eng_aiv Amundson Interpretive Version Psalms Psalms Psalms Ps Psalms id=eng_aiv name=Amundson Interpretive Version (AIV) status=draft spec=USFM-USX 3.1.1 export=2026-11-02 char:add=translator-addition-italic char:wj=words-of-Jesus-as-received-unmapped note:f=footnotes para:r=parallel-passage-references para:d=psalm-superscriptions BOOK I Psalms 1–41 The Two Paths (Matthew 5:3–12; Luke 6:20–23) Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and in the path of sinners does not stand, and in the seat of those mocking does not sit. But rather his delight is in the law of YHWH, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he is like a tree planted by streams of water, which gives its fruit in its time; and its leaf shall not wither, and all that he does, he makes prosper. Not so the wicked! But rather they are like the chaff, which the wind drives away. Upon thus the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor the sinful ones in the assembly of the righteous. For YHWH knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked shall perish. The Triumphant Messiah (Acts 4:23–31) Why do the nations rage,2.1 Or noisily assemble; see Revelation 11:18. and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers establish themselves together against YHWH and against His Anointed:2.2 Cited in Acts 4:25–26 “Let us tear off their bonds, and cast away from us their cords.” The One sitting in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then He speaks to them in His anger, and in his fury He terrifies them: “And I have installed My King on Zion, the mountain of My holiness.” I will recount the decree of YHWH; He has said to Me: “You are My Son; today I have begotten You. 2.7 Cited in Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, and Hebrews 5:5 Ask from Me and I will give the nations as Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron; You will shatter them like a vessel of a potter.2.9 LXX You will rule them or You will shepherd them” 2.9 Cited in Revelation 2:27; see also Revelation 12:5 and Revelation 19:15. And now, O kings, be prudent; be admonished, O judges of the earth. Serve YHWH with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you⁺ perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled in an instant. Blessed are all those taking refuge in Him. Deliver Me, O LORD! (2 Samuel 15:13–29) A Psalm of David, in his fleeing from the face of Absalom his son. O YHWH, how many are my adversaries! Many are rising up against me! Many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah3.2 Selah or Interlude is probably a musical or literary term; here and throughout the Psalms. and You, O YHWH, are a shield behind me, my glory, and One lifting high my head. With my voice I cry to YHWH, and He answers me from the mountain of His holiness. Selah I lie down and sleep; I awake, for YHWH sustains me. I shall not fear the multitudes of people, who have set themselves all around against me. Arise, O YHWH! Save me, O my God! O that You would strike all my enemies on the jaw; may you break the teeth of the wicked! Unto YHWH is the salvation; may Your blessing be upon Your people. Selah Answer Me When I Call! For the one directing. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. In my calling out, may You answer me, O God of my righteousness! In my distress, You widened it for me; show me favor and hear my prayer. O sons of men, until when will my glory be shame? Will you⁺ love vanity, and seek after falsehood?4.2 Or false gods Selah and know that YHWH has marked out the faithful one for Himself; YHWH hears in my calling to Him. Tremble and do not sin; speak in your⁺ heart on your⁺ bed, and be silent. Selah 4.4 Or In your anger do not sin or Tremble and do not sin; cited in Ephesians 4:26 Sacrifice the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in YHWH. Many are saying, “Who will show us good?” Lift upon us the light of Your face, O YHWH. You have put joy in my heart, more than the time when their grain and their new wine have increased. In peace I will both lie down and will sleep, for You alone, O YHWH, cause me to dwell in safety. Give Ear to My Words For the one directing. With the Nehiloth. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O YHWH; have regard for my murmuring. Be attentive to the voice of my cry, O my King and my God, for to You I pray. O YHWH, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I direct it to You, and I keep watch. For You are not a God delighting in wickedness; evil shall not sojourn with You. The one boasting shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You will destroy those speaking falsehood; a man of blood and deceit YHWH abhors. But I, in the abundance of Your loving devotion,5.7 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant. will come into Your house; I will bow down toward the temple of Your Holiness in fear of You. O YHWH, guide me in Your righteousness, on account of my enemies; make straight Your path before my face. For there is no firmness in his mouth; within them is destruction; their throat is a grave being wide open; they make their tongue smooth. 5.9 Or they practice flattery; cited in Romans 3:13 Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own devices; in the abundance of their transgressions drive them away, for they have rebelled against You. And let all those taking refuge in You rejoice forever; let them shout for joy, and may You cover them over; and let those loving Your name exult in You. For You will bless the righteous one, O YHWH; as a shield You will surround him with favor. Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger (Psalm 38:1–22) For the one directing. With stringed instruments according to Sheminith.† A Psalm of David. O YHWH, in Your anger do not rebuke me, and do not discipline me in Your rage. 6.1 Sheminith is probably a musical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Psalm 12:1. Be gracious to me, O YHWH, for I am weak; heal me, O YHWH, for my bones are disturbed. And my soul is disturbed greatly; and You, O YHWH, until when? Return, O YHWH, draw out my soul; save me for the sake of Your loving devotion. For in death is no remembrance of You; in Sheol, who can give thanks to You? I have grown weary in my sighing; I cause my bed to swim through all the night; with my tears I melt my couch. My eye has wasted away from grief; it grows old because of all afflicting me. Turn away from me, all workers of iniquity, for YHWH has heard the voice of my weeping. YHWH has heard my supplication; YHWH has received my prayer. Let all my enemies be ashamed and disturbed greatly; let them turn back and be ashamed in an instant. I Take Refuge in You A Shiggaion† of David, which he sang to YHWH, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. O YHWH my God, in You I have taken refuge; keep me safe from all those pursuing me, and deliver me, 7.1 Shiggaion is probably a musical or liturgical term. lest they tear my soul like a lion, tearing apart, and there is no one snatching me up. O YHWH my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice in my palms, if I have dealt with the one at peace with me7.4 Or with my ally with evil, or have drawn out my enemy without cause, may the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground, and let him set down my honor in the dust. Selah arise, O YHWH, in Your anger; lift up against the fury of my adversaries, and rouse Yourself for me; You have appointed a judgment. And let the congregation of peoples surround You; and over it return in the heights. YHWH shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O YHWH, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity within me. Please, let the evil of the wicked cease, and may you establish the righteous— even the One testing hearts and kidneys, O Righteous God. My shield is on God, the One saving the upright of heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God expressing wrath on every day. If one shall not turn back, then He sharpens His sword; He has bent His bow and prepared it. And for Himself He has prepared instruments of death; His arrows He makes into fiery shafts. Behold, he travails with evil, and he conceives trouble, and brings forth falsehood. He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, and he has fallen into a pit he has made. His trouble shall return upon his head, and on the top of his head, his violence shall come down. I will confess YHWH according to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of YHWH-Elyon.7.17 YHWH-Elyon means LORD Most High How Majestic Is Your Name! For the one directing. According to Gittith.† A Psalm of David. O YHWH our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your splendor above the heavens! 8.1 Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 81 and 84. From the mouth of infants and sucklings You have established strength, on account of Your adversaries, to still the enemy and avenger. 8.2 LXX You have prepared praise; cited in Matthew 21:16 When I see Your heavens, the works of Your fingers, the moon and the stars that You have established— what is man that You should remember him, and the son of man, that You would attend to him? And You made him lacking a little from the angels, and with glory and honor You crowned him. 8.5 Or than God or than the heavenly beings; see also LXX. You made him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet: 8.6 Cited in 1 Corinthians 15:27 and Hebrews 2:6–8 All sheep and cattle, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, those passing on the paths of the seas. O YHWH, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! I Will Give Thanks to Yahweh For the one directing. According to Muth-Labben. A Psalm of David.† I will confess YHWH with all of my heart; I will recount all Your wonders. 9.1 Psalms 9 and 10 together follow an acrostic pattern, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the LXX they form one psalm. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. In turning back my enemies they shall stumble and shall perish from Your face. For You have done my justice and my claim; You have sat on the throne, judging with righteousness. You have rebuked the nations; You have destroyed the wicked; their name You have wiped out forever and ever. May the enemy be finished in ruins forever, and You have uprooted cities; let their remembrance perish with them! And YHWH shall sit forever; He has established His throne for the judgment. And He will judge the world in righteousness; He shall make judgment for the peoples in uprightness. And YHWH will be a secure height for the oppressed, a secure height in times of distress. And they will put their trust in You—those knowing Your name— for You have not forsaken those seeking You, O YHWH. Sing praise to YHWH, the One sitting in Zion; declare His deeds among the peoples. For the One seeking out the blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted. Show favor to me, O YHWH; see my affliction from those hating me; raise me high from the gates of death, so that I may recount all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. The nations have sunk down into the pit they have made; in the net that they hid, their foot is caught. YHWH is known by the justice He has done; by the work of his own hands the wicked one is snared. Higgaion Selah9.16 Higgaion Selah or quiet interlude is probably a musical or liturgical term. the wicked shall return to Sheol— all the nations forgetting God. For the needy will not be forgotten forever, nor the hope of the poor perish to the end. Arise, O YHWH! Do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged before Your face. Put fear on them, O YHWH; let the nations know they are mortal. Selah The Perils of the Pilgrim Why, O YHWH, do You stand far off? Do You hide in times of distress? In his arrogance, the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; may they be caught in the schemes that they have devised! For the wicked one boasts over the desire of his heart, and he blesses a dishonest gainer; he has despised YHWH. The wicked one, in the height of his face, does not inquire; there is no God in any of his thoughts. His paths are firm at every time; Your judgments are on high before him, and all his adversaries, he sneers at them. He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved— from generation to generation—to whom will be no adversity.” His mouth is full of cursing and deceit10.7 Or full of an oath and oppression; under his tongue are trouble and iniquity. 10.7 LXX bitterness; cited in Romans 3:14 He sits in an ambush of the villages; in the hidden places he kills the innocent one; his eyes look stealthily on the helpless. He lies in wait in the hidden place, like a lion in his lair; he lies in wait to catch the afflicted one; he catches the afflicted one by drawing him into his net. He is crushed; he bows down,10.10 Or He crouche; he lies low and the hapless one falls by his strength. He has said in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will not see it forever.” Arise, O YHWH! O God, lift up Your hand! You must not forget the afflicted ones. Upon what does the wicked spurn God? He has said in his heart, “You will not call me to account.” Indeed you have seen; You regard trouble and grief, to give it into Your hand. The hapless one leaves himself to You; for You are the One helping the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer! Seek out his wickedness, until none is found. YHWH is King forever and ever; the nations have perished from His land. The desire of the afflicted ones You have heard, O YHWH; You will make firm their hearts; You will incline Your ear, to do justice for the fatherless and oppressed; he shall not continue anymore to terrorize— the man from the earth, In Yahweh I Take Refuge (Habakkuk 1:12–17) For the one directing. Of David. In YHWH I have taken refuge. How can you⁺ say to my soul, “Flee to your⁺ mountain a bird! For, behold, the wicked tread the bow; they make ready their arrow upon the string, to shoot in the darkness at those upright in heart. If the foundations are thrown down, the righteous—what can he do?” YHWH is in His holy temple; YHWH—in the heavens is His throne. His eyes are watching, His eyelids examine the sons of man. YHWH tests the righteous, and His soul hates the wicked one and the lover of violence. May He rain down coals upon the wicked, fire and brimstone; and a burning wind is the portion of their cup. For YHWH is righteous; He loves righteousness; the upright one will see His face. The Godly Are No More For the one directing. According to Sheminith.† A Psalm of David. Help, O YHWH! For the godly one ceases to be; for the faithful ones disappear from the sons of man. 12.1 Sheminith is probably a musical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:21 and Psalm 6:1. Vanity they speak, each man with his neighbor; with lips of flattery with a double heart they speak. May YHWH cut off all lips of flattery, a tongue speaking great things— those who have said, “By our tongues we will prevail; our lips are with us; who is lord over us?” “From the oppression of the poor, from the groaning of the needy, now I shall arise,” says YHWH. “I will set in safety him who breathes for it.” The words of YHWH are pure words, silver refined in a furnace of earth, purified sevenfold.12.6 Or silver refined in a furnace, gold purified sevenfold You, O YHWH, shall keep them; You will guard them from this generation forever. On every side the wicked walk, as vileness is exalted by the sons of man. How Long, O LORD? For the one directing. A Psalm of David. Until when, O YHWH? Will You forget me forever? Until when will You hide Your face from me? Until when shall I set counsel in my soul, and sorrow in my heart daily? Until when will my enemy be raised high over me? Look attentively; answer me, O YHWH my God! Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him.” My adversaries rejoice because I am shaken. Yet I have trusted in Your loving devotion; My heart will rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to YHWH, because He has dealt bountifully with me. The Fool Says There Is No God (Psalm 53:1–6; Isaiah 59:1–17; Romans 3:9–20) For the one directing. Of David. The fool14.1 The Hebrew words rendered fool throughout the Psalms denote one who is morally deficient. says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; they have done abominable deeds; there is no one doing good. YHWH looks down from the heavens upon the sons of man, to see, is there one understanding, seeking God? All have turned aside, together they have become corrupt;14.3 LXX worthless there is no one doing good, not even one.14.3 Cited in Romans 3:10–12 All those working iniquity, have they not known? They devour my people they have eaten bread; on YHWH they do not call. There they tremble with dread, for God is in the generation of the righteous. The counsel of the poor you⁺ have shamed, for YHWH is his place of refuge. Who gives from Zion the salvation of Israel? In YHWH turning back the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice; let Israel be glad! Who may Dwell on Your Holy Mountain? A Psalm of David. O YHWH, who may sojourn in Your tent? Who may dwell in the mountain of Your Holiness? The one walking blamelessly, and doing righteousness, and speaking truth in his heart. He does not have slander upon his tongue, and he has not done evil to his neighbor, and a reproach he has not taken up against his neighbor. A rejected one is despised in his eyes, and those fearful of YHWH he honors— one who swears to endure evil, and not changing. His silver he has not given in usury, and he does not take a bribe against the innocent. The one doing these things is not shaken forever. The Presence of Yahweh (Acts 2:14–36) A Miktam† of David. Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. 16.1 Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalm 16 and Psalms 56–60. I said to YHWH, “You are my Lord. My goodness is nothing apart from You.” As for the holy ones who are in the land, they and the excellent ones, all my delight is in them. May their sorrows be multiplied, those who hurry after another! I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not lift up their names upon my lips. YHWH, is the portion of my share, and my cup; You are the One upholding my lot. The lines have fallen to me in the pleasant places; indeed, a pleasing inheritance is unto me. I will bless YHWH, who counsels me; even in the nights, my kidneys instruct me.16.7 Or my conscience instructs me I have set YHWH before me continually; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 16.8 LXX I foresaw Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely.16.9 LXX will dwell in hope For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, and You will not give Your Holy one to see corruption. 16.10 Cited in Acts 13:35 You make known to me the path of life; fullness of joys is with Your face,16.11 Cited in Acts 2:25–28 pleasant things are at Your right hand forever. Hear My Righteous Plea A Prayer of David. Hear, O YHWH, a just cause; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer without lips of deceit. From before Your face, let my judgment come forth; may Your eyes see uprightness. You have tested my heart; You have inspected in the night. You have refined me without Your finding, for I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. As for the works of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept myself from the ways of a violent one. To uphold my steps on Your paths, my footsteps are not shaken. I call on You, for You will answer me, O God! Incline Your ear to me; hear my word. Set apart Your loving devotion, You who save those taking refuge from the assailants— with Your right hand. May you guard me as the pupil, the daughter of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings, from wicked ones who would ruin me, my enemies in soul go around against me. Their fat they have closed up; their mouths they speak with pride. In our steps now they have surrounded us; they have set their eyes to cast us to the ground. His likeness is as a lion longing to tear, and like a young lion lurking in hidden places. Arise, O YHWH! Go before his face; cast him down, and rescue my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by Your hand, O YHWH, from men of the world— their portion is in this life. And Your treasured ones, You fill their belly;17.14 Or May what You have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies they are satisfied with sons, and they leave their remainder to their children. I, in righteousness, will see Your face; in my waking, I will be satisfied with Your form. Yahweh Is My Rock (2 Samuel 22:1–51) For the one directing. Of the servant of YHWH, David, who spoke to YHWH the words of this song on the day that YHWH snatched him from the hand of all his enemies, from the hand of Saul. 1 And he said: YHWH is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock—I take refuge in Him— my protection, and the horn of my salvation, my high place. I will call upon YHWH, to be praised, and I shall be saved from my enemies. The cords of Death surrounded me, and the torrents of Belial terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of Death confronted me. In the distress unto me, I called to YHWH, and to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came before His face into His ears. And the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the hills trembled; and they were shaken because of the burning from Him. Smoke went up from His nostril, and a devouring fire from His mouth; coals were kindled from it. And He stretched apart the heavens and came down, and a dark cloud was under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub and flew, and He took flight upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His covering, His canopy around Him—darkness of waters and thick clouds of vapors. From the brightness before Him His thick clouds passed on, hail and coals of fire. 18.12 Or bolts of lightning; also in verse 13 And YHWH thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave forth His voice— hail and coals of fire.18.13 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX do not include —hail and coals of fire; see 2 Samuel 22:14. And He sent out His arrows and scattered them, and He hurled lightning and routed them. And the channels of the sea were seen. And the foundations of the world were uncovered, from Your rebuke, O YHWH, from the blast of the breath of Your nostril. He sent from above, he took hold of me; He drew me out from the many waters. He snatched me away from my strong enemy, and from those hating me, for they were stronger than I. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, and YHWH was as a support for me. And He brought me out into a broad place; He pulled me out, because He took delight in me. YHWH rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands, He returned it to me. For I have kept the ways of YHWH, and I have not acted wickedly against my God. For all His ordinances are before me, and I did not turn aside His statutes from me. And I was blameless before Him, and I guarded myself from my iniquity. And YHWH has returned to me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands before His eyes. With the faithful one, You show Yourself faithful; with a blameless man, You show Yourself blameless; with the purified one, You show Yourself pure; and with the crooked one, You show Yourself shrewd. For You will save a lowly people, but the eyes of those rising high You bring low. For You light my lamp; YHWH my God makes my darkness shine bright. For with You I can run against a troop, and with my God I can leap a wall. God—His way is perfect— the word of YHWH is refined; He is a shield for all those taking refuge in Him. For who is God, apart from YHWH? And who is the Rock, except our God?— The God girding me with strength, and making perfect my way. Setting my feet like does, even on the heights He makes me stand. He trains my hands for the battle, and my arms can bend down a bow of bronze. And You gave to me the shield of Your salvation; and Your right hand supports me, and Your gentleness makes me great. 18.35 Or and Your help exalts me or and You stoop down to make me great You made wide my path under me, and my ankles have not slipped. I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and I did not turn back until they were consumed. I wounded them, and they were not able to rise; they have fallen under my feet. And You girded me with strength for the battle; those rising against me You bent down underneath me. And my enemies, You have given to me the neck; and those hating me, I cut them off! They cried for help, and no one saved them, upon YHWH, and He did not answer them. And I beat them as dust upon the face of the wind; like mud in the streets I trampled them.18.42 Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); MT I poured emptied out You rescued me from the disputes of people; You set me as the head of nations; a people I have not known shall serve me. At the hearing of the ear, they listen to me; the sons of a foreigner feign obedience before me. The sons of a foreigner fade away, and they come trembling from their strongholds. YHWH lives! And blessed be my Rock, and the God of my salvation be exalted— the God giving vengeance to me, and subduing the peoples under me, causing me to escape from my enemies, even above, those who rise against me—You lift me up. From the man of violence, You have snatched me. Upon thus, I will confess You among the nations, O YHWH, and to Your name I will sing praise. 18.49 Cited in Romans 15:9 He is making great the salvation of His king and showing loving devotion to His anointed, of David and to his seed, even to forever. The Heavens Declare the Glory of God For the one directing. A Psalm of David. The heavens are recounting the glory of God, and the firmament is declaring the work of and His hands. Day after day it pours forth speech, and night after night it shows forth knowledge. Without speech and without words, their voice not being heard,19.3 Or There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.19.4 LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; Hebrew their line He has placed a tent in them for the sun, 19.4 Cited in Romans 10:18 and it is like a bridegroom going forth from his chamber, rejoicing like a strong man to run the path. From one end of the heavens is his going forth, and his circuit is upon their ends, and there is nothing being hidden from his heat. The law of YHWH is perfect, refreshing the soul; the testimony of YHWH is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of YHWH are straight, making glad the heart; the commandment of YHWH is pure, bringing light to the eyes. The fear of YHWH is pure, standing forever; the judgments of YHWH are true, being righteous altogether, being desired above gold, and much above pure gold, and sweeter than honey and flowing honey from the honeycomb. Indeed, Your servant is warned by them; in keeping them is great reward. Who can discern his errors? From the hidden cleanse me. Also, hold back Your servant from proud things; may they not rule over me. Then I shall be complete, and cleansed of great transgression. The words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, let them be for favor before Your face, O YHWH, my Rock and my Redeemer. The Day of Trouble For the one directing. A Psalm of David. May YHWH answer you in the day of distress; may the name of the God of Jacob set you on high. May He send help for you from the Holy Place, and from Zion may He support you. May He remember all your gifts, and anoint your burnt offering. Selah may He give to you according to your heart, and fulfill all your counsel. We will rejoice in your salvation, and we will raise a banner in the name of our God; may YHWH fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that YHWH brings salvation for His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven, with the saving might of His right hand. These in the chariots, and these in the horses, but we, in the name of YHWH our God, will remember. They have bowed down and fallen, and we have risen and stand upright. O YHWH, save20.9 Or give victory to the king! Answer us on the day we call. After the Battle (Proverbs 21:1–31) For the one directing. A Psalm of David. O YHWH, in Your strength the king rejoices! And in Your salvation, how greatly he exults! The desire of his heart You have given to him, and the request of his lips you have not withheld. Selah for You put before him the blessings of goodness; You set upon his head a crown of pure gold. Life he has asked from You, and You gave it to him— length of days, forever and ever. Great is his glory in Your salvation; splendor and majesty You have placed upon him. For You set for him blessings forever; You make him rejoice with gladness before Your face. For the king trusts in YHWH, and in the loving devotion of the Most High he shall not be shaken. Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those hating You. You will place them as in a furnace of fire at the time of Your presence; YHWH in His anger will swallow them up, and the fire will devour them. Their fruit You will destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the sons of men. For they stretched out against you for evil. They devised a plot; they will not prevail. For You set them to the shoulder; You prepare Your bowstrings against their faces. Be exalted, O YHWH, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your might. The Psalm of the Cross (Matthew 27:32–56; Mark 15:21–41; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–30) For the one directing. According to “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me,22.1 Cited in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 far away from my salvation, from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry out by day, and You do not answer, and by night, and there is no quiet for me. And You are holy, sitting amid the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You delivered them. To You they cried, and they were given escape; in You they trusted, and they were not put to shame. And I am a worm, and not a man, the scorn of men, and despised by the people. All seeing me mock at me; they gape with the lip; they shake the head: “Roll to YHWH; let Him deliver him and snatch him away, if indeed He delights in him.22.8 Or He trusts in YHWH” 22.8 Cited in Matthew 27:43 Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust upon the breasts of my mother. Upon You I was cast forth from the womb; from the belly of my mother, You are my God. You should not be far from me, for distress is near, and because there is no one to help. Many strong bulls have surrounded me, mighty ones of Bashan have encircled Me. They open against me their mouths, a lion tearing and roaring. I am poured out like water, and all of my bones are separated; my heart has become like wax, and has melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue clings to my jaws; and in the dust of death You lay me. 22.15 MT; or My mouth, a possible reading of the original Hebrew text For dogs have surrounded me; the swarm of the wicked has encircled me, piercing my hands and my feet.22.16 DSS, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac; most MT like a lion at my hands and feet I can count all my bones; they glare; they look at me. They divide out my garments for themselves, and over my clothing they cast lots. 22.18 Cited in John 19:24; see also Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, and Luke 23:34 But You, O YHWH, do not be far away! O my strength, may You hurry to help me. Snatch my soul from the sword, my only one from the hand of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion, and from the horns of the wild oxen answer me. I will declare Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 22.22 LXX I will sing Your praises in the assembly; cited in Hebrews 2:12. Those fearing YHWH, praise Him! All the seed of Jacob, honor Him! And fear Him, all the seed of Israel! For He has not despised and has not detested the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from him, and in his crying out to Him, He has heard. From You is my praise in the great assembly; my vows I will complete in front of those who fear Him. The afflicted ones shall eat and be satisfied; those seeking Him shall praise YHWH. May your⁺ hearts live forever! They will remember and will turn to YHWH, all the ends of the earth; and before Your face they will bow down, all the clans of the nations. For unto YHWH is the kingship, and He rules over the nations. All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and bow low; before His face will bow all those going down to the dust, even the one unable to keep alive his soul. A seed shall serve Him; it will be recounted of the Lord to the generation. They shall come and declare His righteousness to a people to be born, that which He has done! Yahweh Is My Shepherd (Ezekiel 34:11–24; John 10:1–21) A Psalm of David. YHWH is my shepherd;23.1 See Revelation 7:17. I shall not lack. In pastures green He makes me to lie down; beside waters of resting He guides me. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness, for the sake of His name. Even though I may walk in the valley of the shadow of death,23.4 Or the valley of deep darkness I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You arrange a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with the oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of YHWH for the length of days. The Earth Is Yahweh’s A Psalm of David. Unto YHWH is the earth and its fullness,24.1 Cited in 1 Corinthians 10:26 the world and those dwelling in it. For He has founded it upon the seas, and upon the rivers He established it. Who will ascend onto the hill of YHWH, or who will stand in His holy place? The one clean of hands and pure of heart, who has not lifted up his soul to vanity,24.4 Or to falsehood or to an idol and has not sworn by deceit. He will lift up a blessing from YHWH, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those seeking Him, those seeking Your face, O God of Jacob.24.6 LXX, Syriac, and two Hebrew manuscripts; MT who seek your face, O Jacob Selah lift up, O gates, your⁺ heads, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, and the King of Glory shall come in! Who is this King of Glory? YHWH strong and mighty, YHWH mighty in battle! Lift up, O gates, your⁺ heads, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, and the King of glory shall come in! Who is this King of glory? YHWH of Hosts, He is the King of Glory! Selah To You I lift Up My Soul of David.† Unto You, O YHWH, I lift up my soul. 25.1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. My God, in You I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies rejoice over me. Indeed, all those waiting on You will not be put to shame; those who act treacherously without cause will be ashamed. May You show me Your ways, O YHWH; may You teach me Your paths. Make me to walk in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day. Remember Your mercies, O YHWH, and Your loving devotion, for they are from of old. May You not remember the sins of my youth, and my transgressions; according to Your loving devotion, may You remember me, for the sake of Your goodness, O YHWH. Good and upright is YHWH; upon thus, He directs sinful ones in the way. He guides the humble ones in justice, and He teaches the humble ones His way. All the paths of YHWH are loving devotion and truth, to those keeping His covenant and His decrees. And for the sake of Your name, O YHWH, may You pardon my iniquity, though it is great. Who is this man, the one fearing YHWH? He will direct him in the way he must choose. His soul shall dwell in goodness, and his seed shall possess the land. The counsel of YHWH is with those fearing Him, and He makes known to them His covenant. My eyes are continually toward YHWH, for He brings out my feet from a net. May You turn to me and show favor to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; may You bring me out from my distress. Look on my affliction and my trouble, and lift all my sins. See my enemies!—For they are many, and with violent hatred they hate me. Guard my soul and deliver me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You. May integrity and uprightness keep me, for I wait for You.25.21 Or for my hope is in You; LXX for I wait for You, O Lord May You redeem Israel, O God, from all his distress. Vindicate Me, O LORD Of David. Judge me, O YHWH! For I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in YHWH without slipping. Examine me, O YHWH, and test me; refine my kidneys and my heart. For Your loving devotion is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. I do not sit with men of vanity, and with dissemblers I will not go in. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and with the wicked I do not sit. I wash my hands in innocence, and I go about Your altar, O YHWH, to sound with a voice of thanksgiving, and to recount all Your wonders. O YHWH, I love the habitation of Your house, and the place of the dwelling of Your glory. Do not gather my soul with sinners, and my life with men of blood, in whose hands is a scheme, and whose right hand is filled with a bribe. And I, in my integrity, walk; redeem me and be merciful to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the assemblies I will bless YHWH. Yahweh Is My Salvation Of David. YHWH is my light and my salvation— of whom shall I be afraid? YHWH is the strength of my life— of whom shall I be in dread? In the coming near of the wicked against me, for the eating of my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies to me, they stumble and fall. Though a host may encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war should rise up against me, in this I will keep my trust. One thing I have asked from YHWH— it do I seek— that I may dwell in the house of YHWH all the days of my life, to look on the beauty of YHWH, and to inquire in His temple. For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of evil; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; upon a rock He will set me high. And now my head will be held high over my enemies all around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices of shouting; I will sing and make music to YHWH. Hear, O YHWH, my voice when I call, and be merciful to me and answer me. You have said to my heart “Seek My face.” Your face, O YHWH, I will seek. Do not hide Your face from me; do not stretch Your servant away in anger! You have been my help— do not leave me and do not forsake me, O God of my salvation. Though my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet YHWH will gather me in. Teach me Your way, O YHWH, and lead me on a level path, on account of my enemies. Do not give me up to the desires of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. Still I believed to look on the goodness of YHWH in the land of the living. Wait for YHWH; be strong and let your heart be courageous. And wait for YHWH! Yahweh Is My Strength Of David. To You, O YHWH, I call out. O my Rock, do not be deaf to me, lest You be silent to me and I be likened with those descending to the Pit. May You hear the voice of my supplications, in my crying out to You, in my lifting up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.28.2 Or Your innermost sanctuary or Your Most Holy Place Do not drag me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, those speaking peace with their neighbors, and evil is in their heart. Give to them according to their doing, and according to the evil of their deeds! According to the work of their hands, give to them; return their dealing to them! For they do not have regard toward the works of YHWH, and toward the deed of His hands; He shall overthrow them, and not rebuild them. Blessed be YHWH, for He has heard the voice of my supplications. YHWH is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; so my heart rejoices, and with my song I will give thanks to Him. YHWH is the strength for them; and He is a stronghold of salvation for His anointed. May You save Your people and bless Your inheritance, and shepherd them and carry them, even to forever. Ascribe Glory to Yahweh A Psalm of David. Ascribe to YHWH, O sons of the mighty ones.29.1 Or O sons of God or O heavenly beings Ascribe to YHWH glory and strength. Ascribe to YHWH the glory of His name; bow down before YHWH in the splendor of holiness.29.2 Or in holy attire The voice of YHWH is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders— YHWH is over many waters. The voice of YHWH is with power, the voice of YHWH is with majesty. The voice of YHWH breaks the cedars, and YHWH shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion29.6 That is, Mount Hermon like the son of a wild ox. The voice of YHWH is hewing flames of fire. The voice of YHWH causes the wilderness to writhe; YHWH causes the wilderness of Kadesh to writhe. The voice of YHWH twists the oaks,29.9 Or makes the deer to calve and strips bare the forests— and in His temple all of it is saying, “Glory!” YHWH has sat over the flood, and YHWH sits as King forever. YHWH gives strength to His people; YHWH blesses His people with peace. You Turned My Mourning into Dancing A Psalm. A song for the dedication of the house of David. I will exalt You, O YHWH, for You have drawn me up, and You did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O YHWH my God, I cried for help to You, and You healed me. O YHWH, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; from my going down to the Pit, You have kept me alive. Make music to YHWH, His faithful ones, and praise His holy name.30.4 Or and praise the memorial of His holiness; see Exodus 3:15. For a moment is His anger; for a lifetime is His favor. In the night lodges weeping, and in the morning, joy. And I said in my prosperity, “I will not be shaken forever.” O YHWH, by Your favor You made my mountain stand strong; You have hidden Your face— I was dismayed. To You, O YHWH, I called out, and to my Lord I made supplication. “What profit is in my blood,30.9 Or in my destruction in my going down to the Pit?30.9 Or to corruption Will the dust confess You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O YHWH, and have mercy on me; O YHWH, be the One giving help to me.” You have turned my mourning to dancing for me; You have opened my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, so that my glory will sing praise to you, and not be silent. O YHWH, my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit (Luke 23:44–49) For the one directing. A Psalm of David. In You, O YHWH, I have taken refuge; do not let me be ashamed forever; in Your righteousness, deliver me! Incline Your ear to me, and quickly deliver me. Be for me as a rock of refuge, as a house of strongholds to save me. For You are my rock and my stronghold; and for the sake of Your name, You will lead me and guide me. You will bring me out from the net that they have hidden for me, because You are my refuge. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O YHWH, God of truth. 31.5 Cited in Luke 23:46 I have hated31.6 MT; one Hebrew manuscript, LXX, and Syriac You hate those serving worthless idols; and I toward YHWH place my trust. I will rejoice and be glad in Your loving devotion— in that You have seen my affliction, and you knew of the distress of my soul. And You did not shut me up in the hand of the enemy, You set my feet on a broad place. Show favor to me, O YHWH, for there is distress for me! My eye, my soul, and my belly have wasted away with grief. For my life has been consumed with grief, and my years with groaning; my strength fails in my iniquity, and my bones are wasting away. Among all my enemies I am an object of scorn, even to my neighbors, and a source of dread, exceedingly to those who know me; those seeing me in the street flee from me! I have been forgotten like a dead man from the heart; I am perishing like a vessel. For I have heard the slander of many, terror from round about, in their taking counsel together against me; they have plotted to take my life. Yet I have trusted in You, O YHWH; I say, “You are My God.” In Your hand are my times; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those pursuing me. Cause Your face to shine upon Your servant; save me in Your loving devotion. O YHWH, do not let me be ashamed, for I have called to You. Let the wicked be ashamed; let them be silent in Sheol. Let the lips of falsehood become dumb, those speaking against the righteous with arrogance, with pride and contempt. How great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those fearing You, which you have prepared for those taking refuge in You before the sons of man! You shall hide them in the hidden place of Your presence, from the plots of man; you shall store them in a shelter, from the strife of tongues. Blessed be YHWH, for He has made marvelous His loving devotion to me, in a city under siege. For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes!” Surely You heard the voice of my supplications, in my crying out to You. Love YHWH, all you His holy ones! YHWH is watching the faithful and recompensing the worker of pride in excess. Hold firm, and He shall strengthen your⁺ heart, all those waiting for YHWH. The Joy of Forgiveness (Romans 4:1–12) Of David. A Maskil.† Blessed is he with transgression lifted, with sin is covered.32.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. 32.1 LXX Blessed is he whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered; cited in Romans 4:7 Blessed is the man for whom YHWH does not reckon iniquity,32.2 LXX Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him; cited in Romans 4:8 and in his spirit is no deceit. When I remained silent, my bones were worn out by my groaning all the day. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my juice was overturned,32.4 Or my vitality was turned or my strength was drained as in the drought of summer. Selah I made known to You my sin, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will make confession over my transgressions to YHWH,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah upon thus, let every godly one pray to You, in a time to find; even with a flood of great waters toward him, they shall not touch him. You are a hiding place unto me; from distress you keep me; with shouts of deliverance, You will surround me. Selah I will instruct you and direct you in the way that you should go; with My eye I will give counsel concerning you. You⁺ should not be like a horse, like a mule without understanding, with bit and bridle to curb its ornaments, that there is no coming near to you. Many are the pains of the wicked, and the one trusting in YHWH, loving devotion shall surround him. Be glad in YHWH and rejoice, O righteous ones, and shout for joy, all upright of heart! Praise to the Creator (Psalm 148:1–14) Give a ringing cry, O righteous ones, in YHWH! Beautiful is the praise for the upright. Give thanks to YHWH with the harp; with an instrument of ten strings, make music to Him. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. For straight is the word of YHWH, and all His work is trustworthy. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the loving devotion of YHWH. By the word of YHWH the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gathers together the waters of the sea as a heap; He lays up the depths in storehouses. Let them be afraid of YHWH, all the earth; let all those dwelling in the world stand in awe of Him! For He has spoken, and it came to pass; He has commanded, and it stood firm. YHWH breaks apart the counsel of nations; He has disallowed the plans of the peoples. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation and to generation. Blessed is the nation for whom YHWH is its God, the people He has chosen as the inheritance for Him. From the heavens, YHWH looks; He sees all the sons of man. From the fixed place of His sitting, He gazes toward all those dwelling on the earth. He fashions their hearts together; He attends to all their works. No king is saved by the abundance of his strength; a mighty man is not delivered by the abundance of his power. His horse is a false thing for salvation, and in the abundance of its strength it cannot provide escape. Behold, the eye of YHWH is toward those who fear Him, to those waiting on His loving devotion, to snatch their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for YHWH— He is our help and our shield. For in Him our heart shall rejoice, because we have trusted in His holy Name. May Your loving devotion, O YHWH, be upon us, as we do wait for You. Taste and See That Yahweh Is Good (1 Samuel 21:8–15) Of David, in his changing his behavior before Abimelech,† and he drove him off, and he went.† I will bless YHWH at every time; His praise is continually in my mouth. 34.1 Abimelech is another name for Achish; see 1 Samuel 21–29 and 1 Kings 2:39.34.1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In YHWH my soul boasts; let the humble hear and be glad. Magnify YHWH with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought YHWH, and He answered me, and He snatched me up from all my fears. They looked toward Him, and they shone, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor one called out, and YHWH heard, and from all his troubles He saved him. The angel of YHWH encamps all around those who fear Him, and he rescues them. Taste and see that YHWH is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear YHWH, His holy ones, for There is no lack for those fearing Him. The young lions are in want and are hungry, and those seeking YHWH shall not lack any good thing. Come, my sons, listen to me; the fear of YHWH I will teach you⁺. Who is the man desiring life, loving days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of YHWH are toward the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry. 34.15 LXX to their prayer The face of YHWH is against those doing evil,34.16 Cited in 1 Peter 3:10–12 to cut off from the earth their memory. They cry out, and YHWH hears, and He delivers them from all their troubles. Near is YHWH to the broken of heart, and He saves those crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of a righteous one, but from them all YHWH delivers him. He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken. 34.20 Cited in John 19:36 Evil will kill the wicked, and those hating a righteous one will be held guilty. YHWH redeems the soul of His servants, and not any of those taking refuge in Him will be condemned. Contend with My Opponents, O LORD Of David. Contend, O YHWH, with my opponents; fight with those fighting me! Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise in help of me, and draw out the spear and javelin35.3 Or and close the way against those pursuing me! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.” Let them be shamed and dishonored, those seeking my soul; let them be turned back and confounded, those planning evil for me! Let them be like chaff before the wind, and the angel of YHWH driving them away. Let their path be darkness and slickness— and let the angel of YHWH pursue them! For without cause, they have hidden a pit for me—their net; they have dug one for my soul without cause. Let destruction come upon him that he shall not know, and the net that he has hidden, let it catch him; the destruction, let him fall into it! And my soul will rejoice in YHWH; it will exult in His salvation. All my bones will say, “O YHWH, who is like You?— Snatching the afflicted from the one stronger than he, and the afflicted one and the needy one from the one plundering him.” Violent witnesses rise up; those whom I do not know; they interrogate me. They repay me evil in place of good, to the bereavement of my soul. And I— in their sickness my clothing is sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned upon my bosom. As for a friend or brother to me— I went about as one mourning; in grief as for my mother, I bowed down. And in my stumbling, they were glad and gathered themselves together; attackers they gathered together against me, and ones I did not know, they tore and did not cease. Like godless mockers at a feast,35.16 Or Like a godless circle of mockers, they gnashed at me with their teeth. O Lord, how long will you look on? Turn back my soul from their ravages, my only one from the young lions! I will give You thanks in the great assembly; among a mighty people I will praise You. Do not let my enemies rejoice over me in deception; those hating me for no reason wink the eye. 35.19 See John 15:25. For they do not speak peace, and against the quiet of the land, they devise words of deceit. And they opened wide against me their mouths; they said, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it!” You have seen it, O YHWH; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me! Rouse Yourself, and awaken to my judgment, my God and my Lord, to my cause! Judge for me according to Your righteousness, O YHWH my God, and do not let them rejoice over me. Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, our desire!” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” Let them be put to shame and brought to confusion together, those being glad at my distress; may they be clothed with shame and dishonor, those magnifying themselves over me! Let them shout for joy and be glad, those desiring my vindication, and let them say continually, “Let YHWH be magnified, the One delighting in the welfare of His servant!” And my tongue shall utter Your righteousness— Your praise all the day. The Transgression of the Wicked For the one directing. Of the servant of YHWH, of David. Of the transgression of the wicked is within my heart; there is no dread of God before his eyes.36.1 Cited in Romans 3:18 For he is flattering to himself in his own eyes, having found his iniquity to be hated. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be prudent and do good. He devises iniquity upon his bed; he stands himself on a path that is not good; he does not reject evil. O YHWH, Your loving devotion is into the heavens, Your faithfulness as far as the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of Might, Your ordinances the great deep; You keep safe man and beast, O YHWH. How precious is Your loving devotion, O God! Even the sons of man take refuge under the shadow of Your wings. They are filled from the fatness of Your house, and You let them drink from the stream of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Draw out Your loving devotion to those knowing You, and Your righteousness to the upright of heart. Do not let the foot of pride come against me, and the hand of the wicked, do not let it drive me away. There the workers of iniquity do fall! They have been cast down, and are not able to rise. Delight Yourself in Yahweh (1 Kings 2:1–9) Of David.† You should not fret over those doing evil, and do not be jealous of the workers of iniquity. 37.1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. For like the grass, soon they are cut off, and like the green of the herb they shall wither. Trust in YHWH and do good; dwell in the land and graze in faithfulness. And delight yourself in YHWH, and He will give to you the desires of your heart. Roll upon YHWH your way; trust in Him, and He will act. And He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, and your justice like the noonday sun. Be still before YHWH, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret over the one succeeding in his path, over the man making schemes. Cease from anger, and leave behind wrath; you should not burn—it only causes harm. For those doing evil will be cut off, and those waiting on YHWH, they will inherit the land. And in yet a little while, the wicked man is no more; and you will look for his place, and it is no more. And the meek will inherit the land, and they will delight in the abundance of peace. 37.11 Or the earth; see Matthew 5:5. The wicked man is plotting against the righteous one and is gnashing his teeth at him. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bows, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay those upright in the path. Their sword will come into their own heart, and their bows will be broken. Better is the little of the righteous, than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, and YHWH upholds the righteous. YHWH Knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in a time of evil, and in days of famine they will be satisfied. But the wicked will perish, and the enemies of YHWH; like the splendor of the meadows they will be consumed, and with the smoke they will be consumed. The wicked borrows and does not repay, and the righteous one is gracious and giving. For those being blessed by Him will inherit the land, and those being cursed by Him will be cut off. By YHWH the steps of a man are established, and in his way He delights. Though he falls, he will not be cast down, for YHWH is upholding his hand.37.24 Or is upholding him with His hand I have been young, and I am old; and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, and his seed seeking bread. All the day, he is gracious and lending, and his seed are a blessing. Turn away from evil and do good, and you will dwell forever. For YHWH loves justice, and He will not forsake His holy ones; forever they are preserved, and the seed of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land, and they will dwell forever in it. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. The wicked is keeping watch on the righteous, and he is seeking to kill him. YHWH will not leave him in his hand, and will not declare him wicked in his being judged. Wait on YHWH and keep His way, and He will exalt you so as to possess the land; in the cutting off of the wicked, you will see it. I have seen a wicked, ruthless one spread out like a luxuriant native tree. And he passed away, and behold, he was no more; and indeed I sought him, and he could not be found. Observe a blameless one, and see an upright one, for the end of the man is well-being.37.37 Or for there is a future for the man of peace But those transgressing will be destroyed together; the end for the wicked man is cut off. And the salvation of the righteous is from YHWH; He is their stronghold in time of distress. And YHWH helps them and rescues them; He shall rescue them from the wicked and save them, because they have taken refuge in Him. Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger (Psalm 6:1–10) A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O YHWH, do not rebuke me in Your wrath and chastise me in Your fury. For Your arrows descend into me, and Your hand comes down on me. No soundness is in my flesh before the face of Your anger; no peace is in my bones before the face of my sin. For my iniquities have passed over my head; like a heavy burden, they are heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering, before the face of my foolishness. I am bent, I am bowed down even to excess; all the day I go about mourning. For my loins are full of burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am numb and crushed, even to excess; I roar from the groaning of my heart. O Lord, all my desire is before You, and my groaning is not hidden from You. My heart pounds, my strength has forsaken me, and the light of my eyes—even they are not with me. My beloved and my friends stand away from my plague; my neighbors stand far off. And those seeking my soul lay snares, and those searching out my harm speak; they ponder destruction and treachery all the day. And I am like a deaf one who does not hear and like a mute one who does not open his mouth. And I am like a man who is not hearing, and in his mouth are no rebukes, because for You, O YHWH, I have waited; You will answer, O Lord my God. For I said, “Lest they rejoice over me; in the slipping of my foot they magnify themselves against me.” For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is before me continually. For I declare my iniquity; I am anxious over my sin. And my enemies without cause are many, and those hating me without cause have been multiplied.38.19 One DSS manuscript; MT My enemies are vigorous and many 38.19 See John 15:25 And those repaying evil for good, they oppose me, because of my pursuing good. Do not forsake me, O YHWH; O my God, do not be far from me! Hurry to help me, O Lord, my salvation. I Will Watch My Ways To the one directing. