Category: Psalms

The Two Ways

1 How happy is the man

who does not followthe advice of the wicked

or takethe path of sinners

or join a groupof mockers!

2 Instead, his delight is in theLord’s instruction,

and he meditates on it day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water

that bears its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers.

4 The wicked are not like this;

instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not survivethe judgment,

and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.

6 For theLordwatches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/1-9e7c514951d451cb49c551e19e25c48f.mp3?version_id=72—

Coronation of the Son

1 Whydo the nations rebel

and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth take their stand,

and the rulers conspire together

against theLordand His Anointed One:

3 “Let us tear off their chains

and free ourselves from their restraints.”

4 The One enthronedin heaven laughs;

the Lord ridicules them.

5 Then He speaks to them in His anger

and terrifies them in His wrath:

6 “I have consecrated My King

on Zion, My holy mountain.”

7 I will declare theLord’s decree:

He said to Me, “You are My Son;

today I have become YourFather.

8 Ask of Me,

and I will make the nations Yourinheritance

and the ends of the earth Yourpossession.

9 You will breakthem with a rod of iron;

Youwill shatter them like pottery.”

10 So now, kings, be wise;

receive instruction, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve theLordwith reverential awe

and rejoice with trembling.

12 Pay homage tothe Son or Hewill be angry

and you will perish in your rebellion,

for Hisanger may ignite at any moment.

All those who take refuge in Himare happy.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/2-bf6c93bcd925255ddf3b2ae56c5f707e.mp3?version_id=72—

Confidence in Troubled Times

A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.

1 Lord, how my foes increase!

There are many who attack me.

2 Many say about me,

“There is no help for him in God.”Selah

3 But You,Lord, are a shield around me,

my glory,and the One who lifts up my head.

4 I cry aloud to theLord,

and He answers me from His holy mountain.Selah

5 I lie down and sleep;

I wake again because theLordsustains me.

6 I am not afraid of the thousands of people

who have taken their stand against me on every side.

7 Rise up,Lord!

Save me, my God!

You strike all my enemies on the cheek;

You break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to theLord;

may Your blessing be on Your people.Selah

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/3-8f421727c90e6229ad02c3de0b9bcb55.mp3?version_id=72—

A Night Prayer

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic psalm.

1 Answer me when I call,

God, who vindicates me.

You freed me from affliction;

be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

2 How long, exalted men, will my honor be insulted?

How long will you love what is worthless

and pursue a lie?Selah

3 Know that theLordhas set apart

the faithful for Himself;

theLordwill hear when I call to Him.

4 Be angryand do not sin;

on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still.Selah

5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness

and trust in theLord.

6 Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good? ”

Look on us with favor,Lord.

7 You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and new wine abound.

8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace,

for You alone,Lord, make me live in safety.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/4-c1947b5329d7c81dc052bb65caeff805.mp3?version_id=72—

The Refuge of the Righteous

For the choir director: with the flutes. A Davidic psalm.

1 Listen to my words,Lord;

consider my sighing.

2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

for I pray to You.

3 At daybreak,Lord, You hear my voice;

at daybreak I plead my case to Youand watch expectantly.

4 For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil cannot dwell with You.

5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;

You hate all evildoers.

6 You destroy those who tell lies;

theLordabhors a man of bloodshed and treachery.

7 But I enter Your house

by the abundance of Your faithful love;

I bow down toward Your holy temple

in reverential awe of You.

8 Lord, lead me in Your righteousness

because of my adversaries;

make Your way straight before me.

9 For there is nothing reliable in what they say;

destruction is within them;

their throat is an open grave;

they flatter with their tongues.

10 Punish them, God;

let them fall by their own schemes.

Drive them outbecause of their many crimes,

for they rebel against You.

11 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;

let them shout for joy forever.

May You shelter them,

and may those who love Your name boast about You.

12 For You,Lord, bless the righteous one;

You surround him with favor like a shield.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/5-9aec3fcda1de1b00b0c74f02cb5fe6c9.mp3?version_id=72—

A Prayer for Mercy

For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. A Davidic psalm.

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger;

do not discipline me in Your wrath.

2 Be gracious to me,Lord, for I am weak;

heal me,Lord, for my bones are shaking;

3 my whole being is shaken with terror.

And You,Lord— how long?

4 Turn,Lord! Rescue me;

save me because of Your faithful love.

5 For there is no remembrance of You in death;

who can thank You in Sheol?

6 I am weary from my groaning;

with my tears I dampen my pillow

and drench my bed every night.

7 My eyes are swollen from grief;

theygrow old because of all my enemies.

8 Depart from me, all evildoers,

for theLordhas heard the sound of my weeping.

9 TheLordhas heard my plea for help;

theLordaccepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror;

they will turn backand suddenly be disgraced.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/6-7a808757cfa6456ddf2e16572c9ca2bd.mp3?version_id=72—

Prayer for Justice

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

1 Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You;

save me from all my pursuers and rescue me

2 or theywill tear me like a lion,

ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.

