1  Save, O Lord, for ^rthe godly one is gone;

for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

2  Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;

with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3  May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,

^sthe tongue that makes great boasts,

4  those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,

our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

5  “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,

I will now arise,” says the Lord;

“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”

6  ^tThe words of the Lord are pure words,

^ulike silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

7  You, O Lord, will keep them;

you will guard us² from this generation forever.

8  On every side the wicked prowl,

as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

1  As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

2  ^tMy soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and ^uappear before God?²

3  ^vMy tears have been my food

day and night,

while they ^wsay to me all the day long,

^x“Where is your God?”

4  These things I remember,

as I ^ypour out my soul:

how I would go ^zwith the throng

and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

a multitude keeping festival.

5  ^aWhy are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation³ 6 and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;

therefore I remember you

from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,

from Mount Mizar.

7  Deep calls to deep

at the roar of your waterfalls;

^ball your breakers and your waves

have gone over me.

8  By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,

and at ^cnight his song is with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

9  I say to God, my rock:

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I ^dgo mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10  As with a deadly wound in my bones,

my adversaries taunt me,

while they say to me all the day long,

“Where is your God?”

11  Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

1  Give the king your justice, O God,

and your righteousness to the royal son!

2  ^aMay he judge your people with righteousness,

and your poor with justice!

3  Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,

and the hills, in righteousness!

4  May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,

give deliverance to the children of the needy,

and crush the oppressor!

5  May they fear you^{1 b}while the sun endures,

and as long as the moon, ^cthroughout all generations!

6  May he be ^dlike rain that falls on the mown grass,

like showers that water the earth!

7  In his days may ^ethe righteous flourish,

and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

8  ^fMay he have dominion ^gfrom sea to sea,

and ^hfrom the River² to the ⁱends of the earth!

9  May desert tribes bow down before him,

and his enemies ^jlick the dust!

10  May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands

render him tribute;

may the ^kkings of Sheba and Seba

bring gifts!

11  May all kings fall down before him,

all nations serve him!

12  ^lFor he ^mdelivers the needy when he calls,

the poor and him who has ⁿno helper.

13  He has pity on the weak and the needy,

and ^osaves the lives of the needy.

14  From oppression and violence he redeems their life,

and ^pprecious is their blood in his sight.

15  Long may he live;

may ^qgold of Sheba be given to him!

May prayer be made for him continually,

and blessings invoked for him all the day!

16  May there be abundance of grain in the land;

on the tops of the mountains may it wave;

may its fruit be like Lebanon;

and may people blossom in the cities

^rlike the grass of the field!

17  May his name endure forever,

his fame continue as long as the sun!

^sMay people be blessed in him,

all nations call him blessed!

18  ^tBlessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

who alone does ^uwondrous things.

19  ^vBlessed be his glorious name forever;

may ^wthe whole earth be filled with his glory!

^xAmen and Amen!

20  The ^yprayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

1  ^yHear my prayer, O Lord;

let my cry come to you!

2  Do not ^zhide your face from me

in the day of my distress!

Incline your ear to me;

^aanswer me speedily in the day when I call!

3  For my days pass away like ^bsmoke,

and my ^cbones burn like a furnace.

4  My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;

I forget to eat my bread.

5  Because of my loud groaning

^dmy bones cling to my flesh.

6  I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,

like an owl¹ of the waste places;

7  I lie awake;

I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.

8  All the day my enemies taunt me;

those who deride me use my name for a curse.

9  For ^eI eat ashes like bread

and mingle tears with my drink,

10  because of your indignation and anger;

for you have taken me up and thrown me down.

11  My days are like an evening ^fshadow;

I wither away like grass.

12  But you, O Lord, are ^genthroned forever;

you are remembered throughout all generations.

13  You will arise and have pity on Zion;

it is the time to favor her;

the appointed time has come.

14  For your servants hold her stones dear

and have pity on her dust.

15  Nations will ^hfear the name of the Lord,

and ⁱall the kings of the earth will fear your glory.

16  For ^jthe Lord builds up Zion;

^khe appears in his glory;

17  he regards the prayer of the destitute

and does not despise their prayer.

18  Let this be recorded for a generation to come,

so that a people ^lyet to be created may praise the Lord:

19  that he looked down from his holy height;

from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,

20  to ^mhear the groans of the prisoners,

to set free those who were doomed to die,

21  that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,

and in Jerusalem his praise,

22  when peoples gather together,

and ⁿkingdoms, to worship the Lord.

23  He has broken my strength in midcourse;

he has ^oshortened my days.

24  “O my God,” I say, “take me not away

in the midst of my days—

you ^pwhose years endure

throughout all generations!”

25  ^qOf old you laid the foundation of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

26  ^rThey will perish, but you will remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,

27  but ^syou are the same, and your years have no end.

28  The children of your servants shall dwell secure;

their offspring shall be established before you.

1  Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,

all the hardships he endured,

2  ^show he swore to the Lord

and vowed to ^tthe Mighty One of Jacob,

3  “I will not enter my house

or get into my bed,

4  I will ^unot give sleep to my eyes

or slumber to my eyelids,

5  until I find a place for the Lord,

a ^vdwelling place ^wfor the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6  Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;

^xwe found it in the fields of Jaar.

7  “Let us go to his dwelling place;

let us ^yworship at his footstool!”

8  ^zArise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,

you and the ark of your ^amight.

9  Let your priests be ^bclothed with righteousness,

and let your saints shout for joy.

10  For the sake of your servant David,

^cdo not turn away the face of your ^danointed one.

11  The Lord ^eswore to David a sure oath

from which he will not turn back:

“One of the sons of your body¹

I will set on your ^fthrone.

12  If your sons keep my covenant

and my testimonies that I shall teach them,

their sons also forever

shall sit on your throne.”

13  For ^gthe Lord has ^hchosen Zion;

he has desired it for his dwelling place:

14  “This is my resting place forever;

here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

15  I will abundantly bless her provisions;

I will ⁱsatisfy her poor with bread.

16  ^jHer priests I will ^kclothe with salvation,

and her saints will shout for joy.

17  There ^lI will make a horn to sprout for David;

I have prepared a ^mlamp for my anointed.

18  His enemies I will ⁿclothe with shame,

but on him his crown will shine.”

1  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who ^xhates reproof is stupid.

2  A good man obtains favor from the Lord,

but ^ya man of evil devices he condemns.

3  No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

4  ^zAn excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

5  The thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

6  The words of the wicked ^alie in wait for blood,

but the mouth of the upright delivers them.

7  The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

but ^bthe house of the righteous will stand.

8  A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is despised.

9  ^cBetter to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread.

10  Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

11  ^dWhoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

12  Whoever is wicked ^ecovets the spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

13  ^fAn evil man is ^gensnared by the transgression of his lips,¹

but the righteous escapes from trouble.

14  ^hFrom the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,

and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

15  The way of a fool is ⁱright in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

16  ^jThe vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult.

17  ^kWhoever speaks² the truth gives honest evidence,

but a false witness utters deceit.

18  There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise ^lbrings healing.

19  Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

20  Deceit is in the heart of those who ^mdevise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy.

21  ⁿNo ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.

22  Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

but those who act faithfully are his delight.

23  A prudent man conceals knowledge,

but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

24  ^oThe hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

25  ^pAnxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

26  One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,³

but the ^qway of the wicked leads them astray.

27  ^rWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.⁴

28  In the ^spath of righteousness is ^tlife,

and in its pathway there is no death.