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, “I will guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, as long as a wicked one is before me.” I was mute in silence, I kept silent from good, and my sorrow was stirred up. My heart became hot within me; in my musing, a fire was kindled; I have spoken with my tongue: “Cause me to know, O YHWH, my end, and the measure of my days— what is it?—That I may know how fleeting I am. Behold, as handbreadths have made my days, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each one is a vapor, each man is stationary. Selah surely like a shadow every man goes about; surely in vain they are in commotion; he heaps up, and does not know who will gather them. And now, what am I waiting, O Lord? My hope, it is in You. May You deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the fool! I have become mute, and cannot open my mouth— O that You would act! Turn Your plague away from me! By the blow of Your hand I am consumed. With rebukes over iniquity, You discipline a man, the things he desires you melt away like a moth; surely every man is a vapor. Selah hear my prayer, O YHWH, and turn your ear to my cry; at my tears may You not be silent! For I am a sojourner with You, a sojourner like all my fathers. Turn Your gaze from me, that I might be made glad, before I go on and am no more.” I Waited Patiently for Yahweh (Psalm 70:1–5; Hebrews 10:1–18) For the one directing. A Psalm of David. I have waited patiently for, YHWH! And He inclined to me and heard my cry. And He brought me up from the pit of desolation, from the mud of the mire; and He raised up my feet upon a rock, and has made firm my steps. And He put in my mouth a new song— praise to our God. Many will see it and will fear, and they will trust in YHWH. Blessed is the man who makes YHWH his refuge, and does not turn toward the proud, and those turning aside to falsehood!40.4 Or those turning aside to false gods or those running after lies Much You have done, O YHWH my God, and wonderful are your thoughts toward us— none can compare to You! Were I to declare and speak, they are vast beyond numbering. In sacrifice and offering You did not take delight, You have opened the ears for me; burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. 40.6 Hebrew; some LXX manuscripts but a body You prepared for me Then I said, “Behold, I have come— in the roll of the book it is written of me. I have delighted to do Your will, O my God,40.8 Cited in Hebrews 10:5–7 and Your law is in the midst of my heart.” I have proclaimed tidings of righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not restrain my lips, O YHWH, You have known. Your righteousness I have not kept hidden in the midst of my heart; Your faithfulness and Your salvation I have declared; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and Your truth from the great assembly. You, O YHWH, do not withhold Your mercies from me; may Your loving devotion and Your truth continually guard me. For evils have surrounded against me, until there is no numbering them; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I am not able to see; they are vast beyond the hairs of my head, and my heart has left me. Take pleasure, O YHWH, to deliver me! O YHWH, may You hurry to help me! Let them be put to shame and confounded together, those seeking my soul, to snatch it away! Let them be driven back and humiliated, those delighting in my harm! Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame, those saying to me, “Aha, aha!” All those seeking You, may they rejoice and be glad in You; let those loving Your salvation say continually, “YHWH be magnified!” And I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me; You are my help and my deliverer— O my God, do not delay! Victory over Betrayal (John 13:18–30) For the one directing. A Psalm of David. Blessed is he who acts wisely toward the poor; in a day of evil, YHWH will rescue him. YHWH will guard him and keep him alive; he will be blessed in the land, and You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. YHWH will support him on his couch of illness; You turn over all his bed in his sickness. I said, “O YHWH, be gracious to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” My enemies speak evil against me: “When will he die and his name perish?” And if one comes to see me, he speaks emptiness; his heart gathers iniquity for himself; he goes out—at the street he speaks. All those hating me, they whisper together against me; against me they devise evil to me: “Let a thing of destruction be poured into him, and he who lies down shall not rise up again.” Even a man of my welfare, he in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up the heel against me. 41.9 Cited in John 13:18 But You, O YHWH, show favor to me and raise me up, that I may repay them! By this I know that You have delighted in me: That my enemy will not shout over me. And I, in my integrity, may You take hold of me and set me before Your face forever. Blessed be YHWH, God of Israel, from forever and even to forever! Amen and Amen. BOOK II Psalms 42–72 As the Deer Pants for the Water For the one directing. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.† As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. 42.1 In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 constitute one psalm. Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before the face of God?42.2 Or and see the face of God? My tears have been to me as bread, day and night, in the saying to me all the day, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, and I pour out my soul within myself: How I crossed over with the throng; I moved with them up to the house of God, with the voice of shouting and praise, with a multitude keeping the feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and in commotion within me? Wait for God, for still I will praise Him, for the salvation of His face. O My God, my soul is downcast within me; upon thus I remember You, from the land of the Jordan and Hermon, from the mount of Mizar. Deep is calling to deep, at the voice of Your waterfalls, and all Your breakers and waves have passed over me. By day, YHWH commands His loving devotion, and in the night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in mourning in the oppression of the enemy?” With a shattering in my bones, my enemies taunt me, in their saying to me all the day, “Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in commotion within me? Wait for God, for still I will praise Him, the salvation of my face, and my God. Send Out Your Light Judge for me, O God, and plead my cause! From a nation unfaithful, from a man of deceit and injustice, may You deliver me. For You are the God of my strength. Why have You rejected me? Why must I walk in mourning, in the oppression of the enemy? Send forth Your light and Your truth; they shall guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, and to Your dwelling place! And I will come to the altar of God, to God, the joy of my rejoicing; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Wait for God, for still I will praise Him, the salvation of my face, and my God. Redeem Us, O God (Romans 8:35–39) For the one directing. Of the sons of Korah. A Maskil.† O God, with our ears we have heard; our fathers have recounted to us the work You did in their days, in the days of old. 44.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. You, with Your hand, dispossessed the nations, and You planted them; You afflicted the peoples and sent them forth. For they did not gain possession of the land by their sword, and their arm did not bring salvation to them; but it was Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You delighted in them. You are my King, O God; Command deliverances for Jacob. Through You we push back our adversaries; by Your name we trample those rising against us. For not in my bow do I trust, and my sword will not save me.44.6 Or will not give me victory; similarly in verse 7 For You have saved us from our adversaries, and those hating us, You have put to shame. In God we have boasted all the day, and we will praise Your name forever. Selah yet You have rejected us and put us to shame, and You do not go forth with our armies. You make us turn back from the adversary, and those hating us have taken plunder for themselves. You have appoint us for food like sheep, and among the nations You have scattered us. You sell Your people with no profit, and You do not gain increase by their price. You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us. You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head44.14 Or a laughingstock among the peoples. All the day, my disgrace is before me, and the shame of my face has covered me, at the voice of a reproacher and reviler, from the face of the enemy and avenger. All this has come upon us, and we have not forgotten You, and we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor our steps turned aside from Your path. Yet You have crushed us in the place of jackals,44.19 Or serpents or dragons and You have covered over us with the shadow of death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a strange god, would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. Yet for Your sake we are killed all the day; we are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter. 44.22 Cited in Romans 8:36 Rouse Yourself! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake! Do not reject us forever. Why do You hide Your face? You forget our affliction and our oppression. For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly has clung to the ground. Rise up as helper to us, and redeem us for the sake of Your loving devotion! My Heart Is Stirred by a Noble Theme (1 Kings 3:1–15; 2 Chronicles 1:1–13; Psalm 72:1–20) For the one directing. According to “The Lilies.” Of the sons of Korah. A Maskil.† A song of love. My heart is stirred by a good word; I am telling my works, O king;45.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. my tongue is the pen of a swift scribe. 45.1 Or King; here and throughout Psalm 45 You are beautiful above the sons of man; favor is poured out from your lips; upon thus God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword upon the thigh, O mighty one, with your majesty and splendor! And in your splendor prosper! Ride forth upon a word of truth and gentleness and justice; and your right hand will teach you fearful things. Your arrows are sharp—the peoples fall under you— in the heart of the enemies of the king. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; upon thus, God, your God has anointed you with the oil of joy above your companions. 45.7 Cited in Hebrews 1:8–9 All your garments are with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from the palaces of ivory, the harps have made you glad. Daughters of kings are among your precious ones; the queen stands at your right hand, in gold of Ophir. Hear, O daughter, and see; and incline your ear, and forget your people and the house of your father. For the king himself desires your beauty, because he is your lord—and bow to him— and the daughter of Tyre, with a gift; the rich among the people, will seek your face. All glorious is the daughter of the king inside; her clothing is with weavings of gold. In various colors she is brought to the king; the virgins following her, companions of hers, shall be brought to you. They are brought along with joy and rejoicing; they shall come into the palace of the king. In place of your fathers shall be your sons, whom you shall make to be princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be remembered through all generations; upon thus the people will praise you forever and ever. God Is Our Refuge and Strength (2 Kings 18:13–16; 2 Chronicles 32:1–8) For the one directing. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.† A Song. God is unto us a place of refuge and strength, a help in distress surely to be found. 46.1 Alamoth is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in 1 Chronicles 15:20. Upon thus we will not fear, with the changing of the earth, and with the shaking of the mountains into the heart of the seas— its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake in its rising. Selah there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the Holy Place of the dwelling of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be shaken; God will help her at the turn of the morning. The nations raged, the kingdoms were shaken; He has given forth with His voice; the earth melts. YHWH of Hosts is with us; a secure height for us is the God of Jacob. Selah Come, see the works of YHWH, who has set devastation upon the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; the bow He breaks, and the spear He cuts apart; the shields46.9 Or chariots He burns in the fire. “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.” YHWH of Hosts is with us; a secure height for us is the God of Jacob. Selah Clap Your Hands, All You Peoples For the one directing. Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm. All you peoples, clap your hands; shout unto God, with a voice of a ringing cry! For YHWH-Elyon47.2 YHWH-Elyon means LORD Most High is to be feared; He is the great King over all the earth. He turns back the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He chose for us our inheritance, the excellence of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, YHWH with the voice of a shofar. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For the King of all the earth is God— sing praises with skill!47.7 Or sing a Maskil of praise or sing praises with understanding God reigns over the nations; God sits upon the throne of His holiness. The princes of the peoples have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham; for the shields of the earth are unto God— He is greatly to be exalted. Broken Bondage A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is YHWH, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, the mountain of His holiness. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of all the earth, like the peaks of Zaphon48.2 Or in the far north; the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites was Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the great King. God is in her citadels, known as a secure height. For behold, the kings assembled; they passed over together. They saw, so they were astonished; they were in dismay, and they hurried away. Trembling took hold of them there, and writhing like a woman in labor. With a wind of the east you broke apart the ships of Tarshish.48.7 Or the fleet of trading ships According to what we have heard, so we have seen, in the city of YHWH of Hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her even to forever! Selah we have reflected, O God, on Your loving devotion, within Your temple. According to Your name, O God, so Your praise is unto the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad; let the daughters48.11 Or the villages of Judah rejoice, on account of Your judgments! Go around Zion and encircle her, and count her towers. Set your⁺ heart toward her bulwark, pass between her citadels, so that you⁺ may recount it to the following generation. For this is God, Our God, forever and ever! He will lead us over death.48.14 Or He will guide us even until death The Evanescence of Wealth (Ecclesiastes 5:8–20) For the one directing. Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm. Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all you dwellers of the world, both sons of a man and sons of a great man, the rich and the poor together! My mouth will speak wisdom, and a declaration of my heart, understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will open up my riddle with the harp. Why should I fear in the days of evil, the perversion that surrounds me at my heels, those trusting in their wealth, and who boast in the abundance of their riches? A brother surely cannot ransom a man,49.7 Or redeem another and he cannot give to God his redemption price. For costly is the ransom of their soul, and it shall cease forever, that he might live on forever, and not see the Pit. For he sees wise men die; the fool and the senseless one perish together, and they leave their wealth for others. Their inward thoughts49.11 LXX, Syriac, and Aramaic Targum Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places from generation to generation, they proclaimed over the lands their own names. And man in his wealth does not remain; he becomes like the beasts that perish. This is their path of folly49.13 Or the fate of the foolish for them, and after them in their sayings they took delight. Selah like sheep they are appointed for Sheol, and death will be their shepherd; the upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form shall be consumed in Sheol—the habitation for him. Surely God will redeem my soul from the hand of Sheol, for He shall take me. Selah do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For in his death he will take of it all nothing; his glory will not go down after him, though his soul, in his living, he blesses, and they praise you when you do well for yourself. He will come to the generation of his fathers; even to forever they shall not see light. A man in his splendor does not understand; he is like the beasts that perish! The Mighty One Calls A Psalm of Asaph. God of gods, YHWH, speaks and calls the earth, from the rising of the sun to the going down. From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes and will not be silent; before His face a fire devours, and all around Him it will storm exceedingly. He calls to the heavens from above, and to the earth, for the judging of His people: “Gather to Me My holy ones, those having cut a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” And let the heavens declare His righteousness— for God Himself is Judge.50.6 Or for He is a God of justice Selah “Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God. It is not over your sacrifices that I rebuke you, or your burnt offerings before me continually. I will not take a bull from your house or male goats from your folds. For every living thing of the forest is unto Me, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and the wild beast of the field is unto Me. If I were hungry, I would not say it to you, for the world and its fullness is to Me. Do I eat the flesh of bulls, and do I drink the blood of goats? Make a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, and fulfill to the Most High your vows. And call on Me in the day of distress, and I will rescue you, and you will glorify Me.” And to the wicked God says, “What to you is to recount My statutes, and to lift up My covenant upon your mouth? And you have hated instruction, and cast My words behind you! If you see a thief, then you are pleased with him, and your portion is with those committing adultery. With your mouth you send forth evil, and your tongue weaves deceit. You sit against your brother and speak; against the son of your mother you place fault. These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought I was just50.21 Or you thought the ‘I AM’ was like you. I will rebuke you and set in array before your eyes.50.21 Or and accuse you to your face Understand this, please, you forgetting God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there is no one to deliver! The one making a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me, and he who sets his path, I will make to look on the salvation of God.” Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God (2 Samuel 12:1–12) For the one directing. A Psalm of David, in the coming of Nathan the prophet to him after that he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me51.1 Or Be gracious to me O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to the abundance of Your compassion, wipe out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is before me continually. Against You, You alone, have I sinned, and have done the evil in your eyes, so that You are right when You speak, and You are pure when You judge. 51.4 LXX and victorious when You judge; cited in Romans 3:4 Behold, in iniquity I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You take delight in truth in the inner parts; in the inmost place You teach me wisdom. Cleanse my sin with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. May You hide Your face from my sins, and wipe out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from before Your face, and do not take away from me Your Holy Spirit. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by a willing spirit. I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation; my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For You do not take delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; with a burnt offering You are not pleased. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A heart broken and crushed, O God, You will not despise. By Your pleasure, do good to Zion; may You build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, a burnt offering and whole sacrifice; then they will offer bulls upon Your altar. Why Do You Boast of Evil? (1 Samuel 22:6–23) For the one directing. A Maskil† of David, in the coming of Doeg the Edomite, when he announced to Saul and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The loving devotion of God is all the day. 52.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor working deceit. You love evil more than good, lying more than speaking righteousness. Selah You love all devouring words, O tongue of deceit! Even God will tear you down forever; He will take you up and pluck you out of the tent and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah and the righteous will see and fear, and they shall laugh at him: “Behold the man who did not set God as his refuge, and who trusted in the abundance of his wealth, and took strength by destruction.” And I am green, like an olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the loving devotion of God forever and ever. I will confess You forever, because You have done it. And I will call on Your name, for it is good before of Your holy ones. The Fool Says There Is No God (Psalm 14:1–7; Isaiah 59:1–17; Romans 3:9–20) For the one directing. According to Mahalath.† A Maskil† of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt and have done abominable injustice; there is no one doing good. 53.1 Mahalath is probably a musical or liturgical term; see also Psalm 88:1.53.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. God looks down from the heavens upon the sons of man, to see: Is there one acting wisely, seeking God? All have turned back, together they have become corrupt;53.3 LXX worthless there is no one doing good, not even one.53.3 Cited in Romans 3:10–12 Will they not learn, the workers of iniquity, those devouring my people they have devoured bread; they do not call upon God. There they feared a fear— there was no fear. For God scattered the bones of the one setting camp against you; you have put them to shame, for God has rejected them. Who will give from Zion the salvation of Israel? God, in turning back the captivity of His people,53.6 Or the fortunes of His people let Jacob rejoice; let Israel be glad! Save Me by Your Name (1 Samuel 23:7–29) For the one directing. With stringed instruments. A Maskil† of David, at the coming of the Ziphites, when they said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself with us?” O God, by Your name save me, and by Your might defend me! 54.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. O God, hear my prayer, give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, and terrible ones have sought my soul; they have not put God before them. Selah behold, God is the One giving help to me; the Lord is with those upholding my soul. He will return the evil to my enemies— in Your faithfulness put an end to them! With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O YHWH, for it is good. For from all distress He has delivered me, and on my enemies my eye has looked. Cast Your Burden upon Yahweh (2 Samuel 17:15–29) For the one directing. With stringed instruments. A Maskil† of David. Turn your ear, O God, to my prayer, and do not hide Yourself from my supplication. 55.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. Be attentive to me, and answer me; for I am restless in my complaint, and make a noise, from the voice of the enemy, from the face of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring down trouble upon me, and in anger they hate me. My heart is writhing within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling have come upon me, and shuddering has covered me. And I said, “Who shall give to me a wing like a dove, that I might fly away and be at rest— behold, I would go far off wandering and would lodge in the wilderness. Selah I would hurry to shelter for myself, from the rushing wind, from the tempest.” Swallow up, O Lord, divide their tongues! For I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it, on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it. Disasters are within it, and oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets. For it is not an enemy who scorns me, or I could bear it; and not one hating me who wielded power against me, or I could hide myself from him. And it was you, a man like me in rank, my companion, and one known by me, with whom we would take sweet counsel together; in the house of God we walked with the throng. Devastation is upon them! May they go down alive to Sheol! For evils are in their dwellings, within them. I will call to God, and YHWH will save me. Evening and morning and noon I meditate and cry aloud, and He hears my voice. In peace He has redeemed my soul from the battle against me, though there were many against me. God will hear and afflict them— even He who sits of old— Selah with whom there are no changes for Him. And they have not fear God. He has stretched out his hands against those united with him; he has profaned his covenant. His mouth has been smoother than butter, and war is in his heart; his words have been softer than oil, and they are drawn swords. Cast your burden upon YHWH, and He will sustain you; He will not give a righteous one to be shaken forever. And You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction, men of blood and deceit! They will not live even half their days. And I will trust in You. Be Merciful to Me, O God (1 Samuel 21:8–15) For the one directing according to “A Dove of Distant Oaks.” Of David. A Miktam† in the seizing of him by the Philistines in Gath. Show favor to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; all the day fighting, he oppresses me. 56.1 Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60. My enemies swallow me up all the day, for many are fighting against me proudly. On the day I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God—His word I praise— in God do I trust. I will not fear; what can flesh do to me? All the day they wrest my words; their thoughts are all for evil against me. They gather together, they hide, they mark my steps when they lie in wait for my soul. Over iniquity bring no escape56.7 MT does not include no. for them! In your anger, may You cast down the nations, O God! My wanderings56.8 Or sorrows You have counted; put my tears in Your bottle— are they not in Your book? Then my enemies will turn back on the day I cry out. This I have known, that God is for me. In God whose word I do praise, in YHWH whose word I praise— in God I have put my trust! I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Your vows, O God, are upon me; I will give thank offerings to You. For You have delivered my soul from death, Do You not keep my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living! In You My Soul Takes Refuge (1 Samuel 22:1–5; Psalm 108:1–13; Psalm 142:1–7) For the one directing. To “Do not Destroy.” Of David. A Miktam† in his fleeing from the face of Saul in the cave. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me! For in You my soul takes refuge, and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until the calamities have passed by. 57.1 Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60. I will call out to El-Elyon,57.2 El-Elyon means God Most High to God, who fulfills for me. He sends forth from the heavens, and saves me; He rebukes the one panting after me. Selah God sends forth His loving devotion and His faithfulness. My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down among flames— the sons of men, their teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God, Your glory above all the earth! They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bent down; they have dug before me a pit— may they fall into its midst! Selah my heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my glory!57.8 Or Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre— I will awaken the dawn! I will confess You among the peoples, O Lord; I will make music to You among the nations. For Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds. Be lifted high above the heavens, O God, and above all the earth Your glory! God Judges the Earth For the one directing. “Do not Destroy.” Of David. a Miktam.† Is it truly righteousness you⁺ speak? Do you⁺ judge uprightly, O sons of man? 58.1 Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60. Even in the heart you⁺ work iniquities; in the earth you⁺ weigh out the violence of your⁺ hands. The wicked are estranged from the womb; they have gone astray from the belly, speaking lies. Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like the deaf cobra that stops up its ear, which will not listen to the voice of those whispering— charmers most skillfully charming. O God, may You break their teeth in their mouths; tear out the great teeth of the young lions, O YHWH! Let them flow away like waters, running continually to themselves; he treads the bow— may his arrows be as though cut in pieces.58.7 Or when they are trodden down, may they wither like grass Like a snail melting as it goes, the stillborn child of a woman, may they not see the sun! Before your⁺ pots can discern the thorn, as those living, as burning wrath He sweeps them away. The righteous one will rejoice when he has seen vengeance; he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Then man will say, “Surely fruit is for the righteous; surely there is a God judging the earth!” Deliver Me from My Enemies (1 Samuel 19:1–24) For the one directing. “To Do not Destroy.” Of David. a Miktam† at the sending of men by Saul, when they watched the house in order to kill him. Snatch me from my enemies, O my God; from those who rise against me, set me on a place up high. 59.1 Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from men of blood! For behold, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty ones gather against me, not for my transgression and not for my sin, O YHWH. Without my fault, they run and prepare themselves. Awake to help me, and see! And You, O YHWH, God of Hosts, the God of Israel, may You awaken to attend to all the nations! You must not be merciful to any of those acting treacherously with wickedness. Selah they return at the evening; they growl like a dog, and go all around the city. Behold, they belch out with their mouths. Swords are in their lips: “For who hears?” But You, O YHWH, laugh at them! You scoff at all the nations. O my strength, I will keep watch for You, for God is my secure height. The God of loving devotion will meet me; God will let me look on my enemies. Do not kill them, lest my people forget. Send them staggering by Your strength, and bring them down! O Lord, our shield. The sin of their mouth is a word of their lips; let them be captured in their pride and in the cursing and lies they recount. Consume them in fury, consume them, and they are no more! And let them know that God is ruling in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah and they return in the evening; they growl like a dog, and go round about the city. They wander up and down for food; and if they are not satisfied, then they grumble. But I will sing of Your power, and I will sing out Your loving devotion in the morning. For You have been a high place for me, and a refuge for me in the day of distress. O My strength, to You I will sing praises! For God is my secure height, the God of loving devotion to me. Victory with God (2 Samuel 8:1–14; 1 Chronicles 18:1–13; Psalm 108:1–13) For the one directing. According to “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam† of David for teaching, in his struggling with Aram-naharaim† and with Aram-zobah,† when Joab returned and struck Edom in the Valley of Salt—twelve thousand men. O God, You have rejected us; You have broken us; You have been angry; may You return to us! 60.1 Miktam is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 16 and 56–60.60.1 That is, Mesopotamia; Aram-naharaim means Aram of the two rivers, likely the region between the Euphrates and Balih Rivers in northwestern Mesopotamia.60.1 That is, the land northeast of Damascus The earth You have made quake; You have torn it open; may You heal its fractures, for it is tottering. You have made Your people see hardship; You have made us drink the wine of staggering. You have given a banner to those who fear You, to be set prominently before the face of the bow.60.4 Or that it may be displayed because of truth Selah That Your beloved may be rescued, bring salvation with Your right hand and answer us. God has spoken in His holiness:60.6 Or from His sanctuary “I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem, and I will measure out the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is unto Me, and Manasseh is unto Me; and Ephraim is the helmet for My head; Judah is My scepter; Moab is the pot for my washing, and upon Edom I will cast My sandal; I will give a shout over Philistia.” Who will bring me to the city of fortification? Who will lead me to Edom? Have You not, O God, rejected us, and do You not go forth, O God, with our armies? Give to us help against the enemy— for empty is the help of man! In God we will perform with strength, and He will trample our adversaries. You Have Heard My Vows For the one directing. On a stringed instrument. Of David. Hear, O God, my cry; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call out to You in the feebleness of my heart; may You lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a place of refuge for me, a tower of strength against the face of the enemy. Let me sojourn in Your Tent forever; I will take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah for You, O God, have listend to my vows; You have appointed the inheritance of those fearing Your name. May You add days to the days of the king; may his years be as generation and generation. May he dwell forever before God; may You appoint loving devotion and faithfulness to guard him. So I will sing praise to your name forever, that I may perform my vows, day by day. Waiting on God For the one directing. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. Only toward God is my soul silent; from Him is my salvation. Only He is my Rock and my salvation, My tower; not much will I be shaken. Until when will you⁺ plot against a man? You⁺ are destroyed, all of you⁺, like a wall leaning, a fence being pushed down. Surely from his high position they take counsel to thrust him down; they delight in lies— with their mouth they bless, and within them they curse. Selah Only for God be silent, O my soul, for from Him is my hope. Only He is my Rock and my salvation, my secure height; I will not be shaken. In God is my salvation and my glory, the Rock of my strength; my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your⁺ heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah Only a vapor are the sons of a man, a lie the sons of a man— in the scales they go up as a vapor together. You should⁺ not trust in oppression, and do not be vain in robbery; on wealth when it increases you⁺ should not set the heart. Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this, that strength is unto God, and unto You, O Lord, is loving devotion. For You do recompense to each man according to his work. 62.12 Cited in Romans 2:6 Thirsting for God (2 Samuel 15:30–37) A Psalm of David, in his being in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I seek after You— my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You— in a land dry and weary, without waters. So in the sanctuary I have seen You, to behold Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will praise You. So I will bless You in my life; in Your name I will lift up my hands. As with milk and fatness, my soul is satisfied, and with lips of joyful shouts, my mouth will praise You, when I remember You on my bed, through the watches of the night I meditate on You. For You have been a help to me, and in the shadow of Your wings I will shout for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand has taken hold of me. And those who seek my soul for desolation, they will go into the depths of the earth. They will fall by the hand of the sword; they will become a portion for foxes. And the king will rejoice in God; everyone swearing by Him will exult, but the mouth of those speaking lies will be stopped up. The Hurtful Tongue (James 3:1–12) For the one directing. A Psalm of David. Hear, O God, my voice in my complaint; from the dread of the enemy, may You preserve my life. Hide me from the counsel of the wicked, from the mob of workers of iniquity, who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim a bitter word as their arrow, to shoot in secret at the blameless; suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear. They strengthen themselves in a word of evil; they recount the hiding of snares— they say, “Who is looking at them?” They search out injustice: “We have perfected a searching plot.” And the inner man and the heart is deep! And God will shoot at them an arrow— suddenly they will be wounded. They will be made to stumble, their own tongue being against them; all those looking on them will flee. And all mankind will fear, and they will declare the work of God, and His deed they will wisely consider. A righteous one will be glad in YHWH, and he will take refuge in Him; and let all the upright in heart exult! Praise Awaits God in Zion For the one directing. A Psalm of David. A Song. To You praise is waiting, O God, in Zion, and to You the vow will be fulfilled. O Hearer of prayer, to You all flesh will come. Matters of iniquities prevail against me— our transgressions, You wipe them away! Blessed is the one You choose and bring near, that he may dwell in Your courts; we will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple. With fearsome things, may You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, the confidence for all the farthest ends of the earth and the sea, the One establishing the mountains by His strength, being girded with might, stilling the roaring of the seas, the roar of their waves, and the uproar of the peoples. And those dwelling at the ends were afraid of Your signs; the goings forth of morning and evening You cause to sing.65.8 Or where morning dawns and evening fades You call forth songs of joy. You attend to the earth and give it abundance;65.9 Or and make it overflow greatly You enrich it; the stream of God is full of water; You provide their grain when thus You prepare it65.9 Or You prepare our grain by providing for it— soaking its furrows, descending on its ridges; with showers You soften it; its springing up You bless. You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your tracks drip with fatness. They drip on the pastures of the wilderness, and the hills are surrounded with joy. The meadows are clothed with the flock, and the valleys are feeble with grain— they shout for joy and even sing. Make a Joyful Noise (Psalm 100:1–5) For the one directing. A Song. A Psalm. Shout to God, all the earth! Sing forth the glory of His name; make glorious His praise! Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! In the abundance of Your might, Your enemies feign obedience to You. All the earth will bow down to You and will sing to You— they will sing praises to Your name.” Selah Come and see the works of God, being fearsome in His dealing with the sons of man. He turned the sea to dry land; through the river they passed over on foot. There we rejoiced in Him, ruling in His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; let those rebelling not lift themselves high. Selah bless our God, O peoples, and make heard the voice of His praise— the One putting our soul among the living and not having given our feet to slip. For You have tested us, O God; You have refined us like the refining of silver. You have brought us into a net; You have placed pressure on our backs. You have caused man to ride over our heads; we came into the fire and into the water, and You brought us forth to a watered place. I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill to You my vows, for which my lips have opened, and my mouth has spoken in the distress for me. Burnt offerings of fatlings I will offer to You, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will offer of bulls with goats. Selah Come, listen, all who fear God, and I will recount what He has done for my soul. With my mouth I called out to Him, and He was praised under my tongue.66.17 Or and His praise was on my tongue If I had seen iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. Surely God has heard; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned aside my prayer, or His loving devotion from me. May God Cause His Face to Shine upon Us For the one directing. On stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song. May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah for the knowing of Your way on the earth, Your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise You, O God; may the peoples praise You—all of them. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you will judge the peoples with uprightness, and You will guide the nations on the earth. Selah let the peoples praise You, O God; let the peoples praise You—all of them. The earth has given her produce; God, our God, blesses us! God blesses us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. God’s Enemies Are Scattered For the one directing. Of David. A Psalm. A Song. Arises, His enemies are scattered, and those hating Him flee before His face. As smoke is driven away, you will drive them away; like the melting of wax from the face of the fire, the wicked will perish before the face of God. And the righteous will be glad; they will exult before God, and will rejoice exceedingly. Sing to God, sing praises to His name! Lift up to the One riding on the clouds—68.4 Or rides through the deserts YAH is His name— and rejoice before His face! A father of the fatherless, and a defender of widows, is God, in the habitation of His holiness. God causes the solitary to dwell in a home; He brings out the prisoners into prosperity, but the rebellious ones have dwelt in a scorched land. O God, in Your going forth before the face of Your people, in Your marching through the wilderness, Selah the earth shook; also the heavens poured down before the face of God, the One of Sinai, before the face of God, the God of Israel. You showered rain of freewill offerings, O God; when Your inheritance was weary, You restored it. Your community dwelt in it; You provided for the poor from Your goodness, O God. The Lord gives speech, and those bearing news were a great army: “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee! And she who dwells in the house divides the spoil! Though you⁺ lie down among the sheepfolds— the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her pinions with yellow gold.” When Shaddai68.14 Shaddai means the Almighty scattered the kings in it, it was as the snow on Zalmon. A mountain of God is Mount Bashan; a mountain of peaks is Mount Bashan! Why do you⁺ gaze in envy, O mountains of peaks? On the mountain where God desires to dwell, YHWH indeed will dwell forever. The chariots of God are myriads— thousands upon thousands! The Lord is among them on Sinai, in the sanctuary.68.17 Or the Lord has come from Sinai in His holiness You have gone up to the height, You have led captive captivity; You have received gifts from man, even from the rebellious ones, that YAH God may dwell there. 68.18 Cited in Ephesians 4:8 Blessed be the Lord, who day by day lifts us up— the God of our salvation! Selah God is unto us a God of salvation, and from YHWH the Lord is our coming forth from death. Surely God will wound the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of the one walking in his guilt. The Lord said, “From Bashan I will bring them back; I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, so that you may plunge your foot in the blood, and the tongue of your dogs have its portion from your enemies!” They have seen Your going about, O God, the going about of my God and my King, in the sanctuary. Those singing go in front, and behind are those playing strings, and in the midst are virgins playing timbrels. In the assemblies bless God, YHWH, from the fountain of Israel. There is little Benjamin leading them, with the princes of Judah in their company, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. Summon, O God, your strength!68.28 LXX and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Your God has summoned your strength Make strong, O God, this which You have done for us. Your temple is upon Jerusalem— the kings shall bring a gift to You. Rebuke the creature of the reed, the herd of bulls with the calves of the nations— trample underfoot the desire for silver, scatter the nations delighting in war! Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush68.31 That is, the upper Nile region will make its hands run to God. O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord— Selah to the one riding on the heavens, the heavens of old! Behold, He gives forth with His voice, a voice of power. Ascribe strength to God, for His majesty is over Israel, and His power in the clouds. You are fearsome, O God, in Your sanctuary; the God of Israel— He is giving power and strength to the people. Blessed be God! The Waters Are up to My Neck For the one directing. According to “The Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to the soul. I sink in the mire of the deep, and there is no place to stand; I have come into the depths of the waters, and a flood washes over me. I have grown weary with my calling out; my throat is dry; my eyes fail, waiting for my God. Those hating me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those seeking my destruction, my enemies with deception! That which I did not steal, I must then return. 69.4 See John 15:25 O God, You know of my foolishness, and my guilt is not hidden from You. Do not let those waiting on You come to shame because of me, O Lord YHWH of hosts; do not let those seeking You be disgraced because of me, O God of Israel! It is for Your sake that I have carried scorn, and shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother. For zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those insulting You have fallen on me.69.9 Cited in John 2:17 69.9 Cited in Romans 15:3 I even wept in the fasting of my soul, and it was for a reproach to me. I made my clothing sackcloth, and I became to them as a byword. Those sitting at the gate meditate against me, and I am the song of those drinking wine. And I—my prayer is to You, O YHWH; in the time of favor, O God, in the abundance of Your loving devotion, may You answer me in the truth of Your salvation! Deliver me from the mire, that I should not sink! May I be delivered from those hating me, and out of the depths of the waters. Do not let the flood of waters engulf me, and do not let the deep swallow me up, and do not let the pit shut its mouth over me! Answer me, O YHWH, for good is Your loving devotion; according to the abundance of Your tender mercies, turn to me. And do not hide Your face from Your servant, for distress is unto me; hurry to answer me! Draw near to my soul and redeem it; on account of my enemies, may You ransom me. You know my scorn, and my shame, and my disgrace; all my adversaries are before You. Reproach has broken my heart, and I am sick. And I looked for a bemoaner, and there was none, and for comforters, and I found none. And they gave gall for my food, and for my thirst they made me drink vinegar. May their table before them become a snare, and for a recompense—for a trap! 69.22 A slight revocalization of the Hebrew (see also LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate); literally may their prosperity be a trap; cited in Romans 11:9 May their eyes grow dark from seeing, and their backs be bent forever!69.23 LXX; Hebrew and may their loins tremble continually; cited in Romans 11:10 Pour out upon them Your indignation, and may the burning of Your anger overtake them! May their encampment become desolate; may there be no one dwelling in their tents. 69.25 Cited in Acts 1:20 For You—the one whom You struck—they pursue, and the pain of those You pierced they recount. May You add iniquity to their iniquity, and do not let them come into Your righteousness! May they be blotted out from the book of the living, and do not let them be written with the righteous! And I am afflicted and pained; may Your salvation, O God, set me on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will I magnify Him with thanksgiving. And it is better to YHWH than an ox, a bull horned and hoofed. The humble have seen—they rejoice— you seeking God, your⁺ heart shall live! For YHWH listens to the needy, and he has not despised His captives. Let the heavens and earth shout praise to Him, the seas, and every moving thing in them. For God will save Zion, and He will rebuild the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. And the seed of His servants will inherit it, and those loving His name will settle in it. Hurry, O LORD, to Help Me! (Psalm 40:1–17; Psalm 141:1–10) For the one directing. Of David. For remembrance. O God, deliver me, O YHWH, may You hurry—to help me! Let them be ashamed and confounded, those seeking my soul; let them be turned back and be disgraced, those taking delight in my harm! Let them be turned back over the heel of their shame, those saying, “Aha, aha!” Let all those seeking You rejoice and be glad in You; those loving Your salvation, let them say continually “May God be magnified!” And I am lowly and needy; O God, hurry to me! You are my help and my deliverer, O YHWH—do not delay! Be My Rock of Refuge In You, O YHWH, I take refuge; let me not be put to shame forever! In Your righteousness, deliver me and cause me to escape; incline to me Your ear, and save me! May You be to me as a rock, a habitation, to go in continually; You have given a command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. O My God, rescue me from the hand of a wicked one, from the palm of the one acting unjustly and pressing. For You are my hope, O Lord YHWH, my trust from my youth. By You I have been supported from the womb; from the bowels of my mother You cut me out. My praise is continually for You. I have been as a wonder to many, and You are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with Your praise, with Your splendor all the day. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; according to the consumption of my strength do not forsake me. For my enemies speak against me, and those watching my soul take counsel together, saying, “God has forsaken him. Pursue him and seize him, for there is none to deliver him!” O God, do not be far from me; O my God, hurry to be my help! Let them be put to shame and consumed, those opposing my soul; let them be covered with scorn and disgrace, those seeking my harm! But I continually will hope, and I will add upon all Your praise. My mouth will recount Your righteousness, all the day Your salvation, though I do not know the numbers. I will come in the might of the Lord YHWH; I will cause Your righteousness to be remembered—Yours alone. O God, You have taught me from my youth, and until now I declare Your wonders. Indeed, when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your arm to a generation, Your strength to everyone to come. And Your righteousness, O God, is to the height! You who have done great things, O God—who is like You? Though You have made me see many troubles and distresses, You will return and revive us; even from the depths of the earth, You will return and bring me up. You will increase my honor, and surrounding me, You will comfort me. I will also praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will make music to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel! My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You, even my soul, which You have redeemed. My tongue will also utter Your righteousness all the day, for they have been put to shame, for they are humiliated—those seeking my harm. Endow the King with Your Justice (1 Kings 3:1–15; 2 Chronicles 1:1–13; Psalm 45:1–17) Of Solomon. O God, give Your judgments to the king, and Your justice to the son of the king. May he judge Your people with righteousness, and Your lowly ones with judgment. The mountains will carry peace to the people, and the hills justice. He will judge for the lowly ones of the people; he will save the sons of the needy, and will crush the one oppressing. They will fear You72.5 LXX He shall endure with the sun, and before the face of the moon, from generation to generations. He will come down like rain upon freshly cut grass, like showers dropping on the earth. In his days the righteous will sprout forth, and an abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. And he will rule from sea to sea, and from the River72.8 That is, the Euphrates to the ends of the earth. Before him the desert dwellers will bow down, and his enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the isles will return a gift; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring near a gift. And all kings will bow low before him; all nations will serve him! For he will deliver the needy one crying out, and the poor one without a helper to him. He will have pity on the poor and needy, and he will save the souls of the needy. From oppression and from violence he will redeem their soul, and their blood will be precious in his eyes. Long may he live, and it shall be given to him from the gold of Sheba; and prayer shall be made for him continually; all the day he shall be blessed. There shall be an abundance of grain in the land; on the top of the mountains it shall wave, its fruit like Lebanon; and the people of the city shall flourish like the grass of the earth. His name shall be forever; unto the turning of the sun his name shall increase;72.17 Or continue and all nations shall be blessed in him, they shall call him blessed. Blessed be YHWH God, the God of Israel, the One doing marvelous deeds—Him alone! And blessed be the name of His glory forever. And let all the earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen. The prayers of David son of Jesse have come to an end. BOOK III Psalms 73–89 Surely God Is Good to Israel A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those pure of heart. And as for me, at a little stretching out of my feet, my steps had nearly poured out. For I was envious of those boasting when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs until their death, and their body is fat. They are not in the trouble of mankind, and with men they are not are they plagued. Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence is a covering for them. Their eye has bulged out from fat,73.7 Or From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; Syriac From their callous heart proceeds iniquity the imaginations of their heart overflow. They scoff and speak with malice; from a high place they speak oppression. They have set their mouth in the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth. Therefore his people turn here, and waters of fullness are wrung out for them. And they say, “How can God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked, and at ease always, they have increased in wealth. Surely in vain I have cleansed my heart, and I have washed my hands in innocence. For I have been stricken all the day, and chastened in the morning. If I had said, “I will speak like this,” behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your sons. And I thought to know this— it was toil in my eyes— until I came to the sanctuary of God, and discerned their end. Surely You set them on slick ground; You make them fall to destruction. How they have become a desolation in a moment! They are swept away completely by terrors. As a dream from awakening, O Lord, in rousing Yourself, You shall despise their image. For my heart had grown sour, and my kidneys pierce themselves. And I was brutish and could not know; I was a beast before You. And I am always with You; You hold my right hand. May You lead me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me in glory! Who is unto me in the heavens? And besides You I do not take delight on the earth. My flesh and my heart may be consumed, the rock73.26 Or strength of my heart and my portion is God to the age. For behold, those far from You will perish. You destroy everyone prostituting himself from You! But I—the nearness of God is good for me— I have placed my refuge in the Lord YHWH, to recount all Your works. Why Have You Rejected Us Forever? (Psalm 79:1–13; Jeremiah 52:1–11) A Maskil† of Asaph. Why, O God, have You rejected us forever? Your anger smolders against the flock of Your pasture. 74.