\q2 because God helps those who act righteously and will punish those who reject him.
\q1
\v 6 Those who do evil may prevent helpless people from doing what they plan to do,
\q2 but Yahweh protects them.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Out of Zion Yahweh will come and rescue the Israelite people!
\q2 He will make his people free again and will bring them back to their home.
\q2 On that day all of us Israelite people will rejoice, and we, who are also called the descendants of Jacob, will be happy.
\s5
\c 15
\m
\d A psalm written by David
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh, who are allowed to enter your sacred tent?
\q2 Who are allowed to live on your sacred mountain?
\q1
\v 2 Only those who always do what is right and do not sin may do that,
\q2 those who always speak the truth.
\s5
\q2
\v 3 They do not slander others.
\q1 They do not do to others things that are wrong,
\q2 and they do not say bad things about anyone.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 People who honor God hate those whom he has rejected,
\q2 but they respect those who have a fearful respect for Yahweh.
\q1 They do what they have promised to do
\q2 even if it causes them trouble to do that.
\q1
\v 5 They lend money to others without charging interest,
\q2 and they never accept bribes in order to lie about people who have not done anything wrong.
\q1 Those who do those things will always live in safety.
\s5
\c 16
\m
\d A psalm written by David
\q1
\v 1 God, protect me
\q because I go to you to keep me safe!
\q1
\v 2 I said to Yahweh, "You are my Lord;
\q all the good things that I have come from you."
\q1
\v 3 People who try to be holy who live in this land are wonderful;
\q I delight to be with them.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Those who choose to worship other gods will have many things that cause them to be sad.
\q I will not join them when they make sacrifices to their gods;
\q1 I will not even join them in speaking the names of their gods.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh, you are the one whom I have chosen,
\q and you give me great blessings.
\q1 You protect me and control what happens to me.
\q1
\v 6 Yahweh has given me a wonderful place in which to live;
\q I am delighted with all the things that he has given me.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 I will praise Yahweh, the one who teaches me;
\q even at night he tells my heart what is right for me to do.
\q1
\v 8 I know that Yahweh is always with me.
\q Nothing will take me from his side.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 Therefore I am glad; I am honored to praise him,
\q and I can rest securely
\q1
\v 10 because you, Yahweh, will not allow me to remain in the place where the dead people are,
\q and you will not allow me, someone who has been faithful to the covenant, to stay there.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 You will show me the road that leads to where I receive eternal life,
\q and you will make me joyful when I am with you.
\q I will have pleasure forever when I am at your right hand.
\s5
\c 17
\m
\d A psalm written by David
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh, listen to me while I plead with you to act justly toward me.
\q2 Hear me while I call out to you to help me.
\q1 Pay attention to what I say while I pray
\q2 because I am speaking honestly.
\q1
\v 2 You are the one who is able to declare that I am innocent;
\q2 please agree to do what is right for me.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 If you come to me at night to learn what I think,
\q2 if you see what I think in my heart,
\q1 you will know that I have determined to never tell any lies; you will find that I do not think evil things.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 I have not acted like those who do not honor you;
\q2 I have always acted in the power of what you have instructed me;
\q1 I have not acted like those who do not know your law.
\q1
\v 5 I have always done what you told me to do;
\q2 I have never failed to do those things.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 O God, I am praying to you because you answer me;
\q2 please listen to what I am saying.
\q1
\v 7 Continue to show me your love as you promised you would do.
\q2 By your great power you protect all who trust in you; you keep them safe from their enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 Protect me as carefully as people protect their own eyes;
\q2 protect me like birds protect their babies under their wings.
\q1
\v 9 Do not allow wicked people to attack me,
\q2 those enemies of mine who surround, wanting to kill me.
\q1
\v 10 They are proud of their riches and success,
\q2 but they have no mercy on anyone.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 They have hunted for me and found me.
\q2 They surround me, watching for an opportunity to throw me to the ground and kill me.
\q1
\v 12 They are like lions that are ready to tear apart the animals that they capture;
\q2 They are like young lions that are hiding, waiting to jump on their prey.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 Yahweh, arise, attack my enemies, and defeat them!
\q2 With your sword save me from those wicked people!
\q1
\v 14 Yahweh, by your power rescue me from those people who are interested only in things here in this world.
\q1 But you provide plenty of food for those whom you love dearly;
\q2 their children also have many things that their grandchildren will inherit.
\s5
\q1
\v 15 Yahweh, because I act in the right way, I will be with you one day.
\q2 When I awake after I die, I will see you face to face, and then I will be happy.
\s5
\c 18
\m
\d A psalm written by God's servant David. He sang it after Yahweh had rescued him from Saul and his other enemies.
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh, I love you, the one who enables me to be strong.
\s5
\q1
\v 2 Yahweh is like a huge rock; when I am on top of it, my enemies cannot reach me. He is like a strong fortress; I run into it to be safe.
\q1 He protects me like a shield protects a soldier; he is the one whom I trust to keep me safe; he defends me by his great power!
\q1
\v 3 I called out to Yahweh, who deserves for me to praise him, and he rescued me from my enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 All around me were dangerous situations in which I might die; it was as though there were huge waves that almost crashed on me and killed me.
\q1
\v 5 It was as though the place where dead people are had ropes that were wrapped around me, or it was as though there was a trap that would seize and kill me.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 But when I was very distressed, I called out to Yahweh, and far off in his temple he heard me.
\q1 He listened to me when I cried out for help.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Then Yahweh became angry, and the earth quaked, and the mountains shook to their very foundations!
\q1
\v 8 He was so angry that it was as though smoke poured out from his nostrils, as though burning coals came out of his mouth!
\s5
\q1
\v 9 He opened the sky and came down with a black cloud under his feet.
\q1
\v 10 He flew, riding on the back of an angel traveling fast, which the wind was blowing along.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 Darkness was all around him like a blanket; dark clouds, full of water moisture, covered him.
\q1
\v 12 Hailstones and flashes of lightning were around him; hail and burning coals fell down from the sky.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 Then Yahweh shouted loudly from the sky, and to his enemies, it sounded like thunder. Yahweh, the Supreme God, rained hailstones on them and caused lightning to flash against them.
\q1
\v 14 He shot his arrows at them and caused them to scatter; his flashes of lightning caused them to become very confused.
\s5
\q1
\v 15 The bottom of the ocean became visible, and the water uncovered the foundations of the earth when Yahweh rebuked his enemies
\q with the breath that came in his anger!
\s5
\q1
\v 16 It was as though he reached down from heaven and grabbed me and pulled me up out of the deep ocean.
\q1
\v 17 He rescued me from my strong enemies who hated me; they were very strong, and I could not defeat them by myself.
\s5
\q1
\v 18 When I was distressed, they attacked me, but Yahweh defended me.
\q1
\v 19 He made me completely safe; he rescued me because he was pleased with me.
\s5
\q1
\v 20 Yahweh has rewarded me because I do what is right; he has blessed me because I am innocent.
\q1
\v 21 I have obeyed Yahweh's laws; I have not abandoned him.
\s5
\q1
\v 22 I have followed his decrees; I have not stopped obeying them.
\q1
\v 23 He knows that I have not done what is wrong and that I have kept myself from sinning.
\q1
\v 24 So he rewards me because I do what is right; he knows that I have not committed sins.
\s5
\q1
\v 25 Yahweh, you are faithful to those who faithfully do your covenant; you always do what is good to those who do not do evil.
\q1
\v 26 You are kind to those who are honest toward others, but you act wisely toward those who act dishonestly.
\s5
\q1
\v 27 You save those who are humble, but you humiliate those who are proud.
\q1
\v 28 You keep me alive, and you will continue to do so.
\q1
\v 29 You enable me to be strong, so that I can attack and defeat a line of enemy soldiers; with your help I can scale the walls that surround my enemies' cities.
\s5
\q1
\v 30 Everything that Yahweh my God does is perfect. We can depend on him to do what he promises.
\q He is like a shield to protect all those who go to him to be safe.
\q1
\v 31 Yahweh is the only one who is God; only he is like a huge rock on top of which we can be safe.
\q1
\v 32 God is the one who enables me to be strong and who keeps me safe on the roads that I walk on.
\s5
\q1
\v 33 He enables me to walk swiftly without stumbling as a deer walks in the mountains.
\q1
\v 34 He teaches me how to use a strong bow in order that I can use it to fight in battles.
\s5
\q1
\v 35 Yahweh, you protect and save me with your shield; you are strong and have therefore kept me safe. I have become strong because you have helped me.
\q1
\v 36 You have made a safe path for me, with the result that now I do not slip.
\s5
\q1
\v 37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until I had defeated them all.
\q1
\v 38 When I strike them, they are not able to get up again; they lie on the ground, defeated.
\q1
\v 39 You have enabled me to be strong in order that I can fight battles and defeat my enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 40 You delivered my enemies to me, for me to strike them on their necks. I have gotten rid of all those who hated me.
\q1
\v 41 They shouted for someone to help them, but no one saved them. They shouted out to Yahweh, but he did not help them.
\q1
\v 42 I crushed them to powder, and they became like the dust that the wind blows away; I threw them out like people throw dirt out into the streets.
\s5
\q1
\v 43 You enabled me to defeat those who fought against me and appointed me to be the ruler of many nations; people whom I did not know about previously are now slaves in my kingdom.
\q1
\v 44 When foreigners hear about me, they cringe and they obey me.
\q1
\v 45 They are no longer courageous, and from their holes where they were hiding they come to me trembling.
\s5
\q1
\v 46 Yahweh is alive! Praise the one who is like a huge rock on top of which I am safe! Exalt the God who saves me!
\q1
\v 47 He enables me to get revenge on my enemies; he causes me to defeat nations and to rule over them.
\s5
\q1
\v 48 it is Yahweh who rescues me from my enemies. He has lifted me up high so that violent men could not reach me and harm me.
\q1
\v 49 So I praise him, and I tell the nations the great things that he has done.
\s5
\q1
\v 50 He has enabled me, his king, to powerfully defeat my enemies; he faithfully loves me as he promised in his covenant.
\q He loves me, David, the one he has chosen to be king, and he will faithfully love my descendants forever.
\s5
\c 19
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director
\q
\v 1 When people look at everything that God has placed in the skies, they can see that he is very great;
\q2 they can see the great things that he has created.
\q1
\v 2 Day after day it is as though the sun proclaims the glory of God,
\q2 and night after night it is as though the moon and stars say that they know that God made them.
\q1
\v 3 They do not really speak;
\q2 they do not say any words.
\q2 There is no sound from them for anyone to hear.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 But what they declare about God goes throughout the world,
\q2 and even people who live in the most distant places on earth can know it.
\q1 The sun is in the skies where God placed it;
\q1
\v 5 it rises each morning like a bridegroom who is happy as he comes out of his bedroom after his wedding.
\q2 It is like a strong athlete who is very eager to start running in a race.
\q1
\v 6 The sun rises at one side of the sky and goes across the sky and sets on the other side;
\q2 nothing can hide from its heat.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 The instructions that Yahweh has given us are perfect;
\q2 they revive us.
\q2 We can be sure that the things that Yahweh has told us will never change,
\q2 and by learning them people who have not been previously taught will become wise.
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh's laws are fair;
\q2 when we obey them, we become joyful.
\q1 The commands of Yahweh are clear,
\q2 and by reading them we start to understand how God wants us to behave.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 It is good for people to revere Yahweh;
\q2 that is something that they will do forever.
\q1 What Yahweh has decreed is fair,
\q2 and it is always right.
\q1
\v 10 The things that God has decided are more valuable than gold,
\q2 even the finest gold.
\q1 They are sweeter than honey
\q2 that drips from honeycombs.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 Furthermore, by reading them I learn what things are good to do and what things are evil,
\q1 and they promise a great reward
\q2 to us who obey them.
\q1
\v 12 But here is no one who can know all his errors;
\q2 so Yahweh, forgive me for these things which I do that I do not realize are wrong.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 Keep me from doing things that I know are wrong;
\q2 do not let me keep doing the evil things I want to do.
\q1 If you do that, I will no longer be guilty for committing such sins,
\q2 and I will not commit the great sin of rebelling terribly against you.
\q1
\v 14 O Yahweh, you are like a huge rock on top of which I can be safe; you are the one who protects me.
\q2 I hope that the things that I say and what I think will always please you.
\s5
\c 20
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director
\q1
\v 1 We desire that Yahweh may help you when you call out to him when you have troubles!
\q1 We desire that God, whom our ancestor Jacob honored, may keep you safe from your enemies.
\q1
\v 2 We desire that he may reach out from his sacred temple and help you
\q2 and aid you from where he lives on Mount Zion.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 We desire that he may accept all the offerings that you give him to be burned on the altar
\q2 and all your other offerings.
\q1
\v 4 We desire that he may give to you what you desire in your heart,
\q2 and that you may be able to accomplish all that you desire to do.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 When you defeat your enemies, we will shout joyfully.
