My Help and My Deliverer

40 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1  I uwaited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and vheard my cry.

2  He drew me up from wthe pit of destruction,

out of xthe miry bog,

and yset my feet upon a rock,

zmaking my steps secure.

3  He put aa new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will bsee and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

4  Blessed is the man who cmakes

the Lord his trust,

who does not turn to the proud,

to those who dgo astray after a lie!

5  You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your ewondrous deeds and your fthoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are gmore than can be told.

6  hIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open iear.1

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

7  Then I said, “Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written jof me:

8  kI delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is lwithin my heart.”

9  I have told the glad news of deliverance2

in mthe great congregation;

behold, I have not nrestrained my lips,

oas you know, O Lord.

10  I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation.

11  As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain

your mercy from me;

your psteadfast love and your faithfulness will

ever preserve me!

12  For evils have qencompassed me

beyond number;

my riniquities have overtaken me,

and I cannot ssee;

they are tmore than the hairs of my head;

my heart ufails me.

13  vBe pleased, O Lord, to wdeliver me!

O Lord, xmake haste to help me!

14  yLet those be put to shame and disappointed altogether

who seek to snatch away my life;

let those be zturned back and brought to dishonor

who delight in my hurt!

15  Let those be appalled because of their shame

who asay to me, “Aha, Aha!”

16  But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

bsay continually, “Great is the Lord!”

17  As for me, I am cpoor and needy,

but dthe Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God!

O Lord, Be Gracious to Me

41 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1  eBlessed is the one who considers the poor!1

fIn the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;

2  the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;

he is called blessed in the land;

you gdo not give him up to the will of his enemies.

3  The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;

in his illness you restore him to full health.2

4  As for me, I said, “O Lord, hbe gracious to me;

iheal me,3 for I have sinned against you!”

5  My enemies say of me in malice,

“When will he die, and his name perish?”

6  And when one comes to see me, jhe utters empty words,

while his heart gathers iniquity;

when he goes out, he tells it abroad.

7  All who hate me whisper together about me;

they imagine the worst for me.4

8  They say, “A deadly thing is poured out5 on him;

he will not rise again from where he lies.”

9  Even my kclose friend in whom I trusted,

who late my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

10  But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,

and raise me up, that I may repay them!

11  By this I know that myou delight in me:

my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.

12  But nyou have upheld me because of omy integrity,

and pset me in your presence qforever.

13  rBlessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting!

Amen and Amen.

Book Two

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

42 To the choirmaster. A Maskil1 of sthe Sons of Korah.

1  tAs a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

2  uMy soul thirsts for God,

for vthe living God.

When shall I come and wappear before God?2

3  xMy tears have been my food

day and night,

ywhile they say to me all the day long,

“Where is your God?”

4  These things I remember,

as I zpour out my soul:

ahow I would go bwith the throng

and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

ca multitude keeping festival.

5  dWhy are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you ein turmoil within me?

fHope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation3 6 and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;

therefore I gremember you

hfrom the land of Jordan and of iHermon,

from Mount Mizar.

7  Deep calls to deep

at the roar of your waterfalls;

jall your breakers and your kwaves

have gone over me.

8  By day the Lord lcommands his steadfast love,

and at mnight his song is with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

9  I say to God, nmy rock:

“Why have you forgotten me?

oWhy do I go mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10  As with a deadly wound in my bones,

my adversaries taunt me,

pwhile they say to me all the day long,

“Where is your God?”

11  qWhy are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth

43 rVindicate me, O God, and sdefend my cause

against an ungodly people,

from tthe deceitful and unjust man

deliver me!

2  For you are uthe God in whom I take refuge;

why have you vrejected me?

Why do I wgo about mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?

3  xSend out your light and your truth;

let them lead me;

let them bring me to your yholy hill

and to your zdwelling!

4  Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy,

and I will praise you with the lyre,

O God, my God.

5  aWhy are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

bHope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Come to Our Help

44 To the choirmaster. cA Maskil1 of the Sons of Korah.

1  O God, we have heard with our ears,

dour fathers have told us,

what deeds you performed in their days,

ein the days of old:

2  you with your own hand fdrove out the nations,

but gthem you planted;

you afflicted the peoples,

but hthem you set free;

3  for not iby their own sword did they win the land,

nor did their own arm save them,

but your right hand and your arm,

and jthe light of your face,

kfor you delighted in them.

4  lYou are my King, O God;

mordain salvation for Jacob!

5  Through you we npush down our foes;

through your name we otread down those who rise up against us.

6  For not in pmy bow do I trust,

nor can my sword save me.