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. Remember Your congregation You acquired of old; You redeemed as the staff of Your inheritance this Mount Zion—in it You have dwelt! Lift up Your steps to the perpetual desolations— to everything done wickedly by the enemy in the sanctuary! Your adversaries have roared within Your meeting place; they have set up their signs for signs. He made himself known like one bringing on high axes against a thicket of tree; and now all its engravings they strike down with ax and hatchet. They have sent Your sanctuary into the fire, to the ground; they have desecrated the dwelling place of Your Name. They said in their hearts, “Let us oppress them altogether!” They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land. Signs for us we do not see; there is no longer a prophet, and there is no one among us knowing until when. Until when, O God, will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy revile Your name forever? Why do You turn back Your hand, and Your right hand? May You remove it74.11 Or May You destroy them from the midst of Your bosom! For God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the dragons upon the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food to the people of the dry places. You burst open spring and stream; You dried up the enduring rivers. To You is the day, also to You is the night; You established the light74.16 That is, the moon and the sun. You set all the boundaries of the earth; summer and winter, You have formed them. Remember this, an enemy has reproached YHWH, and a foolish people have spurned Your name! Do not give to the wild beast the soul of Your dove; do not forget the life of Your afflicted ones forever! Look to the covenant! For the dark places of the earth are filled as habitations of violence. Do not let the oppressed turn back, having been disgraced; let the afflicted and needy ones praise Your name. Arise, O God, defend Your cause! Remember the scorning of You from a fool all the day. Do not forget the voice of Your enemies, the uproar of those rising against You, going up continually. God’s Righteous Judgment (Romans 2:1–16) For the one directing: To “Do not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks—for Your name is near— recounting Your wonders. “When I take the appointed place, I will judge uprightly. At the dissolving of the earth and all its dwellers, I measure out its pillars. Selah I said to those boasting, ‘You⁺ shall not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘You⁺ shall not lift up the horn; you⁺ shall not lift up your⁺ horn to the height, or speak with an insolent neck.’” For it is not from the going forth or from the sinking, and not from the wilderness is exaltation, But God is judging— this one He brings low, and this one He lifts up. For a cup is in the hand of YHWH, and the wine is foaming, full of mixture, and He shall pour out from this— how its dregs shall be wrung out— and all the wicked of the earth shall drink. And I will declare it75.9 Or declare Him forever; I will make music to the God of Jacob. “And all the horns of the wicked I will cut off; the horns of the righteous will be exalted.” God’s name Is Great in Israel For the one directing. On stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. In Judah God is known, in Israel His name is great. And His tent is in Salem,76.2 That is, Jerusalem and his dwelling place in Zion. There he has shattered the arrows of the bow— the shield and sword and weapon of war. Selah luminous are You and majestic, from the mountains of prey. They became plunder, the mighty of heart; they have slept their sleep, and the men of might could not find any of their hands. At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the rider and horse are lain asleep. You are to be feared—You! And who can stand before Your face at the time of Your anger? From the heavens You have sounded the judgment; the earth has feared and has been still, at the rising of God to the judgment, to bring salvation to all the lowly ones of the earth. Selah for the wrath of man shall praise You; with the remainder of wrath You gird Yourself.76.10 Or Surely Your wrath against men brings You praise, and the survivors of Your wrath will be restrained. Make vows to YHWH your⁺ God, and fulfill them; let all around Him bring tribute to the Fearsome One. He takes away the spirit of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth. In the Day of Trouble I Sought the Lord For the one directing. According to Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A Psalm. My voice is to God— indeed I cry out with my voice to God—and He has given ear to me. In the day of my distress I sought the Lord; my hand in the night has been stretched out, and it does not slacken; my soul refuses to be comforted. I remember God, and I groan; I meditate, and my spirit becomes faint. Selah You hold the lids of my eyes; I am troubled, and I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years of ages past. I remember, my song in the night; with my heart I converse, and my spirit searches. “Will the Lord forever reject us, and not anymore will He add to show favor? Has His loving devotion ceased forever? Has His speech come to an end to generation and generation? Or has God forgotten to show favor? Has He shut up in anger His compassion?” Selah and I said, “I am grieved. Has it changed—the right hand of the Most High?”77.10 Or “To this I will appeal: to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the deeds of YAH; indeed, I will remember Your wonder of old. And I have meditated on all Your work, and I put forth Your deeds. O God, in holiness is Your way; what god is great like God? You are the God doing wonders; You have made known among the peoples Your strength. You have redeemed with Your arm a people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah the waters saw You, O God, the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths trembled. The clouds poured forth waters, the skies gave forth a voice, and Your arrows flashed back and forth. The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, and Your paths in the great waters, and Your footprints were not known.77.19 Or were not to be found You led Your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron. I Will Open My Mouth in Parables (Matthew 13:34–35) A Maskil† of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; stretch out your⁺ ear to the words of my mouth. 78.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will pour forth things hidden from of old,78.2 Or riddles 78.2 Or from the beginning; see also LXX; cited in Matthew 13:35 which we have heard and known, and our fathers have recounted to us. We will not hide them from their children, recounting to a following generation: The praises of YHWH, and His strength, and His wonders that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, and a law He has appointed in Israel, which He commanded to our fathers, to make them known to their sons, so that a following generation would know them— the sons to be born— to arise and recount to their sons, that they should put their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, and keep His commandments. And they should not be like their fathers— a generation being stubborn and rebellious, a generation that did not set firm its heart, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. The sons of Ephraim, handling and shooting the bow, turned back on the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God, and in His law they refused to walk, and they forgot His deeds, and His wonders that He had shown them. In the eyes of their fathers He did a wonder, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea and let them cross over, and the waters He made stand up like a heap. And He led them with the cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire. He split open the rocks in the wilderness, and gave to drink, like the depths in abundance. And He brought forth streams from the rock, and made waters come down like the rivers. And they added still to sin against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the desert. And they tested God in their heart, by requesting food of their soul. And they spoke against God, saying, “Is God able to arrange a table in the wilderness? Behold, He struck the rock, and the waters gushed out, and torrents overflowed; and also is He able to give bread or provide food for His people?” Therefore YHWH heard and boiled over, and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger came up against Israel, because they did not have faith in God, and they did not trust in His salvation. And He commanded the clouds above, and the doors of the heavens He opened. And He rained down on them manna to eat— and he gave to them the grain of the heavens. 78.24 Cited in John 6:31 The bread of the mighty ones a man ate; food He sent to them in abundance. An east wind He caused to blow in the heavens, and He guided by His power the south wind. And He rained upon them food like the dust, and winged bird like the sand of the seas, and He felled them in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. So they ate and were satisfied greatly, and their desires He brought to them. They were not estranged from their desire, and still their food was in their mouth. And the anger of God came upon them, and He killed the fattest of them and subdued the young men of Israel. In all this, still they sinned, and they did not have faith in His wonders. And He finished off their days in futility,78.33 Or in vapor and their years in terror. When He slew them, they would seek Him, and they turned back and sought after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and El-Elyon78.35 El-Elyon means God Most High their Redeemer. And they deceived Him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied to Him. And their heart was not established with Him, and they were not faithful to His covenant. And He, the compassionate One, forgave the iniquity and did not destroy them; and He often restrained His anger, and He did not stir up all His wrath. And He remembered that they were flesh, a breath going by that does not return. How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! And they turned back and tested God, and they pained the Holy One of Israel. They have not remembered His hand,78.42 Or His power the day when He ransomed them from the adversary, when He worked His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan. And He turned their rivers into blood, and from their streams they could not drink. He sent among them the swarm, and it consumed them, and the frog, and it destroyed them. And He gave to the ravager their produce, and their labor to the locust. He destroyed with hail their vines, and their sycamore trees with frost.78.47 Or sleet or driving rain And He gave up to the hail their cattle, and their flocks to the firebolts. He sent against them the burning of His anger— fury, and rage, and distress, a discharge of messengers of evils. He made level a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, and He gave over their life to the pestilence. He even struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first of the vigour in the tents of Ham. And His people He made go forth like sheep, and He guided them like a flock in the wilderness. And He led them to safety, and they did not dread, and the sea covered their enemies. And He brought them to the border of His holiness, this mountain His right hand had acquired. And He drove out the nations before their face, and caused them to fall in the line of inheritance, and the tribes of Israel He settled in their tents. And they tested and provoked El-Elyon,78.56 El-Elyon means God Most High and His testimonies they did not keep. And they turned back and were treacherous like their fathers; they were turned like a bow of deceit. And they provoked Him to anger with their high places, and with their carved images they made Him jealous. God heard and boiled over, and exceedingly He rejected Israel; and He left behind the dwelling place of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men, and He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary. And He delivered up His people to the sword, and on His inheritance He boiled over. Fire consumed His young men, and His virgins have not been praised. His priests fell by the sword, and the widows could not weep. And the Lord awoke as a sleeper, as a mighty one overcome by wine. And He beat his adversaries back; a reproach forever He gave to them. And He rejected the tent of Joseph, and the tribe of Ephraim He would not choose. And He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like the heights; like the earth He founded it forever. And He chose David His servant, and He took him from the folds of his flock; He brought him from tending the ewes to be shepherd of Jacob His people, and of Israel His inheritance. And he tended them with the integrity of his heart, and by the skillfulness of his hands he guided them. A Prayer for Deliverance (Psalm 74:1–23; Jeremiah 52:1–11) A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the corpses of Your servants as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your holy ones for the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like the waters around Jerusalem, and there is none to bury them. We have become a reproach for our neighbors, a mocking and derision for those around us. Until when, O YHWH? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out Your wrath toward the nations that have not known You, and upon the kingdoms that have not called on Your name! For they have devoured Jacob, and his habitation they have made desolate. Do not remember the former iniquities against us; hurry to let Your compassion come, for we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation! And deliver us, because of the glory of Your name, and cover over our sins for the sake of Your name. Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let it be known among the nations before our eyes, the avenging of the blood of Your servants that was shed! Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; by the greatness of Your power, preserve the sons of death. And may You return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord! Then we, Your people, and the sheep of Your pasture, will give thanks to You forever; for generation and generation we will declare Your praise. Hear Us, O Shepherd of Israel For the one directing. According to “Lilies.” A Testimony. Of Asaph. A Psalm. O Shepherd of Israel, Give ear! The One leading Joseph as a flock, dwelling above the cherubim, shine forth before the face of Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh! Rouse Your strength, and come to bring salvation for us! O God, restore us, and cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! O YHWH, God of Hosts, until when will You smolder at the prayer of Your people? You have fed them the bread of tears, and caused them to drink with tears a third part. You have made us a strife to our neighbors, and our enemies mock at it. O God of Hosts, restore us, and cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! A vine from Egypt You pulled out; You drove out the nations and planted her. You cleared before her face and let her root take root, and she filled the land. The hills were covered with her shade, and the mighty cedars with her branches. She sent out her branches to the Sea,80.11 That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea and her shoots to the River.80.11 That is, the Euphrates Why have You broken down her walls, and all passing by the way pluck her fruit? The boar from the forest tears at her, and the wild beast of the field feeds on her. O God of Hosts, return, we pray! Look down from the heavens and see, and attend to this vine, and the root that Your right hand has planted, and the son You have made strong for Yourself, having been burned in the fire, having been cut down. May they perish at the rebuke of Your face! Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call on Your name. O YHWH, God of Hosts, restore us! Cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! Sing for Joy to God Our Strength For the one directing. According to Gittith.† Of Asaph. Ring out praise to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! 81.1 Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 84. Lift up a melody and strike the timbrel, the sweet-sounding harp with the lute. Blow the shofar on the new moon, on the full moon at the day of our Feast. For it is a statute, O Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. As a testimony He established it in Joseph,81.5 Or for Joseph in His going forth over the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know: “I turned aside his shoulder from the burden; his hands pass over from the basket. In the time of distress you called, and I drew you out; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.81.7 Meribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7. Selah hear, O My people, and I will testify against you— O Israel, if you would listen to Me! There shall not be among you a strange god, and you shall not bow down to foreign god. I am YHWH your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt; open wide your mouth, and I will fill it. My people would not listen to My voice, and Israel has not consented to Me. And I sent them away in the stubbornness of their hearts, to walk by their own counsels. If only My people would listen to Me, Israel would walk in My ways! In a moment I would subdue their enemies, and over their adversaries I would turn back My hand. Those hating YHWH would feign obedience before Him, and their time would be forever. And He would feed him of the fat of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” God Presides in the Divine Assembly A Psalm of Asaph. God takes His stand in the congregation of the divine; among the gods he renders judgment: “Until when will you⁺ judge unjustly,82.2 Or How long will you defend the unjust and lift up the faces of the wicked? Selah Judge for the weak and the fatherless; for the oppressed and needy bring justice. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, ad they do not understand; in the darkness they walk about; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You⁺ are gods, and all of you⁺ sons of the Most High.’ 82.6 Cited in John 10:34 Surely like a man you⁺ will die, and like one of the princes you⁺ will fall.” Rise up, O God, and judge the earth! For You have an inheritance among all the nations. O God, Be Not Silent A song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, keep no silence to You; do not be silent,83.1 Or deaf and do not be still, O God. For behold, Your enemies roar, and those hating You have lifted up the head. Against Your people, they act with cunning counsel, and they take counsel together against Your treasured ones. They say, “Come, and we shall make them disappear as a nation, and the name of Israel will not be remembered anymore.” For, they consulted together in heart; they cut an alliance against You— the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with those dwelling in Tyre. Assyria also has joined with them; they have become an arm for the sons of Lot. Selah may You do to them as to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the River Kishon. They perished at Endor; they became dung for the earth! Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, and like Zebah, and like Zalmunna—all their princes— who said, “Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God.” O my God, set them like the whirling dust, like chaff before the face of the wind! As the fire burns a forest, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire, so may You pursue them with Your tempest and terrify them with Your storm. Fill their faces with shame, and they shall seek Your name, O YHWH. Let them be put to shame and dismayed until forever, and may they be ashamed and perish! And they shall know that You— Your name is YHWH— You alone are Most High over all the earth! Better Is One Day in Your Courts (John 1:14–18) For the one directing. According to Gittith.† Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm. How lovely is Your dwelling place, O YHWH of hosts! 84.1 Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 81. My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of YHWH; my heart and my flesh cry out to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she places her young— near Your altars, YHWH of hosts, my King and My God, blessed are those dwelling in Your house! Ever they are praising You. Selah blessed is the man, the strength of him is in You; highways are in their heart. Passing through the Valley of Baca,84.6 Or Valley of Poplars they make it a spring; even with blessings84.6 Or with pools the early rain84.6 That is, the autumn rain covers it. They go from strength to strength; each appears before God in Zion. O YHWH, God of Hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah may You see our shield, O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed. For better a day in Your courts than a thousand; I would choose to stand at the entrance in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. For a sun and shield is YHWH God; favor and honor YHWH will give, and He will not withhold good for those walking with integrity. O YHWH of hosts, blessed is the man trusting in You. You Showed Favor to Your Land For the one directing. Of the sons of Korah a Psalm. You have shown favor, O YHWH, to Your land; You have turned back the captivity of Jacob.85.1 Or restored the fortunes of Jacob You have borne away the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah You have gathered up all Your fury; You have turned from the burning of Your anger. Restore us, O God of our salvation, and Your anger toward us cause to cease! Will You be angry with us forever? Will You draw out Your anger to generation and generation? Will You not turn back and revive us, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us, O YHWH, Your loving devotion, and give to us Your salvation! Let me hear what my God YHWH will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His holy ones; He will not let them return to folly. Surely His salvation is near to those fearing Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Loving devotion and faithfulness have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from the heavens. Indeed YHWH will give that which is good, and our land will give forth its produce. Righteousness will go before Him, to prepare the way of His steps. Tried but Trusting A Prayer of David. Incline Your ear, O YHWH; answer me, for I am afflicted and in need. May You guard my life, for am I faithful; may You save Your servant—the one trusting in You—You my God. Show favor to me, O Lord, for to You I call out all the day. Make glad the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, and abundant in loving devotion to all those calling on You. Give ear, O YHWH, to my prayer, and attend to the voice of my pleas. In the day of my distress I call on you, for You will answer me! None like You is among the gods, O Lord, and not like Your works. All the nations whom You have made shall come and bow down before Your face, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name. For You are great, and the One doing wonders; You are God—You alone. Instruct me, O YHWH, in Your way, and I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will confess You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever. For Your loving devotion is great toward me. And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, arrogant ones have risen against me, and a gathering of ruthless ones have sought my life; and they do not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness. Turn to me and show favor to me; give Your strength to Your servant, and give salvation to the son of Your maidservant. Make with me a sign for good, and those hating me will see it and be put to shame! For You, YHWH, have helped me and comforted me! Yahweh Loves the Gates of Zion Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm. A song. His foundation is on the holy mountains.87.1 Or He has founded His city on the holy mountains YHWH loves the gates of Zion above all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are ascribed to you, O city of God. Selah “I will mention Rahab87.4 Rahab is a poetic name for Egypt. and Babylon among those who know Me— behold Philistia and Tyre, with Cush:87.4 That is, the upper Nile region This one was born there. And of Zion it will be said: “This man and that man were born in her; and He, the Most High, will establish her.” YHWH will record in the register of the peoples: “This one was born there.” Selah and those singing, also as players on instruments: “All my springs are in you.” I Cry Out before You A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, for the one directing. According to Mahalath Leannoth.† A Maskil† of Heman the Ezrahite. O YHWH, God of my salvation, by day I have cried out, and in the night before You. 88.1 Mahalath Leannoth is probably a musical or liturgical term; see also Psalm 53:1.88.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. May my prayer come before Your face; incline Your ear to my cry! For my soul is filled with troubles, and my life has reached to Sheol. I am counted with those going down into the Pit; I am like a man with no strength, among the dead set free, like the slain lying down in the grave, whom You do not remember anymore, even they who are cut off from Your hand. You have set me in the lowest Pit, in darkness in the depths. Upon me Your wrath has grabbed hold, and with all Your waves You have afflicted. Selah You have put my acquaintances far from me; You have made me loathsome to them; I am shut in, and I cannot go forth. My eye languishes from this affliction; I have called to You, O YHWH, all the day; I have stretched out to You my hands. Will You work wonders for the dead? And if departed spirits rise up, do they thank You? Selah Can Your loving devotion be recounted in the Grave, or Your faithfulness in Abaddon?88.11 Abaddon means Destruction. Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, and Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? And I, O YHWH, cry for help to You, and in the morning my prayer comes before You. Why, O YHWH, do You reject my soul? You hide Your face from me. I am afflicted and dying from my youth; I bear Your terrors; I am in despair. Your wrath has passed over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. They came around me like the waters all the day, they surrounded me altogether. You have put far my beloved and friend; my close acquaintance is darkness. I Will Sing of His Love Forever A Maskil† of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the loving devotion of YHWH forever. To generation and generation I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. 89.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up forever; the heavens—You establish Your faithfulness in them.” “I have cut a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant: ‘Even to forever I will establish Your seed, and build up for generation and generation your throne.’” Selah and the heavens will praise Your wonders, O YHWH, and Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the heavens can be compared to YHWH, likened to YHWH among the sons of the mighty?89.6 Or the sons of God or the heavenly beings God is to be feared greatly in the council of the holy ones, and to be revered by all those surrounding Him. O YHWH, God of Hosts, who is like You, O mighty YAH? And Your faithfulness surrounds You! You rule over the pride of the sea; its waves mount up, and You still them. You crushed Rahab as one slain; with the arm of Your strength, You scattered Your enemies. Unto You are the heavens; the earth also is unto You; the world and its fullness—You have founded them. The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon ring out praise in Your name. Unto You is an arm with might; strong is Your hand; high is Your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before Your face. Blessed are the people knowing the joyful sound; O YHWH, in the light of Your face they walk. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and in Your righteousness they are lifted high. For You are the splendor of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is raised high. Indeed, unto YHWH is our shield, and our king unto the Holy One of Israel. Once You spoke in a vision to Your holy ones, and said: “I have given help to a mighty one; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David My servant; with the oil of My holiness I anointed him, with whom My hand is established— My arm also will strengthen him. The enemy will not exact tribute from him, and a son of wickedness shall not afflict him. And I will crush his foes before his face, and those hating him I will strike. And My faithfulness and My loving devotion are with him, and in My name his horn will be exalted. And I will set his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers. He will call to Me, ‘You are My Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ I also appoint him firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. Forever I will keep for him My loving devotion, and My covenant will stand fast for him. And I will establish His seed forever, and his throne like the days of the heavens. If his sons should abandon My instruction, and do not walk in My ordinances, if they violate My statutes, and do not keep My commandments, then I will attend to their transgression with the rod, and to their iniquity with stripes. And I will not break off My loving devotion from him, and I will not be false in My faithfulness. I will not violate My covenant, and a declaration of My lips I will not change. Once I have sworn by My holiness— I will not lie to David— His seed shall be forever, and his throne like the sun before Me. Like the moon It will be established forever, even as the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah and You have cast away and rejected; You have been enraged with Your anointed. You have renounced the covenant of Your servant; You have defiled his diadem on the ground. You have broken down all his walls; You have set his strongholds to ruin. All passing by the way plunder him; he has become a reproach to his neighbors. You have raised high the right hand of his adversaries; all of his enemies You have made glad. Also You have turned back the sharpness of his sword, and You have not made it stand in the battle. You have made his brightness cease, and You have cast down his throne to the ground. You have shortened the days of his youth; You have covered over him with shame. Selah until when, O YHWH? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your rage keep burning like fire? Remember me—how short a lifetime; for what emptiness You created all the sons of men! What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the hand of Sheol? Selah where is Your loving devotion is Your Of old, O Lord, which You swore of David in Your faithfulness? Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants— I bear in my bosom from all the many peoples, with which Your enemies have taunted, O YHWH, with which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed one. Blessed be YHWH forever! Amen and Amen. BOOK IV Psalms 90–106 From Everlasting to Everlasting A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, You have been a dwelling place for us, in generation and generation. In the time before the mountains were brought forth, or You formed the earth and the world, and from forever even to forever, You are God. You return man to dust and say, “Return, O sons of men!” For a thousand years in your eyes are like a day past that passes, or a watch in the night. 90.4 See 2 Peter 3:8. You sweep them away; they are in their sleep like the grass that sprouts up in the morning. In the morning it blossoms and flourishes; in the evening it is cut down and withers. For we are consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before You, our hidden things in the light of Your face. For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years as a sigh. The days of our years, in them are seventy years, or if by strength eighty years; yet their pride is toil and trouble— for it is cut off soon, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger, for as the fear of You is Your wrath? So teach us to number our days, that we may bring in a heart of wisdom. Turn back, O YHWH—until when?