\q2 We will lift up a banner proclaiming that it is God who has helped you.
\q1 May Yahweh do for you all that you request him to do.
\q1
\v 6 I know now that Yahweh rescues me, the one whom he has chosen to be king.
\q1 From his holy place in heaven he will answer me,
\q2 and he will save me by his great power.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Some kings trust that because they have chariots they will be able to defeat their enemies,
\q2 and some trust that their horses will enable them to defeat their enemies,
\q2 but we will trust in the power of Yahweh our God.
\q1
\v 8 Some will stumble and fall down,
\q2 but we will be strong and not be moved.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 Yahweh, help the king defeat our enemies!
\q2 Answer us when we call out to you to help us!
\s5
\c 21
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh, the man you made king is glad because you have caused him to be strong.
\q2 He rejoices because you have enabled him to defeat his enemies.
\q1
\v 2 You have given him everything he most desired,
\q2 and you have not refused to do what he requested you to do.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 You have done so many wonderful things for him.
\q2 You placed a gold crown on his head.
\q1
\v 4 He asked you to let him live for a long time,
\q2 and you have enabled him to live for a long time.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 His power as king is very great because you have allowed him to win victories over his enemies.
\q1
\v 6 You will bless him forever,
\q2 and you have caused him to be joyful in your presence.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Yahweh, you are God Almighty,
\q2 and the king trusts in you.
\q1 Because you faithfully love him,
\q2 disastrous things will never happen to him.
\q1
\v 8 You will enable him to kill all his enemies,
\q2 all those who hate him.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 When you appear, you will throw them into a fiery furnace.
\q1 Because you are angry with them, you will swallow them up;
\q2 the fire will burn them up.
\q1
\v 10 You will remove their children from this earth;
\q2 their descendants will all disappear.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 They wanted to harm you,
\q2 but what they plan will never succeed.
\q1
\v 12 You will cause them to run away
\q2 by shooting arrows at them.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 Yahweh, show us that you are very strong!
\q2 When you do that, we will sing and praise you because you are very powerful.
\s5
\c 22
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung to the tune 'Doe of the Dawn'
\q1
\v 1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
\q2 Why do you stay so far from me,
\q2 and why do you not listent to me?
\q1 Why do you not hear me when I am suffering and groaning?
\q1
\v 2 My God, every day I call to you during the daytime, but you do not answer me.
\q2 I call to you during the night; I am not silent at all.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 But you are holy.
\q2 You sit on your throne as king, and we the people of Israel praise you.
\q1
\v 4 Our ancestors trusted in you.
\q1 Because they trusted in you, you rescued them.
\q1
\v 5 When they called out to you for help, you saved them.
\q2 They trusted in you, and they were not disappointed.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 But you have not rescued me!
\q2 People despise me and consider that I am not a man;
\q2 they think that I am a worm!
\q1 Everyone scorns me and despises me.
\q1
\v 7 Everyone who sees me makes fun of me.
\q2 They sneer at me and insult me by shaking their heads at me as though I were an evil man.
\q1 They say,
\q1
\v 8 "He trusts in Yahweh,
\q2 so Yahweh should save him!
\q1 He says that Yahweh is very pleased with him;
\q2 if that is so, Yahweh should rescue him!"
\s5
\q1
\v 9 You, God, have been with me since I was in my mother's womb,
\q2 and you taught me to trust you when I was at my mother's breasts.
\q1
\v 10 It was as though you had adopted me right when I was born.
\q2 You have been my God ever since I was born.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 So do not stay far from me now
\q2 because enemies who will cause me much trouble are near me,
\q2 and there is no one else who can help me.
\q1
\v 12 My enemies surround me like a herd of wild bulls.
\q2 Fierce people, like those strong bulls that graze on the hills in the region of Bashan, surround me.
\q1
\v 13 They are like roaring lions that are attacking the animals that they want to eat;
\q2 they rush toward me to kill me;
\q1 they are like lions that have their mouths open, ready to chew their victims to pieces.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 I am completely exhausted,
\q2 and all my bones are out of their joints.
\q1 I no longer expect that God will save me;
\q2 I am completely discouraged.
\q1
\v 15 My strength is all dried up
\q2 like a broken piece of a clay jar that has dried in the sun.
\q2 I am so thirsty that my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
\q2 God, I think that you are about to let my body die and become dust!
\s5
\q1
\v 16 My enemies are like wild dogs that surround me.
\q2 A group of evil men has encircled me, ready to attack me.
\q2 They have pierced through my hands and my feet.
\q1
\v 17 I am so weak and thin that I can count all my bones.
\q2 My enemies stare at me and gloat about what has happened to me.
\s5
\q1
\v 18 They looked at the clothes that I was wearing
\q2 and gambled to determine which piece each of them would get.
\q1
\v 19 Yahweh, be concerned for me!
\q2 You who are my source of strength,
\q1 come quickly and help me!
\s5
\q1
\v 20 Rescue me from those who want to kill me with their swords.
\q2 Save my life from the power of those who are like wild dogs.
\q1
\v 21 Snatch me away from my enemies who are like lions with jaws open and ready to chew me up!
\q2 Grab me away from those men who are like wild oxen that attack other animals with their horns!
\s5
\q1
\v 22 If you save me from them, I will declare to my fellow Israelites how great you are.
\q2 I will praise you among the group of your people gathered together to worship you.
\q1
\v 23 You people who have an awesome respect for Yahweh, praise him!
\q2 All you who are descended from Jacob, honor Yahweh!
\q2 All you Israelite people, revere him!
\s5
\q1
\v 24 He does not despise or ignore those who are suffering;
\q2 he does not hide his face from them.
\q1 He has listened to them when they cried out to him for help.
\q1
\v 25 Yahweh, in the great gathering of your people, I will praise you for what you have done.
\q2 In the presence of those who have an awesome respect for you, I will offer the sacrifices that I promised.
\s5
\q1
\v 26 The poor people whom I have invited to the meal will eat as much as they want.
\q2 All who come to worship Yahweh will praise him.
\q2 I pray that God will enable you all to live a long and happy life!
\q1
\v 27 I pray that people in all nations, even in the remote areas, will think about Yahweh and turn to him,
\q2 and that people from all the clans in the world will bow down before him.
\d A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director.
\q1
\v 1 God, we ourselves have heard
\q2 what our parents and grandparents told us.
\q1 They told us about the miracles
\q2 that you performed long ago.
\q1
\v 2 They told us how you expelled the ungodly people
\q2 and enabled us to live in their land.
\q1 They told us that you punished those ungodly people
\q2 and enabled your own people to possess the land.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 It was not by using their own swords that they conquered the people that lived in that land,
\q2 and it was not by their own power that they were victorious;
\q1 it was only by your power that they did those things;
\q2 and they were sure that you were with them,
\q2 showing that you were pleased with them.
\q1
\v 4 You are my king and my God;
\q2 Make us, your people, able to defeat our enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 It is by your power that we knock our enemies down and tramp on them.
\q1
\v 6 I do not trust that I can save myself
\q2 by using my bow and arrows and my sword.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 No, it is you who have rescued us from our enemies;
\q2 it is you who have caused those who hate us to become ashamed because they were defeated.
\q1
\v 8 We have always been proud about what God has done for us,
\q2 and we will thank him forever.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 But now you have rejected us and caused us to be disgraced;
\q2 when our armies march out to fight a battle, you no longer go with them.
\q1
\v 10 You have caused us to run away from our enemies,
\q2 with the result that they captured the things that belonged to us.
\q1
\v 11 You have allowed us to become like sheep that were ready to be slaughtered;
\q2 you scattered us far away among other nations.
\s5
\q
\v 12 It is as though you sold us, your people, to our enemies for a very small price,
\q2 although you did not gain any profit from selling us!
\q1
\v 13 People who live in nations near us make fun of us;
\q2 they laugh at us and deride us.
\q1
\v 14 They make jokes using the name of our country,
\q2 they shake their heads to indicate that they despise us.
\s5
\q1
\v 15 All day I am disgraced;
\q2 from seeing my face, people know that I am ashamed.
\q
\v 16 I hear what those who sneer at me and revile me say;
\q2 I am ashamed in front of my enemies and those who want to harm me.
\q1
\v 17 All these things have happened to us
\q2 even though we have not forgotten you,
\q2 and we are not the ones who disobeyed the covenant you made with our ancestors.
\s5
\q1
\v 18 We have not stopped being loyal to you,
\q2 and we have not stopped doing what you want us to do.
\q1
\v 19 But it is as though you have allowed us to be helpless among wild animals
\q2 and you have abandoned us in a deep dark ravine.
\q1
\v 20 If we had forgotten to worship our God,
\q2 or if we had spread out our hands to worship a foreign god,
\q1
\v 21 you certainly would have known that
\q2 because you know even what we secretly think.
\q1
\v 22 But it is because we belong to you
\q2 that our enemies are constantly killing us.
\q1 They act toward us as though we were only sheep that they were going to slaughter.
\s5
\q1
\v 23 So Yahweh, arise! Why are you asleep?
\q2 Get up! Do not reject us forever!
\q
\v 24 Why are you not looking at us?
\q2 Why are you forgetting that we are suffering, that our enemies are oppressing us?
\s5
\q1
\v 25 We are in complete panic;
\q2 we cannot do anything; we are as good as dead.
\q1
\v 26 Do something! Come and help us!
\q2 Rescue us because you love us as you promised to do.
\s5
\c 45
\m
\d A love song written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director, to be sung to the tune "Lilies."
\q1
\v 1 In my inner being I am aroused by something beautiful to write about,
\q2 a song that I will sing to the king.
\q2 The words of this song will be written by me, a skilled writer.
\q1
\v 2 O King, you are the most handsome man in the world,
\q2 and you always speak eloquently!
\q1 So we know that God has always blessed you.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 You who are a mighty warrior, put on your sword!
\q2 You are glorious and majestic.
\q
\v 4 Ride on like a great king
\q2 to defend the truth that you speak
\q2 and the fair decisions that you make!
\q1 Because you fight in many battles,
\q2 you will learn to do deeds that your enemies will fear.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Your arrows are sharp,
\q2 and they pierce the hearts of your enemies.
\q2 Soldiers of many nations will fall at your feet.
\q1
\v 6 The kingdom that God will give to you will remain forever.
\q2 You rule over people justly.
\q1
\v 7 You love right actions,
\q2 and you hate evil actions.
\q1 Therefore God, your God, has chosen you to be king
\q2 and has caused you to be happier than any other king.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 The perfume of various spices is on your robes.
\q2 Musicians entertain you in ivory palaces
\q2 by playing stringed instruments.
\q1
\v 9 Among your wives are daughters of other kings.
\q2 At your right hand stands your bride, the queen, wearing beautiful ornaments of gold that comes from Ophir.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 Now I will say something to your bride:
\q1 "Listen to me carefully!
\q2 Forget the people who live in your home country,
\q2 forget your relatives!
\q1
\v 11 Because you are very beautiful,
\q2 the king will desire to be with you.
\q2 He is your master, so you must obey him.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 The people from the city of Tyre will bring gifts to you;
\q2 their rich people will try to persuade you to do favors for them.
\q1
\v 13 You, the king's bride, enter the palace
\q2 wearing beautiful robes made from gold thread."
\s5
\q1
\v 14 O king, while she is wearing a gown that has many colors,
\q2 her woman servants will lead her to you.
\q2 She will have many other young women who accompany her.
\q1
\v 15 They will be very joyful as they are led along
\q2 to enter your palace.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 Someday, your sons and your grandsons will become kings,
\q2 just as your ancestors were.
\q1 You will enable them to become rulers in many countries.
\q1
\v 17 As for me, I will enable people in every generation to remember the great things that you have done,
\q2 and people will praise you forever.
\s5
\c 46
\m
\d A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director.
\q1
\v 1 God is the one who protects us and causes us to be strong;
\q2 he is always ready to help us when we have troubles.
\q1
\v 2 So, even if the earth shakes,
\q2 we will not be afraid.
\q1 Even if the mountains fall into the middle of the sea,
\q1
\v 3 and if the water in the sea roars and foams,
\q2 and if the hills shake violently,
\q2 we will not be afraid!
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Blessings that come from God are like a river that makes everyone in the city joyful, there where we worship him.
\q2 It is the city where the temple of God, who is greater than any other god, exists.
\q1
\v 5 God is in this city, and it will never be destroyed;
\q2 he will come to help the people in that city at dawn every day.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 Sometimes the people of many nations are terrified;
\q2 kingdoms are overthrown;
\q1 God speaks loudly like thunder,
\q2 and the earth melts.
\q1
\v 7 But Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, is with us;
\q2 the God whom Jacob worshiped is our refuge.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 Come and see the things that Yahweh does!
\q Come and see the things he has destroyed all over the earth.
\q
\v 9 He stops wars all over the world;
\q2 he breaks bows and arrows;
\q2 he destroys spears;
\q2 he burns up shields.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 God says, "Be quiet and remember that I am God!
