1  ⁱWhy do the nations rage¹

and the peoples plot in vain?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his ^jAnointed, saying,

3  “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

4  He who sits in the heavens ^klaughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

5  Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6  “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

7  I will tell of the decree:

^lThe Lord said to me, ^m“You are my ⁿSon;

today I have begotten you.

8  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ^oends of the earth your possession.

9  ^pYou shall break² them with a ^qrod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10  Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11  Serve the Lord with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12  ^rKiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

^sBlessed are all who take refuge in him.

1  ^tBlessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is ^ucovered.

2  Blessed is the man against whom the Lord ^vcounts no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3  For when I kept silent, ^wmy bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up² as by the heat of summer. Selah

5  I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you ^xforgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6  Therefore let everyone who is godly

offer prayer to you ^yat a time when you may be found;

surely in the rush of great waters,

they shall not reach him.

7  You are a ^zhiding place for me;

you preserve me from trouble;

you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

8  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will ^acounsel you ^bwith my eye upon you.

9  ^cBe not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,

which must be curbed with bit and bridle,

or it will not stay near you.

10  Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

but steadfast love surrounds the one who ^dtrusts in the Lord.

11  Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,

and shout for joy, all you ^eupright in heart!

1  ^qFor God alone my soul waits ^rin silence;

from him comes my salvation.

2  He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

3  How long will all of you attack a man

to batter him,

like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

4  They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths,

^sbut inwardly they curse. Selah

5  ^tFor God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

for my hope is from him.

6  He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

7  On God rests my salvation and my glory;

my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

8  ^uTrust in him at all times, O people;

^vpour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

9  Those of ^wlow estate are but a breath;

those of high estate are a delusion;

in the balances they go up;

they are together lighter than a breath.

10  Put no ^xtrust in extortion;

set no vain hopes on robbery;

^yif riches increase, set not your heart on them.

11  Once God has spoken;

twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

12  and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man

^zaccording to his work.

1  ^mIt is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

2  to declare your steadfast love ⁿin the morning,

and your faithfulness by night,

3  to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

4  For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

5  How great are your works, O Lord!

Your ^othoughts are very deep!

6  The stupid man cannot know;

the fool cannot understand this:

7  that though the wicked sprout like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they are doomed to destruction forever;

8  but you, O Lord, are on high forever.

9  For behold, your enemies, O Lord,

for behold, your enemies shall perish;

all evildoers shall be scattered.

10  But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;

you have poured over me¹ fresh oil.

11  My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;

my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12  ^pThe righteous flourish like the palm tree

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13  They are ^qplanted in the house of the Lord;

they flourish in the courts of our God.

14  They still bear fruit in old age;

they are ever full of sap and green,

15  to declare that the Lord is upright;

he is my rock, and ^rthere is no unrighteousness in him.

1  I was glad when they said to me,

^t“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

2  Our feet have been standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3  ^uJerusalem—built as a city

that is ^vbound firmly together,

4  to which the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord,

^was was decreed for¹ Israel,

to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

5  There thrones for judgment were set,

the thrones of the house of David.

6  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

“May they be secure who love you!

7  Peace be within your walls

and security within your towers!”

8  For my brothers and companions’ sake

I will say, “Peace be within you!”

9  For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your good.

1  My son, if you ^mreceive my words

and ⁿtreasure up my commandments with you,

2  making your ear ^oattentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

3  yes, if you ^pcall out for insight

and raise your voice for understanding,

4  if you ^qseek it like silver

and search for it as for hidden treasures,

5  then you will understand the ^rfear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

6  For ^sthe Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is a ^tshield to those who walk in integrity,

8  guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of his saints.

9  Then you will understand ^urighteousness and justice

and equity, every good path;

10  for wisdom will come ^vinto your heart,

and knowledge will be ^wpleasant to your soul;

11  discretion will watch over you,

understanding will ^xguard you,

12  delivering you from the way of evil,

from men of ^yperverted speech,

13  who forsake the ^zpaths of uprightness

to ^awalk in the ways of darkness,

14  who ^brejoice in doing evil

and delight in the perverseness of evil,

15  men whose paths are ^ccrooked,

and who are ^ddevious in their ways.

16  ^eSo you will be delivered from the forbidden¹ woman,

from the adulteress² with her smooth words,

17  who forsakes the companion of her youth

and ^fforgets the covenant of her God;

18  ^gfor her house sinks down to death,

and her paths to the departed;³

19  none who go to her come back,

nor do they regain the paths of life.

20  So you will walk in the way of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21  For the upright will inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it,

22  but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.