— And have compassion on Your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad in all our days. Let us be glad according to the days You have afflicted us— the years we have seen evil. Let Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor upon their sons. And may the favor90.17 Or beauty of YHWH our God come to be upon us, and may You support the work of our hands upon us— and the work of our hands establish! You Are My Refuge and My Fortress The one sitting in the secret place of the Most High, in the shade of Shaddai91.1 Shaddai means the Almighty he will abide. I will say of YHWH: “My refuge and my stronghold, My God, I trust in Him!” Surely He will snatch you from the snare of the trapper, from the plague of calamity. With His pinions He will give cover for you, and under His wings you will take refuge; a shield and buckler is His faithfulness. You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, or of the arrow that flies by day, from the plague that walks in the darkness, or from the pestilence that destroys at noon. A thousand may fall at your side, and a multitude at your right hand— it shall not draw near to you. But with your eyes you shall look, and you shall see the reward of the wicked. Because You, O YHWH are my refuge; the Most High you have made your dwelling place. Evil shall not meet with you, and plague shall not come near, by your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Upon the hands they shall lift you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 91.12 Cited in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10–11 Upon the lion and cobra you will tread; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. “Because in Me he has delighted, so will I rescue him; I will set him up high because he has known My Name. He will call on Me and I will answer him; I am with him in distress; I will deliver him and honor him. With length of days I will satisfy him, and cause him to look on My salvation.” How Great Are Your Works! A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day. It is good to give thanks to YHWH, and to sing praise to Your name, O Most High, to declare in the morning Your loving devotion, and Your faithfulness in the nights, on ten strings and on the harp, with a melody of the lyre. For You have made me glad, O YHWH, by Your work; at the works of Your hands I shout for joy. How great are Your works, O YHWH, how very deep Your thoughts! A stupid man does not know, and a fool cannot understand this: The wicked sprout like grass, and all the workers of iniquity blossom, to be destroyed forever and ever! And You are on high forever, O YHWH! For behold, Your enemies, O YHWH— for behold, Your enemies will perish; all the workers of iniquity will be scattered! But You have lifted high my horn like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. And my eye has looked on my enemies; of those rising up against me, those doing evil,92.11 Or of the wailing of my wicked foes my ears hear. The righteous one will sprout like a palm tree; like a cedar in Lebanon he will grow. Those planted in the house of YHWH, in the courts of our God, they will sprout. Still bearing fruit in old age, they will remain fat and flourishing— to declare that YHWH my Rock is upright, and there is no injustice in Him. Yahweh Reigns! (Psalm 99:1–9) YHWH reigns! In majesty He is robed. YHWH has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established; no more can it be shaken. Your throne is established from that time; You are King from everlasting. The floodwaters have lifted up, O YHWH, the streams have lifted up their voice; the streams have lifted up their breakers. More than the voices of many waters, more majestic than the breakers of the sea, majestic on high is YHWH! Your testimonies are fully confirmed; Your house is lovely in holiness, O YHWH, for the length of days. Yahweh Will Not Forget His People God of vengeance, O YHWH, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth! Return a recompense on the proud. Until when will the wicked, O YHWH, until when will the wicked exult? They pour out words of arrogance; all the workers of iniquity boast in themselves. Your people, O YHWH, they crush, and Your heritage they afflict. The widow and the foreigner they kill, and the fatherless they murder. And they say, “Yah does not see, and the God of Jacob does not discern.” Discern, O senseless among the people! O fools, when will you⁺ be wise? The One planting the ear, can He not hear? Or the One forming the eye, can He not see? The One disciplining the nations, does He not correct— the One teaching a man knowledge? YHWH knows the thoughts of man, that they are vapor. 94.11 Or futile; cited in 1 Corinthians 3:20 Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O YAH, and teach him from Your law, that You may give rest to him from the days of evil, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For YHWH will not forsake His people, and he will not forsake His inheritance. But to righteousness the judgment will return, and all the upright of heart will follow it. Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless YHWH had been the help for me, My soul would soon have dwelt in silence. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” Your loving devotion, O YHWH, supports me. In the abundance of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delighted my soul. Can the throne of iniquity join with You— one shaping mischief by statute? They band together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.94.21 Or condemn the innocent to death And YHWH has become for me as a place up high, and my God as the rock of my refuge. And He has turned back upon them their own iniquity, and in their wickedness He will finish them off— YHWH our God, will finish them off! Do Not Harden Your Hearts (Hebrews 3:7–11) O come, let us sing out to YHWH; let us shout to the Rock of our salvation! Let us come before His face with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully with psalms to Him! For a great God is YHWH, and the great King above all gods— in whose hand are the depths of the earth, and the peaks of the mountains are unto Him, and to whom is the sea, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the face of YHWH our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you⁺ hear His voice: You⁺ shall not harden your⁺ hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day at Massah in the wilderness,95.8 LXX as you did in the rebellion; Meribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7; cited in Hebrews 3:15 and Hebrews 4:7. 95.8 LXX in the day of testing in the wilderness; Massah means testing; see Exodus 17:7. when your⁺ fathers tested Me—they tried Me, even though they had seen My work. Forty years I was repulsed by that generation, and I said, “They are a people going astray in heart,95.10 LXX They always go astray in the heart and they have not known My ways.” So I swore in My anger, “They shall not come into My rest!” 95.11 Cited in Hebrews 3:7–11, Hebrews 4:3, and Hebrews 4:5 Sing to Yahweh, All the Earth (1 Chronicles 16:23–36) Sing to YHWH a new song; sing to YHWH, all the earth! Sing to YHWH, bless His name; give the news from day to day of His salvation! Recount among the nations His glory, among all the peoples His wonders. For great is YHWH, and to be praised greatly; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, and YHWH made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before His face; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to YHWH, O families of the peoples, give to YHWH honor and strength! Give to YHWH the glory due His name; lift up an offering and come into His courts! Bow down before YHWH in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth! Say among the nations, “YHWH reigns!” Surely the world is firmly set—it cannot be shaken; He will judge the peoples with uprightness. Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; let the sea and its fullness roar! Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it! Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy, before YHWH, for He is coming— for He is coming to judge the earth! He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness. Let the Earth Rejoice YHWH reigns, let the earth rejoice, let the many shores be glad! Cloud and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. A fire goes out before His face, and burns up His adversaries round about. His lightnings give light to the world; the earth sees, and trembles. The mountains are melted like wax from before the face of YHWH, from before the face of the Lord of all the earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. Let all those serving a carved image be put to shame, those boasting in idols! Bow down to Him, all gods! Zion hears and is glad; the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of Your judgments, O YHWH. For You, O YHWH-Elyon,97.9 YHWH-Elyon means LORD Most High are over all the earth; greatly are You exalted over all gods. O lovers of YHWH, hate evil; He preserves the souls of His holy ones; from the hand of the wicked He delivers them. Light shines on the righteous,97.11 One Hebrew manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright of heart. Be glad, O righteous ones, in YHWH, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness! Sing to Yahweh a New Song (Psalm 149:1–9; Isaiah 42:10–17) A Psalm. Sing to YHWH a new song, for He has done wonders! His right hand has gained victory for Him, even the arm of His holiness. YHWH has made known His victory; before the eyes of the nations, He has revealed His righteousness. He has remembered His kindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout joyfully to YHWH, all the earth; break forth and cry aloud and sing praises! Sing praises to YHWH with the harp, with the harp and the voice of melody! With the trumpets and the voice of the shofar, shout joyfully before the face of YHWH the King! Let the sea roar, and its fullness, the world, and those dwelling in it! Let the rivers clap the hands; let the hills cry aloud together, before the face of YHWH— for He is coming to judge the earth! He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with uprightness! Yahweh Reigns! (Psalm 93:1–5) YHWH reigns, let the peoples tremble! He dwells above the cherubim, let the earth be shaken! YHWH is great in Zion, and high is He over all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name! Holy is He!99.3 Or it is holy! The mighty King loves justice,99.4 Or The might of the King loves justice. You have established uprightness; justice and righteousness You have done in Jacob. Exalt YHWH, our God, and bow down at His footstool! Holy is He! Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel among those calling on His name— they called to YHWH, and He answered them. Within the pillar of cloud He spoke to them; they kept His testimonies, and the statute He gave to them. O YHWH our God, You answered them; a forgiving God You became for them, and one taking vengeance over their misdeeds. Exalt YHWH, our God, and bow down at the mountain of His holiness— for holy is YHWH our God! Make a Joyful Noise (Psalm 66:1–20) A Psalm of thanksgiving. Shout to YHWH, all the earth. Serve YHWH with gladness! Come before His face with a shout of joy! Know that YHWH, He is God; He has made us and not we ourselves;100.3 Or and we are His we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise; give thanks to Him; bless His name! For YHWH is good; forever is His loving devotion, and unto generation and generation His faithfulness. I Will Set No Worthless Thing before My Eyes A Psalm. Of David. I will sing of loving devotion and justice; to You, O YHWH, I will sing praises. I will act wisely in the way of integrity. When will You come to me? I walk about in the integrity of my heart, in the midst of my house. I do not set before my eyes an object of worthlessness; I have hated the work of those turning aside— it shall not cling to me! A perverse heart shall depart from me; evil I will not know. The one slandering his neighbor in secret, I will put an end to him; the high of eyes and proud of heart— him I will not endure. My eyes are on the faithful ones of the land, to dwell with me; the one walking in the way of integrity, he shall minister to me. There shall not dwell within my house one working deceit; the one speaking lies shall not be fixed before my eyes. At morning I cut off all the wicked of the land, to cut off from the city of YHWH all workers of iniquity! The Prayer of the Afflicted A Prayer of one afflicted, when he grows weak and pours out his complaint before YHWH. O YHWH, may You hear my prayer and may my cry come to You! Do not hide Your face from me, in the day of distress for me! Incline to me Your ear; on the day that I call may You hurry and answer me! For my days come to an end like smoke, and my bones like a burning wick have been charred. My heart has been struck like the grass and has withered, so that I forget to eat my bread. From the voice of my groaning, my bone has clung to my flesh. I am like a vulture of the desert; I have become like an owl of the wasteland. I stay awake, and I am like a bird alone on the housetop. All the day my enemies the taunt me; those shouting boastfully swear against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and my drink I have mingled with weeping, from the face of Your anger and Your wrath, for You have lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a shadow stretching out; and I, like the grass, wither away. But You, O YHWH, dwell forever, and Your memorial to generation and generation. You will rise up and have compassion on Zion— for the time to show her favor, indeed, the appointed time, has come. How Your servants take delight in her stones— even her dust they favor! And the nations will fear the name of YHWH, and all the kings of the earth Your glory. For YHWH has built up Zion; He has appeared in His glory. He has turned toward the prayer of the destitute, and He will not despise their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, and a people yet to be created will praise YAH. For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary, YHWH looked out from the heavens to the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release the sons of death; to declare in Zion the name of YHWH, and His praise in Jerusalem, in the gathering of the peoples together—and the kingdoms— to serve YHWH. He has broken my strength on the way; He has shortened my days. I said, “O my God, do not take me up in the midst of my days; Your years are generation to generations. Before time You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will stand; and all of them will wear out like a garment— like clothing, You will pass them on, and they will pass away. And You are the same, and Your years will not end. 102.27 Cited in Hebrews 1:10–12 The sons of Your servants will settle down, and their seed will be established before Your face.” Bless Yahweh, O My Soul Of David. Bless, O my soul, YHWH, and all within me—His holy name! O my soul, bless YHWH, and do not forget all His benefits— the One forgiving all your iniquities, the One healing all your diseases, the One redeeming your life from destruction, the One crowning you with loving devotion and compassion, the One filling your beauty with the good; your youth is renewed like the eagle. YHWH is doing righteousness and justice for all being oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the sons of Israel. Compassionate and gracious is YHWH, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion. He will not contend forever, and He will not keep it forever. He has not done to us according to our sins, and He has not dealt with us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so His loving devotion is mighty for those fearing Him. As far as the east is from the west, so has He put our transgressions far from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so YHWH has compassion for those fearing Him. For He knows our form; He remembers that we are dust. A man—his days are like grass; like the flower of the field, so he blossoms; For the wind passes over it, and it is no more; and its place does not recognize it anymore. But the loving devotion of YHWH is from forever and even to forever upon those fearing Him, and His righteousness to the sons of the sons— to those keeping His covenant, and to those remembering His precepts, to do them. YHWH has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless YHWH, His angels, mighty of strength, doing His word, to listen to the voice of His word. Bless YHWH, all His hosts, His ministering ones doing His pleasure. Bless YHWH, all His works, in all places of His dominion. O my soul, bless YHWH! How Many Are Your Works, O LORD! O my soul, bless YHWH! O YHWH my God, You are very great; with honor and majesty You are clothed. Covering Himself with light as a garment, stretching out the heavens like a curtain, the One laying the beams in the waters of His upper chambers, the One making the clouds His chariot, the One walking on the wings of the wind, making the winds His messengers, His servants flaming fire. 104.4 LXX He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire. Cited in Hebrews 1:7 He set the earth upon its foundations; it should not be shaken forever and ever. The deep, as with a garment You covered it; upon the mountains the waters were standing. From Your rebuke they fled; from the voice of Your thunder they hurried away. Upon the mountains, the valleys sank down, to the place that You established for them. You have set a boundary that they may not cross over; they may never return to cover the earth. He sends the springs into the valleys; they flow between the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys break their thirst. Nearby them the birds of the heavens are dwelling; from between the branches they give forth a voice. Watering the hills from His upper chambers; with the fruit of Your works the earth is satisfied— causing the grass to sprout for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine makes glad the heart of man, to make his face shine from oil, and bread supports the heart of man. The trees of YHWH are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted, where in the birds make their nests; the stork—the cypresses104.17 Or pines or junipers or firs are her house. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the crags a refuge for the rock badgers.104.18 Or the coneys or the hyraxes He made the moon for appointed times; the sun knows its entrance. You make darkness, and it becomes night; in it all the living things of the forest creep about. The young lions roar for the prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, they are gathered; and in their dens they stretch out. Man goes out to his work, and to his labor until the evening. How many are Your works, O YHWH! All of them You have made in wisdom; the earth is full of Your creatures. This is the sea, great and wide— in it are teeming things, and without number, living things small with the great. There the ships go about, and Leviathan, which You formed to play in it. All of them look to You, to give their food, in its season. You give to them, and they gather in; You open Your hand, and they are satisfied with good. You hide Your face— they are troubled; You gather their spirit— they die, and to their dust they return. You send forth Your Spirit104.30 Or breath— they are created, and You renew the face of the earth. May the glory of YHWH be forever; may YHWH rejoice in His works— the One looking on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to YHWH during my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live! May my melody be pleasing to Him; I rejoice in YHWH. May the sinful ones be consumed from the earth, and the wicked shall not be anymore! O my soul, bless YHWH! Hallelu YAH!104.35 Or Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH Tell of His Wonders (1 Chronicles 16:7–22) Give thanks to YHWH; call on His name; make known among the nations His deeds! Sing to Him, make music to Him; meditate on all His wonders! Glory in the name of His holiness; let the heart of those seeking YHWH rejoice! Search after YHWH and His strength; seek His face continually. Remember His wonders that He has done— His wonders and the judgments of His mouth— O seed of Abraham His servant, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is YHWH our God; His judgments are over all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever— the word He commanded for a thousand generations— that which He cut with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. And He established it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as a covenant forever, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan, the portion of your⁺ inheritance.” In their being few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, and they went about from nation to nation, from a kingdom to another people. He has permitted no man to oppress them, and He rebuked kings for them: “You⁺ shall not touch My anointed ones, and to My prophets You⁺ shall not do evil.” And He called down famine on the land; the whole staff of bread He has broken. 105.16 Or supply He sent before them a man, to be sold as a slave—Joseph. They afflicted his feet with the fetters; into iron came his neck, until the time of the coming of His word— the word of YHWH tried him. The king sent and released him, and the ruler of the peoples drew him out. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance, to instruct105.22 LXX and Syriac; MT to bind his princes by his soul, and his elders to make wise. And Israel came to Egypt, and Jacob resided in the land of Ham. And His people He made exceedingly fruitful, and made them mightier than their enemies. He turned their heart to hate His people, to act deceitfully with His servants. He sent Moses His servant, Aaron whom He had chosen. They set among them the words of His signs, and wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness and it became dark, and they defied His words.105.28 LXX and Syriac; Hebrew for had they not defied His words? He turned their waters to blood, and He put to death their fish. Their land swarmed with frogs, in the inner chambers of their kings. He spoke, and the swarm came, gnats in all their country. He gave hail for rain, flames of fire in their land. And He struck their vines and their fig trees, and He shattered the trees of their country. He spoke, and the locust came, and the young locust without number, and it ate up every herb in their land, and it devoured the fruit of their ground. And He struck all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their vigor. And He brought them out with silver and gold, and there were none among His tribes stumbling. Egypt was glad at their going out, for the dread of them had fallen upon them. He spread a cloud for a screen, and fire to light up the night. They asked, and He brought quail, and with the bread of the heavens He satisfied them. He opened the rock, and waters gushed from it; they went forth in the desert like a river. For He remembered the word of His holiness to Abraham His servant. And He brought out His people with rejoicing, and His chosen with a shout of joy. And He gave to them the lands of the nations, and they possessed the labor of the peoples, that they may keep His statutes and obey His laws. Hallelu YAH!105.45 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH Give Thanks to Yahweh, for He Is Good Hallelujah!106.1 Hallelujah means Praise YHWH; also in verse 48 Give thanks to YHWH for He is good, for His loving devotion is forever! Who can describe the mighty acts of YHWH? Who can sound all His praise? Blessed are those guarding justice, doing righteousness at every time. Remember me, O YHWH, in favor to Your people; attend to me with Your salvation, to look on the prosperity of Your chosen ones, and to be glad in the gladness of Your nation, and to glory with Your inheritance. We have sinned, with our fathers; we have been perverse; we have acted wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not consider Your wonders; they did not remember the abundance of Your kindness; and they rebelled by the sea— at the Sea of Reeds.106.7 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verses 9 and 22 And He saved them for the sake of His name, to make known His might. And He rebuked the Sea of Reeds, and it dried up, and He made them walk through the depths as through a desert. And He saved them from the hand of the one hating, and He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. For the waters covered their enemies; not one of them remained. And they had faith in His words; they sang His praise. They were quick to forget His works; they have not wait for His counsel; and they craved with desire in the wilderness, and they tested God in the desert. And He gave to them their request, and He sent leanness upon their soul. And they were jealous of Moses in the camp, of Aaron, the holy one of YHWH. The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, and it covered over the company of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame consumed the wicked. They made a calf in Horeb,106.19 That is, Mount Sinai, or possibly a mountain in the range containing Mount Sinai and they bowed down to a molten image. And they exchanged their Glory106.20 Or their glorious God for the image of an ox eating grass. They forgot God their Savior, the One having done great things in Egypt, wonders in the land of Ham, fearful things by the Sea of Reeds. And he said he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen one stood in the breach before His face, to turn away His fury from destroying them. Then they despised the land of the desire; they were not faithful to His word, and they grumbled in their tents; they did not listen to the voice of YHWH. And He lifted up His hand against them to make them fall in the desert, and to make their seed fall106.27 Or to disperse their seed among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. They even joined themselves to Baal-Peor, and they ate sacrifices to the dead. And they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. And Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was restrained. And it was reckoned to him as righteousness, to generation and generation, even to forever. And they caused wrath at the waters of Meribah,106.32 Meribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7. and it was evil to Moses on account of them. For they rebelled against his spirit,106.33 Or they provoked His Spirit and he spoke rashly with his lips. They did not destroy the peoples whom YHWH had given to them the order. And they mingled with the nations, and they learned their works. And they served their idols, and they were to them as a snare. And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; and they shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with the blood. And they were defiled by their deeds and prostituted themselves by their practices. And the anger of YHWH was kindled against His people, and He came to abhor His inheritance. And He gave them into the hand of the nations, and those hating them ruled over them. And their enemies oppressed them, and they were humbled under their hand. Many times He delivered them, and they were rebellious in their counsel, and were brought low in their iniquity. And He looked on the distress to them in His hearing their cry. And He remembered unto them His covenant, and He relented by the abundance of His loving devotion. And He appointed them for mercies before the face of all their captors. Save us, O YHWH our God, and gather us from the nations, to give thanks to the name of Your holiness, to glory in Your praise! Blessed be YHWH the God of Israel from forever and even to forever. And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise YAH! BOOK V Psalms 107–150 Thanksgiving for Deliverance (Matthew 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25) Give thanks to YHWH, for He is good, for His loving devotion is forever! Let the redeemed of YHWH say, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and from the lands He has gathered them— from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea.107.3 Or from the north and from the south They wandered in the wilderness, by the way in a desert; a city for of dwelling they did not find. Hungry and thirsty, their soul in them grew faint. And they cried out to YHWH in the distress for them; from their straits He delivered them. And He made them tread on a straight path, to walk toward a city of dwelling. Let them give thanks to YHWH for His loving devotion, and His wonders to the sons of man! For He satisfies the rushing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with goodness. They are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and irons, because they rebelled against the words of God, and they despised the counsel of the Most High, and He humbled with labor their heart; they fell down, and no one was helping. And they cried out to YHWH in the distress for them, and from their straits He saved them. He brought them forth from darkness and the shadow of death, and their bonds He broke away. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion, and His wonders to the sons of man! For He has broken down doors of bronze, and He has cut through bars of iron! Fools from the path of their transgression, and by their iniquities they were afflicted. All food their soul abhorred, and they drew near to the gates of death. And they cried out to YHWH in the distress for them, and from their straits He saved them. He sent His word and healed them, and He rescued them from the Pit. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion, and His wonders to the sons of man! And let them sacrifice sacrifices of thanksgiving, and recount His works with rejoicing! Those going down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters, they have seen the works of YHWH, and His wonders in the deep. And He spoke and stationed the wind, a tempest, and it lifted high the waves; they went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; their soul melted in evil. They reel and stagger like the drunkard, and all their wisdom is swallowed up.107.27 Or and all their skill was useless or and they were at their wits’ end And they cried out to YHWH in the distress for them, and from their straits He brought them out. He stilled the tempest to a whisper, and the waves of the sea107.29 DSS; MT their waves were hushed. And they rejoiced because they grew quiet, and He guided them to the haven of their desire. