1  Why, O Lord, do you stand ^kfar away?

Why ^ldo you hide yourself in ^mtimes of trouble?

2  In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them ⁿbe caught in the schemes that they have devised.

3  For the wicked ^oboasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one greedy for gain ^pcurses¹ and ^qrenounces the Lord.

4  In the pride of his face² the wicked does not ^qseek him;³

all his thoughts are, ^r“There is no God.”

5  His ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, ^sout of his sight;

as for all his foes, he ^tpuffs at them.

6  He ^usays in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I ^vshall not meet adversity.”

7  ^wHis mouth is filled with cursing and ^xdeceit and ^yoppression;

^zunder his tongue are ^amischief and ^biniquity.

8  He sits in ambush in the villages;

in ^chiding places he murders the innocent.

His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

9  he lurks in ambush like ^da lion in his ^ethicket;

he ^flurks that he may seize the poor;

he seizes the poor when he draws him into his ^gnet.

10  The helpless are crushed, sink down,

and fall by his might.

11  He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,

he has ^hhidden his face, he ⁱwill never see it.”

12  ^jArise, O Lord; O God, ^klift up your hand;

^lforget not the afflicted.

13  Why does the wicked ^mrenounce God

and say in his heart, “You will not ⁿcall to account”?

14  But you do see, for you ^onote mischief and vexation,

that you may take it into your hands;

to you the helpless ^pcommits himself;

you have been ^qthe helper of the fatherless.

15  ^rBreak the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

^scall his wickedness to account till you find none.

16  ^tThe Lord is king forever and ever;

the ^unations perish from his land.

17  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will ^vstrengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18  to ^wdo justice to the fatherless and ^xthe oppressed,

so that ^yman who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

1  I ^uwaited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and ^vheard my cry.

2  He drew me up from ^wthe pit of destruction,

out of ^xthe miry bog,

and ^yset my feet upon a rock,

^zmaking my steps secure.

3  He put ^aa new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will ^bsee and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

4  Blessed is the man who ^cmakes

the Lord his trust,

who does not turn to the proud,

to those who ^dgo astray after a lie!

5  You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your ^ewondrous deeds and your ^fthoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are ^gmore than can be told.

6  ^hIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ⁱear.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 ^jof me:

8  ^kI delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is ^lwithin my heart.”

9  I have told the glad news of deliverance²

in ^mthe great congregation;

behold, I have not ⁿrestrained my lips,

^oas 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 ^psteadfast love and your faithfulness will

ever preserve me!

12  For evils have ^qencompassed me

beyond number;

my ^riniquities have overtaken me,

and I cannot ^ssee;

they are ^tmore than the hairs of my head;

my heart ^ufails me.

13  ^vBe pleased, O Lord, to ^wdeliver me!

O Lord, ^xmake haste to help me!

14  ^yLet those be put to shame and disappointed altogether

who seek to snatch away my life;

let those be ^zturned back and brought to dishonor

who delight in my hurt!

15  Let those be appalled because of their shame

who ^asay to me, “Aha, Aha!”

16  But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

^bsay continually, “Great is the Lord!”

17  As for me, I am ^cpoor and needy,

but ^dthe Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God!

1  ^gMake haste, O God, to deliver me!

O Lord, make haste to help me!

2  Let 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, “Aha, Aha!”

4  May all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you!

May those who love your salvation

say evermore, “God is great!”

5  But I am poor and needy;

^hhasten to me, O God!

You are my help and my deliverer;

O Lord, do not delay!

1  ^pMake a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

2  ^qServe the Lord with gladness!

^rCome into his presence with singing!

3  Know that ^sthe Lord, he is God!

It is he who ^tmade us, and ^uwe are his;¹

we are his ^vpeople, and ^wthe sheep of his pasture.

4  ^xEnter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his ^ycourts with praise!

Give thanks to him; ^zbless his name!

5  ^aFor the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his ^bfaithfulness to all generations.

1  Out of ^cthe depths I cry to you, O Lord!

2  O Lord, hear my voice!

^dLet your ears be attentive

to ^ethe voice of my pleas for mercy!

3  If you, O Lord, should ^fmark iniquities,

O Lord, who could ^gstand?

4  But with you there is ^hforgiveness,

ⁱthat you may be feared.

5  I ^jwait for the Lord, ^kmy soul waits,

and ^lin his word I hope;

6  my soul ^mwaits for the Lord

more than ⁿwatchmen for ^othe morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

7  O Israel, ^phope in the Lord!

For ^qwith the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is plentiful redemption.

8  And he will ^rredeem Israel

from all his iniquities.

^dA wise son makes a glad father,

^ebut a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

2  ^fTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

^gbut righteousness delivers from death.

3  ^hThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

ⁱbut he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

4  A slack hand ^jcauses poverty,

^kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5  He who ^lgathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is ^ma son who brings shame.

6  Blessings are on the head of the righteous,

but ⁿthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.¹

7  ^oThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,

but ^pthe name of the wicked will rot.

8  ^qThe wise of heart will receive commandments,

but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

9  ^rWhoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked ^swill be found out.

10  Whoever ^twinks the eye causes trouble,

and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

11  ^uThe mouth of the righteous is ^va fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked ⁿconceals violence.

12  Hatred stirs up strife,

but ^wlove covers all offenses.

13  On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,

but ^xa rod is for the back of him who ^ylacks sense.

14  The wise ^zlay up knowledge,

but ^athe mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

15  ^bA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

16  The wage of the righteous leads ^cto life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.

17  Whoever heeds instruction is on ^dthe path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

18  The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,

and whoever utters slander is a fool.

19  ^eWhen words are many, transgression is not lacking,

^fbut whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

20  The tongue of the righteous is ^gchoice silver;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

21  The lips of the righteous feed many,

but fools die for ^hlack of sense.

22  ⁱThe blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.²

23  Doing wrong is ^jlike a joke to a fool,

but ^kwisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

24  ^lWhat the wicked dreads ^mwill come upon him,

but ⁿthe desire of the righteous will be granted.

25  When ^othe tempest passes, the wicked is no more,

but ^pthe 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  ^qThe fear of the Lord prolongs life,

^rbut the years of the wicked will be short.

28  ^sThe hope of the righteous brings joy,

^tbut the expectation of the wicked will perish.

29  ^uThe way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,

but destruction to evildoers.

30  ^vThe righteous will never be removed,

but ^wthe wicked will not dwell in the land.

31  ^xThe mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,

but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

32  The lips of the righteous ^yknow what is acceptable,

but the mouth of the wicked, ^zwhat is perverse.