7  But you have saved us from our foes

and have qput to shame those who hate us.

8  rIn God we have boasted continually,

and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah

9  But you have srejected us and disgraced us

and thave not gone out with our armies.

10  You have made us uturn back from the foe,

and those who hate us have gotten spoil.

11  You have made us like vsheep for slaughter

and have wscattered us among the nations.

12  xYou have sold your people for a trifle,

demanding no high price for them.

13  You have made us ythe taunt of our neighbors,

the derision and zscorn of those around us.

14  You have made us aa byword among the nations,

ba laughingstock2 among the peoples.

15  All day long my disgrace is before me,

and cshame has covered my face

16  at the sound of the taunter and reviler,

at the sight of dthe enemy and the avenger.

17  eAll this has come upon us,

though we have not forgotten you,

and we have not been false to your covenant.

18  Our heart has not turned back,

nor have our fsteps gdeparted from your way;

19  yet you have hbroken us in the place of ijackals

and covered us with jthe shadow of death.

20  If we had forgotten the name of our God

or kspread out our hands to la foreign god,

21  mwould not God discover this?

nFor he knows the secrets of the heart.

22  Yet ofor your sake we are killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

23  pAwake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?

Rouse yourself! qDo not reject us forever!

24  Why rdo you hide your face?

Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?

25  For our ssoul is bowed down to the dust;

our belly clings to the ground.

26  Rise up; tcome to our help!

uRedeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!

Your Throne, O God, Is Forever

45 To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil1 of vthe Sons of Korah; a love song.

1  My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;

I address my verses to the king;

my tongue is like the pen of wa ready scribe.

2  You are xthe most handsome of the sons of men;

ygrace is poured upon your lips;

therefore God has blessed you forever.

3  zGird your asword on your thigh, O bmighty one,

in cyour splendor and majesty!

4  In your majesty dride out victoriously

for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;

let your right hand teach you eawesome deeds!

5  Your arrows are sharp

in the heart of the king’s enemies;

the peoples fall under you.

6  fYour throne, O God, is forever and ever.

The gscepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

7  hyou have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Therefore iGod, your God, has janointed you

with the oil of kgladness lbeyond your companions;

8  your robes are all fragrant with mmyrrh and aloes and cassia.

From ivory palaces nstringed instruments make you glad;

9  daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;

oat your right hand stands the queen in pgold of Ophir.

10  Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:

forget your people and your father’s house,

11  and the king will desire your beauty.

Since he is your qlord, rbow to him.

12  The people2 of Tyre will sseek your favor with tgifts,

uthe richest of the people.3

13  All glorious is vthe princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.

14  wIn many-colored robes xshe is led to the king,

with her virgin companions following behind her.

15  With joy and gladness they are led along

as they enter the palace of the king.

16  In place of your fathers shall be your sons;

you will make them yprinces in all the earth.

17  zI will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;

therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

God Is Our Fortress

46 To the choirmaster. Of athe Sons of Korah. According to bAlamoth.1 A Song.

1  God is our crefuge and strength,

a very dpresent2 help in etrouble.

2  Therefore we will not fear fthough the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into gthe heart of the sea,

3  though hits waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4  There is ia river whose streams make glad jthe city of God,

the holy khabitation of the Most High.

5  lGod is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

God will help her when morning dawns.

6  mThe nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

he nutters his voice, the earth omelts.

7  pThe Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8  qCome, behold the works of the Lord,

how he has brought desolations on the earth.

9  rHe makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he sbreaks the bow and shatters the spear;

the burns the chariots with fire.

10  u“Be still, and know that I am God.

vI will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

11  pThe Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

God Is King over All the Earth

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

1  xClap your hands, all peoples!

yShout to God with loud songs of joy!

2  For the Lord, the Most High, zis to be feared,

aa great king over all the earth.

3  He bsubdued peoples under us,

and nations under our feet.

4  He chose our cheritage for us,

dthe pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

5  God ehas gone up with a shout,

the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

6  Sing praises to God, sing praises!

Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7  For God is fthe King of all the earth;

sing praises gwith a psalm!1

8  God hreigns over the nations;

God sits on his holy throne.

9  iThe princes of the peoples gather

as the people of the God of Abraham.

For jthe shields of the earth belong to God;

he is highly exalted!

Zion, the City of Our God

48 A Song. A Psalm of kthe Sons of Korah.

1  lGreat is the Lord and greatly to be praised

in mthe city of our God!

His nholy mountain, 2 obeautiful in elevation,

is pthe joy of all the earth,

Mount Zion, in the far north,

qthe city of the great King.