3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this,

if there is injustice on my hands,

4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me

or have plunderedmy adversary without cause,

5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;

may he trample me to the ground

and leave my honor in the dust.Selah

6 Rise up,Lord, in Your anger;

lift Yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;

awake for me;

You have ordaineda judgment.

7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around You;

take Your seaton high over it.

8 TheLordjudges the peoples;

vindicate me,Lord,

according to my righteousness and my integrity.

9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,

but establish the righteous.

The One who examines the thoughts and emotions

is a righteous God.

10 My shield is withGod,

who saves the upright in heart.

11 God is a righteous judge

and a God who shows His wrath every day.

12 If anyone does not repent,

Godwill sharpen His sword;

He has strungHis bow and made it ready.

13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;

He tips His arrows with fire.

14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,

conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.

15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out

but fell into the hole he had made.

16 His trouble comes back on his own head,

and his violence falls on the top of his head.

17 I will thank theLordfor His righteousness;

I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/7-77d0d3f79f23f33efd3d7df0151f2248.mp3?version_id=72—

God’s Glory, Man’s Dignity

For the choir director: on the Gittith. A Davidic psalm.

1 Yahweh, our Lord,

how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!

You have covered the heavens with Your majesty.

2 Because of Your adversaries,

You have established a stronghold

from the mouths of children and nursing infants

to silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I observe Your heavens,

the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You set in place,

4 what is man that You remember him,

the son of man that You look after him?

5 You made him little less than God

and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him lord over the works of Your hands;

You put everything under his feet:

7 all the sheep and oxen,

as well as the animals in the wild,

8 the birds of the sky,

and the fish of the sea

that pass through the currents of the seas.

9 Yahweh, our Lord,

how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/8-a08c0a95d13d5b7c9574147d83c493da.mp3?version_id=72—

Celebration of God’s Justice

For the choir director: according to Muth-labben. A Davidic psalm.

1 I will thank Yahweh with all my heart;

I will declare all Your wonderful works.

2 I will rejoice and boast about You;

I will sing about Your name, Most High.

3 When my enemies retreat,

they stumble and perish before You.

4 For You have upheld my just cause;

You are seated on Your throne as a righteous judge.

5 You have rebuked the nations:

You have destroyed the wicked;

You have erased their name forever and ever.

6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin;

You have uprooted the cities,

and the very memory of them has perished.

7 But theLordsits enthroned forever;

He has established His throne for judgment.

8 He judges the world with righteousness;

He executes judgment on the nations with fairness.

9 TheLordis a refuge for the oppressed,

a refuge in times of trouble.

10 Those who know Your name trust in You

because You have not abandoned

those who seek You, Yahweh.

11 Sing to theLord, who dwells in Zion;

proclaim His deeds among the nations.

12 For the One who seeks an accounting

for bloodshed remembers them;

He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13 Be gracious to me,Lord;

consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me.

Lift me up from the gates of death,

14 so that I may declare all Your praises.

I will rejoice in Your salvation

within the gates of Daughter Zion.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made;

their foot is caught in the net they have concealed.

16 TheLordhas revealed Himself;

He has executed justice,

striking downthe wicked

by the work of their hands.Higgaion.Selah

17 The wicked will return to Sheol—

all the nations that forget God.

18 For the oppressed will not always be forgotten;

the hope of the afflictedwill not perish forever.

19 Rise up,Lord! Do not let man prevail;

let the nations be judged in Your presence.

20 Put terror in them,Lord;

let the nations know they are only men.Selah

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/9-e7217a650b6b25e7d0049a020b267b3f.mp3?version_id=72—

1 Lord,why do You stand so far away?

Why do You hide in times of trouble?

2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;

let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;

the one who is greedy cursesand despises theLord.

4 In all his scheming,

the wicked arrogantly thinks:

“There is no accountability,

since God does not exist.”

5 His ways are always secure;

Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;

he scoffs at all his adversaries.

6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved —

from generation to generation without calamity.”

7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;

trouble and malice are under his tongue.

8 He waits in ambush near the villages;

he kills the innocent in secret places.

His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;

9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.

He lurks in order to seize the afflicted;

he seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.

10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;

the helpless fall because of his strength.

11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;

He hides His face and will never see.”

12 Rise up,LordGod! Lift up Your hand.

Do not forget the afflicted.

13 Why has the wicked person despised God?

He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”

14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,

observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.

The helpless entrusts himself to You;

You are a helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person;

call his wickedness into account

until nothing remains of it.

16 TheLordis King forever and ever;

the nations will perish from His land.

17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will strengthen their hearts.

You will listen carefully,

18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed

so that men of the earth may terrify them no more.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/PSA/10-4c4a1f5f9edb831fc84780220a9bfc25.mp3?version_id=72—