Psalm 28; Psalm 58; Psalm 88; Psalm 118; Psalm 148; Proverbs 28

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Psalm 28

The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield

Of David.

To you, O Lord, I call;

jmy rock, be not deaf to me,

lest, if you kbe silent to me,

I become like those who lgo down to the pit.

mHear the voice of my pleas for mercy,

when I cry to you for help,

when I nlift up my hands

otoward your most holy sanctuary.1

Do not pdrag me off with the wicked,

with the workers of evil,

qwho speak peace with their neighbors

while evil is in their hearts.

rGive to them according to their work

and according to the evil of their deeds;

give to them according to the work of their hands;

srender them their due reward.

Because they tdo not regard the works of the Lord

or the work of his hands,

he will tear them down and build them up no more.

Blessed be the Lord!

For he has uheard the voice of my pleas for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and vmy shield;

in him my heart wtrusts, and I am helped;

my heart exults,

and with my xsong I give thanks to him.

The Lord is the strength of his people;2

he is ythe saving refuge of his anointed.

Oh, save your people and bless zyour heritage!

aBe their shepherd and bcarry them forever.


Psalm 58

God Who Judges the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to hDo Not Destroy. A iMiktam1 of David.

Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?2

Do you judge the children of man uprightly?

No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;

your hands jdeal out violence on earth.

The wicked are kestranged from the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

lThey have venom like the venom of a serpent,

like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

so that it mdoes not hear the voice of charmers

or of the cunning enchanter.

O God, nbreak the teeth in their mouths;

tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!

Let them ovanish like water that runs away;

when he paims his arrows, let them be blunted.

Let them be like the snail othat dissolves into slime,

like qthe stillborn child who never sees the sun.

Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of rthorns,

whether green or ablaze, may he ssweep them away!3

10  tThe righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;

he will ubathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11  Mankind will say, Surely there is va reward for the righteous;

surely there is a God who wjudges on earth.


Psalm 88

I Cry Out Day and Night Before You

A Song. A Psalm of zthe Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to aMahalath Leannoth. A Maskil1 of bHeman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, cGod of my salvation,

I dcry out day and night before you.

Let my prayer come before you;

eincline your ear to my cry!

For my soul is full of troubles,

and fmy life draws near to gSheol.

I am counted among those who hgo down to the pit;

I am a man who has no strength,

like one set loose among the dead,

like the slain that lie in the grave,

like those whom iyou remember no more,

for they are jcut off from your hand.

You have put me in kthe depths of the pit,

in the lregions dark and mdeep.

Your wrath nlies heavy upon me,

and you overwhelm me with oall your waves. Selah

You have caused pmy companions to shun me;

you have made me qa horror2 to them.

I am rshut in so that I cannot escape;

smy eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call upon you, O Lord;

I tspread out my hands to you.

10  Do you work wonders for the dead?

uDo the departed rise up to praise you? Selah

11  Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,

or your faithfulness in Abaddon?

12  Are your vwonders known in wthe darkness,

or your righteousness in the land of xforgetfulness?

13  But I, O Lord, cry yto you;

zin the morning my prayer comes before you.

14  O Lord, why ado you cast my soul away?

Why bdo you hide your face from me?

15  Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,

I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.3

16  Your wrath has swept over me;

your cdreadful assaults destroy me.

17  They dsurround me like a flood eall day long;

they fclose in on me together.

18  You have caused gmy beloved and my friend to shun me;

my companions have become darkness.4


Psalm 118

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

fOh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever!

gLet Israel say,

His steadfast love endures forever.

gLet the house of Aaron say,

His steadfast love endures forever.

gLet those who fear the Lord say,

His steadfast love endures forever.

hOut of my distress I icalled on the Lord;

the Lord answered me and set me jfree.

kThe Lord is on my side; lI will not fear.

What can man do to me?

mThe Lord is on my side as my helper;

I shall nlook in triumph on those who hate me.

oIt is better to take refuge in the Lord

pthan to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord

pthan to trust in princes.

10  qAll nations surrounded me;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

11  They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

12  rThey surrounded me like bees;

they went out like sa fire among thorns;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

13  I was tpushed hard,1 so that I was falling,

but the Lord helped me.