3  Within her citadels God

has made himself known as a fortress.

4  For behold, rthe kings assembled;

they came on together.

5  As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;

they were in panic; they took to flight.

6  sTrembling took hold of them there,

anguish tas of a woman in labor.

7  By uthe east wind you vshattered

the ships of wTarshish.

8  As we have heard, so have we seen

in the city of the Lord of hosts,

in mthe city of our God,

which God will xestablish forever. Selah

9  We have thought on your ysteadfast love, O God,

in the midst of your temple.

10  As your zname, O God,

so your praise reaches to athe ends of the earth.

Your right hand is filled with righteousness.

11  Let Mount bZion be glad!

Let bthe daughters of Judah rejoice

because of your judgments!

12  Walk about Zion, go around her,

number her towers,

13  consider well her cramparts,

go through her citadels,

dthat you may tell the next generation

14  that this is God,

our God forever and ever.

He will eguide us forever.1

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

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

1  gHear this, all peoples!

Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

2  hboth low and high,

rich and poor together!

3  My mouth shall speak iwisdom;

the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

4  I will incline my ear to ja proverb;

I will solve my kriddle to the music of the lyre.

5  lWhy should I fear in mtimes of trouble,

when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,

6  those who ntrust in their wealth

and boast of the abundance of their riches?

7  Truly no man ocan ransom another,

or pgive to God qthe price of his life,

8  for rthe ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

9  that he should live on forever

and snever see the pit.

10  For he sees tthat even the wise die;

uthe fool and the stupid alike must perish

and vleave their wealth to others.

11  Their wgraves are their homes forever,1

their dwelling places xto all generations,

though they ycalled lands by their own names.

12  Man in his pomp zwill not remain;

ahe is like the beasts that perish.

13  This is the path of those who have bfoolish confidence;

yet after them people approve of their boasts.2 Selah

14  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

death shall be their shepherd,

and the upright cshall rule over them in the morning.

dTheir form shall be consumed ein Sheol, with no place to dwell.

15  But God will fransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will greceive me. Selah

16  Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17  hFor when he dies he will icarry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18  For though, while he lives, he counts himself jblessed

—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—

19  his soul will kgo to the generation of his fathers,

who will never again lsee light.

20  mMan in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

God Himself Is Judge

50 A Psalm of nAsaph.

1  oThe Mighty One, God the Lord,

speaks and summons the earth

pfrom the rising of the sun to its setting.

2  Out of Zion, qthe perfection of beauty,

rGod shines forth.

3  Our God comes; he sdoes not keep silence;1

before him is a devouring tfire,

around him a mighty tempest.

4  uHe calls to the heavens above

and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

5  “Gather to me my faithful ones,

who made va covenant with me by sacrifice!”

6  wThe heavens declare his righteousness,

for xGod himself is judge! Selah

7  y“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;

O Israel, I will testify against you.

zI am God, your God.

8  Not for your sacrifices ado I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

9  I will not accept a bull from your house

or goats from your folds.

10  For every beast of the forest is mine,

the cattle on a thousand hills.

11  bI know all the birds of the hills,

and all that moves in the field is mine.

12  “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

cfor the world and its fullness are mine.

13  Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14  dOffer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,2

and eperform your vows to the Most High,

15  and fcall upon me in the day of trouble;

I will gdeliver you, and you shall hglorify me.”

16  But to the wicked God says:

“What right have you to recite my statutes

or take my covenant on your lips?

17  iFor you hate discipline,

jand you cast my words behind you.

18  If you see a thief, kyou are pleased with him,

land you keep company with adulterers.

19  “You give your mouth free rein for evil,

mand your tongue frames deceit.

20  You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son.

21  These things you have done, and I nhave been silent;

you thought that I3 was one like yourself.

But now I orebuke you and play the charge before you.

22  “Mark this, then, you who qforget God,

lest I tear you apart, and there be rnone to deliver!

23  The one who soffers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;

to one who torders his way rightly

I will show the usalvation of God!”

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

51 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when vNathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1  wHave mercy on me,1 O God,

according to your steadfast love;

according to your xabundant mercy

yblot out my transgressions.

2  zWash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and acleanse me from my sin!

3  bFor I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

4  cAgainst you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil din your sight,

eso that you may be justified in your words

and blameless in your judgment.

5  Behold, fI was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6  Behold, you delight in truth in gthe inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7  Purge me hwith hyssop, and I shall be clean;

zwash me, and I shall be iwhiter than snow.

8  Let me hear joy and gladness;

jlet the bones kthat you have broken rejoice.

