PSALM 83

A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, do not keep silence;

do not hold thy peace or be still, O God!

2 For lo, thy enemies are in tumult;

those who hate thee have raised their heads.

3 They lay crafty plans against thy people;

they consult together against thy protected ones.

4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;

let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”

5 Yea, they conspire with one accord;

against thee they make a covenant—

6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8 Assyria also has joined them;

they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. [Selah]

9 Do to them as thou didst to Midian,

as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

10 who were destroyed at En-dor,

who became dung for the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves

of the pastures of God.”

13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,*

like chaff before the wind.

14 As fire consumes the forest,

as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15 so do thou pursue them with thy tempest

and terrify them with thy hurricane!

16 Fill their faces with shame,

that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever;

let them perish in disgrace.

18 Let them know that thou alone,

whose name is the Lord,

art the Most High over all the earth.

PSALM 84

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 How lovely is thy dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

2 My soul longs, yea, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at thy altars, O Lord of hosts,

my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in thy house,

ever singing thy praise! [Selah]

5 Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.r

6 As they go through the valley of Baca

they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength;

the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob! [Selah]

9 Behold our shield, O God;

look upon the face of thine anointed!

10 For a day in thy courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

he bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does the Lord withhold

from those who walk uprightly.

12 O Lord of hosts,

blessed is the man who trusts in thee!

PSALM 85

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Lord, thou wast favorable to thy land;

thou didst restore the fortunes of Jacob.

2 Thou didst forgive the iniquity of thy people;

thou didst pardon all their sin. [Selah]

3 Thou didst withdraw all thy wrath;

thou didst turn from thy hot anger.

4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,

and put away thy indignation toward us!

5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?

Wilt thou prolong thy anger to all generations?

6 Wilt thou not revive us again,

that thy people may rejoice in thee?

7 Show us thy steadfast love, O Lord,

and grant us thy salvation.

8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,

for he will speak peace to his people,

to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts.s

9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,

that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;

righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,

and righteousness will look down from the sky.

12 Yea, the Lord will give what is good,

and our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness will go before him,

and make his footsteps a way.

PSALM 86

A Prayer of David.

1 Incline thy ear, O Lord, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;

save thy servant who trusts in thee.

Thou art my God; 3 be gracious to me, O Lord,

for to thee do I cry all the day.

4 Gladden the soul of thy servant,

for to thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5 For thou, O Lord, art good and forgiving,

abounding in steadfast love to all who call on thee.

6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;

hearken to my cry of supplication.

7 In the day of my trouble I call on thee,

for thou dost answer me.

8 There is none like thee among the gods, O Lord,

nor are there any works like thine.

9 All the nations thou hast made shall come

and bow down before thee, O Lord,

and shall glorify thy name.

10 For thou art great and doest wondrous things,

thou alone art God.

11 Teach me thy way, O Lord,

that I may walk in thy truth;

unite my heart to fear thy name.

12 I give thanks to thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

and I will glorify thy name for ever.

13 For great is thy steadfast love toward me;

thou hast delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

14 O God, insolent men have risen up against me;

a band of ruthless men seek my life,

and they do not set thee before them.

15 But thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

16 Turn to me and take pity on me;

give thy strength to thy servant,

and save the son of thy handmaid.

17 Show me a sign of thy favor,

that those who hate me may see and be put to shame

because thou, Lord, hast helped me and comforted me.

PSALM 87

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. A Song.

1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.

3 Glorious things are spoken of you,

O city of God. [Selah]

4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;

behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia—

“This one was born there,” they say.

5 And of Zion it shall be said,

“This one and that one were born in her”;

for the Most High himself will establish her.

6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples,

“This one was born there.” [Selah]

7 Singers and dancers alike say,

“All my springs are in you.”

PSALM 88

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 O Lord, my God, I call for helpt by day;

I cry out in the night before thee.

2 Let my prayer come before thee,

incline thy ear to my cry!

3 For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the Pit;

I am a man who has no strength,

5 like one forsaken among the dead,

like the slain that lie in the grave,

like those whom thou dost remember no more,

for they are cut off from thy hand.

6 Thou hast put me in the depths of the Pit,

in the regions dark and deep.

7 Thy wrath lies heavy upon me,

and thou dost overwhelm me with all thy waves. [Selah]

8 Thou hast caused my companions to shun me;

thou hast made me a thing of horror to them.

I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call upon thee, O Lord;

I spread out my hands to thee.

10 Dost thou work wonders for the dead?

Do the shades rise up to praise thee? [Selah]

11 Is thy steadfast love declared in the grave,

or thy faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Are thy wonders known in the darkness,

or thy saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry to thee;

in the morning my prayer comes before thee.