\q2 People of all nations will honor me.
\q2 People all over the earth will honor me."
\q1
\v 11 So never forget that Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, is with us;
\q2 the God whom Jacob worshiped is our refuge.
\s5
\c 47
\m
\d A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director
\q1
\v 1 You people all over the world, clap your hands!
\q2 Shout joyfully to praise God!
\q1
\v 2 Yahweh, who is much greater than any other god, is awesome;
\q2 he is a king who rules over all the world!
\s5
\q1
\v 3 He enabled us to defeat the armies of the people groups that lived in Canaan.
\q
\v 4 He chose for us this land where we now live;
\q2 we Israelite people, whom he loves, are proud that we own this land.
\q1
\v 5 God has gone up into his temple.
\q2 The people shouted joyfully and blew trumpets as he went up.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 Sing songs to praise our God!
\q2 Sing to praise him !
\q2 Sing to God, our king!
\q1
\v 7 God is the one who rules over everything in the world;
\q2 sing a psalm to him!
\s5
\q1
\v 8 God sits on his sacred throne
\q2 as he rules over the people of all ethnic groups.
\q1
\v 9 The rulers of those people groups gather in front of God's people, the people descended from Abraham.
\q1 God has more power than the weapons of all the kings on the earth;
\q2 he is great, and all people everywhere will honor him.
\s5
\c 48
\m
\d A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh is great, and he deserves to be greatly praised in the city where he lives,
\q2 which is built on Zion, his sacred hill.
\q1
\v 2 That city on a high hill is beautiful;
\q2 it is the city where the true God, the great king, lives,
\q2 and it causes people all over the world to rejoice when they see it.
\q1
\v 3 God is in the strong towers there,
\q2 and he shows that he protects the people in that city.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Many kings gathered with their armies to attack our city,
\q1
\v 5 but when they saw it, they were amazed;
\q2 they became terrified, and ran away.
\q1
\v 6 Because they were very afraid, they trembled
\q2 like a woman who is about to give birth to a child.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 They shook as ships sailing from Tarshish shake in a strong wind.
\q1
\v 8 We had heard that this city was glorious,
\q1 and now we have seen that it is.
\q2 It is the city in which Yahweh, commander of the angel armies, lives.
\q2 It is the city that God will preserve forever.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 God, here in your temple we think about how you love us as you promised to do.
\q1
\v 10 People all over the earth will praise you
\q2 because you rule powerfully and justly.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 The people who live at Mount Zion should be happy!
\q1 The people in all the cities of Judah should rejoice
\q2 because you judge people fairly.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 You Israelite people should walk around Mount Zion
\q2 and count the towers there;
\q1
\v 13 notice the walls there and examine their strongest parts
\q2 so that you can tell your children about them.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 Say to your children, "This is the city of our God, the one who lives forever;
\q2 he will guide us during all of our lives."
\s5
\c 49
\m
\d A psalm written by one of the descendants of Korah for the choir director.
\q1
\v 1 You people of all people groups, listen!
\q1 You people all over the world,
\q2
\v 2 important people and unimportant people,
\q2 rich people and poor people,
\q1 everyone, listen to what I am saying.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 For what I am thinking is very sensible,
\q2 and what I say will enable you to become wise.
\q1
\v 4 I think about wise words to tell you,
\q2 and while I play my harp, I explain what they mean.
\q1
\v 5 I do not worry when I am in trouble,
\q2 when I am surrounded by my enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 These are evil men who trust that things will always go well for them because they are wealthy
\q2 and who boast about being very rich.
\q1
\v 7 They may be rich, but no one can pay God money
\q2 so that he can live forever!
\q1 No one can pay God enough so that God will allow him to continue to live
\q1
\v 8 because that cost is too much,
\q2 and he will never be able to pay enough.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 No one can pay God enough money so that he will live forever
\q2 and never die and be buried!
\q1
\v 10 We see that foolish and stupid people die,
\q1 but we see that wise people also die;
\q2 they all leave their wealth, and others inherit it.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 They once had houses on land that they owned,
\q1 but now their graves are their homes forever,
\q2 the place where they will stay for all time!
\s5
\q1
\v 12 Even if people are great, that cannot prevent them from dying;
\q2 people all die, the same as the animals do.
\q1
\v 13 That is what happens to those who foolishly trust in what they have accomplished,
\q2 to those who are delighted in all that they possess.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 They are certain to die just like sheep
\q2 when a shepherd leads them away to be slaughtered.
\q1 In the morning the righteous people will rule over them,
\q1 and then those wealthy people will die and their bodies will quickly decay in their graves;
\q2 they will be where dead people are, far from their homes.
\q1
\v 15 But it is certain that God will rescue me so that I am not held fast in the place of the dead;
\q2 he will take me to himself.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 So do not be dismayed when someone becomes rich
\q2 and the houses where they live become more and more luxurious;
\q1
\v 17 for when he dies, he will take nothing with him;
\q2 his wealth will not go with him.
\s5
\q1
\v 18 While a rich person is alive, he congratulates himself,
\q2 and people praise him for being successful,
\q1
\v 19 but he will die and join his ancestors,
\q2 who will never see daylight again.
\q1
\v 20 Even if someone is great, that cannot prevent him from dying;
\q2 he will die, the same as the animals do.
\s5
\c 50
\m
\d A psalm written by Asaph
\q1
\v 1 God, the all-powerful one, speaks;
\q1 he summons all people,
\q2 from the east to the west.
\q1
\v 2 His glory shines from Mount Zion in Jerusalem,
\q2 an extremely beautiful city.
\s5
\q
\v 3 Our God comes to us,
\q2 and he is not silent.
\q1 A great fire is in front of him,
\q2 and a storm is around him.
\q1
\v 4 He comes to judge his people.
\q1 He shouts to the angels in heaven
\q2 and to the people on the earth.
\q1
\v 5 He says, "Summon those who faithfully worship me,
\q2 those who made a covenant with me by offering sacrifices to me."
\s5
\q
\v 6 The angels in heaven declare,
\q2 "God is righteous,
\q2 and he is the supreme judge."
\s5
\q1
\v 7 God says, "My people, listen!
\q2 You Israelite people, listen,
\q1 as I, your God, say what you have done that is wrong.
\q1
\v 8 I am not rebuking you for making sacrifices to me,
\q2 for the offerings that you always burn on the altar for me.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 But I do not really need the bulls from your barns
\q2 and the goats from your pens that you sacrifice,
\q1
\v 10 because all the animals in the forest belong to me,
\q2 and all the cattle on a thousand hills also belong to me.
\q1
\v 11 I know and own all the birds in the mountains,
\q2 and all the creatures that move around in the fields.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 So if I were hungry, I would not tell you to bring me some food
\q2 because everything in the world belongs to me!
\q1
\v 13 I do not eat the flesh of the bulls that you sacrifice,
\q2 and I do not drink the blood of the goats that you offer to me.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 The sacrifice that I really want is that you thank me
\q2 and do all that you have promised to do.
\q1
\v 15 Pray to me when you have troubles.
\q2 If you do that, I will rescue you, and then you will praise me.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 But I say this to the wicked people:
\q1 Why do you recite my commandments
\q2 or talk about the covenant that I made with you?
\q1
\v 17 For you have refused to allow me to discipline you,
\q2 and you have rejected what I told you to do.
\s5
\q1
\v 18 Every time that you see a thief, you become his friend,
\q2 and you spend much time with those who commit adultery.
\q1
\v 19 You are always talking about doing wicked things,
\q2 and you are always trying to deceive people.
\q1
\v 20 You are always accusing members of your own family
\q2 and slandering them.
\s5
\q1
\v 21 You did all those things, and I did not say anything to you,
\q2 so you thought that I was a sinner just like you.
\q1 But now I rebuke you and accuse you, right in front of you.
\q1
\v 22 So, all you who have ignored me, pay attention to this,
\q1 because if you do not, I will tear you to pieces,
\q2 and there will be no one to rescue you.
\s5
\q
\v 23 The sacrifice that truly honors me is to thank me for what I have done;
\q2 and I will save those who always do the things that I want them to."
\s5
\c 51
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, concerning the time when the prophet Nathan rebuked David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
\q1
\v 1 O God, act mercifully toward me
\q2 because you love me faithfully;
\q2 because you are very merciful,
\q2 forget the ways that I disobeyed you!
\q1
\v 2 Make me acceptable to you again, even though I did wrong things;
\q2 forgive the guilt of my sin and accept me.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 I say that because I know the ways that I have disobeyed you;
\q2 I cannot forget them.
\q1
\v 4 You, you only, are the one I that have really sinned against,
\q2 and you have seen the evil things that I have done.
\q1 When you say that I am guilty, you are right,
\q2 and when you judge me, you justly say that I deserve to be punished.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 I have been a sinner since the day that I was born;
\q2 truly, I have been like that since my mother conceived me.
\q1
\v 6 What you desire is that in my inner being I desire what is true
\q2 in order that you can teach me in my inner being how to act wisely.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Forgive the guilt of my sins, and after that happens, I will be completely acceptable to you;
\q2 if you forgive me, then I will be absolutely right with you.
\q1
\v 8 Allow me to rejoice again;
\q2 you have made me immeasurably sad,
\q1 but now let me rejoice again.
\q1
\v 9 Do not continue to remember the sins that I have committed;
\q2 forget the evil things that I have done.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 O God, make me want to do the things that you approve of.
\q2 Make me want to do only what is right.
\q1
\v 11 Do not reject me as one of your people,
\q2 and do not make your holy Spirit leave me.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 Make me happy again by rescuing me from my guilt,
\q2 and always help me by making me sincerely want to obey you.
\q1
\v 13 If you do that, I will teach other sinners what you want them to do;
\q2 they will repent and obey you.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 O God, you are the one who saves me;
\q2 forgive me for being guilty of causing someone who was not my enemy to die.
\q2 When you do that, I will sing joyfully about your being very good and righteous.
\q1
\v 15 O Yahweh, help me to speak
\q2 in order that I may praise you.
\q1
\v 16 When people only bring sacrifices to you, that does not please you.
\q2 If that were enough to please you, I would do the same.
\q1 But you are not pleased with burnt offerings alone.
\s5
\q1
\v 17 The sacrifice that you really want is for people to be truly humble and sorry for having sinned.
\q2 O God, you will not refuse that kind of sacrifice.
\q1
\v 18 O God, be good to the people who live in Jerusalem;
\q2 make them able to rebuild the city walls.
\q1
\v 19 When that happens, they will bring you the proper sacrifices:
\q2 normal animal sacrifices and sacrifices to be completely burned.
\q2 They will burn young bulls on your altar,
\q2 and you will be pleased.
\s5
\c 52
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director when Doeg went to Saul and said, "David has gone to talk with Ahimelech, the high priest."
\q1
\v 1 You proud man, you think that you are strong;
\q2 you boast about the trouble that you make for others,
\q1 but God faithfully protects people from you every day.
\q1
\v 2 All during the day you plan to get rid of others;
\q1 what you say is like a sharp blade,
\q2 and you are always deceiving others.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 You like doing what is evil more than you like doing what is good,
\q2 and you like telling lies more than you like telling the truth.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 You, the one who says things to deceive people,
\q2 you like to say things that hurt people!
\q1
\v 5 But God will get rid of you forever;
\q2 he will grab you and drag you from your home
\q2 and take you away from this world where people are alive.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 When righteous people see that, they will be awestruck,
\q2 and they will laugh at what happened to you, and say,
\q1
\v 7 "Look what happened to the man who would not ask God to protect him;
\q2 he trusted that his great wealth would save him;
\q2 he grew more powerful by wickedly hurting other people."
\s5
\q1
\v 8 But I am secure because I worship in God's temple;
\q2 I am like a strong green olive tree.
\q1 I trust in God, who faithfully loves us forever.
\q
\v 9 God, I will always thank you for everything you have done.
\q2 I will wait patiently because you are so good,
\q2 especially when I stand before your faithful people.
\s5
\c 53
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using a tune called "Mahalath."
\q1
\v 1 Only foolish people say to themselves, "There is no God!"
\q1 People who say that are corrupt; they commit terrible sins;
\q2 there is not one of them who does what is good.
\q1
\v 2 God looks down from heaven and sees humans;
\q1 he looks to see if any man is very wise
\q2 and seeks to know God.
\q1
\v 3 But everyone has turned away from God. They are depraved and do disgusting, filthy things.
\q2 No one does what is good.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Will all these evil people never learn what God will do to them?
\q1 They hurt Yahweh's people with terrible violence. They had no guilt in what they did. They had the same expression on their faces as people eating bread at dinner.
\q2 And what is worse is that they never prayed to Yahweh.
\q1
\v 5 But someday those people will become very terrified,
\q2 although they have nothing to fear.
\q1 For God will cause those who attack you to die,
\q2 and he will scatter their bones.
