The Wickedness of Men

(Ps 53)t

14 * Fools say to themselves,

“There is no God.”

They are all corrupt,

and they have done terrible things;

there is no one who does what is right.

2* The Lord looks down from heaven at human beings

to see if there are

any who are wise, any who worship him.

3* But they have all gone wrong;

they are all equally bad. Not one of them does what is right,

not a single one.

4 “Don’t they know?” asks the Lord.

“Are all these evildoers ignorant?

They live by robbing my people,

and they never pray to me.”

5 But then they will be terrified,

for God is with those who obey him.

6 Evildoers frustrate the plans of the humble,

but the Lord is their protection.

7 How I pray that victory

will come to Israel from Zion.

How happy the people of Israel will be

when the Lord makes them prosperous again!

What God Requiresu

15 Lord, who may enter your Temple?

Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?v

2 Those who obey God in everything

and always do what is right,

whose words are true and sincere,

3 and who do not slander others.

They do no wrong to their friends

nor spread rumours about their neighbours.

4 They despise those whom God rejects,

but honour those who obey the Lord.

They always do what they promise,

no matter how much it may cost.

5 They make loans without charging interest

and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent.

Whoever does these things will always be secure.

A Prayer of Confidencew

16 Protect me, O God; I trust in you for safety.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

all the good things I have come from you.”

3 How excellent are the Lord’s faithful people!

My greatest pleasure is to be with them.

4 Those who rush to other gods

bring many troubles on themselves.x I will not take part in their sacrifices;

I will not worship their gods.

5 You, Lord, are all I have,

and you give me all I need;

my future is in your hands.

6 How wonderful are your gifts to me;

how good they are!

7 I praise the Lord, because he guides me,

and in the night my conscience warns me.

8* I am always aware of the Lord’s presence;

he is near, and nothing can shake me.

9* And so I am thankful and glad,

and I feel completely secure,

10* because you protect me from the power of death.

I have served you faithfully,

and you will not abandon me to the world of the dead.

11* You will show me the path that leads to life;

your presence fills me with joy

and brings me pleasure for ever.

The Prayer of an Innocent Many

17 Listen, O Lord, to my plea for justice;

pay attention to my cry for help!

Listen to my honest prayer.

2 You will judge in my favour,

because you know what is right.

3 You know my heart.

You have come to me at night;

you have examined me completely

and found no evil desire in me.

4 I speak no evil as others do;

I have obeyed your command

and have not followed paths of violence.

5 I have always walked in your way

and have never strayed from it.

6 I pray to you, O God, because you answer me;

so turn to me and listen to my words.

7 Reveal your wonderful love and save me;

at your side I am safe from my enemies.

8 Protect me as you would your very eyes;

hide me in the shadow of your wings

9 from the attacks of the wicked.

Deadly enemies surround me;

10 they have no pity and speak proudly.

11 They are round me now, wherever I turn,

watching for a chance to pull me down.

12 They are like lions, waiting for me,

wanting to tear me to pieces.

13 Come, Lord! Oppose my enemies and defeat them!

Save me from the wicked by your sword;

14 save me from those who in this life have all they want.

Punish them with the sufferings you have stored up for them;

may there be enough for their children

and some left over for their children’s children!

15 But I will see you, because I have done no wrong;

and when I awake, your presence will fill me with joy.

David’s song of Victory

(2 Sam 22:1–51)z

18 How I love you, Lord!

You are my defender.

2 The Lord is my protector;

he is my strong fortress.

My God is my protection, and with him I am safe.

He protects me like a shield;

he defends me and keeps me safe.

3 I call to the Lord,

and he saves me from my enemies.

Praise the Lord!

4 The danger of death was all round me;

the waves of destruction rolled over me.

5 The danger of death was round me,

and the grave set its trap for me.

6 In my trouble

I called to the Lord; I called to my God for help.

In his temple he heard my voice;

he listened to my cry for help.

7 Then the earth trembled and shook;

the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered,

because God was angry.

8 Smoke poured out of his nostrils,

a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.

9 He tore the sky apart and came down

with a dark cloud under his feet.

10 He flew swiftly on a winged creature;a

he travelled on the wings of the wind.

11 He covered himself with darkness;

thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.

12 Hailstones and flashes of fire

came from the lightning before him

and broke through the dark clouds.

13 Then the Lord thundered from the sky;

and the voice of the Most High was heard.b

14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;

with flashes of lightning he sent them running.

15 The floor of the ocean was laid bare,

and the foundations of the earth were uncovered,

when you rebuked your enemies, Lord,

and roared at them in anger.

16 The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me out of the deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemies

and from all those who hate me—they were too strong for me.

18 When I was in trouble, they attacked me,

but the Lord protected me.

19 He helped me out of danger;

he saved me because he was pleased with me.

20 The Lord rewards me because I do what is right;

he blesses me because I am innocent.

21 I have obeyed the law of the Lord;

I have not turned away from my God.

22 I have observed all his laws; I have not disobeyed his commands.

23 He knows that I am faultless,

that I have kept myself from doing wrong.

24 And so he rewards me because I do what is right,

because he knows that I am innocent.

25 O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you;

completely good to those who are perfect.

26 You are pure to those who are pure,

but hostile to those who are wicked.

27 You save those who are humble,

but you humble those who are proud.

28 O Lord, you give me light;

you dispel my darkness.

29 You give me strength to attack my enemies

and power to overcome their defences.

30 This God—how perfect are his deeds!

How dependable his words!

He is like a shield

for all who seek his protection.

31 The Lord alone is God;

God alone is our defence.

32 He is the God

who makes me strong, who makes my pathway safe.

33* He makes me sure-footed as a deer;

he keeps me safe on the mountains.

34 He trains me for battle,

so that I can use the strongest bow.

35 O Lord, you protect me and save me;

your care has made me great,

and your power has kept me safe.

36 You have kept me from being captured,

and I have never fallen.

37 I pursue my enemies and catch them;

I do not stop until I destroy them.

38 I strike them down, and they cannot rise;

they lie defeated before me.

39 You give me strength for the battle

and victory over my enemies.

40 You make my enemies run from me;

I destroy those who hate me.

41 They cry for help, but no one saves them;

they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.

42 I crush them, so that they become like dust

which the wind blows away.

I trample on them like mud in the streets.

43 You saved me from a rebellious people

and made me ruler over the nations;

people I did not know have now become my subjects.

44 Foreigners bow before me;

when they hear me, they obey.

45 They lose their courage

and come trembling from their fortresses.

46 The Lord lives! Praise my defender!

Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.

47 He gives me victory over my enemies;

he subdues the nations under me

48 and saves me from my foes.

O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies

and protect me from violent people.

49* And so I praise you among the nations;

I sing praises to you.

50 God gives great victories to his king;

he shows constant love to the one he has chosen,

to David and his descendants for ever.