    into the lowest^[aa] pit—
Violent, lying people
    won’t live beyond their middle years.
But I place my trust in You.

¹ Show mercy to me, O God, because people are crushing me—
    grinding me down like dirt underfoot—all day long.
    No matter what I do, I can’t get myself out from under them.
² My enemies are crushing me, yes all day long, O Highest of High,
    for many come proud and raise their hands against me.
³ When struck by fear,
    I let go, depending securely upon You alone.
⁴ In God—whose word I praise—
    in God I place my trust. I shall not let fear come in,
    for what can measly men do to me?
⁵ All day long they warp my words;
    all their thoughts against me are mangled by evil.
⁶ They conspire, then lurk about.
    They eye my every move,
Waiting to steal my very life.
⁷ Because they are wicked through and through, drag them out.
    In Your just anger, O God, cast them down!

⁸ You have taken note of my journey through life,
    caught each of my tears in Your bottle.
    But God, are they not also blots on Your book?
⁹ Then my enemies shall turn back and scatter
    on the day I call out to You.
    This I know for certain: God is on my side.
¹⁰ In God whose word I praise
    and in the Eternal whose word I praise—
¹¹ In God I have placed my trust. I shall not let fear come in,
    for what can measly men do to me?

¹² I am bound by Your promise, O God.
    My life is my offering of thanksgiving to You,
¹³ For You have saved my soul from the darkness of death,
    steadied my feet from stumbling
So I might continue to walk before God,
    embraced in the light of the living.

¹ Mercy. May Your mercy come to me, O God,
    for my soul is safe within You, the guardian of my life.
I will seek protection in the shade of Your wings
    until the destruction has passed.
² I cry out to God, the Most High,
    to God who always does what is good for me.
³ Out of heaven my rescue comes.
    He dispatches His mercy and truth
And goes after whoever tries to run over me.

[pause]^[af]

⁴ I am surrounded by lions;
    I lie in a den of ravenous beasts.
Those around me have spears and arrows for teeth,
    a sharpened blade for a tongue.

⁵ O God, be lifted up above the heavens;
    may Your glory cover the earth.

⁶ Yet my foes cast a net to catch my feet and bring me to my knees.
    I am weary from all of this.
They dug a pit to snare me
    but fell into their own trap.

[pause]

⁷ My heart is ready, O God;
    my heart is ready,
And I will sing!
    Yes, I will sing praise!
⁸ Wake up, my glory!
    Wake up, harp and lyre;
    I will stir the sleepy dawn with praise!
⁹ I will offer You my thanks, O Lord, before the nations of the world;
    I will sing of Your greatness no matter where I am.
¹⁰ For Your amazing mercy ascends far into the heavens;
    Your truth rises above the clouds.
¹¹ O God, be lifted up above the heavens;
    may Your glory cover the earth.

³ Evildoers are naturally offensive, wayward at birth!
    They were born telling lies and willfully wandering from the truth.
⁴ Their bite is painful; their venom is like the deadly poison of a snake;
    they are like a cobra that closes up its ears
⁵ To escape the voice of the charmers,
    no matter how enchanting the spells may be.

⁶ O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths!
    Render the young lions harmless; break out their fangs, O Eternal One.
⁷ Let them run off like the waters of a flood,
    and though they aim their arrows, let them fly without their heads.
⁸ Let them melt like a snail that oozes along;
    may they be like a stillborn that never catches its first breath, never sees the sun.
⁹ Before your cook pots know the furious flame of a fire of thorns—
    whether green or burning—He will blow the wicked away.

¹⁰ Cheers will rise as the right-living watch Him settle the score,
    their feet washed in the blood after the onslaught of the wicked.
¹¹ And it will be heard, “Those who seek justice will be rewarded.
    Indeed, there is a God who brings justice to the earth!”

¹ Rescue me! Save me, O my God, from my enemies;
    set me in a safe place, far above any who come to attack me.
² Rescue me from those malicious people,
    and save me from blood-thirsty murderers.

³ They have staked out my life; they are going to ambush me!
    Those brutes are aligned, ready to attack me
For no good cause, my Eternal One.
    I have not crossed them.
⁴ I’ve done nothing wrong, yet they rush ahead to start the assault.
    I beg You to help me; come and see for Yourself!
⁵ I plead with You, Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies, True God of Israel,
    to get up and punish these people;
    do not let any betrayer off the hook; show no mercy to malicious evildoers!