14 O Lord, why dost thou cast me off?

Why dost thou hide thy face from me?

15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,

I suffer thy terrors; I am helpless.u

16 Thy wrath has swept over me;

thy dread assaults destroy me.

17 They surround me like a flood all day long;

they close in upon me together.

18 Thou hast caused lover and friend to shun me;

my companions are in darkness.

PSALM 89

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will sing of thy steadfast love, O Lord,v for ever;

with my mouth I will proclaim thy faithfulness to all generations.

2 For thy steadfast love was established for ever,

thy faithfulness is firm as the heavens.

3 Thou hast said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to David my servant:

4 ‘I will establish your descendants for ever,

and build your throne for all generations.’ ” [Selah]

5 Let the heavens praise thy wonders, O Lord,

thy faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?

Who among the heavenly beingsw is like the Lord,

7 a God feared in the council of the holy ones,

great and terriblex above all that are round about him?

8 O Lord God of hosts,

who is mighty as thou art, O Lord,

with thy faithfulness round about thee?

9 Thou dost rule the raging of the sea;

when its waves rise, thou stillest them.

10 Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass,

thou didst scatter thy enemies with thy mighty arm.

11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine;

the world and all that is in it, thou hast founded them.

12 The north and the south, thou hast created them;

Tabor and Hermon joyously praise thy name.

13 Thou hast a mighty arm;

strong is thy hand, high thy right hand.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne;

steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee.

15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance,

16 who exult in thy name all the day,

and extoly thy righteousness.

17 For thou art the glory of their strength;

by thy favor our horn is exalted.

18 For our shield belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Of old thou didst speak in a vision

to thy faithful one, and say:

“I have set the crown* upon one who is mighty,

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him;

21 so that my hand shall ever abide with him,

my arm also shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not outwit him,

the wicked shall not humble him.

23 I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,

and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

25 I will set his hand on the sea

and his right hand on the rivers.

26 He shall cry to me, ‘Thou art my Father,

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

27 And I will make him the first-born,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My steadfast love I will keep for him for ever,

and my covenant will stand firm for him.

29 I will establish his line for ever

and his throne as the days of the heavens.

30 If his children forsake my law

and do not walk according to my ordinances,

31 if they violate my statutes

and do not keep my commandments,

32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod

and their iniquity with scourges;

33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love,

or be false to my faithfulness.

34 I will not violate my covenant,

or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;

I will not lie to David.

36 His line shall endure for ever,

his throne as long as the sun before me.

37 Like the moon it shall be established for ever;

it shall stand firm while the skies endure.”a [Selah]

38 But now thou hast cast off and rejected,

thou art full of wrath against thy anointed.

39 Thou hast renounced the covenant with thy servant;

thou hast defiled his crown in the dust.

40 Thou hast breached all his walls;

thou hast laid his strongholds in ruins.

41 All that pass by despoil him;

he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

42 Thou hast exalted the right hand of his foes;

thou hast made all his enemies rejoice.

43 Yea, thou hast turned back the edge of his sword,

and thou hast not made him stand in battle.

44 Thou hast removed the scepter from his hand,b

and cast his throne to the ground.

45 Thou hast cut short the days of his youth;

thou hast covered him with shame. [Selah]

46 How long, O Lord? Wilt thou hide thyself for ever?

How long will thy wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember, O Lord,c what the measure of life is,

for what vanity thou hast created all the sons of men!

48 What man can live and never see death?

Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? [Selah]

49 Lord, where is thy steadfast love of old,

which by thy faithfulness thou didst swear to David?

50 Remember, O Lord, how thy servant is scorned;

how I bear in my bosom the insultsd of the peoples,

51 with which thy enemies taunt, O Lord,

with which they mock the footsteps of thy anointed.

52 Blessed be the Lord for ever!

Amen and Amen.

The Psalms: Book 4

PSALM 90

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place*

in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.

3 Thou turnest man back to the dust,

and sayest, “Turn back, O children of men!”

4 For a thousand years in thy sight

are but as yesterday when it is past,

or as a watch in the night.

5 Thou dost sweep men away; they are like a dream,

like grass which is renewed in the morning:

6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;

in the evening it fades and withers.

7 For we are consumed by thy anger;

by thy wrath we are overwhelmed.

8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,

our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

9 For all our days pass away under thy wrath,

our years come to an endf like a sigh.

10 The years of our life are threescore and ten,

or even by reason of strength fourscore;

yet their spang is but toil and trouble;

they are soon gone, and we fly away.

11 Who considers the power of thy anger,

and thy wrath according to the fear of thee?