\q1 They have rejected God,
\q2 so he will cause them to be defeated and completely disgraced.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 I wish that God would come and rescue the Israelite people!
\q2 God, when you bless your people again,
\q1 all the Israelite people, all the descendants of Jacob, will rejoice.
\s5
\c 54
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; it was written when the people of Ziph went to Saul and told him that David was hiding in their area.
\q1
\v 1 God, by your power save me from my enemies,
\q2 and show people that I have not done anything that is wrong!
\q1
\v 2 God, listen to my prayer;
\q2 listen to what I say to you
\q1
\v 3 because strangers are trying to attack me;
\q2 proud men are wanting to kill me,
\q2 men who have no respect for you.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 But God is the one who helps me;
\q2 Yahweh defends me from my enemies.
\q1
\v 5 He will cause the evil things that they want to do to me to happen to them instead;
\q2 because you faithfully do what you have promised to me, destroy them.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 Yahweh, I will gladly give an offering to you because I want to,
\q2 and I will thank you, for you are good to me;
\q1
\v 7 you have rescued me from all my troubles,
\q2 and I have seen that you have defeated my enemies.
\s5
\c 55
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments
\q1
\v 1 God, listen to my prayer,
\q2 and do not turn away from me while I am pleading with you.
\q1
\v 2 Listen to me and answer me
\q2 because I am overwhelmed by all my troubles.
\q1
\v 3 My enemies terrify me;
\q2 wicked people oppress me.
\q2 They cause me to have great troubles;
\q2 they are angry with me, and they hate me.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 I am terrified,
\q2 and I am very much afraid that I will die.
\q1
\v 5 I am very fearful and I tremble;
\q2 I am completely terrified.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 I said, "I wish that I had wings like a dove!
\q1 If I had wings, I would fly away and find a place to rest.
\q1
\v 7 I would fly far away
\q2 and live in the wilderness.
\s5
\q
\v 8 I would quickly find a safe place
\q2 where my enemies could not strike me like a strong wind and rainstorm."
\q1
\v 9 Lord, confuse my enemies and cause their plans to fail.
\q2 I saw them hurting others by their violence and causing riots throughout the city.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 During each day and night they march around on top of its walls,
\q2 committing crimes and causing trouble.
\q
\v 11 They destroy things everywhere.
\q2 They oppress people and defraud people in the marketplaces.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 If it were an enemy who was making fun of me,
\q2 I could endure it.
\q1 If it were someone who hates me, who despises me,
\q2 I could hide from him.
\q1
\v 13 But it is someone who is just like me, my companion,
\q2 someone who was my friend who is doing this to me.
\q1
\v 14 We previously had many good talks together;
\q2 we walked around together in God's temple.
\s5
\q1
\v 15 I desire that my enemies will go down alive
\q2 to the place where the dead people are.
\q2 I want this because they do evil things in their homes.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 But I will ask Yahweh, my God, to help me,
\q2 and he will save me.
\q1
\v 17 Each morning, noontime, and evening I tell him what I am concerned about, and I moan,
\q2 and he hears my voice.
\q1
\v 18 He saves my life and makes me safe
\q1 when I am fighting a terrible battle against my enemies.
\q2 There are many enemies coming to fight against me!
\s5
\q1
\v 19 God is the one who has ruled everything forever,
\q2 and he will put those who fought against me in their place.
\q1 He will cause my enemies to be defeated and disgraced
\q2 because they do not change their evil behavior
\q2 and because they do not have any respect for God.
\s5
\q1
\v 20 My companion, whom I mentioned previously, betrayed his friends
\q2 and broke the agreement that he made with them.
\q1
\v 21 What he said was as easy to listen to as butter is easy to swallow,
\q2 but in his inner being he hated people;
\q1 his words were as soothing as olive oil,
\q2 but they hurt people as sharp swords do.
\s5
\q1
\v 22 Put your troubles in Yahweh's hands,
\q2 and he will take care of you;
\q1 he will never allow disaster to destroy righteous people.
\q1
\v 23 God, you will cause murderers and liars to die before they have lived half as long as they expect to live;
\q2 but as for me, I will trust in you.
\s5
\c 56
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, concerning the time the Philistines seized David in Gath; to be sung using the tune "Dove on distant oaks."
\q1
\v 1 God, act mercifully toward me because men are attacking me!
\q2 All day long an enemy presses closer and closer to me because they want to take my life.
\q1
\v 2 All day long my enemies seek to crush the life from me,
\q2 there are many enemies attacking me!
\s5
\q1
\v 3 But whenever I am afraid,
\q2 I trust in you.
\q1
\v 4 God, I praise you because you do what you have promised;
\q2 I trust in you, and then I am not afraid.
\q2 Ordinary humans certainly cannot harm me!
\s5
\q1
\v 5 All day long my enemies claim that I said things that I did not say;
\q2 they are always thinking of ways to harm me.
\q1
\v 6 In order to cause trouble for me, they hide
\q2 and watch everything that I do,
\q2 waiting for an opportunity to kill me.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 So, God, punish them for the wicked things that they are doing;
\q2 show that you are angry by defeating those people!
\q1
\v 8 You have counted all the times that I have been wandering alone;
\q2 it is as though you have put all my tears in a bottle
\q2 so that you can see how much I have cried.
\q2 You have counted my tears and written the number in your book.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 When I call out to you, my God, my enemies will be defeated;
\q2 I know that will happen because you are fighting for me.
\q1
\v 10 I praise you that you do what you have promised;
\q2 Yahweh, I will always praise you for that.
\q2
\v 11 I trust in you, and as a result, I will not be afraid.
\q2 I know that humans cannot really harm me!
\s5
\q1
\v 12 I will bring to you the offering that I promised;
\q1 I will bring an offering to you to thank you
\q1
\v 13 because you have rescued me from being killed;
\q2 you have kept me from stumbling.
\q2 And so I will continue to live with God every day
\q in his light that gives me life.
\s5
\c 57
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, when David went into a cave to escape from Saul; to be sung using the tune "Do not destroy."
\q1
\v 1 God, act mercifully toward me!
\q1 Act mercifully toward me because I am coming to you to protect me.
\q2 I request you to protect me as little birds are protected under their mother's wings
\q2 until the storm is ended.
\s5
\q1
\v 2 God, you who are greater than all other gods,
\q2 I cry out to you, the one who enables me to be all that you desire.
\q1
\v 3 You will answer me from heaven and rescue me,
\q2 but you will cause those who oppress me to be defeated and disgraced!
\q2 God will always faithfully love me as he has promised me.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Sometimes I am surrounded by my enemies, who are as ready to kill me as lions are to kill people;
\q2 they are like lions that chew to bits the animals that they kill.
\q1 But my enemies are human, and they have spears and arrows, not teeth;
\q2 they say false things about me.
\q1
\v 5 God, show in the heavens that you are very great!
\q2 Show your glory to people all over the earth!
\s5
\q1
\v 6 It is as if my enemies have spread a net to seize me,
\q2 and I became very distressed.
\q1 It is as if they have dug a deep pit along the path where I walk,
\q2 but they themselves fell into it!
\s5
\q1
\v 7 God, I am very confident in you.
\q1 I will sing to you,
\q2 and I will praise you while I sing.
\q1
\v 8 It is an honor to wake up and praise you.
\q2 I will arise before the sun rises
\q2 and praise you while I play my big harp or my lyre.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 Lord, I will thank you among all the people;
\q1 and I will sing songs of praise about you to many people groups.
\q2
\v 10 For your love for us is as great as the distance from the earth to the sky,
\q2 and your faithfulness to us goes up to the clouds.
\q1
\v 11 God, show in the heavens that you are very great!
\q2 Show your glory to people all over the earth!
\s5
\c 58
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be sung using the tune "Do not destroy."
\q1
\v 1 When you rulers speak, you never say what is right;
\q2 you people never justly decide disputes.
\q1
\v 2 No, in your inner beings you think only about doing what is wrong,
\q2 and you commit violent crimes everywhere in this land of Israel.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Wicked people do wrong things and tell lies from the time that they are born.
\q1
\v 4 What wicked people say injures people like the venom of a snake.
\q2 They refuse to listen to commands; it is as though they were deaf cobras.
\q
\v 5 As a result, like a snake that does not respond when a charmer plays a flute or when someone sings magic songs,
\q2 they do not pay attention when others rebuke them.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 God, as for these enemies who want to attack me like young lions,
\q2 break the teeth in their mouths!
\q1
\v 7 Cause them to disappear as water disappears in dry ground!
\q2 Cause the arrows that they shoot to have no heads!
\q1
\v 8 Cause them to become like snails that disappear in the slime;
\q2 cause them to be like a baby that is born dead!
\s5
\q1
\v 9 I hope that you will get rid of them
\q2 as fast as thornbushes are blown away after they are cut.
\q1
\v 10 People who do what is right will rejoice when they see God punish the wicked people;
\q2 they will wash their feet in the blood of wicked people.
\q1
\v 11 Then people will say, "It is true that there is a reward for righteous people;
\q2 and there is indeed a God who judges people justly here on the earth!"
\s5
\c 59
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, when Saul, wanting to kill David, sent men to watch David's house.
\q1
\v 1 God, save me from my enemies!
\q2 Protect me from those who want to attack me!
\q1
\v 2 Keep me safe from men who want to do what is wicked,
\q2 from men who are murderers!
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Look! They are waiting to kill me!
\q2 Fierce men have gathered to assault me.
\q1 Yahweh, they are doing that even though I have not done what is wrong!
\q1
\v 4 It is not because I have committed any sin against them
\q2 that they run and get ready to attack me. Please look at my situation and help me.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh my God, commander of the angel armies, the one we Israelites worship,
\q2 arise and punish the people of all the nations who do not honor you;
\q2 do not act mercifully toward those wicked people who have acted treacherously toward us.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 They return each evening,
\q2 snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl around this city.
\q
\v 7 They loudly say terrible things;
\q2 they say things that destroy as much as swords do,
\q1 because they are saying, "No one will hear us!"
\s5
\q1
\v 8 But Yahweh, you laugh at them.
\q2 You scoff at the people of the pagan nations.
\q1
\v 9 God, I have confidence in you because you are very strong;
\q2 you are my refuge.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 Because you love me, you will come to save me as you have promised;
\q2 you will allow me to watch while you defeat my enemies.
\q1
\v 11 But do not kill them immediately;
\q2 it is good that my people should not forget how you punished them!
\q1 Instead, Lord, you who are like a shield that protects us,
\q2 scatter them by your power, and then defeat them.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 Because what they say is sinful,
\q2 allow them to be trapped for being proud.
\q1 Because they are always cursing and telling lies,
\q1
\v 13 because you are angry, get rid of them;
\q2 destroy them completely
\q2 so that people will know that you rule over us, your Israelite people,
\q2 and that you rule over all the earth.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 They return each evening,
\q2 snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl around this city.
\q1
\v 15 They roam around, searching for food
\q1 and if they do not find enough, they growl like dogs.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 But as for me, I will sing about your power;
\q2 every morning I will sing joyfully about your faithfully loving us.
\q1 I will sing about how you protected me when I was very distressed.
\q1
\v 17 God, you are the one who enables me to be strong;
\q2 you are my refuge;
\q2 you faithfully love me, just as you have promised in your covenant.
\s5
\c 60
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, a psalm for teaching, to be sung using the tune "Lily of the promise." David wrote it during the wars in northern Syria, and when Joab's army, after returning from the battle, killed twelve thousand of the Edom people group in Salt Valley.
\q1
\v 1 I prayed, "God, you have rejected us Israelites!
\q1 Because you have been angry with us,
\q2 you have enabled our enemies to break through our ranks.
\q1 Please enable us to be strong again!
\s5
\q1
\v 2 It was as though you made a big earthquake in which the ground split open.
\q1 So now, make us strong again,
\q2 because it is as though our country is falling apart.
\q1
\v 3 You have caused us, your people, to suffer very much;
\q2 it is as though you had taken away our strength by making us drink strong wine.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 But you have raised a battle flag for those who honor you.
\q2 They will show your banner when they face the enemies' arrows.
\q1
\v 5 Answer our prayers and enable us by your power to defeat our enemies
\q2 so that we, the people you love, will be saved."
\s5
\q1
\v 6 Then God answered my prayer and spoke from his temple, saying,
\q1 "Because I have conquered your enemies, I will divide the city of Shechem,
\q2 and I will distribute among my people the land in Succoth Valley.
\q1
\v 7 The region of Gilead is mine;
\q1 the people of the tribe of Manasseh are mine;
\q1 the tribe of Ephraim is like my helmet;
\q1 and the tribe of Judah is like the scepter with which I rule.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 The region of Moab is like my washbasin;
\q2 I throw my sandal into the region of Edom to show that it belongs to me;
\q2 I shout triumphantly because I have defeated the people of all the region of Philistia.
\q1
\v 9 Because I want to defeat the people of Edom,
\q1 who will lead my army to their capital city that has strong walls around it?"
