Psalm 64

Protection from Evildoers

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

God, hear my voice when I complain.(A)
Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.(B)
Hide me from the scheming of wicked people,(C)
from the mob of evildoers,(D)
who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim bitter words like arrows,(E)
shooting from concealed places at the innocent.
They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid.(F)
They encourage each other in an evil plan;[a][b]
they talk about hiding traps and say,
“Who will see them?”[c](G)
They devise crimes and say,
“We have perfected a secret plan.”(H)
The inner man and the heart are mysterious.

But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly, they will be wounded.(I)
They will be made to stumble;
their own tongues work against them.
All who see them will shake their heads.(J)
Then everyone will fear
and will tell about God’s work,
for they will understand what He has done.(K)

10 The righteous one rejoices in the Lord
and takes refuge in Him;
all those who are upright in heart
will offer praise.(L)

Psalm 65

God’s Care for the Earth

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song.

Praise is rightfully Yours,[d]
God, in Zion;
vows to You will be fulfilled.(M)
All humanity will come to You,
the One who hears prayer.(N)
Iniquities overwhelm me;
only You can atone for[e] our rebellions.(O)
How happy is the one You choose
and bring near to live in Your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
the holiness of Your temple.[f](P)

You answer us in righteousness,
with awe-inspiring works,
God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the distant seas.(Q)
You establish the mountains by Your[g] power,
robed with strength.(R)
You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.(S)
Those who live far away are awed by Your signs;
You make east and west shout for joy.(T)

You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God’s stream is filled with water,
for You prepare the earth[h] in this way,
providing people with grain.(U)
10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.(V)
11 You crown the year with Your goodness;
Your ways overflow with plenty.[i](W)
12 The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.(X)
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.(Y)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.(Z)

Psalm 66

Praise for God’s Mighty Acts

For the choir director. A song. A psalm.

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth!(AA)
Sing about the glory of His name;
make His praise glorious.(AB)
Say to God, “How awe-inspiring are Your works!
Your enemies will cringe before You
because of Your great strength.(AC)
All the earth will worship You
and sing praise to You.
They will sing praise to Your name.”(AD)Selah

Come and see the wonders of God;(AE)
His acts for humanity are awe-inspiring.
He turned the sea into dry land,
and they crossed the river on foot.(AF)
There we rejoiced in Him.(AG)
He rules forever by His might;
He keeps His eye on the nations.(AH)
The rebellious should not exalt themselves.(AI)Selah
Praise our God, you peoples;
let the sound of His praise be heard.(AJ)
He keeps us alive[j]
and does not allow our feet to slip.(AK)

10 For You, God, tested us;
You refined us as silver is refined.(AL)
11 You lured us into a trap;
You placed burdens on our backs.(AM)
12 You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but You brought us out to abundance.[k](AN)

13 I will enter Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows(AO)
14 that my lips promised
and my mouth spoke during my distress.(AP)
15 I will offer You fattened sheep as burnt offerings,
with the fragrant smoke of rams;
I will sacrifice oxen with goats.(AQ)Selah

16 Come and listen, all who fear God,
and I will tell what He has done for me.(AR)
17 I cried out to Him with my mouth,
and praise was on my tongue.(AS)
18 If I had been aware of malice in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.(AT)
19 However, God has listened;
He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer.(AU)
20 May God be praised!
He has not turned away my prayer
or turned His faithful love from me.(AV)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 64:5 Or thing; lit word
  2. Psalm 64:5 Or They hold fast to an evil purpose, or They establish for themselves an evil purpose
  3. Psalm 64:5 Or us, or it
  4. Psalm 65:1 Or Praise is silence to You, or Praise awaits You
  5. Psalm 65:3 Or can forgive, or can wipe out
  6. Psalm 65:4 Or house, Your holy temple
  7. Psalm 65:6 Some LXX mss, Vg; MT reads His
  8. Psalm 65:9 Lit prepare it
  9. Psalm 65:11 Lit ways drip with fat
  10. Psalm 66:9 Lit He sets our soul in life
  11. Psalm 66:12 Or a place of satisfaction