[pause]^[ak]

⁶ Treacherous souls return to the city in the evening;
    they prowl about,
    howling like dogs.
⁷ Watch them! Snarling, dribbling their malicious insults.
    Their words cut loose from their lips like swords,
    and in their backstabbing they say, “Who’s listening anyway?”

⁸ But You, O Eternal One, laugh at them;
    You make fun of all the nations.
⁹ I will watch for You, for You keep me strong.
    God, You are my security!
¹⁰ My God is one step ahead of me with His mercy;
    He will show me the victory I desire over my enemies.
¹¹ Don’t wipe them out, or my people may one day forget.
    Instead, use Your power to scatter and bring them to ruin.
    O Lord, You are our protection.
¹² Sin pours from their mouths, cruel words from their lips.
    May they be caught in their pride.
For their foul curses and lies,
¹³     devour them with Your wrath,
    eat them up, leave no one alive.
Then people will surely know that the one True God rules over Jacob,
    even to the far ends of the earth.

[pause]

¹⁴ Treacherous souls return to the city in the evening;
    they prowl about,
    howling like dogs.
¹⁵ They search through the city, scavenging for meat
    as they growl and grumble in dissatisfaction.

¹⁶ But me? I will sing of Your strength.
    I will awake with the sun to sing of Your loving mercy
Because in my most troubled hour,
    You defended me. You were my shelter.
¹⁷ I will lift my voice to sing Your praise, O my Strength—
    for You came to my defense.
    O God, You have shown me Your loving mercy.

¹ God, You have turned away from us;
    You have shattered us into a million tiny pieces;
    You have boiled with anger.
    Now put us back together, and refresh us with Your mercy.
² You have made the earth shake; You have cracked it open effortlessly.
    Heal the fissures in the earth, for it is unsteady.
³ You have caused Your people to suffer;
    You have provided us with wine that makes us stagger.

⁴ You have unfurled a banner for those who revere You,
    a signal to gather in safety out of the enemy’s reach.

[pause]^[an]

⁵ So that Your treasured ones may be saved,
    rescue us with Your right hand, and answer our pleas!

⁶ God’s voice has been heard in His holy sanctuary:
    “I will celebrate; I will allocate Shechem
    and the Succoth Valley to My people.
⁷ Gilead belongs to Me, and so does Manasseh;
    Ephraim is the helmet that protects My head;
    Judah is the scepter through which I rule;
⁸ Moab is the washpot in which I rinse My feet.
    I will throw My shoe over Edom in conquest;
    prepare for My victory, Philistia. Cry out because of Me!”

⁹ But who will take me into the fortified city?
    Who will lead me into Edom?
¹⁰ Have You not turned Your back on us, O God?
    Will You stay away and not accompany our armies, O God?
¹¹ Help us against our enemy; we need Your help!
    It’s useless to trust in the hand of man for liberation.
¹² Only through God can we be successful.
    It is God alone who will defeat our enemies and bring us victory!

⁴ Let me live in Your sanctuary forever;
    let me find safety in the shadow of Your wings.

[pause]^[ao]

⁵ You have heard the promises I made, O God.
    You have laid upon me the legacy due to those who fear Your name.

⁶ Extend the king’s life, day after day;
    increase his years for many generations.
⁷ May he be ever present before God,
    attended and guarded by Your loyal love and truth.

⁸ So I will never stop singing Your praise;
    as long as I live, I will fulfill my promise.

³ How long will you attack a man?
    How long will all of you strive to crush your prey
    when he’s like a leaning fence or a wall on the verge of collapse?
⁴ Their only purpose in life is to knock him down from his prominent position;
    they love deceit.
When others are around, they speak a blessing on someone,
    but inwardly they are mumbling a curse.

[pause]

⁵ My soul quietly waits for the True God alone
    because I hope only in Him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and deliverance,
    my citadel high on a hill;
    I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my significance depend ultimately on God;
    the core of my strength, my shelter, is in the True God.

⁸ Have faith in Him in all circumstances, dear people.
    Open up your heart to Him;
    the True God shelters us in His arms.

[pause]

⁹ Human beings disappear like a breath;
    even people of rank live artificial lives.
Their weight is that of a breath in a balance—nothing.
    Added together, they’re still lighter than air.
¹⁰ Do not resort to oppression;
    resist the temptation of ill-gotten gain.
    If you achieve wealth, don’t let your heart get attached.

¹¹ The True God spoke this once,
    and twice I’ve heard:
That You, the True God, hold all power;
¹² Your love never fails, O Lord,
    for You pay every person back
    according to his deeds.