\s5
\q1
\v 10 So, God, it seems that you have truly abandoned us;
\q2 it seems that you do not go with us when our armies march out to fight our enemies.
\q1
\v 11 We need you to help us when we fight against our enemies
\q2 because the help that humans can give us is worthless.
\q
\v 12 But with you helping us, we will win;
\q2 you will enable us to defeat our enemies.
\s5
\c 61
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director, to be accompanied by musical instruments.
\q1
\v 1 God, listen to me
\q2 and answer my prayer.
\q1
\v 2 While I am discouraged and far from my home,
\q1 I am calling out to you.
\q1 Lead me to a place that will be like a high rock
\q2 on top of which I will be safe.
\q1
\v 3 You have been my refuge;
\q2 you have been like a strong tower
\q2 in which my enemies cannot attack me.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Allow me to live close to your sacred tent all during my life!
\q1 Allow me to be safe as a little bird is safe under its mother's wings.
\q1
\v 5 God, you heard me when I solemnly promised to give offerings to you;
\q2 you have given to me the blessings that belong to those who have an awesome respect for you.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 I am the king of Israel;
\q1 please allow me to live and rule for many years,
\q2 and allow my descendants to rule also.
\q1
\v 7 Allow us to rule forever while you observe us;
\q2 watch over us while you faithfully love us and do for us what you promised.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 If you do that, I will always sing to praise you
\q2 while I offer to you each day the sacrifices that I promised to give to you.
\s5
\c 62
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David for Jeduthun, the choir leader
\q1
\v 1 God is the only one who can give me peace in my inner being,
\q2 and he is the one who saves me from my enemies.
\q1
\v 2 Only he is like a huge rock on which I can be safe;
\q2 he is like a fortress high up that my enemies cannot climb.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 When will you, my enemies, stop attacking me?
\q2 I feel that I am as weak against you as a leaning wall or a broken-down fence.
\q1
\v 4 My enemies plan to remove me from my important position so that people no longer honor me.
\q2 They delight in telling lies.
\q1 They bless people by what they say,
\q2 but in their inner beings they curse those people.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 God is the only one who gives me peace in my inner being;
\q2 he is the one whom I confidently expect to help me.
\q1
\v 6 Only he is like a huge rock on which I can be safe;
\q2 he is like a shelter; my enemies can never reach me there.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 God is the one who saves me and honors me.
\q2 He is like a huge,
strong rock on which I can find shelter.
\q1
\v 8 You my people, always trust in him.
\q2 Tell him all your troubles
\q2 because we go to him for safety.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 People who are considered to be unimportant are as unreliable as a breath of air;
\q2 people who are considered to be important also really amount to nothing.
\q1 If you put them all on a scale, it would be as if they weighed less than a puff of air.
\q1
\v 10 Do not trust in money gained by extorting it from others;
\q2 do not try to gain anything by robbing others.
\q1 If you become very wealthy, do not trust in your money.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 I have heard God say more than once that he is the one who really has power,
\q1
\v 12 and that he is the one who faithfully loves us, as he promised.
\q2 He rewards every one of us according to the deeds that we do.
\s5
\c 63
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David when he was in the wilderness in Judah.
\q1
\v 1 God, you are the God whom I worship.
\q1 I greatly desire to be with you
\q2 as a person in a dry hot wilderness greatly desires some water.
\q1
\v 2 I have been with you in your temple
\q1 In order to see that you are loving and powerful.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 You always love me, as you promised in your covenant; this is worth more than my entire life,
\q2 so I will always praise you.
\q1
\v 4 I will praise you all the time that I live;
\q2 I will lift up my hands to you while I pray.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 You fill me up and you meet every need I have.
\q2 My response to you is much like when I eat a delicious banquet of rich foods
\q2 and the food fills me.
\q2 I will have great happiness when I praise you with the words that I speak about you.
\q1
\v 6 While I lie on my bed, I think about you.
\q1 I think about you all during the night.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 For you have always helped me,
\q2 and I sing joyfully knowing that you protect me
\q2 as a bird protects her young under her wings.
\q1
\v 8 I follow you closely,
\q2 and your hand protects me.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 But those who are trying to kill me
\q2 will die and descend into the place of the dead;
\q1
\v 10 they will be killed in battles
\q2 and their corpses will be eaten by dogs.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 But I, the king of Israel, will rejoice in what God has done;
\q2 and all those who ask God to confirm their word will praise him,
\q2 but he will not allow liars to say anything.
\s5
\c 64
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director.
\q1
\v 1 God, listen to me as I tell you the things about which I am worried.
\q2 I am afraid of my enemies; please save me from them.
\q1
\v 2 Protect me from what wicked men are planning to do to me;
\q2 protect me from that group of men who do what is evil.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 The hostile things they say are like sharp swords;
\q2 their cruel words are like arrows.
\q1
\v 4 They are not afraid of anyone; they lie about people and slander those who have done no wrong.
\q2 They are like someone who suddenly jumps up from where he is hiding and shoots arrows at his enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 They encourage each other about doing the evil things that they are planning to do;
\q2 they talk with each other about where they can set traps to catch people.
\q2 They say, "No one will see what we are doing
\q1
\v 6 because we have planned very well the things that we are going to do."
\q2 What people can think and plan in their inner beings is truly amazing!
\s5
\q1
\v 7 But it will be as though God will shoot his arrows at them,
\q2 and suddenly they will be wounded.
\q1
\v 8 Because what they say proves they are guilty, God will get rid of them.
\q2 Everyone who sees what has happened to them will shake their heads to mock them.
\q1
\v 9 Then everyone will be afraid to sin because of what might happen to them also;
\q2 they will tell others what God has done,
\q2 and they themselves will think much about it.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 Righteous people should rejoice because of what Yahweh has done;
\q2 they should go to him to find refuge;
\q1 and all those who honor him will praise him.
\s5
\c 65
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director.
\q1
\v 1 God, it is right for us to praise you in Jerusalem
\q1 and to do what we have promised you that we would do
\q2
\v 2 because you answer our prayers.
\q1 People everywhere will come to you
\q2
\v 3 Our many sins are like a very heavy burden to us,
\q1 but you forgive us.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 How fortunate are those whom you have chosen
\q2 to always be in your temple courtyards.
\q1 We will be satisfied with all the blessings that you will give us because we worship you in your sacred temple.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 God, when we pray to you, you answer us and save us by doing awesome deeds;
\q2 you are the one who rescues us;
\q1 people who live in very remote places on the earth, on the other side of the oceans, trust in you.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 You are the one who put the mountains in their places,
\q2 showing that you are very powerful.
\q1
\v 7 You are the one who calms the seas when they roar,
\q2 and stop the waves from pounding on the shore;
\q1 you also calm people when they cause a lot of trouble.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 People who live in very remote places on the earth
\q2 are awed by the miracles that you perform;
\q1 because of what you do,
\q2 people who live far to the west and far to the east shout joyfully.
\q1
\v 9 You take care of the soil and send rain,
\q2 causing many good things to grow;
\q1 you fill the streams with water
\q2 and cause grain to grow.
\q1 This is what you have determined would happen.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 You send plenty of rain on the fields that have been plowed,
\q2 and you fill the furrows with water.
\q1 With showers you soften the hard clods of soil,
\q2 and you bless the soil by causing young plants to grow.
\q1
\v 11 Because you bless the soil, there are very good crops at harvest season;
\q2 wherever you have gone, good crops are very abundant.
\q1
\v 12 The pastures in the wilderness are wet with the morning dew,
\q2 it is as though the hills are singing joyful songs.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 The meadows are covered with sheep and goats,
\q2 and the valleys are full of grain;
\q2 it is as though they also sing and shout joyfully.
\s5
\c 66
\m
\m
\d A psalm that is a song for the choir director.
\q1
\v 1 Tell everyone on the earth
\q2 that they should sing joyfully to praise God!
\q1
\v 2 They should sing songs that say that God is very great,
\q2 and they should tell everyone that he is very glorious!
\s5
\q1
\v 3 They should say to God, "The things that you do are awesome!
\q2 Your power is very great,
\q2 with the result that your enemies cringe in front of you."
\q1
\v 4 Everyone on the earth will worship God,
\q2 sing to praise him,
\q2 and honor him.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Come and think about what God has done!
\q1 Think about the awesome things that he has done among people.
\q1
\v 6 He caused the sea to become dry land,
\q2 with the result that our ancestors were able to walk right through it.
\q1 There we rejoiced because of what he had done.
\q1
\v 7 He rules forever by his power,
\q2 and he keeps watching all the nations to see what evil things they do.
\q2 The nations that want to rebel against him should not be proud.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 You people of all nations, praise our God!
\q2 Praise him loudly in order that people will hear you as you praise him.
\q1
\v 9 He has kept us alive,
\q2 and he has not allowed us to fall into disaster.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 God, you have tested us;
\q1 you have allowed us to experience great difficulties to make our lives become pure
\q2 as people put precious metals in a hot fire to burn out what is impure.
\q1
\v 11 It is as if you allowed us to fall into traps,
\q2 and you forced us to endure difficult things that were like heavy loads to carry on our backs.
\q1
\v 12 You allowed our enemies to trample on us;
\q2 we experienced difficulties walking through fires and floods,
\q1 but now you have made us safe.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 I will bring to your temple offerings that are to be completely burned on the altar;
\q2 I will offer to you what I promised.
\q1
\v 14 When I was experiencing much trouble, I said that I would bring offerings to you if you rescued me;
\q2 and you did rescue me, so I will bring to you what I promised.
\q1
\v 15 I will bring sheep to be burned on the altar,
\q2 and I will also sacrifice bulls and goats;
\q2 when they are burning, you will be pleased as the smoke rises up to you.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 All you people who have a reverential respect for God, come and listen,
\q2 and I will tell you what he has done for me.
\q1
\v 17 I called out to him to help me,
\q2 and I praised him while I was speaking to him.
\q1
\v 18 If I had ignored the sins that I had committed,
\q2 the Lord would not have paid any attention to me.
\s5
\q1
\v 19 But because I confessed my sins, God has listened to me
\q2 and has paid attention to my prayers.
\q
\v 20 I praise God
\q2 because he has not ignored my prayers;
\q2 he continues to love me as he promised in his covenant to do.
\s5
\c 67
\m
\m
\d A psalm for the choir director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
\q1
\v 1 God, act mercifully toward us and bless us;
\q1 act kindly toward us.
\q2
\v 2 Do this in order that everyone in the world may know what you want them to do,
\q2 and the people of all nations may know that you have the power to save them.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 God, I desire that all people groups may praise you;
\q1 I want them all to praise you!
\q1
\v 4 I desire that the people of all nations will be glad and sing joyfully
\q2 because you judge the people groups equally,
\q2 and you guide all the nations in the world.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 God, I desire that the people groups may praise you;
\q1 I want them all to praise you!
\q1
\v 6 Good crops have grown on our land;
\q1 God, our God, has blessed us.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Because God has blessed us,
\q1 I desire that all people everywhere on the earth may have an awesome respect for him.
\s5
\c 68
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director.
\q1
\v 1 God, arise and scatter your enemies,
\q1 and cause those who hate you to run away from you.
\q1
\v 2 As wind blows smoke away,
\q2 you chase your enemies away.
\q1 As wax melts when it is near a fire,
\q2 may you cause wicked people to disappear.
\q1
\v 3 But may the righteous people be joyful;
\q2 may they rejoice when they are in God's presence;
\q2 may they be happy and very joyful.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Sing to God; sing to praise him;
\q1 sing a song for him who rides in the desert plains;
\q1 his name is Yahweh; be glad when you are in his presence.
\q1
\v 5 God, who lives in his sacred temple, is like a father to those who are orphans,
\q2 and he is the one who protects widows.
\q1
\v 6 He provides families for those who have no one to live with.
\q1 He frees prisoners and enables them to be successful,
\q2 but those who rebel against him will be forced to live in a very hot and dry land.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 God, you led your people out of Egypt,
\q2 and then you marched with them through the desert.
\q1
\v 8 After you did that,
\q1 the earth shook at Mount Sinai when you appeared to your people,
\q2 and rain poured down from the sky, and your people worshiped you.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 You caused plenty of rain to fall there in the wilderness,
\q2 and so you enabled good crops to grow again on that land that you gave to us Israelites.
\q1
\v 10 Your people built homes there;
\q2 because you were good to them, you provided food for those who were poor.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 The Lord spoke this message,
\q2 and many people took his message to other places.
\q1
\v 12-13 They proclaimed, "Many kings and their armies are running away from our army!"
\q2 When our army brought back to their homes the things that they captured,
\q1 the women who were at home divided up those things among themselves and among their families.
\q2 They got statues of pigeons whose wings were covered with silver
\q2 and whose feathers were covered with pure yellow gold.
\v 16 Later when some of the men became jealous of Moses
\q1 and his older brother Aaron, who was dedicated to serve Yahweh by being a priest,
\q1
\v 17 the ground opened up and swallowed Dathan
\q2 and also buried Abiram and his family.
