1  Hear a just cause, O Lord; ^gattend to my cry!

Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

2  From your presence ^hlet my vindication come!

Let your eyes behold the right!

3  You have ⁱtried my heart, you have ^jvisited me by ^knight,

you have ^ltested me, and you will find nothing;

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

4  With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

5  My steps have ^mheld fast to your paths;

my feet have not slipped.

6  I ⁿcall upon you, for you will answer me, O God;

^oincline your ear to me; hear my words.

7  ^pWondrously show¹ your steadfast love,

O Savior of those who seek refuge

from ^qtheir adversaries at your right hand.

8  Keep me as ^rthe apple of your eye;

hide me in ^sthe shadow of your wings,

9  from the wicked who do me violence,

my deadly enemies who ^tsurround me.

10  ^uThey close their hearts to pity;

with their mouths they ^vspeak arrogantly.

11  They have now surrounded our ^wsteps;

they set their eyes to ^xcast us to the ground.

12  He is like a lion eager to tear,

as a young lion ^ylurking in ambush.

13  Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

14  from men by your hand, O Lord,

from ^zmen of the world whose ^aportion is in this life.²

You fill their womb with treasure;³

they are satisfied with ^bchildren,

and they leave their abundance to their infants.

15  As for me, I shall ^cbehold your face in righteousness;

when I ^dawake, I shall be ^esatisfied with your likeness.

1  May the Lord ^lanswer you in the day of trouble!

May ^mthe name of the God of Jacob ⁿprotect you!

2  May he send you help from ^othe sanctuary

and give you support from ^pZion!

3  May he ^qremember all your offerings

and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

4  May he ^rgrant you your heart’s desire

and fulfill all your plans!

5  May we shout for joy over ^syour salvation,

and in the name of our God set up our ^tbanners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

6  Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with ^uthe saving might of his right hand.

7  Some trust in ^vchariots and some in ^whorses,

^xbut we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

8  They collapse and fall,

but we rise and stand upright.

9  O Lord, save ^ythe king!

May he answer us when we call.

1  ^zHear my prayer, O Lord;

let my cry ^acome to you!

2  ^bDo not hide your face from me

in ^cthe day of my distress!

^dIncline your ear to me;

^eanswer me speedily ^fin the day when I call!

3  For my days ^gpass away like smoke,

and my ^hbones burn like a furnace.

4  My heart is ⁱstruck down like grass and ^jhas withered;

I ^kforget to eat my bread.

5  Because of my loud groaning

my ^lbones cling to my flesh.

6  I am like ^ma desert owl of the wilderness,

like an owl¹ of the waste places;

7  I ⁿlie awake;

I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.

8  All the day my enemies taunt me;

those who ^oderide me ^puse my name for a curse.

9  For I eat ashes like bread

and ^qmingle tears with my drink,

10  because of your indignation and anger;

for you have ^rtaken me up and ^sthrown me down.

11  My days are like ^tan evening shadow;

I ^jwither away like grass.

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

you ^vare remembered throughout all generations.

13  You will ^warise and have ^xpity on Zion;

it is the time to favor her;

^ythe appointed time has come.

14  For your servants hold her ^zstones dear

and have pity on her dust.

15  Nations will ^afear the name of the Lord,

and all ^bthe kings of the earth will fear your glory.

16  For the Lord ^cbuilds up Zion;

he ^dappears in his glory;

17  he ^eregards the prayer of the destitute

and does not despise their prayer.

18  Let this be ^frecorded for ^ga generation to come,

so that ^ha people yet to be created may praise the Lord:

19  that he ⁱlooked down from his holy height;

from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,

20  to hear ^jthe groans of the prisoners,

to set free ^kthose who were doomed to die,

21  that they may ^ldeclare in Zion the name of the Lord,

and in Jerusalem his praise,

22  when ^mpeoples gather together,

and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

23  He has broken my strength in midcourse;

he ⁿhas shortened my days.

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

in the midst of my days—

^pyou whose years endure

throughout all generations!”

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

and ^rthe heavens are the work of your hands.

26  ^sThey will perish, but ^tyou will remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

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

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

28  ^vThe children of your servants ^wshall dwell secure;

^xtheir offspring shall be established before you.