⁵ My soul overflows with satisfaction, as when I feast on foods rich in marrow and fat;
    with excitement in my heart and joy on my lips, I offer You praise.
⁶ Often at night I lie in bed and remember You,
    meditating on Your greatness till morning smiles through my window.
⁷ You have been my constant helper;
    therefore, I sing for joy under the protection of Your wings.
⁸ My soul clings to You;
    Your right hand reaches down and holds me up.

⁹ But as for those who try to destroy my life,
    they will descend into eternal shadows, deep beneath the earth.
¹⁰ They will fall by the sword,
    and wild dogs will feast on their corpses.
¹¹ But the king will find his joy in the True God;
    all who make pledges and invoke His name will celebrate,
    while the mindless prattle of cheaters and deceivers will be silenced.

⁷ But without hesitation the True God will shoot at them;
    His arrow will surely wound them.
⁸ He will use their very own words to bring them to destruction;
    all who see will be appalled at what happens to them.
⁹ Then everyone will fear the True God;
    they will proclaim His deeds
    and will reflect upon all He has done.

¹⁰ The righteous will delight in the Eternal
    and will take shelter in Him.
All those with an honest heart will glorify Him!

⁵ You leave us breathless when Your awesome works answer us by putting everything right.
    God of our liberation—
You are the hope of all creation, from the far corners of the earth
    to distant life-giving oceans.
⁶ With immense power, You erected mountains.
    Wrapped in strength, You compelled
⁷ Choppy seas,
    crashing waves,
    and crowds of people
To sit in astonished silence.
⁸ Those who inhabit the boundaries of the earth are awed by Your signs,
    strong and subtle hints of Your indelible presence.
Even the dawn and dusk respond to You with joy.

⁹ You spend time on the good earth,
    watering and nourishing the networks of the living.
God’s river is full of water!
    By preparing the land,
    You have provided us grain for nourishment.
¹⁰ You are the gentle equalizer: soaking the furrows,
    smoothing soil’s ridges,
Softening sun-baked earth with generous showers,
    blessing the fruit of the ground.
¹¹ You crown the year with a fruitful harvest;
    the paths are worn down by carts overflowing with unstoppable growth.
¹² Barren desert pastures yield fruit;
    craggy hills are now dressed for celebration.
¹³ Meadows are clothed with frolicking flocks of lambs;
    valleys are covered with a carpet of autumn-harvest grain;
    the land shouts and sings in joyous celebration.

[pause]^[ap]

⁵ Come and witness the True God’s endless works.
    His miraculous deeds done on behalf of humanity inspire fear.
⁶ He transformed the sea into dry land;
    our people passed through the river on foot!
Rejoice in Him; celebrate what He did there!
⁷ By His great might, He rules forever;
    His eyes watch over all the nations,
    so no one should go up against Him.

[pause]

⁸ Everyone, bless our True God!
    Let praise-filled voices be heard near and far—at home and on foreign soil!
⁹ Praise the One who gives us life and keeps us safe,
    who does not allow us to stumble in the darkness.
¹⁰ For You have put us to the test, O God;
    You have refined us as silver is refined.
¹¹ You trapped us with a snare;
    You have laid upon our backs a heavy burden.
¹² You allowed us to be conquered and let our enemies run over us.
    We journeyed through dangers, through fire and flood,
But You led us finally to a safe place, a land rich and abundant.

¹³ I will come into Your temple with burnt offerings;
    I will fulfill my promises to You—
¹⁴ The oaths that parted my lips
    and were promises my mouth freely made when I was suffering and in anguish.
¹⁵ I will bring You my sacrifices—plump beasts
    and the sweet smoke of consecrated rams—
I will also offer You bulls and goats.

[pause]

¹⁶ Come and listen, everyone who reveres the True God,
    and I will tell you what He has done for me.
¹⁷ I cried out to Him with my mouth,
    and I praised Him with my tongue.
¹⁸ If I entertain evil in my heart,
    the Lord will not hear me.
¹⁹ But surely God has heard me;
    He has paid attention to the urgency of my request.

²⁰ May the True God be blessed,
    for He did not turn away from my prayer
    nor did He hold back His loyal love from me.

¹ May God pour His grace and blessings into us
    and turn His face to shine His light on us.

[pause]^[aq]

² So all those on earth will learn to follow Your way
    and see Your saving power come to redeem all nations.
³ May all people live to praise You, Our True God;
    may all come to praise You.

⁴ May all nations celebrate together, singing joy-filled songs of praise to You
    because You judge the people fairly
    and give guidance to all the nations of the earth.