\q1
\v 18 God sent down from heaven a fire
\q2 which burned up all the wicked people who supported them.
\s5
\q1
\v 19 Then the Israelite leaders made a gold statue of a calf at Mount Sinai
\q2 and worshiped it.
\q1
\v 20 Instead of worshiping our glorious God,
\q2 they started to worship a statue of an ox that eats grass!
\q1
\v 21 They forgot about God, who had rescued them by the great miracles that he performed in Egypt.
\s5
\q1
\v 22 They forgot about the wonderful things that he did for them in Egypt
\q2 and the amazing things that he did for them at the Sea of Reeds.
\q1
\v 23 Because of that, God said that he would get rid of the Israelites;
\q2 but Moses, whom God had chosen to serve him, stood up to persuade God not to do that.
\q2 As a result, God did not destroy them.
\s5
\q1
\v 24 Later, our ancestors refused to enter the beautiful land of Canaan
\q2 because they did not believe that God would do as he promised and would enable them to take the land from the people who were living there.
\q1
\v 25 They stayed in their tents and grumbled
\q2 and would not pay attention to what Yahweh said that they should do.
\s5
\q1
\v 26 So he solemnly told them
\q2 that he would cause them to die there in the wilderness,
\q2
\v 27 that he would scatter their descendants among the people of other nations and groups who did not believe in him,
\q2 and that he would allow them to die in those lands.
\s5
\q1
\v 28 Later the Israelite people started to worship the idol of Baal at Mount Peor,
\q1 and they ate meat that had been sacrificed to Baal and those other lifeless gods.
\q1
\v 29 Yahweh became very angry because of what they had done,
\q2 so again he sent a terrible disease to attack them.
\s5
\q1
\v 30 But Phinehas stood up and punished the ones who had sinned greatly,
\q2 and as a result the plague ended.
\q1
\v 31 People have remembered that righteous deed that Phinehas did,
\q2 and in future years people will remember it.
\s5
\q1
\v 32 Then at the springs of Meribah our ancestors caused Yahweh to become angry again,
\q2 and as a result Moses had trouble.
\q1
\v 33 They caused Moses to become very angry,
\q2 and he said things that were foolish.
\q1
\v 34 Our ancestors did not destroy the other people groups
\q2 as he told them to do.
\q1
\v 35 Instead, the men took women from those people groups,
\q2 and they started to do the evil things that those people did.
\q1
\v 36 Our ancestors worshiped the idols of those people,
\q2 which resulted in their being destroyed.
\s5
\q1
\v 37 Some of the Israelites sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demons that those idols represented.
\q1
\v 38 They killed children who had done nothing wrong,
\q1 and offered them as sacrifices to the idols in Canaan.
\q2 As a result, the land of Canaan was polluted by those murders.
\q1
\v 39 So by their deeds they made it impossible for God to accept them;
\q2 because they did not faithfully worship only God,
\q2 they became like women who sleep with other men instead of sleeping only with their husbands.
\s5
\q1
\v 40 So Yahweh became very angry with his people;
\q2 he was completely disgusted with them.
\q1
\v 41 As a result, he allowed people groups who did not believe in him to conquer them,
\q2 so those who hated our ancestors started to rule over them.
\s5
\q1
\v 42 Their enemies oppressed them
\q2 and completely controlled them.
\q1
\v 43 Many times Yahweh rescued his people,
\q2 but they continued to rebel against him,
\q2 and they were finally destroyed because of the sins that they committed.
\s5
\q1
\v 44 However, Yahweh always heard them when they cried out to him,
\q2 and he listened to them when they were distressed.
\q1
\v 45 For their sake, he thought about the covenant that he had made to bless them;
\q2 because he never stopped loving them very much,
\q2 he changed his mind about punishing them more.
\q1
\v 46 He caused all those who had taken the Israelites to Babylonia to feel sorry for them.
\s5
\q1
\v 47 Yahweh our God, rescue us
\q1 and bring us back to Israel from among those people groups
\q2 so that we may thank you
\q2 and joyfully praise you.
\q1
\v 48 Praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship,
\q1 praise him now and forever!
\q1 All the people should agree!
\q2 Praise Yahweh!
\s5
\c 107
\ms Book Five
\m
\q1
\v 1 Give thanks to Yahweh because he always does good things for us!
\q2 His faithful love for us lasts forever, as he has promised us!
\q1
\v 2 Those whom Yahweh has saved should tell others
\q2 that he has rescued them from their enemies.
\q1
\v 3 He has gathered those of you who were exiled to many lands;
\q2 he has gathered you together from the east and the west,
\q2 from the north and from the south.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Some of those who returned from those countries wandered in the desert;
\q2 they were lost and had no homes to live in.
\q1
\v 5 They were hungry and thirsty,
\q2 and they even collapsed in exhaustion.
\q1
\v 6 When they were in trouble, they called out to Yahweh,
\q2 and he rescued them from being distressed.
\q1
\v 7 He led them along a straight road where they walked safely
\q2 to cities in Canaan where they could live.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 They should praise Yahweh for loving them faithfully
\q2 and for the wonderful things that he does for people.
\q1
\v 9 He gives thirsty people plenty of water to drink,
\q2 and he gives hungry people plenty of good things to eat.
\q1
\v 10 Some of them were in very dark prisons;
\q2 they were prisoners, suffering because of chains fastened to their hands and feet.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 They were in prison because they had rebelled against the message of God;
\q1 they were there because they had despised the advice given by God,
\q2 who is greater than all other gods.
\q1
\v 12 That is why God made them suffer hardships so that they would no longer be proud;
\q2 when they got into trouble, there was no one who would help them.
\q1
\v 13 When they were in trouble, they called out to Yahweh,
\q2 and he rescued them from being distressed.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 He broke the chains that were on their hands and feet
\q2 and brought them out of those very dark prisons.
\q1
\v 15-16 He broke down the prison gates that were made of bronze;
\q2 he cut through the prison bars that were made of iron.
\q1 They should praise Yahweh for loving them faithfully
\q2 and for the wonderful things that he does for people.
\s5
\q1
\v 17 Some of them foolishly rebelled against God,
\q2 so they suffered for their sins.
\q1
\v 18 They did not want to eat any food,
\q2 and they almost died.
\q1
\v 19 When they were in trouble, they called out to Yahweh,
\q2 and he rescued them from being distressed.
\s5
\q1
\v 20 When he commanded that they be healed, they were healed;
\q2 he saved them from dying.
\q1
\v 21 They should praise Yahweh for loving them faithfully
\q2 and for the wonderful things that he does for people.
\q1
\v 22 They should give offerings to him to show that they are thankful,
\q2 and they should sing joyfully about the miracles that he has performed.
\s5
\q1
\v 23 Some of them sailed in ships;
\q2 they were selling things in cities far away.
\q1
\v 24 As they were sailing, they also saw the miracles that Yahweh performed,
\q2 the wonderful things that he did when they were on very deep seas.
\s5
\q1
\v 25 He gave orders to the winds, and they became strong
\q2 and stirred up high waves.
\q1
\v 26 The ships in which they were sailing were tossed high in the air,
\q2 and then they sank into the troughs between the high waves;
\q1 then the sailors were terrified at the danger.
\q1
\v 27 They stumbled about and staggered like drunken men,
\q2 and they did not know what to do.
\s5
\q1
\v 28 When they were in trouble, they called out to Yahweh,
\q2 and he rescued them from being distressed.
\q1
\v 29 He calmed the storm
\q2 and he stilled the waves.
\q1
\v 30 They were very glad when it became calm;
\q2 and Yahweh brought them safely into a harbor as they wished.
\s5
\q1
\v 31 They should praise Yahweh for loving them faithfully
\q2 and for the wonderful things that he does for people.
\q1
\v 32 They should praise him among the Israelite people when they have gathered together,
\q2 and they should praise him in front of the leaders of the country.
\s5
\q1
\v 33 Sometimes Yahweh causes rivers to become dry,
\q2 with the result that the land becomes a wilderness,
\q2 and springs of water become dry land.
\q1
\v 34 Sometimes he causes land that has produced lots of crops to become salty wastelands,
\q2 with the result that they do not produce crops.
\q2 He does that because the people who live there are very wicked.
\q1
\v 35 But sometimes he causes pools of water to appear in deserts,
\q2 and he causes springs to flow in very dry ground.
\s5
\q1
\v 36 He brings hungry people into that land, to live there and to build cities there.
\q1
\v 37 They plant seeds in their fields,
\q2 and they plant grapevines that produce large crops of grapes.
\q1
\v 38 He blesses the people, and the women give birth to many children,
\q2 and they have large herds of cattle.
\s5
\q1
\v 39 When the number of people became smaller and they were humiliated by their enemies
\q2 by being oppressed and caused to suffer,
\q1
\v 40 Yahweh shows contempt for the leaders who oppress them,
\q2 and makes them to wander in a wilderness where there are no roads.
\s5
\q1
\v 41 But he rescues poor people from being in misery
\q2 and causes their families to increase in number like flocks of sheep.
\q1
\v 42 People who live rightly see God do these things, and they rejoice;
\q2 wicked people hear about these things, too,
\q2 but they have nothing to say against Yahweh in reply.
\q1
\v 43 Those who are wise should think carefully about these things;
\q2 they should consider all the things that Yahweh has done to show that he faithfully loves them.
\s5
\c 108
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David
\q1
\v 1 God, I am very confident in you.
\q1 I will sing to praise you.
\q2 It is an honor to wake up and praise you.
\q1
\v 2 I will arise before the sun rises,
\q2 and I will praise you while I play my harp and my lyre.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 I prayed, "Yahweh, I will thank you among all the people groups;
\q2 I will sing to praise you among the nations
\q1
\v 4 because your faithful love for us reaches up to the heavens,
\q2 and you are as faithful in keeping your promises as the clouds are high above the earth.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh, show in the heavens that you are very great!
\q2 Show your glory to people all over the earth!
\q1
\v 6 Answer our prayers and, by your powe,r help us to defeat our enemies
\q1 so that we, the people whom you love, may be saved."
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Yahweh answered our prayers and spoke from his temple, saying, "Because I have conquered your enemies, I will joyfully divide the city of Shechem,
\q2 and I will distribute among my people the land in the Valley of Succoth.
\q1
\v 8 The region of Gilead is mine;
\q2 the people of the tribe of Manasseh are mine;
\q1 and the tribe of Judah is like my scepter.
\s5
\q
\v 9 The region of Moab is like my washbasin;
\q2 I throw my sandal over the region of Edom to show that it belongs to me;
\q2 I shout triumphantly because I have defeated the people of the region of Philistia."
\q1
\v 10 Because we want to attack the people of Edom,
\q1 who will lead my army to their capital city that has strong walls around it?
\s5
\q
\v 11 God, we do not want you to abandon us;
\q2 we want you to go with us when our army marches out to fight our enemies.
\q1
\v 12 We need you to help us when we fight against our enemies
\q2 because the help that humans can give us is worthless.
\q1
\v 13 But with you helping us, we shall win;
\q2 you will enable us to defeat our enemies.
\s5
\c 109
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David for the choir director.
\q1
\v 1 God, you are the one whom I praise,
\q1 so please answer my prayer
\q1
\v 2 because wicked people slander me
\q2 and tell lies about me.
\q1
\v 3 They are constantly saying that they hate me,
\q1 and they harm me for no reason.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 I show them that I love them
\q1 and that I pray for them,
\q2 but instead of being kind to me, they say that I have done evil things.
\q1
\v 5 In return for my doing good things for them and loving them,
\q2 they do evil things to me and hate me.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 So appoint a wicked judge who will judge my enemy,
\q1 and bring in one of his enemies who will stand up and accuse him.
\q1
\v 7 When the trial ends,
\q2 cause the judge to declare that he is guilty
\q2 and cause even his plea for mercy to be considered a sin.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 Then cause him to die soon;
\q2 bring someone else to take over his work.
\q1
\v 9 Cause his children not to have a father anymore,
\q2 and cause his wife to become a widow.
\q1
\v 10 Cause his children to leave the ruined homes that they have been living in
\q2 and to wander around begging for food.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 Cause all the people to whom he owed money to seize his property;
\q2 cause strangers to take away everything that he worked to acquire.
\q1
\v 12 Make sure that no one acts with any loyalty toward his memory for the sake of your covenant;
\q2 make sure that no one pities his children.
\q1
\v 13 Cause all his children to die,
\q2 so that no one will live to carry on his name.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 Yahweh, remember and do not forgive his ancestors for the evil things that they did,
\q2 and do not even forgive the sins that his mother committed.
\q1
\v 15 Think about his sins continually,
\q2 but cause everyone living to completely forget who he was.
\q1
\v 16 I pray these things because that man, my enemy, never acted toward anyone as your covenant says we must;
\q2 he persecuted poor and needy people
\q2 and even killed helpless people.