Psalm 64[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;(A)
    protect my life from the threat of the enemy.(B)

Hide me from the conspiracy(C) of the wicked,(D)
    from the plots of evildoers.
They sharpen their tongues like swords(E)
    and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.(F)
They shoot from ambush at the innocent;(G)
    they shoot suddenly, without fear.(H)

They encourage each other in evil plans,
    they talk about hiding their snares;(I)
    they say, “Who will see it[b]?”(J)
They plot injustice and say,
    “We have devised a perfect plan!”
    Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

But God will shoot them with his arrows;
    they will suddenly be struck down.
He will turn their own tongues against them(K)
    and bring them to ruin;
    all who see them will shake their heads(L) in scorn.(M)
All people will fear;(N)
    they will proclaim the works of God
    and ponder what he has done.(O)

10 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord(P)
    and take refuge in him;(Q)
    all the upright in heart will glory in him!(R)

Psalm 65[c]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.

Praise awaits[d] you, our God, in Zion;(S)
    to you our vows will be fulfilled.(T)
You who answer prayer,
    to you all people will come.(U)
When we were overwhelmed by sins,(V)
    you forgave[e] our transgressions.(W)
Blessed are those you choose(X)
    and bring near(Y) to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,(Z)
    of your holy temple.

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,(AA)
    God our Savior,(AB)
the hope of all the ends of the earth(AC)
    and of the farthest seas,(AD)
who formed the mountains(AE) by your power,
    having armed yourself with strength,(AF)
who stilled the roaring of the seas,(AG)
    the roaring of their waves,
    and the turmoil of the nations.(AH)
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.(AI)

You care for the land and water it;(AJ)
    you enrich it abundantly.(AK)
The streams of God are filled with water
    to provide the people with grain,(AL)
    for so you have ordained it.[f]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
    you soften it with showers(AM) and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,(AN)
    and your carts overflow with abundance.(AO)
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;(AP)
    the hills are clothed with gladness.(AQ)
13 The meadows are covered with flocks(AR)
    and the valleys are mantled with grain;(AS)
    they shout for joy and sing.(AT)

Psalm 66

For the director of music. A song. A psalm.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!(AU)
    Sing the glory of his name;(AV)
    make his praise glorious.(AW)
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!(AX)
    So great is your power
    that your enemies cringe(AY) before you.
All the earth bows down(AZ) to you;
    they sing praise(BA) to you,
    they sing the praises of your name.”[g]

Come and see what God has done,
    his awesome deeds(BB) for mankind!
He turned the sea into dry land,(BC)
    they passed through(BD) the waters on foot—
    come, let us rejoice(BE) in him.
He rules forever(BF) by his power,
    his eyes watch(BG) the nations—
    let not the rebellious(BH) rise up against him.

Praise(BI) our God, all peoples,
    let the sound of his praise be heard;
he has preserved our lives(BJ)
    and kept our feet from slipping.(BK)
10 For you, God, tested(BL) us;
    you refined us like silver.(BM)
11 You brought us into prison(BN)
    and laid burdens(BO) on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads;(BP)
    we went through fire and water,
    but you brought us to a place of abundance.(BQ)

13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings(BR)
    and fulfill my vows(BS) to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
    when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
    and an offering of rams;
    I will offer bulls and goats.(BT)

16 Come and hear,(BU) all you who fear God;
    let me tell(BV) you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
    his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened;(BW)
19 but God has surely listened
    and has heard(BX) my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
    who has not rejected(BY) my prayer
    or withheld his love from me!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1-10 is numbered 64:2-11.
  2. Psalm 64:5 Or us
  3. Psalm 65:1 In Hebrew texts 65:1-13 is numbered 65:2-14.
  4. Psalm 65:1 Or befits; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Psalm 65:3 Or made atonement for
  6. Psalm 65:9 Or for that is how you prepare the land
  7. Psalm 66:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 15.