Why Do You Hide Yourself?
1 wWhy, O Lord, do you stand far away?
Why do you xhide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
ylet them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one zgreedy for gain curses1 and renounces the Lord.
4 In the pride of his face2 the wicked does not seek him;3
all his thoughts are, a“There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
7 bHis mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;
cin hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, dhe will never see it.”
12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
eforget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
fyou have been the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
gcall his wickedness to account till you find none.
16 hThe Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do ijustice to the fatherless and the joppressed,
kso that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
My Help and My Deliverer
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the ymiry bog,
and set my feet zupon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his atrust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet bthey are more than can be told.
6 cIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.1
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I ddelight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance2
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your esteadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
fmy iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.
13 gBe pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
O Lord, hmake haste to help me!
14 iLet those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, j“Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but kthe Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
O Lord, Do Not Delay
To the choirmaster. Of David, wfor the memorial offering.
1 xMake haste, O God, to deliver me!
O Lord, ymake haste to help me!
2 zLet them be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
3 Let them turn back because of their shame
who say, a“Aha, Aha!”
4 May all who seek you
rejoice and be bglad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But cI am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
A Psalm for giving thanks.
1 jMake a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that kthe Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;1
we are his people, and the lsheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates mwith thanksgiving,
and nhis courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; obless his name!
5 pFor the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
My Soul Waits for the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the fdepths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be gattentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, hwho could stand?
4 But with you there is iforgiveness,
jthat you may be feared.
5 I kwait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and lin his word I hope;
6 mmy soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
7 nO Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is osteadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will predeem Israel
from all his iniquities.
The Proverbs of Solomon
1 The gproverbs of Solomon.
hA wise son makes a glad ifather,
but ja foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
2 kTreasures gained lby wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 mThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 nA slack hand causes poverty,
obut the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers pin summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
qbut the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.1
7 rThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise of heart will receive commandments,
but sa babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 Whoever twalks in integrity uwalks securely,
but he who makes his ways vcrooked will be found out.
10 Whoever wwinks the eye causes trouble,
and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous xis a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up ystrife,
but love zcovers all offenses.
13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
but aa rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
14 The wise lay up knowledge,
bbut the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15 cA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
16 dThe wage of the righteous leads to elife,
the gain of the wicked to sin.
17 Whoever heeds finstruction is on the path to life,
but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
18 The one who gconceals hatred has hlying lips,
and whoever utters slander is a fool.
19 iWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but jwhoever restrains his lips is prudent.
20 The tongue of the righteous is kchoice silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.2
23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
but lthe desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 mWhen the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
but the righteous is established forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27 The fear of the Lord nprolongs life,
but the years of the wicked will be short.
28 oThe hope of the righteous brings joy,
but pthe expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,
qbut destruction to evildoers.
30 rThe righteous will never be removed,
but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 sThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the tperverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.