\s5
\q1
\v 17 He liked to curse people.
\q2 So those terrible things that he requested to happen to others—cause them to happen to him!
\q1 He did not want to bless others,
\q2 so make sure that no one blesses him!
\q1
\v 18 He often cursed other people, also;
\q2 cause the terrible things that he wanted to happen to others to happen to him and enter his body as water does,
\q2 as olive oil soaks into a person's bones when it is rubbed on his skin.
\s5
\q1
\v 19 Cause those terrible things to cling to him like his clothes
\q1 and be around him like the belt that he wears every day.
\q1
\v 20 Yahweh, I wish that you will punish all my enemies that way,
\q2 those who say evil things about me.
\s5
\q1
\v 21 But Yahweh, my God, do good things for me
\q2 in order that I may honor you;
\q1 rescue me from my enemies
\q2 because you faithfully love me as you promised.
\q1
\v 22 I request you to do this because I am poor and needy
\q2 and my inner being is full of pain.
\q1
\v 23 I think that my time to remain alive is as short
\q2 as an evening shadow that will soon disappear.
\q2 I will be blown away as a locust is blown by the wind.
\s5
\q1
\v 24 My knees are weak because I have fasted very often,
\q2 and my body has become very thin.
\q1
\v 25 The people who accuse me make fun of me;
\q2 when they see me, they insult me by shaking their heads at me.
\s5
\q1
\v 26 Yahweh, my God, help me!
\q1 Because you faithfully love me, rescue me!
\q1
\v 27 When you save me,
\q2 cause my enemies to know that you are the one who has done it!
\s5
\q1
\v 28 They may curse me, but I ask that you bless me.
\q2 Cause those who persecute me to be defeated and disgraced,
\q1 but cause me to be glad!
\q1
\v 29 Cause those who accuse me to be completely disgraced;
\q2 cause other people to see that they are disgraced as easily as they see the clothes that they wear!
\s5
\q1
\v 30 But I will thank Yahweh very much;
\q2 I will praise him when I am among the crowd of people who are worshiping him.
\q1
\v 31 I will do that because he defends poor people like me
\q2 and because he saves us from those who have said that we must die.
\s5
\c 110
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David.
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh said to my lord the king,
\q1 "Sit here, close to me, in the place of highest honor
\q2 until I completely defeat your enemies
\q2 and make them like a stool for your feet!"
\s5
\q1
\v 2 Yahweh will extend your power as king
\q2 from Jerusalem to other lands;
\q2 you will rule over all your enemies.
\q1
\v 3 On the day that you lead your armies into battle,
\q2 many of your people will volunteer to join your army.
\q1 Your youthful strength will act for you like the dew that waters the earth early in the morning."
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Yahweh has made a solemn promise
\q2 and he will never change his mind;
\q1 he has said to the king, "You will be a priest forever
\q2 like Melchizedek."
\s5
\q1
\v 5 The Lord stands at your right side;
\q2 when he becomes angry, he will defeat many kings.
\q1
\v 6 He will judge and punish the people of many nations;
\q2 many bodies of the killed enemy soldiers will lie on the ground.
\q1 He will crush kings all over the earth.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 But the king will drink from the stream alongside the road;
\q2 he will be refreshed after defeating his enemies.
\s5
\c 111
\m
\q1
\v 1 Praise Yahweh!
\q1 I will thank Yahweh with my entire inner being
\q2 every time that those who do what is right come together.
\q1
\v 2 The things that Yahweh has done are wonderful!
\q1 All those who are delighted with those things
\q2 desire to study them.
\q1
\v 3 Because he is a great king and does wonderful things,
\q2 people greatly honor him and respect him;
\q1 the righteous things that he does will endure forever.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 He has done wonderful things that people will always remember;
\q2 Yahweh always acts kindly and mercifully.
\q1
\v 5 He provides food for those who have an awesome respect for him;
\q2 he never forgets the covenant that he made with our ancestors.
\q1
\v 6 By enabling his people to capture the lands that belonged to other people groups,
\q1 he has shown to us, his people, that he is very powerful.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 He does everything fairly, as he has promised us,
\q2 and we can depend on him to help us when he commands us to do things.
\q1
\v 8 What he commands must be obeyed forever;
\q2 and he acted in a true and righteous manner when he gave us those commands.
\q1
\v 9 He rescued us, his people, from being slaves in Egypt,
\q2 and he made a covenant with us that will last forever.
\q2 He is holy and awesome!
\s5
\q1
\v 10 Having an awesome respect for Yahweh is the way to become wise.
\q2 All those who obey his commands will know what is good for them to decide to do.
\q2 We should praise him forever!
\s5
\c 112
\m
\q1
\v 1 Praise Yahweh!
\q1 How fortunate are those who have an awesome respect for him,
\q2 those who happily obey his commands.
\q1
\v 2 Their children will prosper in their land;
\q1 God will bless their descedants.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Their families will be wealthy,
\q2 and their righteous deeds will endure forever.
\q1
\v 4 For those who honor God, it is as if a light were shining on them in the darkness,
\q2 on those who are kind, merciful and righteous.
\q1
\v 5 Things will go well for those who generously lend money to others
\q2 and who conduct their businesses honestly.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 Righteous people will not be overwhelmed because of their troubles;
\q2 other people will always treasure their memories of them.
\q1
\v 7 They are not afraid when they receive bad news;
\q2 they confidently trust in Yahweh.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 They are confident and not afraid
\q2 because they know that they will see God defeat their enemies.
\q1
\v 9 They give things generously to poor people;
\q2 their kind deeds will endure forever,
\q2 and they will be exalted and honored.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 Wicked people see those things and are angry;
\q2 they gnash their teeth angrily,
\q2 but they will disappear and die.
\q2 The wicked things that they want to do will never happen.
\s5
\c 113
\m
\q1
\v 1 Praise Yahweh!
\q1 You people who serve Yahweh, praise him!
\q1 Praise him!
\q1
\v 2 Everyone should praise Yahweh now and forever!
\s5
\q1
\v 3 People who live in the east and people who live in the west,
\q2 everyone, should praise Yahweh!
\q1
\v 4 Yahweh rules over all the nations,
\q1 and high in the heavens he shows that his glory is very great.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 There is no one who is like Yahweh, our God,
\q2 who lives in the highest heaven
\q2
\v 6 and looks far down through the heavens and sees the people on the earth.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 He lifts poor people up so that they no longer sit in the dirt;
\q1 he lifts needy people up so that they no longer sit on heaps of ashes
\q1
\v 8 and causes them to be honored by sitting next to leaders,
\q2 leaders who rule his own people.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 He also enables women who have no children to live in their houses
\q2 as happy as mothers with children.
\q1 Praise Yahweh!
\s5
\c 114
\m
\q1
\v 1 When the Israelite people left Egypt,
\q1 when the descendants of Jacob left people who spoke a foreign language,
\q2
\v 2 the land of Judah became the place where people worshiped God;
\q2 and Israel became the land that he ruled over.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 When they came to the Sea of Reeds,
\q1 it was as though the water saw them and ran away!
\q1 When they came to the Jordan River,
\q2 the water in the river stopped flowing so that the Israelites could cross it.
\q1
\v 4 When they came to Mount Sinai and there was a big earthquake,
\q2 it was as though the mountains skipped like goats
\q2 and the hills jumped around like lambs.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 If someone asks, "What happened at the Sea of Reeds that caused the water to run away?
\q1 What happened that caused the water in the Jordan River to stop flowing?
\q1
\v 6 What happened that caused the mountains to skip like goats
\q2 and caused the hills to jump around like lambs?"
\q1
\v 7 Indeed, all the earth will tremble before the Lord!
\q1 Everyone will tremble in the presence of the God whom Jacob worshiped!
\s5
\q1
\v 8 He is the one who caused pools of water to flow from a rock for the Israelite people to drink,
\q2 and he is the one who caused a spring to flow from a solid rock cliff!
\s5
\c 115
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh, people should praise you alone;
\q2 they must praise you, not us,
\q2 because you faithfully love us and always do what you have promised to do.
\q1
\v 2 It is not right that other people groups should say about us,
\q1 "They claim that their God is very powerful,
\q2 but if that is true, why does he not help them?"
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Our God is in heaven,
\q2 and he does whatever he wants!
\q1
\v 4 But their idols are only statues made of silver and gold,
\q2 things that humans have made.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Their idols have mouths, but they cannot say anything;
\q2 they have eyes, but they cannot see anything.
\q1
\v 6 They have ears, but they cannot hear anything;
\q2 they have noses, but they cannot smell anything.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 They have hands, but they cannot feel anything;
\q2 they have feet, but they cannot walk,
\q2 and they cannot even make any sounds in their throats!
\q1
\v 8 The people who make those idols are as powerless as those idols,
\q2 and those who trust in those idols can accomplish nothing, just like their idols!
\s5
\q1
\v 9 You, my fellow Israelite people, trust in Yahweh!
\q2 He is the one who helps you and protects you like a shield.
\q1
\v 10 You priests, descendants of Aaron, trust in Yahweh!
\q2 He is the one who helps you and protects you like a shield.
\q1
\v 11 All you who have a reverential respect for Yahweh, trust in him!
\q2 He is the one who helps you and protects you like a shield.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 Yahweh has not forgotten us;
\q2 he will bless us Israelite people!
\q2 He will bless the priests,
\q1
\v 13 and he will bless all those who have a reverential respect for him;
\q2 he will bless important people and people who are considered to be unimportant, everyone!
\q1
\v 14 I wish that Yahweh may give many children
\q2 to you, my fellow Israelite people, and to your descendants.
\s5
\q1
\v 15 I wish that Yahweh, the one who made heaven and the earth, may bless all of you!
\q1
\v 16 The highest heavens belong to Yahweh,
\q2 but he gave everything that is on the earth to us people.
\s5
\q1
\v 17 Dead people are not able to praise Yahweh;
\q2 when they descend into the place where dead people are,
\q2 they are unable to speak and cannot praise him.
\q1
\v 18 But we who are alive will thank him,
\q2 now and forever.
\q1 Praise Yahweh!
\s5
\c 116
\m
\q1
\v 1 I love Yahweh
\q2 because he hears me when I cry to him for help.
\q1
\v 2 He listens to me,
\q2 so I will call out to him all during my life.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Everything around me caused me to think that I would die;
\q2 I was very afraid that I would die and go to the place where dead people are.
\q1 I was very distressed and afraid.
\q1
\v 4 But then I called out to Yahweh, saying,
\q2 "Yahweh, I plead with you to save me!"
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh is kind and does what is right;
\q2 he is our God, and he acts mercifully to us.
\q1
\v 6 He protects those who are helpless;
\q2 when I thought that I would die, he saved me.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 I must encourage myself
\q2 because Yahweh has done very good things for me.
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh has saved me from dying
\q2 and has kept me from troubles that would cause me to cry.
\q1 He has kept me from disaster.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 So here on the earth where people are still alive,
\q2 I live, knowing that Yahweh is directing me.
\q1
\v 10 I continued to believe in Yahweh,
\q2 even when I said, "I am greatly afflicted."
\q1
\v 11 Even when I was distressed and said, "I cannot trust anyone,"
\q2 I continued to trust in Yahweh.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 So now I will tell you what I will offer to Yahweh
\q2 because of all the good things that he has done for me.
\q1
\v 13 I will offer to him a cup of wine
\q2 to thank him for saving me.
\q1
\v 14 When I am together with many people who belong to Yahweh,
\q2 I will give to him the offerings that I solemnly promised to give to him.
\q1
\v 15 Yahweh is very grieved when one of his people dies.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 I am one of those who serves Yahweh;
\q2 I serve him like my mother did.
\q2 He has ended my troubles.
\q1
\v 17 So I will offer to him a sacrifice to thank him,
\q1 and I will pray to him.
\s5
\q1
\v 18-19 When I am together with many of the people who belong to Yahweh
\q2 in the courtyard outside his temple in Jerusalem,
\q2 I will give to him the offerings that I solemnly promised to give to him.
\q1 Praise Yahweh!
\s5
\c 117
\m
\q1
\v 1 You people of all nations, praise Yahweh!
\q1 All you people groups, praise him
\q2
\v 2 because he faithfully loves us as he promised to do,
\q2 and he will forever do for us what he promised that he would do.
\q1 Praise Yahweh!
\s5
\c 118
\m
\q1
\v 1 Tell Yahweh that you thank him very much for the good things that he has done for you!
\q2 He faithfully loves us, his people, forever.
\q1
\v 2 You Israelite people should repeatedly shout,
\q2 "He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!"
\s5
\q1
\v 3 You priests who are descendants of Aaron should repeatedly shout,
\q2 "He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!"
\q1
\v 4 All you who revere him should repeatedly shout,
\q2 "He faithfully loves us, his people, forever!"
\s5
\q1
\v 5 When I was distressed, I called out to Yahweh,
\q2 and he answered me and set me free from my worries.