12 So teach us to number our days

that we may get a heart of wisdom.

13 Return, O Lord! How long?

Have pity on thy servants!

14 Satisfy us in the morning with thy steadfast love,

that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad as many days as thou hast afflicted us,

and as many years as we have seen evil.

16 Let thy work be manifest to thy servants,

and thy glorious power to their children.

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,

and establish thou the work of our hands upon us,

yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

PSALM 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,

who abides in the shadow of the Almighty,

2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence;

4 he will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5 You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand;

but it will not come near you.

8 You will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,*

the Most High your habitation,

10 no evil shall befall you,

no scourge come near your tent.

11 For he will give his angels charge of you

to guard you in all your ways.

12 On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,

the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14 Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will rescue him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him,

and show him my salvation.

PSALM 92

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to thy name, O Most High;

2 to declare thy steadfast love in the morning,

and thy faithfulness by night,

3 to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

4 For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by thy work;

at the works of thy hands I sing for joy.

5 How great are thy works, O Lord!

Thy thoughts are very deep!

6 The dull man cannot know,

the stupid cannot understand this:

7 that, though the wicked sprout like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they are doomed to destruction for ever,

8 but thou, O Lord, art on high for ever.

9 For, lo, thy enemies, O Lord,

for, lo, thy enemies shall perish;

all evildoers shall be scattered.

10 But thou hast exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;

thou hast poured over mei fresh oil.

11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies,

my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree,

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 They are planted in the house of the Lord,

they flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They still bring forth fruit in old age,

they are ever full of sap and green,

15 to show that the Lord is upright;

he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

PSALM 93

1 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;

the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.

Yea, the world is established; it shall never be moved;

2 thy throne is established from of old;

thou art from everlasting.

3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

the floods have lifted up their voice,

the floods lift up their roaring.

4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters,

mightier than the waves* of the sea,

the Lord on high is mighty!

5 Thy decrees are very sure;

holiness befits thy house,

O Lord, for evermore.

PSALM 94

1 O Lord, thou God of vengeance,

thou God of vengeance, shine forth!

2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;

render to the proud their deserts!

3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked,

how long shall the wicked exult?

4 They pour out their arrogant words,

they boast, all the evildoers.

5 They crush thy people, O Lord,

and afflict thy heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the sojourner,

and murder the fatherless;

7 and they say, “The Lord does not see;

the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

8 Understand, O dullest of the people!

Fools, when will you be wise?

9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?

He who formed the eye, does he not see?

10 He who chastens the nations, does he not chastise?

He who teaches men knowledge,

11 the Lord, knows the thoughts of man,

that they are but a breath.

12 Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O Lord,

and whom thou dost teach out of thy law

13 to give him respite from days of trouble,

until a pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;

he will not abandon his heritage;

15 for justice will return to the righteous,

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?

Who stands up for me against evildoers?

17 If the Lord had not been my help,

my soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.

18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”

thy steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

19 When the cares of my heart are many,

thy consolations cheer my soul.

20 Can wicked rulers be allied with thee,

who frame mischief by statute?

21 They band together against the life of the righteous,

and condemn the innocent to death.

22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,

and my God the rock of my refuge.

23 He will bring back on them their iniquity

and wipe them out for their wickedness;

the Lord our God will wipe them out.

PSALM 95

1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

3 For the Lord is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his also.

5 The sea is his, for he made it;

for his hands formed the dry land.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down,

let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

7 For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would hearken to his voice!

8 Harden not your hearts, as at Meribah,

as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

9 when your fathers tested me,

and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

10 For forty years I loathed that generation

and said, “They are a people who err in heart,

and they do not regard my ways.”

11 Therefore I swore in my anger

that they should not enter my rest.

PSALM 96

1 O sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth!

2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols;

but the Lord made the heavens.

6 Honor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

bring an offering, and come into his courts!

9 Worship the Lord in holy array;

tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!

Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved;

he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12 let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy

13 before the Lord, for he comes,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness,

and the peoples with his truth.

PSALM 97

1 The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice;

let the many coastlands be glad!

2 Clouds and thick darkness are round about him;

righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3 Fire goes before him,

and burns up his adversaries round about.

4 His lightnings lighten the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,

before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;

and all the peoples behold his glory.

7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,

who make their boast in worthless idols;

all gods bow down before him.

8 Zion hears and is glad,

and the daughters of Judah rejoice,

because of thy judgments, O God.

9 For thou, O Lord, art most high over all the earth;

thou art exalted far above all gods.

10 The Lord loves those who hate evil;k

he preserves the lives of his saints;

he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11 Light dawnsl for the righteous,

and joy for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,

and give thanks to his holy name!