[pause]

⁵ May the people praise You with their whole hearts, O God;
    may every man, woman, and child on the earth praise You.

⁶ The land has supplied a bountiful harvest,
    and the True God, our God, has poured out His blessings to us all.
⁷ God is the source of our blessings;
    may every corner of the earth respect and revere Him.

¹ May the True God rise up and show Himself;
    may those who are united against Him be dispersed,
    while the people who hate Him run away at the sight of Him.
² As smoke disappears when it is blown by the wind,
    may You blow away Your enemies forever.
As wax melts in the presence of fire,
    may the wicked heart melt away in God’s presence.
³ But may those who are righteous rejoice
    in the presence of the True God—so may they be glad and rejoice.
    Yes, let them celebrate with joy!

⁴ Sing songs of praise to the name that belongs to the True God!
    Let your voices ring out in songs of praise to Him, the One who rides through the deserted places.
His name is the Eternal;
    celebrate in His glorious presence.

⁵ The True God who inhabits sacred space
    is a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.
⁶ He makes a home for those who are alone.
    He frees the prisoners and leads them to prosper.
Yet those who rebel against Him live in the barren land without His blessings and prosperity.

⁷ O True God, when You led Your enslaved people from Egypt,
    when You journeyed with us through the wilderness,

[pause]^[ar]

⁸ The whole world trembled! The sky poured down rain
    at the power of Your presence; even Mount Sinai trembled in Your presence,
    the presence of the True God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You sent a heavy downpour to soak the ground, O True God.
    You refreshed the land—the land Your people would inherit—when it was parched and dry.
¹⁰ Your covenant people made their homes in the land,
    and because You are so good, You provided for those crushed by poverty, O True God.

¹¹ The Lord gives the word;
    there are very many women ready to tell the good news:
¹² “Kings who lead the armies are on the run!
    They are on the run!
And the woman who stays at home is ready, too,
    ready to enjoy the treasures that they’ve left behind!”
¹³ When they lay down among the campfires and open the saddlebags, imagine what they’ll find—
    a beautiful dove, its wings covered with silver,
    its feathers a shimmering gold.

¹⁴ When the Almighty scattered the kings from that place,
    it was snowing in Zalmon.

¹⁵ O Mount Bashan, you mighty mountain of the True God;
    mountain of many peaks, O Mount Bashan.
¹⁶ Why are you so jealous, O mountain of many peaks,
    when you look at the mountain the True God has chosen as His dwelling place?
    The Eternal will surely abide on Mount Zion forever.

¹⁷ The chariots of God are innumerable;
    there are thousands upon thousands of them.
The Lord is in their midst, just as He was at Mount Sinai.
    He has come into the holy place.
¹⁸ When You ascended the sacred mountain,
    with Your prisoners in tow, Your captives in chains,
    You sat in triumph receiving gifts from men,
Even from those who rebel against You, so that You, the Eternal God, might take up residence there.
¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord
    who carries our heavy loads every day,
    the True God who is our salvation.

[pause]

²⁰ We know our God is the God who delivers us,
    and the Eternal, the Lord, is the One who saves us from the grip of death.

²¹ The True God will certainly shatter the skulls of those who oppose Him;
    He’ll smash the hairy head of the man who continues on his sinful ways.
²² The Lord said,
    “I will bring the enemy back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the deepest parts of the sea,
²³ So that you may plant your feet in their blood
    and your dogs may lick up their portion of the foe.”
²⁴ The solemn march in Your honor, O True God, has come into view;
    the march that celebrates my God, my King, has come into the sanctuary.
²⁵ The singers went first, and the musicians came last
    between rows of girls who played tambourines.
²⁶ Come, let us gather to bless the True God
    and to praise the Eternal, He who is the fountain of Israel, the source of our life!
²⁷ Look! There are the rulers of Benjamin, the youngest in the lead.
    A great crowd follows
The princes of Judah,
    the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

²⁸ [Your God is the One who has given you strength];^[as]
    show Your power, O True God, as You have done for us.
²⁹ Because of Your magnificent temple in Jerusalem,
    many kings will line up to bring You gifts.
³⁰ Reprimand the beasts in the tall grass,
    the herds of bulls that are with the people’s calves,
Trampling over the pieces of silver.
    He has driven out the people who love to be at war.
³¹ Ambassadors will come from Egypt;
    the people of Ethiopia^[at] will reach out their hands to the one True God.