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of man! And let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people, and in the seat of the elders praise Him! He turns rivers into a wilderness, and outpourings of waters into thirsty ground, a land of fruit into salty ground, from the wickedness of those dwelling in it. He turns the desert into pools of water, and a land of dryness into springs of waters. And the hungry He makes to dwell there, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place. And there they sow fields and plant vineyards, that they may yield the fruit of produce. And He blesses them and they multiply exceedingly, and their cattle He does not let diminish. When they are diminished and brought low from oppression, evil, and sorrow, He pours out contempt on nobles, and causes them to wander in a wasteland without a path. And He sets on high for the needy from affliction, and He places families as a flock. Let the upright see and rejoice, and may all iniquity shut its mouth. And him who is wise, let him attend to these things, and they will consider the loving devotion of YHWH. Israel’s Kingdom Blessing (Psalm 57:1–11; Psalm 60:1–12) A Song. A Psalm of David. My heart being firm, O God, I will sing and make music, even with my glory!108.1 Or with all my being Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn! I will praise You among the peoples, O YHWH, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. For great over the heavens is Your loving devotion, and up to the clouds is Your faithfulness. Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and over all the earth Your glory! That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and answer me! God has spoken from His holy place:108.7 Or in His holiness or from His sanctuary “I will exult; I will divide Shechem, and measure out the Valley of Succoth. Unto Me is Gilead, unto Me is Manasseh; and Ephraim is the strength of My head, Judah is My scepter. Moab is the basin of My washing; upon Edom I will cast My sandal; over Philistia I will shout in triumph.” Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me as far as Edom? Have You not, O God, cast us off? And will You no longer go forth, O God, with our armies? May You give to us help from adversity, and the salvation of man is emptiness. With God we will act in strength, and He will trample our adversaries. The Song of the Slandered For the one directing. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, do not be silent! For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful, they have opened against me— they speak against me with a tongue of lies; and with words of hatred they surround me, and they fight me without cause. In exchange for my love they accuse me, and I am of prayer; and they set against me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Appoint a wicked man over him, and let an adversary stand at his right hand. In his being judged, may he go forth as wicked, and let his prayer come to be as sin. May his days be few; may another take his position! 109.8 Cited in Acts 1:20 May his sons be fatherless, and his wife a widow. And let his sons wander continually and beg, and let them seek sustenance109.10 Hebrew; LXX let them be driven from their desolate places! Let the creditor lay a snare for all that is unto him, and let strangers plunder his labour. None shall there be for him extending kindness, and none shall there be showing favor to his fatherless. Let his posterity be for cutting off; in the next generation let their name be blotted out! May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered to YHWH, and the sin of his mother not be blotted out. Let them be before YHWH continually, that He may cut off from the earth their memory! Because that he has not remembered to do kindness, and he pursued the poor and needy man, and the broken of heart to kill him. And he loved cursing, and let it come to him; and he did not delight in blessing, and let it be far from him! And he clothed himself with cursing as his garment, and it came in like the water within him, and like the oil into his bones! May it be for him like the garment wrapped about him, and continually as a belt he girds on. May this be the reward of my accusers from YHWH, and of those speaking evil against my soul! But You, O YHWH my Lord, may you act with me for the sake of Your name; because of the goodness of Your loving devotion, deliver me! For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me. Like a shadow in its lengthening, I am gone; I am shaken off like the locust. My knees wobble from fasting, and my flesh has failed of fatness. And I have become an object of scorn for them; they see me; they shake their head. Help me, O YHWH my God; save me according to Your loving devotion, that they may know that this is Your hand; You, O YHWH, have done it! They may curse, but You will bless; may they rise up, and be put to shame, and may Your servant rejoice! May my accusers be clothed with disgrace, and may they be covered with their shame as the robe. I will confess YHWH greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of the multitudes I will praise Him. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those judging his soul. God’s Faithful Messiah (Genesis 14:17–24; Hebrews 5:1–10) A Psalm of David. An utterance of YHWH to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for Your feet.110.1 Cited in Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42–43, Acts 2:34–35, and Hebrews 1:13” YHWH sends forth the rod of your strength from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies!” Your people are freewill offerings in the day of your might, in the splendors of holiness; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth is unto you. YHWH has sworn, and He will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” 110.4 Cited in Hebrews 5:6, Hebrews 7:17, and Hebrews 7:21 My Lord is at Your right hand; he will shatter kings in the day of his anger; He will judge among the nations, he will fill it with corpses; he will wound the head of many lands; from the brook by the way He will drink. By this He will lift up the head. Majestic Is His Work Hallelu YAH!111.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH. This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. I will give thanks to YHWH with all of my heart, in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of YHWH, being searched out by all who delight in them. Splendor and majesty are His work, and His righteousness stands forever. A memorial He has made by His wonders; gracious and compassionate is YHWH. Food He has given to those fearing Him; He remembers His covenant forever. The power of His works He has declared to His people, by giving to them the inheritance of the nations. The works of His hands are truth and justice, and all His precepts are trustworthy. They are upheld for ever everlasting; they are made in truth and uprightness. Redemption He has sent to His people; He has appointed His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name! The beginning of wisdom is the fear of YHWH; good understanding is unto all those doing it. May His praise be enduring forever! The Blessed Fear of Yahweh (Psalm 128:1–6) Hallelu YAH!112.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH. This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Blessed is the man fearing YHWH; in His commandments he has delighted greatly. His seed is mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness stands forever. Light has risen in the darkness for the upright— for the gracious, and compassionate, and righteous. The good man is gracious and lends freely; he contains his affairs with justice. Surely he will not be shaken forever; the righteous will be as a memorial forever. Of an evil report he is not afraid; his heart is firm, trusting in YHWH. His heart is upheld; he will not be afraid, until that he looks on his enemies. He has scattered—he has given to the needy; his righteousness stands forever; his horn is raised high in honor. 112.9 Cited in 2 Corinthians 9:9 A wicked one will see and be angry; he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked ones will perish. Yahweh Exalts the Humble (1 Samuel 1:1–8) Hallelu YAH!113.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH; also in verse 9 Praise, O servants of YHWH, praise the name of YHWH! The name of YHWH be blessed, from now and even to forever! From the rising of the sun to its coming in, praised is the name of YHWH! High over all nations is YHWH, and over the heavens His glory, who is like YHWH our God, being on high to dwell, stooping down to look on the heavens and on the earth, raising up the poor from the dust. He lifts high the needy one from the ash heap, to make him sit with princes, with the princes of His people, settling in a home the barren woman, joyful like a mother of sons. Praise YAH! A Psalm of Exodus In the going forth of Israel from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people speaking strangely, Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion. The sea saw Him and fled; the Jordan turned to the back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like sons of the flock. What was it to you, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back, O mountains, that you⁺ skipped like rams, O hills, like sons of the flock? Tremble before the face of the Lord, O earth, before the face of the God of Jacob— turning the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a spring of waters! To Your name Be the Glory (Psalm 135:1–21) Not to us, O YHWH, not to us, but to Your name, give glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where now is their God?” And our God is in the heavens; all that he has pleased, He has done. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of the hands of man. A mouth is unto them, and they do not speak; eyes are unto them, and they do not see; ears are unto them, and they do not hear; noses are unto them, and they do not smell; they have hands and they do not feel; they have feet and they do not walk; and they do not utter by their throat.115.7 Or they cannot even clear their throats Those making them shall be like them, everyone who is trusting in them. O Israel,115.9 MT; many Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac O house of Israel trust in YHWH! And He is their help and their shield. O House of Aaron, trust in YHWH! And He is their help and their shield. O fearers of YHWH, trust in YHWH! He is their help and their shield. YHWH has remembered us; He will bless; He will bless the house of Israel, He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those fearing YHWH, the small with the great. YHWH adds to you⁺— to you⁺ and to your⁺ sons! May you⁺ be blessed by YHWH, maker of the heavens and the earth! The heavens of the heavens are unto YHWH, and the earth He has given to the sons of man. The dead do not praise YAH, and not any of those going down into silence. And we will bless YAH, from now and even to forever. Hallelu YAH!115.18 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH Yahweh Has Heard My Voice I have loved because YHWH has heard the voice of my supplications, Because He has inclined His ear to me, even in the day I called. The cords of death surrounded me, and the straits of Sheol found me; distress and sorrow did I find. And in the name of YHWH I called out: “I pray, O YHWH, deliver my soul!” Gracious is YHWH, and righteous; and our God is compassionate. YHWH preserves the simple ones; I was brought low, and to me He gave salvation. Return my soul, to your rest, for YHWH has dealt kindly with you. For you were rescued from death, O my soul, my eye from tears, my feet from stumbling. I will walk before the face of YHWH in the land of the living. I believed, therefore I said, “I afflicted am greatly.” 116.10 LXX therefore I have spoken; cited in 2 Corinthians 4:13 I said in my hastening, “Every man is a liar.” What shall I return to YHWH; all His benefits are upon me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and upon the name of YHWH I will call. I will fulfill My vows to YHWH now in front of all His people. Precious in the eyes of YHWH is the death of His holy ones. I ask, O YHWH—surely I am Your servant; I am Your servant, son of Your maidservant— You have loosed my bonds! To You I will sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and in your name, O YHWH, I will call. I will fulfill My vows to YHWH now in front of all His people, in the courts of the house of YHWH, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Hallelu YAH!116.19 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH Extol Him, All You Peoples Praise YHWH, all you nations; adore Him, all you peoples!117.1 Cited in Romans 15:11 For mighty is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of YHWH is forever. Hallelu YAH!117.2 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH Yahweh Is on My Side Give thanks to YHWH, for He is good, for His loving devotion is forever! Now let Israel118.2 LXX the house of Israel say that His loving devotion is forever! Now let the house of Aaron say that His loving devotion is forever! Now let those fearing YHWH say that His loving devotion is forever! In distress I called on YAH; YAH answered me in a broad place. YHWH is with me; I will not fear— what can man do to me?118.6 Or YHWH is on my side; also in verse 7; LXX The Lord is my helper 118.6 Cited in Hebrews 13:6 YHWH is with me as the One helping me; and I shall look on those hating me. It is better to take refuge in YHWH, than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in YHWH, than to trust in princes. All nations surrounded me; in the name of YHWH I surely cut them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me, and in the name of YHWH I surely cut them off! They have surrounded me like bees, they have been extinguished as fire among thorns; and in the name of YHWH I surely cut them off! You have severely thrust me that I might fall, and YHWH helped me. My strength and song is YAH; and He has become to me salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of YHWH acts with strength. The right hand of YHWH is exalted; the right hand of YHWH acts with strength.” I will not die, but I will live, that I might recount the works of YAH. Yah, chastened me severely, and to death He has not given me up. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them; I will give thanks to YAH. This is the gate of YHWH; the righteous shall enter into it. I thank You, for You have answered me, and You have become to me for salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become as the head of the corner. 118.22 Or has become the cornerstone; cited in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, and 1 Peter 2:7 From YHWH this is; it is marvelous in our eyes.118.23 Cited in Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:11 This is the day YHWH has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. I ask, O YHWH, save us now. I ask, O YHWH, send prosperity now! 118.25 Hebrew hosia-na, meaning save, we pray or save now; see Matthew 21:9, Matthew 21:15, Mark 11:9, and John 12:13. Blessed is the one coming in the name of YHWH; we bless you⁺ from the house of YHWH. 118.26 Cited in Matthew 21:9, Matthew 23:39, Mark 11:9, Luke 13:35, Luke 19:38, and John 12:13 YHWH is God, and He has given light to us! Bind the festal sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar!118.27 Or Join in the festal procession with boughs in hand, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give You thanks; my God, I will exalt You! Give thanks to YHWH, for He is good; for His loving devotion is forever! Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet Blessed are119.1 This psalm is an acrostic poem of twenty-two stanzas, following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet; within a stanza, each verse begins with the same Hebrew letter. those complete in the way, those walking in the law of YHWH. Blessed are those keeping His testimonies; with all the heart they seek Him. Also they do not do injustice; in His ways they walk. You have commanded Your precepts, to be kept diligently. Oh, that my ways were set firm to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, in my looking to all Your commandments. I will praise You with uprightness of heart, in my learning the judgments of Your righteousness. Your statutes I will keep; may You not even to exceedingly forsake me! בBETH How can a young man keep pure his way? By guarding it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments. In my heart I have hidden Your word, that I should not sin against You. Blessed are You, O YHWH; teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have recounted all the judgments of Your mouth. In the way of Your testimonies I rejoice, more than in all wealth. May I meditate on Your precepts and look upon Your paths. In Your statutes I will delight myself; I will not forget Your word. גGIMEL Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may see the wonders from Your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; do not hide from me Your commandments! My soul is crushed with longing for Your judgments at all times. You rebuke the arrogant ones, the accursed ones, those going astray from Your commandments. Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies. Though princes sit against me and slander, Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight— the men of my counsel. דDALETH My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word! My ways I recounted, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes. Make me understand the way of Your precepts, that I may meditate on Your wonders. My soul drips from sorrow; establish me according to Your word! Turn away from me the path of deceit, and with Your law show favor to me. The way of truth I have chosen; Your ordinances I have set. I cling to Your testimonies, O YHWH; let me not be put to shame! The way of Your commandments I will run, for You will enlarge my heart. הHE Teach me, O YHWH, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep it to the end.119.33 Or keep it as my reward Give me understanding, and I will guard Your law, and I will keep it with all my heart. Cause me to tread in the path of Your commandments, for in it I delight. Incline my heart toward Your testimonies, and not toward dishonest gain. Make my eyes pass from seeing the vain thing; with Your word119.37 Two MT manuscripts and DSS; most MT manuscripts in Your way revive me. Make Your word stand for Your servant, which is for the fearing of You. Remove the reproach that I dread, for Your judgments are good. Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness! וWAW And may Your loving devotion come to me, O YHWH, Your salvation according to Your word. Then I will answer with a word for the one reproaching me, for I trust in Your word. And do not take away from my mouth the word of truth even to exceedingly! For in Your judgments I have hoped. And I will keep Your law continually, forever and ever, and I will walk in a broad place, for Your precepts I have sought. And I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed. And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I have loved. And I will lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I have loved, and I will meditate on Your statutes. זZAYIN Remember the word to Your servant, upon that You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life. The arrogant ones mock me even to exceedingly; from Your law I do not stretch away. I remember Your judgments from old, O YHWH, and I am comforted. Indignation has seized me, from the wicked forsaking Your law. Your statutes have been songs to me, in the house of my sojourning. I remember Your name in the night, O YHWH, and I keep Your law. This has come to be for me, for I have kept Your precepts. חHETH YHWH is my portion; I have said I would keep Your words. I appeased Your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your word. I have considered my paths, and turned back my feet to Your testimonies. I hurried and did not delay to keep Your commandments. The cords of the wicked have surrounded me, Your law I have not forgotten. In the middle of the night, I rise to give thanks to You, upon the judgments of Your righteousness. I am a companion to all who fear You, and to those keeping Your precepts. O YHWH, with Your loving devotion the earth is full; teach me Your statutes. טTETH You have done well with Your servant, O YHWH, according to Your word. So may You teach me good judgment and knowledge, for in Your commandments I have believed. Before I was afflicted, I was going astray; and now I have kept Your word. You are good, and the One doing good; may You teach me Your statutes. The arrogant ones have smeared a lie over me; I, with all my heart, will guard Your precepts. Their heart is unfeeling like fat;119.70 Or fat I have delighted in Your law. It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn Your statutes. The law from Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver. יYODH Your hands have made me and established me; give me understanding to learn Your commandments. Those fearing You see me and rejoice, because in Your word I have hoped. I know, O YHWH, that Your judgments are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me. Your loving devotion, may it be, please, to comfort me, according to Your word to Your servant. May Your compassions come to me, that I may live, for Your law is my delight. May the arrogant ones be put to shame, for with a lie they dealt perversely with me; I will meditate on Your precepts. Let those who fear You turn to me, and those who know Your testimonies. May my heart be perfect in Your statutes, so that I may not be ashamed. כKAPH My soul faints for Your salvation; for Your word I wait. My eyes fail for your word, saying, “When will You comfort me?” For, I have become like a wineskin in smoke; Your statutes I have not forgotten. How many are the days of Your servant?119.84 Or How many days must Your servant wait? When will You execute judgment on my pursuers? The arrogant ones have dug pits for me that are not according to Your law. All Your commandments are firm, falsely they pursue me—Help me! Almost they consumed me on the earth; and I have not forsaken Your precepts. According to Your loving devotion, revive me, that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. לLAMEDH Forever, O YHWH, is Your word, standing fixed in the heavens. For generation and generation is Your faithfulness; You established the earth, and it stands. According to Your ordinances, they stand this day,119.91 Or They stand to this day for all things are Your servants. Had Your law not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. Forever, I will not forget Your precepts, for by them You have revived me. Unto You I am—save me! For I have sought Your precepts. The wicked wait for me to destroy me; Your testimonies I will consider. To all perfection I have seen an end; broad is Your commandment exceedingly. מMEM Oh, how I love Your law! All the day, it is my meditation. By Your commandment You make me wiser than my enemies; for, it is with me forever. I have insight above all my teachers, for Your testimonies are a meditation to me. I understand above elders, for Your precepts I have kept. From every path of evil I have restrained my feet, that I may keep Your word. From Your ordinances I have not turned aside, for You have instructed me. How smooth are Your words to my palate, more than honey to my mouth! From Your precepts I gain understanding; upon thus, I hate every path of deception! נNUN Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed: I will keep the judgments of Your righteousness. I am afflicted even exceedingly, O YHWH; revive me according to Your word! May You accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, please, O YHWH, and may You teach me Your judgments. My soul is in my hand continually, and I do not forget Your law. The wicked have set a snare for me, and from Your precepts I do not go astray. I have inherited Your testimonies forever; for they are the joy of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the end! סSAMEKH The double-minded I hate, and Your law I love. You are my hiding place and my shield; in Your word I hope. Turn away from me, O evildoers! And I will keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according to Your word, and l will live; and do not make me ashamed of my hope! Support me, and I will be saved; and I will gaze on Your statutes continually. You have trodden down all those going astray from Your statutes, for their treachery is falsehood. Like dross You put an end to all the wicked of the earth; therefore I love Your testimonies. My flesh bristles from dread of You, and of your judgments I have been afraid. עAYIN I have done justice and righteousness; do not leave me to my oppressors! Ensure Your servant for good; do not let the arrogant ones oppress me. My eyes fail for Your salvation, and for the word of Your righteousness. Deal with Your servant according to Your loving devotion, and teach me Your statutes. I am Your servant—give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies. It is time, O YHWH, to act; they have broken Your law! Upon thus, I love Your commandments more than gold, and more than fine gold. Upon thus, all the precepts I have declared wholly right; every path of deception I hate. פPE Wonderful are Your testimonies; upon thus, my soul has kept watch over them. The opening of Your words gives light, giving understanding to the simple ones. I have opened my mouth and I pant— for I have longed for Your commandments! Turn to me and be gracious to me, according to justice to those loving Your name. Establish my steps by Your word, and do not let any iniquity rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine on Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. Streams of waters run down from my eyes, because they have not kept Your law. צTZADE You are righteous, O YHWH, and Your judgments are upright. You have appointed your righteous testimonies, and exceedingly faithful. My zeal has cut me off, because my adversaries have forgotten Your words. Your word is exceedingly pure, and Your servant has loved it. I am little and despised; I do not forget Your precepts. Your righteousness is righteous forever, and Your law is truth. Trouble and distress have found me; Your commandments are my delight. The righteousness of Your testimonies is forever; give me understanding, that I may live! קKOPH I cry out with all my heart; answer me, O YHWH! Your statutes I will guard. I call out to You, save me, that I may keep Your testimonies! I went ahead at the dawn, and I cried out, and for Your word I have hoped. My eyes have gone before the watches to meditate on Your word. Hear my voice, O YHWH, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your justice, preserve my life! They draw near, those pursuing wickedness! From Your law they are far. You are near, O YHWH, and all Your commandments are truth. I have known of Your testimonies of old, that forever You have founded them. רRESH See my affliction and rescue me! For I have not forgotten Your law. Plead my plea and redeem me; according to Your word, revive me! Far from the wicked is salvation, because they have not sought Your statutes. Your mercies are great, O YHWH; according to Your ordinances, revive me! Many are my pursuers and my adversaries; from Your testimonies I have not turned aside. I have seen those acting treacherously, and I felt loathing, because they have not kept Your word. See, how I love Your precepts, O YHWH; according to Your loving devotion, revive me! The head of Your word is truth, and every judgment of Your righteousness is forever. שSIN and SHIN Princes may pursue me without cause, and of Your word my heart was afraid. I am rejoicing over Your word like one finding great plunder. Deception I hate and abhor; Your law I do love. Seven times in the day I praise You, because of the judgments of Your righteousness. Great prosperity is unto those loving Your law, and nothing to them is a stumbling block. I wait for Your salvation, O YHWH, and Your commandments I have done. My soul has kept Your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly. I have kept Your precepts and Your testimonies, because all my ways are before You. תTAW Let my cry come before You, O YHWH; according to Your word, give me understanding. Let my supplication come before You; according to Your word, deliver me. Let my lips pour forth praise, for You teach me Your statutes. Let my tongue sing out Your word, for all Your commandments are righteous. Let Your hand be to help me, for Your precepts I have chosen. I long for Your salvation, O YHWH, and Your law is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise You; and may Your judgments help me. I have gone astray, getting lost like a sheep; may You seek Your servant, for Your commandments I have not forgotten. In My Distress I Cried to Yahweh A Song of the Ascents. To YHWH, in the distress for me, I cried out, and He answered me. O YHWH, deliver my soul from a lip of falsehood, from a tongue of deceit! What will He give to you, or what will He add to you, O tongue of deceit? The sharpened arrows of a mighty one, with the burning coals of broom trees! Woe to me for I have sojourned in Mesech; I have dwelt among the tents of Kedar! Too much has dwelt my soul with the one hating peace! I am peace, and when I speak, they are for war. I lift Up My Eyes to the Hills A Song for the Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where my help does come. My help is from YHWH, the Maker of the heavens and the earth. He will not give your foot to the slipping; the One guarding you will not slumber. Behold, He does not slumber, and He does not sleep—the One guarding Israel. YHWH is the One guarding you; YHWH is your shade on your right hand. By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon in the night. YHWH will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul. YHWH will guard your going out and your coming in, from now even to forever. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem A Song of the Ascents. Of David. I was glad at the saying to me, “Let us go to the house of YHWH.” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem is built up as a city joined to itself together; there the tribes go up, the tribes of YAH, as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of YHWH. For there sit the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Ask for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper,122.6 Or be secure those loving you! May there be peace within your wall, prosperity122.7 Or security within your citadels!” For the sake of my brothers and my companions let me now say: “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of YHWH our God I will seek good for you. I lift Up My Eyes to You A Song of the Ascents. Unto You I lift up my eyes, to the One sitting in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants are to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maidservant are to the hand of her mistress, so are our eyes to YHWH our God, until He shows us mercy. Have mercy on us, O YHWH, Have mercy on us! For we are filled exceedingly with contempt. Exceedingly our soul has been filled with the scorn of those at ease, with the contempt of the prideful ones. Our Help Is in the name of Yahweh A Song of the Ascents. Of David. If YHWH had not been for us— now let Israel say— if YHWH had not been for us, in the rising up of men against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, in the burning of their anger against us; then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have passed over our soul; then would have passed over our soul the raging waters. Blessed be YHWH, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! Our soul like a bird has escaped from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have slipped away. Our help is in the name of YHWH, the Maker of the heavens and the earth. Yahweh Surrounds His People A Song of the Ascents. Those trusting in YHWH are like Mount Zion— it cannot be shaken; it abides forever. Jerusalem, the mountains surround her, and YHWH surrounds His people, from now even to forever. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, so that the righteous do not stretch out their hands to injustice. Do good, O YHWH, to the good, and to the upright in their hearts! And those turning to their crooked ways, YHWH will lead them away with the workers of iniquity! Peace be upon Israel! Zion’s Captives Restored A Song of the Ascents. In YHWH turning back the captivity of Zion,126.1 Or bringing back the captives to Zion or restoring the fortunes of Zion we were like those dreaming.126.1 Or like those restored to health Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout of joy. Then they said among the nations, “YHWH, has done great things for these.” YHWH has done great things for us; and we came to be glad. Bring back, O YHWH, our captives,126.4 Or Restore, O YHWH, our fortunes like streams in the Negev! Those sowing in tears will reap with a shout of joy. Going forth, he who goes and weeps, bearing the basket of seed, coming in, he comes with a shout, bearing his sheaves. Children Are a Heritage from Yahweh A Song of the Ascents. Of Solomon. If YHWH does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor on it; if YHWH does not guard the city, in vain the one guarding keeps watch. It is vain for you⁺, being early in rising, and delaying to sit, eating the bread of sorrows; for so He gives sleep to His beloved. Behold, an inheritance of YHWH are sons, a reward is the fruit of the womb. Like arrows in the hand of a mighty one, so are the sons of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them! He will not be put to shame, but he shall speak with the enemies at the gate. The Blessed Fear of Yahweh (Psalm 112:1–10) A Song of the Ascents. Blessed is everyone who fears YHWH, those walking in His ways! The labor of your hands, surely you shall eat; blessings and good are unto you. Your wife is fruitful like a vine in the sides of your house, your sons like shoots of olive trees round about your table. Behold, how thus is blessed the man fearing YHWH. May YHWH bless you from Zion, that you may look on the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life, and may you see the sons of your sons! Peace be upon Israel! The Cords of the Wicked A Song of the Ascents. Often they have distressed me from my youth— now let Israel say— Often they have distressed me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. Upon my back, the plowmen were plowing; they have made long their furrows. YHWH the Righteous One, may He cut off the cords of the wicked! May they be put to shame and turned back, all those hating Zion! May they be like grass on the rooftops that has withered before it can grow, unable to fill the hand of one reaping, or the bosom of one binding sheaves. And neither let those passing by say, “The blessing of YHWH be upon you⁺; we bless you⁺ in the name of YHWH!” Out of the Depths A Song of the Ascents. Out of the depths I have called out to You, O YHWH! O Lord, listen to my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If You were to mark iniquities, O YAH, O Lord, who could stand? But with You is forgiveness, so that You may be feared. I wait for YHWH; my soul waits, and in His word I have hoped. My soul is for the Lord, more than those watching for the morning, watching for the morning. Look with hope, O Israel, unto YHWH! For with YHWH is loving devotion, and redemption is abundant with Him. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. I Have Stilled My Soul A Song of the Ascents. Of David. O YHWH, my heart is not lifted high, and my eyes are not raised up, and neither have I gone about in great things, and in marvelous things beyond me. If not, I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child with his mother; my soul is like a weaned child within me. Look with hope, O Israel, unto YHWH, from now even to forever! Yahweh Has Chosen Zion A Song of the Ascents. Remember for David, all his afflictions, how he swore to YHWH and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: “If I enter into the tent of my house, or if go up on the couch of my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes, and slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for YHWH, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 132.5 LXX a dwelling place for the God of Jacob; see Acts 7:46. Behold, we have heard of it132.6 That is, the ark in Ephrathah, we have found it in the fields of Jaar. Let us go into His dwelling place; let us worship at the stool of His feet! Arise, O YHWH, to Your resting place— You and the ark of Your strength! May Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and Your holy ones shout for joy! For the sake of David Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your anointed one. YHWH has sworn in truth of David; He will not turn back from it: “I will set one from the fruit of your belly on the throne of yours. 132.11 Cited in Acts 2:30 If your sons will keep My covenant and My testimonies that I teach them, their sons also, forever and ever, will sit on the throne of yours.” For YHWH has set His choice on Zion; He has desired it as a seat for Himself: “This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will sit, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision, and her needy ones I will satisfy with bread; and her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her godly ones will shout in joy. There I will make to sprout a horn for David; I will arrange a lamp for My anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, and upon him his diadem will shine.” How Pleasant to Live in Harmony! (1 Corinthians 1:10–17; Ephesians 4:1–16) A Song of the Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant is the dwelling of brothers even together! It is good like oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, which is running down upon the mouth of his garments; or like the dew of Hermon, which is coming down upon the mountains of Zion. For there YHWH commanded the blessing— life even to forever! Bless Yahweh, All You Servants A Song of the Ascents. Come, bless YHWH, all servants of YHWH, those standing in the house of YHWH by night! Lift up your⁺ hands to the holy place, and bless YHWH! May YHWH bless you from Zion, Maker of heavens and earth! Give Praise, O Servants of Yahweh (Psalm 115:1–18) Hallelu YAH!135.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH; also in verses 3 and 21 Praise the name of YHWH! Give praise, O servants of YHWH who are standing in the house of YHWH, in the courts of the house of our God! Praise YAH, for YHWH is good; sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant! For YAH has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His possession. For I know that YHWH is great, and our Lord is greater than all gods! All that YHWH delights in, He does, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all the depths, bringing up the clouds from the ends of the earth. He has made lightning for the rain, bringing forth the wind from His storehouses— who struck the firstborn of Egypt, from man even to beast. He sent forth signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt, unto Pharaoh and all of his servants— who struck many nations and killed mighty kings, even Sihon king of the Amorite, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. And He gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel His people. O YHWH, Your name is forever; YHWH, Your memorial is to generation and generation! For YHWH will vindicate His people, and He will have compassion on His servants. 135.14 Or will judge His people; see also LXX; cited in Hebrews 10:30. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of the hands of man. Mouths are unto them, and they do not speak; eyes are unto them, and they do not see. Ears are unto them and they do not hear; indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. Their makers shall come to be like them— everyone who is trusting in them! O House of Israel, bless YHWH; O house of Aaron, bless YHWH; O house of Levi, bless YHWH; all you fearing YHWH, bless YHWH! Blessed be YHWH from Zion, the One dwelling in Jerusalem! Praise YAH! His Loving Devotion Endures Forever (2 Chronicles 7:1–3) Give thanks to YHWH, for He is good, for His loving devotion is forever; Give thanks to the God of gods, for His loving devotion is forever; Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His loving devotion is forever; to the One doing great wonders by Himself alone, for His loving devotion is forever; to the One making the heavens with understanding, for His loving devotion is forever; to the One spreading out the earth upon the waters, for His loving devotion is forever; to the One making great the lights— for His loving devotion is forever— the sun for ruling over the day, for His loving devotion is forever; the moon and stars for ruling over the night, for His loving devotion is forever; to the one striking Egypt, against their firstborn, for His loving devotion is forever. And He brought forth Israel from their midst, for His loving devotion is forever; with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for His loving devotion is forever; to the One dividing the Red sea136.13 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 15 into parts, for His loving devotion is forever. And He made Israel pass through the midst of it, for His loving devotion is forever; and He shook off136.15 or and He swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for His loving devotion is forever; to the One leading His people through the wilderness, for His loving devotion is forever; to the One striking great kings, for His loving devotion is forever. And He killed mighty kings, for His loving devotion is forever; Sihon king of the Amorite, for His loving devotion is forever; and Og king of Bashan, for His loving devotion is forever; and He gave their land as an inheritance— for His loving devotion is forever; an inheritance to Israel His servant, for His loving devotion is forever; who in our lowliness remembered us, for His loving devotion is forever; and rescued us from our enemies, for His loving devotion is forever; the One giving food to all flesh, for His loving devotion is forever. Give thanks to the God of the heavens, for His loving devotion is forever! By the Rivers of Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1–3) By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and we wept in our remembering Zion. Upon the willows137.2 Or poplars in her midst, we hung our harps. For there our captors required of us the words of a song, and our tormentors, joy: “Sing to us a song of Zion.” How can we sing a song of YHWH in a foreign land? If I should forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget. May my tongue cling to my palate, if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy! Remember, O YHWH, about the sons of Edom, on the day of Jerusalem— those saying, “Lay her bare! Lay her bare to her foundation!” O Daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, blessed is he who repays to you, dealing with you as you have dealt with us! Blessed is he who seizes and dashes your infants against the rock! A Thankful Heart Of David. I give You praise with all of my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises. I bow down toward the temple of Your holiness, and I give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion, and for Your faithfulness; for You have magnified above all Your name and Your word. On the day I called out, then You answered me; You embolden me in my soul with strength.138.3 Or You emboldened and strengthened my soul O YHWH, all the kings of the earth will give You thanks when they hear the words of Your mouth. And they will sing of the ways of YHWH: For great is the glory of YHWH! For YHWH is on high, and the lowly one He sees, and the haughty He knows from afar. When I walk in the midst of distress, You revive me against the anger of my enemies; You stretch out Your hand, and Your right hand saves me. May YHWH complete this on my behalf! O YHWH, Your loving devotion is forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands! You Have Searched Me and Known Me For the one directing. A Psalm of David. O YHWH, You have searched me and know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You discern my thought from afar. You have fanned My wandering and my lying down, and You are aware of all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue— behold, O YHWH, You have known it all. Behind and before, You hem me in, and You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is wonderful for me; it is high, I am not able to attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your face? If I ascend to the heavens, there You are; and if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You! If I lift up the wings of the morning, if I settle in the furthest part of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, and Your right hand will hold me fast. And I said, “Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light become night around me”— even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night shines like the day— as the darkness, so is the light. For You have possessed my kidneys; You covered me in the womb of my mother. I give You praise upon that fearfully I have been distinguished; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My bone was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body, and in Your book all of them were written— the days fashioned for me, and not one was yet among them! And how precious are Your thoughts to me,139.17 Or How amazing are Your thoughts concerning me O God! How vast is their sum! If I could count them, they would number more than the sand! I awaken, and I am still with You. If only You would slay, O God, the wicked; and the men of blood, may they turn aside from me— who speak against You for wickedness; Your enemies are lifted up to vanity.139.20 Or Your enemies take your name in vain or Your enemies bear up in vain; LXX Your enemies take Your cities in vain Do I not hate those hating you, O YHWH, and I loathe those standing against You? I have hated them with perfect hatred; they have become as enemies to me! Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my thoughts. And see if a way of wickedness is in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Rescue Me from Evil Men For the one directing. A Psalm of David. Rescue me, O YHWH, from the evil man; from the man of violence guard me— those who devise evil in the heart, and all the day they stir up wars. They sharpen their tongues like a snake; the venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah 140.3 Cited in Romans 3:13 keep me, O YHWH, from the hands of the wicked, from the man of violence guard me— those who have devised to push down my steps. The prideful ones have hidden a snare for me, and ropes they have spread as a net by the side of the path; lures they have set for me. Selah I said, “O YHWH, You are my God;” give ear to, O YHWH, the voice of my supplications! YHWH my Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head on the day of armor. Do not grant, O YHWH, the desires of the wicked; do not promote his wicked device; lest they be exalted! Selah the poison of those surrounding me, the trouble of their lips, let it cover them! Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, never to rise up again! A man of tongues, do not let him be established in the earth; a man of violence, may evil hunt him to overflowing! I know that YHWH upholds justice for the poor, and judgment for the needy. Indeed, the righteous will give praise to Your name; the upright will dwell with Your face. Come Quickly to Me (Psalm 70:1–5) A Psalm of David. O YHWH, I call to You—hurry to me; give ear to my voice in my calling out to You! Let my prayer be established like incense before Your face, and the lifting of my hands like the offering of the evening. Set, O YHWH, a guard for my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not make my heart bend to an evil thing, to do works in wickedness, with men working iniquity; never shall I eat of their delicacies! Let a righteous one strike me, and let him rebuke me in loving devotion; it is oil for my head—let not my head refuse it! For still my prayer is against their evil deeds. Let their judges be released into the hands of the rock, and let them hear my words, for they are pleasant! Like the tilling and ripping up of the land, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol. Yet unto You, O YHWH, O Lord, are my eyes; in You I take refuge— do not lay bare my soul!141.8 Or do not pour out my life or do not give me over to death Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of the workers of iniquity! Let the wicked fall into their nets together, until I pass over. I lift My Voice to Yahweh (1 Samuel 22:1–5; Psalm 57:1–11) A Maskil† of David, in his being in the cave. A prayer. With my voice to YHWH I cry out; with my voice to YHWH I plead for grace. 142.1 Maskil is probably a musical or liturgical term; used for Psalms 32, 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, and 142. I pour out before Him my complaint; I declare my distress before Him. With the weakening of my spirit within me, You indeed know my path; on the road that I walk, they have hidden a snare for me. Look to the right and see, and no one attends to me; the place of refuge has perished for me; no one is inquiring for my soul. I cried out to You, O YHWH; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living!” Attend to my cry, for exceedingly I am brought low! Deliver me from my pursuers, for they are stronger than I. Bring forth my soul from prison, for giving praise by me to Your name! Let the righteous ones surround me, for You deal bountifully with me. I Stretch Out My Hands to You A Psalm of David. O YHWH, hear my prayer; give ear to my supplications! In Your faithfulness, answer me in Your righteousness! And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for not anyone alive is righteous before Your face. For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness, like the dead of old. So my spirit through me has grown weak, and within me my heart is desolate. I remember the days of antiquity; I have meditated on all Your deeds; I muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; my soul is like a land exhausted for You. Selah Hurry to answer me, O YHWH; my spirit fails! Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be likened with those going down to the Pit. Cause me to hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for in You do I trust; make me to know the way in which I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O YHWH; to You I have fled for refuge.143.9 LXX and one Hebrew manuscript; most Hebrew manuscripts in You I have taken cover Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; May Your good Spirit, lead me into the land of uprightness. For the sake of Your name, O YHWH, revive me; in Your righteousness, bring forth my soul from distress. And in Your loving devotion, may You cut off my enemies and destroy all afflicting my soul! For I am Your servant. Blessed Be Yahweh, My Rock Of David. Blessed be YHWH, my Rock, the One training my hands for war, my fingers for battle— my steadfast One and my fortress, my tower and my deliverer—for me; my shield in whom I take refuge, the One subduing the peoples144.2 Many Hebrew manuscripts, DSS, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts my people under me. O YHWH, what is man that You take knowledge of him, the son of man that You think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a shadow passing by. O YHWH, bend Your heavens and come down! Touch the mountains, that they may smoke! Flash lightning and scatter them; send forth Your arrows and rout them! Stretch out Your hand from on high; release me and deliver me from the great waters, from the hand of sons of a foreigner, whose mouth has spoken emptiness, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. O God, let me sing a new song to You; on a harp of ten strings I will make music to You— the One giving salvation to kings, the One releasing David His servant from the sword of evil. May You release me and snatch me from the hand of the sons of a foreigner, whose mouth speaks emptiness, and their right hand is a right hand of deception. That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth, our daughters like corner pillars, carved for the pattern of the palace. Our granaries full, bringing out from kind to kind, our flocks producing thousands, being myriads in our fields, our oxen carrying. Let there be no breach, and no going forth, and no an outcry in our wide streets. Blessed are the people for whom is thus; blessed are the people for whom YHWH is God! I Will Exalt You, My God and King A Psalm of David.† I will lift You high, my God, the King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever! 145.1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. With every day, I will bless You, and I will praise Your name, forever and ever! Great is YHWH and to be praised greatly, and of His greatness there is no searching out. Generation to generation will commend Your works, and Your mighty acts they will declare. The splendor of the glory of Your majesty, and words of Your wonders I will put forth. And the strength of Your fearful acts they will speak, and Your greatness I will recount. The memory of the abundance of Your goodness they will pour forth, and Your righteousness they will sing out. Gracious and compassionate is YHWH, slow to anger and great in loving devotion. Good is YHWH to all, and His mercies are upon all His works. O YHWH, all Your works will give You thanks, and Your holy ones will bless You. The glory of Your kingdom they will speak, and Your might they will declare, to make known to the sons of man His mighty deeds, and the glory of the majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom of all ages, and Your dominion is in every generation and generation.145.13 The final two lines are supplied by one MT manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and DSS. Yahweh is faithful in all His words and kind in all His actions. YHWH is upholding all those falling, and raising up all those bent down low. The eyes of all wait for You, and You give to them their food in its time. You open Your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Righteous is YHWH in all His ways, and kind in all His works. Near is YHWH to all those calling on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He does the desire of those who fear Him, and their cry for help He hears, and He saves them. YHWH is guarding all those loving Him, and all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will declare the praise of YHWH, and all flesh blesses the name of His holiness, forever and ever! Praise Yahweh, O My Soul Hallelu YAH!146.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH; also in verse 10 Praise, O my soul, YHWH! I will praise YHWH during my life; I will sing praises to my God while I exist. Do not put your⁺ trust in princes—in a son of man, for in him is no deliverance. His spirit goes forth, he returns to his earth; on that day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob; his hope is upon YHWH his God, maker of the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, the One guarding truth forever, doing justice for the oppressed, giving bread to the hungry. YHWH is the One freeing those who are bound; YHWH opens the eyes of the blind; YHWH raises up those bent down; YHWH loves the righteous ones; YHWH guards the sojourners; the fatherless and widow He sustains, and the way of the wicked He overturns. YHWH reigns forever— Your God, O Zion, from generation and generation! Praise YAH! It Is Good to Sing Praises Hallelu YAH!147.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH; also in verse 20 For it is good to praise our God— how pleasant and beautiful is praise! The One building up Jerusalem is YHWH, and He gathers together the exiles of Israel, giving healing to the broken of heart, and binding up their wounds, Appointing the number of the stars— for all of them He calls by names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; of His understanding there is no numbering! YHWH restores the humble; He casts down the wicked to the ground. Sing to YHWH with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp, to the One covering the heavens with clouds, the One preparing rain for the earth, the One making grass sprout on the hills, giving to the beast its food, and to the young of the ravens that call out. He does not delight in the strength of the horse, and not in the legs of the man does He take pleasure. YHWH is pleased with those who fear him, those hoping in His loving devotion. Exalt, O Jerusalem, YHWH; praise your God, O Zion! For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your sons within you. The One making peace for your border, He satisfies you with the fat of wheat. The One sending forth His utterance to the earth, how swiftly His word runs! The One giving snow like wool, He scatters the frost like ashes, casting forth His hail like morsels;147.17 Or like crumbs or like pebbles before the face of His cold, who can stand? He sends out His word and melts them; His wind he makes blow, and the waters flow. He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. He has not done so for any nation; and His judgments they have not known.147.20 MT; DSS and LXX His judgments He has not made known to them Praise YAH! Praise Yahweh from the Heavens (Psalm 33:1–22) Hallelu YAH!148.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH; also in verse 14 Praise YHWH from the heavens; praise Him in the heights!148.1 See Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:10, and Luke 19:38. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, O heavens of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens! Let them praise the name of YHWH, for He commanded, and they were created. And He established them for ever to forever; He made a decree, and it shall not pass away. Praise YHWH from the earth, sea creatures and all the depths; fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind of storm—doing His word; mountains and all hills, trees of fruit and all cedars; the beast and all cattle, the creeping thing and bird of wing; kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth; young men and also maidens, old with young: Let them praise the name of YHWH, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor above the earth and the heavens! For He has raised up the horn of His people, the praise from all His saints, from the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise YAH! Sing to Yahweh a New Song (Psalm 98:1–9; Isaiah 42:10–17) Hallelu YAH!149.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH; also in verse 9 Sing to YHWH a new song— His praise in the assembly of the holy ones! Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise His name with dancing; with tambourine and harp let them make music to Him! For YHWH delights in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation. Let the holy ones exult in His glory; let them sing for joy upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments against the peoples, to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with shackles of iron, to execute against them the judgment written— it is an honor for all His holy ones. Praise YAH! Let Everything That Has Breath Praise Yahweh Hallelu YAH!150.1 Hallelu YAH means Praise YHWH; also in verse 6 Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty expanse!150.1 Or in His mighty heavens or in the firmament of His might; see also Genesis 1:6–8. Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness! Praise Him with the blast of the shofar; praise Him with the harp and lyre! Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute! Praise Him with cymbals sounding; praise Him with cymbals shouting! Let everything that has breath praise YAH! Praise YAH!