9  lHide your face from my sins,

and yblot out all my iniquities.

10  mCreate in me a nclean heart, O God,

and orenew a right2 spirit within me.

11  pCast me not away from your presence,

and take not qyour Holy Spirit from me.

12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13  Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will rreturn to you.

14  Deliver me from sbloodguiltiness, O God,

O tGod of my salvation,

and umy tongue will sing aloud of your vrighteousness.

15  O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16  wFor you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

17  The sacrifices of God are xa broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18  yDo good to Zion in your good pleasure;

zbuild up the walls of Jerusalem;

19  then will you delight in aright sacrifices,

in burnt offerings and bwhole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

52 To the choirmaster. A Maskil1 of David, when cDoeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

1  Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?

The steadfast love of God endures all the day.

2  Your dtongue plots destruction,

like ea sharp razor, you fworker of deceit.

3  You love evil more than good,

and glying more than speaking what is right. Selah

4  You love all words that devour,

O deceitful tongue.

5  But God will break you down forever;

he will snatch and htear you from your tent;

he will uproot you from ithe land of the living. Selah

6  The righteous shall jsee and fear,

and shall klaugh at him, saying,

7  “See the man who would not make

God his refuge,

but ltrusted in the abundance of his riches

and sought refuge in his own destruction!”2

8  But I am like ma green olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God

forever and ever.

9  I will thank you forever,

because you have done it.

I will wait for your name, nfor it is good,

in the presence of the ogodly.

There Is None Who Does Good

53 To the choirmaster: according to pMahalath. A Maskil1 of David.

1  qThe fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;

there is none who does good.

2  God looks down from heaven

on the children of man

to see if there are any who understand,2

who seek after God.

3  They have all fallen away;

together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

4  Have those who work evil no knowledge,

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and do not call upon God?

5  There they are, in great terror,

rwhere there is no terror!

For God sscatters the bones of him who encamps against you;

you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

6  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When God restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

The Lord Upholds My Life

54 To the choirmaster: with tstringed instruments. A Maskil1 of David, uwhen the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

1  O God, save me by your vname,

and vindicate me by your might.

2  O God, whear my prayer;

give ear to the words of my mouth.

3  xFor ystrangers2 have risen against me;

ruthless men zseek my life;

they do not set God before themselves. Selah

4  Behold, aGod is my helper;

the Lord is the upholder of my life.

5  He will return the evil to my enemies;

in your bfaithfulness cput an end to them.

6  With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;

I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, dfor it is good.

7  For he has delivered me from every trouble,

and my eye has elooked in triumph on my enemies.

Cast Your Burden on the Lord

55 To the choirmaster: with fstringed instruments. A Maskil1 of David.

1  gGive ear to my prayer, O God,

and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!

2  Attend to me, and answer me;

I am restless hin my complaint and I imoan,

3  because of the noise of the enemy,

because of the oppression of the wicked.

For they jdrop trouble upon me,

and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4  My heart is in anguish within me;

kthe terrors of death have fallen upon me.

5  Fear and trembling come upon me,

and lhorror moverwhelms me.

6  And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest;

7  nyes, I would wander far away;

I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah

8  I would hurry to find a shelter

from othe raging wind and tempest.”

9  Destroy, O Lord, pdivide their tongues;

for I see qviolence and strife in the city.

10  Day and night they go around it

on its walls,

and riniquity and trouble are within it;

11  ruin is in its midst;

soppression and fraud

do not depart from its marketplace.

12  For it is not an enemy who taunts me—

then I could bear it;

it is not an adversary who tdeals insolently with me—

then I could hide from him.

13  uBut it is you, a man, my equal,

my companion, my familiar friend.

14  We used to take sweet counsel together;

within God’s house we walked in vthe throng.

15  Let death steal over them;

let them go down to Sheol walive;

for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.

16  But I call to God,

and the Lord will save me.

17  xEvening and ymorning and at znoon

I autter my complaint and moan,

and he hears my voice.

18  He redeems my soul in safety

from the battle that I wage,

for bmany are arrayed against me.

19  God will give ear and humble them,

he who is centhroned from of old, Selah

because they do not dchange

and do not fear God.

20  My companion2 estretched out his hand against his friends;

he violated his covenant.

21  His fspeech was gsmooth as butter,

yet war was in his heart;

his words were softer than oil,

yet they were hdrawn swords.

22  iCast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;

jhe will never permit

the righteous to be moved.

23  But you, O God, kwill cast them down

into lthe pit of destruction;

men of mblood and treachery

shall not nlive out half their days.

But I will otrust in you.