³² Let all the kingdoms of the earth sing to the True God.
    Sing songs of praise to the Lord.

[pause]

³³ To Him who rides high up beyond the heavens, which have been since ancient times,
    watch and listen. His voice speaks, and it is powerful and strong.
³⁴ Attribute power to the one True God;
    His royal splendor is evident over Israel,
    and His power courses through the clouds.
³⁵ O True God, You are awesome from the holy place where You dwell.
    The True God of Israel Himself
    grants strength and power to His people.

Blessed be our God!

¹ Reach down for me, True God; deliver me.
    The waters have risen to my neck; I am going down!
² My feet are swallowed in this murky bog;
    I am sinking—there is no sturdy ground.
I am in the deep;
    the floods are crashing in!
³ I am weary of howling;
    my throat is scratched dry.
I still look for my God
    even though my eyes fail.

⁴ My enemies despise me without any cause;
    they outnumber the hairs on my head.
They torment me with their power;
    they have absolutely no reason to hate me.
Now I am set to pay for crimes
    I have never committed!
⁵ O True God, my foolish ways are plain before You;
    my mistakes—no, nothing can be hidden from You.

⁶ Don’t let Your hopeful followers face disgrace because of me,
    O Lord, Eternal One, Commander of heaven’s armies;
Don’t let Your seekers be shamed on account of me,
    O True God of Israel.
⁷ I have been mocked when I stood up for You;
    I cower, shamefaced.
⁸ You know my brothers and sisters?
    They now reject me—they act as if I never existed.
    I’m like a stranger to my own family.

⁹ And here’s why: I am consumed with You, completely devoted to protecting Your house;
    when they insult You, they insult me.
¹⁰ When I mourn and discipline my soul by fasting,
    they deride me.
¹¹ And when I put on sackcloth,
    they mock me.
¹² Those who sit at the gate gossip about me;
    I am shamed by the slurred songs of drunkards.

¹³ But, Eternal One, I just pray the time is right
    that You would hear me. And, True God,
    because You are enduring love, that You would answer.
In Your faithfulness, please, save me.
¹⁴ Pluck me from this murky bog;
    don’t let it pull me down!
Pull me from this rising water;
    take me away from my enemies to dry land.
¹⁵ Don’t let the flood take me under
    or let me, Your servant, be swallowed into the deep
    or let the yawning pit seal me in!

¹⁶ O Eternal One, hear me. Answer me. For Your enduring love is good comfort;
    in Your great mercy, turn toward me.
¹⁷ Yes, shine Your face upon me, Your servant;
    put an end to my anguish—don’t wait another minute.
¹⁸ Come near; rescue me!
    Set me free from my enemies.

¹⁹ You know all my opponents;
    You see them, see the way they treat me—
    humiliating me with insults, trying to disgrace me.
²⁰ All this ridicule has broken my heart,
    killed my spirit.
I searched for sympathy, and I came up empty.
    I looked for supporters, but there was no one.
²¹ Even more, they gave me poison for my food
    and offered me only sour vinegar to drink.

²² Let them be ambushed at the dinner table,
    caught in a trap when they least expect it.
²³ Cloud their vision so they cannot see;
    make their bodies shake, their knees knock in terror.
²⁴ Pour out Your fiery wrath upon them!
    Make a clean sweep; engulf them with Your flaming fury.
²⁵ May their camps be bleak
    with not one left in any tent.
²⁶ Because they have persecuted the one You have struck,
    add insult to those whom You have wounded.
²⁷ Compound their sins; don’t let them off the hook!
    Keep them from entering into Your mercy.
²⁸ Blot out their names from Your book of life
    so they will not be recorded alongside those who are upright before You.
²⁹ I am living in pain; I’m suffering,
    so save me, True God, and keep me safe in troubled times!

³⁰ The name of the True God will be my song,
    an uplifting tune of praise and thanksgiving!
³¹ My praise will please the Eternal more than if I were to sacrifice an ox
    or the finest bull. (Horns, hooves, and all!)
³² Those who humbly serve will see and rejoice!
    All you seekers-after-God will revive your souls!
³³ The Eternal listens to the prayers of the poor
    and has regard for His people held in bondage.

³⁴ All God’s creation: join together in His praise! All heaven, all earth,
    all seas, all creatures of the ocean deep!
³⁵ The True God will save Zion
    and rebuild the cities of Judah
So that His servants may own it and live there once again.
³⁶ Their children and children’s children shall have it as their inheritance,
    and those who love His name will live in it.