\q1
\v 6 Yahweh is on my side,
\q2 so I will not be afraid of anything.
\q2 No one can do anything that will prevent God from blessing me forever.
\q1
\v 7 Yes, Yahweh is on my side,
\q2 so I will look triumphantly at my enemies while he defeats them.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 It is better to trust in Yahweh
\q2 than to depend on people.
\q1
\v 9 It is better to trust Yahweh to protect us
\q2 than to trust that influential people will protect us.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 Armies of many nations surrounded us,
\q2 but Yahweh enabled us to defeat them by his power.
\q1
\v 11 They completely surrounded us,
\q2 but we defeated them all by Yahweh's power.
\q1
\v 12 They swarmed around me like angry bees;
\q2 they were like a fire that flares up in a thornbush,
\q2 but we defeated them by Yahweh's power.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 Our enemies attacked us fiercely and almost defeated us,
\q2 but Yahweh helped us.
\q1
\v 14 Yahweh is the one who makes me strong,
\q1 and he is the one about whom I always sing;
\q2 he has saved us from my enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 15 Listen to the joyful songs of victory being sung in the tents of the people who honor God!
\q2 They sing, "Yahweh has defeated our enemies by his mighty power;
\q1
\v 16 he has raised his strong right arm to show he is happy over defeating his enemies.
\q2 Yahweh has completely defeated them!"
\s5
\q1
\v 17 I will not be killed in battle;
\q2 I will live to proclaim the great things that Yahweh has done.
\q1
\v 18 Yahweh has punished me severely,
\q2 but he has not allowed me to die.
\s5
\q1
\v 19 You gatekeepers, open for me the gates of the temple
\q2 so that I may enter and thank Yahweh.
\q1
\v 20 Those are the gates through which we enter the temple to worship Yahweh;
\q2 those who honor God enter through those gates.
\q1
\v 21 Yahweh, I thank you that you answered my prayer
\q2 and that you saved me from my enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 22 Yahweh's chosen king is like a stone that the builders rejected
\q2 when they were building a house,
\q1 but that stone became the cornerstone.
\q1
\v 23 This was done by Yahweh,
\q1 and it is a wonderful thing for us to see.
\s5
\q1
\v 24 This is the day on which we remember that Yahweh acted powerfully to defeat our enemies;
\q2 we will rejoice and be glad today.
\q1
\v 25 Yahweh, we plead with you to keep rescuing us from our enemies.
\q2 Yahweh, please help us accomplish what we want to do.
\s5
\q1
\v 26 Yahweh, bless the one who will come with your power.
\q2 From the temple we bless all of you.
\q1
\v 27 Yahweh is God,
\q2 and he has caused his light to come to us.
\q1 Come, bring animal sacrifice and tie it to the horns of the altar.
\q1
\v 28 Yahweh, you are the God whom I worship, and I will praise you!
\q2 You are my God, and I will tell everyone that you are great!
\s5
\q1
\v 29 Thank Yahweh because he does good things for us!
\q2 He will faithfully love us forever as he has promised.
\v 169 Yahweh, listen while I pray for you to help me;
\q2 help me to understand your words.
\q1
\v 170 Hear me while I pray,
\q2 and rescue me as you said you would.
\s5
\q1
\v 171 I will always praise you
\q2 because you teach me your rules.
\q1
\v 172 I will sing about your words
\q2 because all your commands are just.
\s5
\q1
\v 173 I request you to always be ready to help me
\q2 because I have chosen to obey your principles of behavior.
\q1
\v 174 Yahweh, I eagerly desire for you to rescue me from my enemies;
\q2 I am delighted with your laws.
\s5
\q1
\v 175 Allow me to continue to live in order that I can continue to praise you
\q2 so that your regulations will continue to help me.
\q1
\v 176 I have sinned and turned away from you like a sheep that has left its flock;
\q2 search for me because I have not forgotten your commands.
\s5
\c 120
\m
\m
\d A psalm written for people going up to the temple to worship
\q1
\v 1 When I was distressed, I called out to Yahweh
\q2 and he answered me.
\q1
\v 2 I prayed,
\q2 "Yahweh, rescue me from those who lie to me and try to deceive me!"
\s5
\q1
\v 3 You people who lie to me, I will tell you what God will do to you
\q2 and what he will do to punish you.
\q1
\v 4 He will punish you when soldiers shoot sharp arrows at you;
\q2 arrows that were hardened and made sharp
\q2 over hot coals from the wood of a broom tree.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 It is terrible for me, living among cruel people
\q2 like those who live in the regions of Meshech or Kedar.
\q1
\v 6 I have lived for a long time among people who hate to live with others peacefully.
\q1
\v 7 Every time I talk about living together peacefully,
\q2 they talk about starting a war.
\s5
\c 121
\m
\m
\d A psalm written for people going up to the temple to worship
\q1
\v 1 When we travel toward Jerusalem,
\q2 I look up toward the hills and I ask myself, "Who will help me?"
\q1
\v 2 My answer is that Yahweh is the one who helps me;
\q2 he is the one who made heaven and the earth.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 He will not allow us to fall;
\q2 God, who protects us, will not fall asleep.
\q1
\v 4 The one who protects us Israelite people
\q2 never gets sleepy or sleeps.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh watches over us;
\q2 he is like the shade that protects us from the sun.
\q1
\v 6 He will not allow the sun to harm us during the day,
\q2 and he will not allow the moon to harm us during the night.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Yahweh will protect us from being harmed in any manner;
\q2 he will keep us safe.
\q1
\v 8 He will protect us from the time that we leave our houses in the morning until we return in the evening;
\q2 he will protect us now and he will protect us forever.
\s5
\c 122
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David for people going up to the temple to worship.
\q1
\v 1 I was glad when people said to me,
\q2 "We should go to the temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem!"
\q1
\v 2 Now we are here,
\q2 standing inside the gates of Jerusalem.
\q1
\v 3 We can see that Jerusalem was a carefully built city.
\q2 Every part of the city was built to fit together
\q2 within the city as a whole.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 We people of the tribes of Israel
\q2 who belong to Yahweh can now go up there,
\q2 as Yahweh commanded that we should do,
\q2 so we can thank him.
\q1
\v 5 There are the thrones,
\q2 the thrones that the kings of Israel sat
\q2 when they ruled Israel.
\q2 These are the thrones of the descendants of King David.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 Pray that there will be peace in Jerusalem!
\q1 "I pray that those who love Jerusalem will succeed in life.
\q1
\v 7 I pray that there may be peace inside the walls of the city
\q2 and that people who are inside the palaces may be safe."
\s5
\q1
\v 8 For the sake of my relatives and friends,
\q2 "I pray that people will live peacefully inside Jerusalem."
\q1
\v 9 And because I love the temple of Yahweh our God,
\q2 "I pray that things will go well for the people who live in Jerusalem."
\s5
\c 123
\m
\m
\d A psalm written for people going up to the temple to worship
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh, I look up toward you,
\q2 up to heaven, from where you rule.
\q1
\v 2 As servants ask their masters for what they need
\q1 and as maids ask their mistresses for what they need,
\q2 we ask you, Yahweh our God, for what we need,
\q2 until you act mercifully toward us.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Yahweh, act very mercifully toward us
\q2 because our enemies have acted very contemptuously toward us.
\q1
\v 4 Arrogant people have made fun of us for a long time,
\q2 and proud people have oppressed us and have acted as though we were worthless.
\s5
\c 124
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by David for people going up to the temple to worship.
\q1
\v 1 You Israelite people, answer this question:
\q1 What would have happened to us if Yahweh had not been helping us?
\q1
\v 2 When our enemies attacked us,
\q1 if Yahweh had not been fighting for us,
\q1
\v 3 we would have all been killed
\q2 because they were very angry with us!
\s5
\q1
\v 4 They would have been like a flood of water sweeping us away;
\q1 it would have been as though the water had covered us,
\q2
\v 5 and we would all have drowned in the flood.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 But we praise Yahweh
\q2 because he has not allowed our enemies to destroy us.
\q1
\v 7 We have escaped from our enemies as a bird escapes from the trap that hunters have set;
\q1 it is as though the trap that our enemies set for us was broken
\q2 and we have escaped from it!
\s5
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh is the one who helps us;
\q2 he is the one who made heaven and the earth.
\s5
\c 125
\m
\m
\d A psalm written for people going up to the temple to worship.
\q1
\v 1 Those who trust in Yahweh are like Mount Zion,
\q2 which cannot be shaken or moved out of its place.
\q1
\v 2 As the hills that surround Jerusalem protect it,
\q2 so Yahweh protects us, his people,
\q2 and he will protect us forever.
\q1
\v 3 Wicked people should not be allowed to rule over the land where righteous people live.
\q2 If they did that, those righteous people would think of doing wrong themselves.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Yahweh, do good things to those who do good things to others
\q2 and to those who sincerely obey your commands.
\q1
\v 5 But when you punish the Israelites who no longer obey you,
\q2 you will punish them the same as you punish all the other evildoers.
\q1 I wish that things may go well for people in Israel!
\s5
\c 126
\m
\m
\d A psalm written for people going up to the temple to worship.
\q1
\v 1 When Yahweh made Jerusalem prosperous again,
\q1 it was wonderful;
\q2 it seemed as though we were dreaming.
\s5
\q1
\v 2 We were extremely happy,
\q1 and we continued shouting joyfully.
\q1 Then the other people groups said about us,
\q2 "Yahweh has done great things for them!"
\q1
\v 3 We said, "Yes, Yahweh truly has done great things for us,
\q2 and we are very happy."
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Restore us, O Yahweh, like the rains that fill the streams in the southern Judean wilderness.
\q2 Enable our nation to become great again like it was before.
\q1
\v 5 We cried when we planted seeds because it was hard work preparing the soil that had not been plowed for many years;
\q1 now we want to shout joyfully because we are gathering a big harvest.
\q1
\v 6 Those who cried as they carried the bags of seeds to the fields will shout joyfully
\q2 when they bring the crops to their houses at harvest time.
\s5
\c 127
\m
\m
\d A psalm written by Solomon for people going up to the temple to worship.
\q1
\v 1 If people are building a house without Yahweh helping them,
\q2 they are building it in vain.
\q1 Similarly, if Yahweh does not protect a city,
\q2 it is useless for guards to stay awake at night.
\q1
\v 2 It is also useless to arise very early and go to sleep late at night
\q2 so that you can work hard all day to earn money to buy food
\q1 because Yahweh gives food to those whom he loves even while they sleep.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Children are a gift that comes to parents from Yahweh;
\q2 they are a reward from him.
\q1
\v 4 If a man has sons while he is still young,
\q1 when they grow up, they will be able to help him defend his family
\q2 as a soldier can defend himself if he has a bow and arrows in his hand.
\q1
\v 5 How fortunate is a man who has many sons;
\q2 he is like a soldier who has many arrows in his quiver.
\q1 If a man with his many grown sons is taken by his enemies to the place where they decide matters, his enemies will never be able to defeat that man
\q2 because his sons will help to defend him.
\s5
\c 128
\m
\m
\d A psalm written for those going up to the temple to worship.
\q1
\v 1 How fortunate are you who have an awesome respect for him
\q2 and do what he wants you to do.
\q1
\v 2 You will be able to enjoy the food you provide yourself with;
\q1 you will be fortunate and prosperous.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Your wife will be like a grapevine that bears many grapes;
\q2 she will give birth to many children.
\q1 Your children who sit around your table;
\q1 you will be like a strong olive tree that has many shoots growing up around it.
\q1
\v 4 Like that, Yahweh will bless every man who has an awesome respect for him.
\q1
\v 5 I wish that God in his temple on Mount Zion may help you greatly,
\q1 and that you will see the people of Jerusalem prospering every day that you live!
\q2
\v 6 I wish that you may live many years
\q2 and that you may have grandchildren and be able to see them.
\q1 I wish that things may go well for people in Israel!
\s5
\c 129
\m
\m
\d A psalm written for people going up to the temple to worship.
\q1
\v 1 I say that my enemies have afflicted me ever since I was young.
\q1 Now I ask you, my fellow Israelites, to repeat those same words:
\q1
\v 2 "Our enemies have afflicted us since our nation began,
\q2 but they have not defeated us!
\q1
\v 3 Our enemies struck us with whips that cut into our backs
\q as a farmer uses a plow to cuts deep furrows into the ground."
\s5
\q1
\v 4 But Yahweh is righteous,
\q2 and he has freed us from being slaves to wicked people.
\q1
\v 5 I wish that they may all be shamed because we will defeat them—all of Jerusalem's enemies.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 I hope that they may be of no value, like grass that grows on the roofs of houses,
\q2 that dries up and does not grow tall;
\q1
\v 7 no one wants to cut it and tie it up as bundles and carry it away.
\q1
\v 8 People who pass by and see men harvesting grain usually greet them by saying to them,
\q2 "We wish that Yahweh may bless you!"
\q1 But this will not happen to the enemies of Israel.
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