14  The Lord is my strength and my song;

uhe has become my salvation.

15  Glad songs of salvation

are in the tents of the righteous:

vThe right hand of the Lord wdoes valiantly,

16  the right hand of the Lord exalts,

the right hand of the Lord wdoes valiantly!

17  xI shall not die, but I shall live,

and yrecount the deeds of the Lord.

18  The Lord has zdisciplined me severely,

but he has not given me over to death.

19  aOpen to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter through them

and give thanks to the Lord.

20  This is the gate of the Lord;

bthe righteous shall enter through it.

21  I thank you that cyou have answered me

uand have become my salvation.

22  dThe stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.2

23  This is the Lord’s doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

24  This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25  Save us, we pray, O Lord!

O Lord, we pray, give us success!

26  eBlessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

We fbless you from the house of the Lord.

27  The Lord is God,

and he has made ghis light to shine upon us.

Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,

up to hthe horns of the altar!

28  You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God; I will iextol you.

29  jOh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever!


Psalm 148

Praise the Name of the Lord

rPraise the Lord!

Praise the Lord sfrom the heavens;

praise him tin the heights!

Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his uhosts!

Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars!

Praise him, you vhighest heavens,

and you wwaters above the heavens!

xLet them praise the name of the Lord!

For yhe commanded and they were created.

And he zestablished them forever and ever;

he gave aa decree, and it shall not bpass away.1

Praise the Lord cfrom the earth,

you dgreat sea creatures and all deeps,

efire and hail, fsnow and mist,

gstormy wind hfulfilling his word!

iMountains and all hills,

jfruit trees and all kcedars!

10  lBeasts and all livestock,

creeping things and mflying birds!

11  Kings of the earth and nall peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12  Young men and maidens together,

old men and children!

13  oLet them praise the name of the Lord,

for phis name alone is exalted;

qhis majesty is above earth and heaven.

14  He has rraised up a horn for his people,

spraise for all his saints,

for the people of Israel who are tnear to him.

uPraise the Lord!


Proverbs 28

cThe wicked flee when no one pursues,

but dthe righteous are bold as a lion.

When a land transgresses, eit has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge,

its stability will long continue.

fA poor man who oppresses the poor

is a beating rain that leaves no food.

Those who forsake the law gpraise the wicked,

but those who keep the law hstrive against them.

Evil men ido not understand justice,

but those who seek the Lord junderstand it completely.

kBetter is a poor man who lwalks in his integrity

than a rich man who is lcrooked in his ways.

The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,

but ma companion of gluttons shames his father.

Whoever multiplies his wealth nby interest and profit1

ogathers it for him who is pgenerous to the poor.

If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,

even his qprayer is an abomination.

10  Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way

rwill fall into his own pit,

but the blameless swill have a goodly inheritance.

11  A rich man is wise in his town eyes,

but a poor man who has understanding uwill find him out.

12  When vthe righteous triumph, there is great glory,

but when wthe wicked rise, people hide themselves.

13  Whoever xconceals his transgressions will not prosper,

but he who yconfesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

14  Blessed is the one who zfears the Lord2 always,

but whoever ahardens his heart will fall into calamity.

15  Like ba roaring lion or ca charging bear

is da wicked ruler over a poor people.

16  A ruler who elacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

17  If one is burdened with fthe blood of another,

he will be a fugitive until death;3

let no one help him.

18  gWhoever hwalks in integrity will be delivered,

but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

19  iWhoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

20  A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but whoever hastens to be rich jwill not go unpunished.

21  To show kpartiality is not good,

but for la piece of bread a man will do wrong.

22  A mstingy man4 nhastens after wealth

and does not know that opoverty will come upon him.

23  Whoever prebukes a man will afterward find more favor

than qhe who flatters with his tongue.

24  Whoever robs his father or his mother

and says, That is no transgression,

is ra companion to a man who destroys.

25  A greedy man sstirs up strife,

but the one who trusts in the Lord will tbe enriched.

26  Whoever utrusts in his own mind is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

27  Whoever vgives to the poor will not want,

but he who whides his eyes will get many a curse.

28  When xthe wicked rise, ypeople hide themselves,

but when they perish, the righteous increase.