⁴ But let those who pursue You
    celebrate and have joy because of You.
And let the song of those who love Your saving grace
    never cease: “God is great!”
⁵ But I am poor and in serious need,
    so hurry to my side, God,
Because You are my helper, my liberator.
    Eternal One, please don’t wait.

⁴ Save me from the power of sinful people, O my God,
    from the grip of unjust and cruel men.
⁵ For You are my hope, Eternal One;
    You, Lord, have been the source of my confidence since I was young.
⁶ I have leaned upon You since I came into this world;
    I have relied on You since You took me safely from my mother’s body,
So I will ever praise You.

⁷ Many find me a mystery,
    but You are my rock and my shelter—my soul’s asylum.
⁸ My mouth overflows with praise to You
    and proclaims Your magnificence all day long.
⁹ Do not set me aside when I am old;
    do not abandon me when I am worn out.
¹⁰ For my enemies often voice evil against me;
    those who desire to kill me plot together in secret.
¹¹ They say, “God has abandoned him;
    let’s go after him right now and seize him.
    There’s no one around to rescue him.”

¹² God, stay close by me.
    Come quick, O my God, and help me!
¹³ May my enemies be covered in shame and then die;
    may those who seek to harm me
    be overwhelmed with contempt and disgrace.
¹⁴ But I will keep hope alive,
    and my praise to You will grow exponentially.
¹⁵ I will bear witness to Your merciful acts;
    throughout the day I will speak of all the ways You deliver,
    although, I admit, I do not know the entirety of either.
¹⁶ I will come with stories of Your great acts, my Lord, the Eternal.
    I will remind them of Your justice, only Yours.

¹⁷ You have taught me since I was young, O God,
    and I still proclaim the wonderful things You have done.
¹⁸ Now as I grow old and my hair turns gray,
    I ask that You not abandon me, O God.
Allow me to share with the generation to come
    about Your power;
Let me speak about Your strength and wonders
    to all those yet to be born.
¹⁹ God, Your justice stretches to the heavens,
    You who have done mighty things!
    Who is like You, O God?

²⁰ You have made me see hard times: I’ve experienced many miserable days,
    but You will restore me again.
You will raise me up
    from the deep pit.
²¹ You will greatly increase my status
    and be my comfort once again.

²² I will praise You with music played on a harp
    because You have been faithful, O my God.
I will sing praises to You with the lyre,
    O Holy One of Israel.
²³ I will shout for joy
    as I sing Your praises;
    my soul will celebrate because You have rescued me.
²⁴ All day long I will declare how Your justice saved me,
    for those who have plotted to bring me harm
    are now ashamed and humiliated.

⁵ [May the people fear You]^[av] for as long as the sun shines,
    as long as the moon rises in the night sky, throughout the generations.
⁶ May the king be like the refreshing rains, which fall upon fields of freshly mown grass—
    like showers that cool and nourish the earth.
⁷ May good and honest people flourish for as long as he reigns,
    and may peace fill the land until the moon no longer rises.

⁸ May the king rule from one sea to the next,
    and may his rule extend from the Euphrates River to the far reaches of the earth.
⁹ Let the desert wanderers bow down before him
    and his enemies lay prostrate and taste the dirt.
¹⁰ Let the kings of Tarshish and the island kings
    shower him with gifts
And the kings of Sheba and Seba bring him presents as well.
¹¹ Let every king on earth bow down before him
    and every nation be in his service.
¹² For he will rescue the needy when they ask for help!
    He will save the burdened and come to the aid of those who have no other help.
¹³ He offers compassion to the weak and the poor;
    he will help and protect the lives of the needy!
¹⁴ He will liberate them from the fierce sting of persecution and violence;
    in his eyes, their blood is precious.

¹⁵ May he live a long, long time
    and the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May the people constantly lift up prayers for him,
    and may they call upon God to bless him always.
¹⁶ Let grain grow plentifully in this land of promise,
    let it sway in the breeze on the hilltops,
    let it grow strong as do the cedars of Lebanon,

And may those who live in the city bloom and flourish
    just as the grass of the fields and meadows.
¹⁷ May his name live on forever
    and his reputation grow for as long as the sun gives light.
May people from all nations find in him a blessing;
    may all peoples declare him blessed.

¹⁸ May the Eternal God, the God of Israel, be blessed,
    for He alone works miracles and wonders!
¹⁹ May His glorious name be blessed forever
    and the whole earth be filled with His eternal glory!
Amen. Amen.

²⁰ The prayers of King David, Jesse’s son, are ended.