1  ^kMy heart is steadfast, O God!

^lI will sing and make melody with all my being!¹

2  Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

3  ^mI will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

4  For your steadfast love is great ⁿabove the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5  ^oBe exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

6  ^pThat your beloved ones may be delivered,

give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

7  God has promised in his holiness:²

“With exultation I will divide up Shechem

and portion out the Valley of Succoth.

8  Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judah my ^qscepter.

9  Moab is my washbasin;

upon Edom I cast my shoe;

over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

10  Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

11  Have you not ^rrejected us, O God?

^sYou do not go out, O God, with our armies.

12  Oh grant us help against the foe,

for vain is the salvation of man!

13  With God we shall do valiantly;

it is he who will tread down our foes.

1  Be not ^tsilent, O God ^uof my praise!

2  For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,

speaking against me with lying tongues.

3  They encircle me with words of hate,

and attack me without cause.

4  In return for my love they accuse me,

^vbut I give myself to prayer.³

5  So they ^wreward me evil for good,

and hatred for my love.

6  Appoint a wicked man against him;

let an accuser stand ^xat his right hand.

7  When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;

let his ^yprayer be counted as sin!

8  May his days be few;

^zmay another take his office!

9  ^aMay his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow!

10  May his children ^bwander about and beg,

seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!

11  May the creditor seize all that he has;

may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!

12  Let there be none to extend kindness to him,

nor any to pity his fatherless children!

13  May his posterity be cut off;

may his name be blotted out in the second generation!

14  ^cMay the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,

and let not the sin of his mother be ^dblotted out!

15  Let them be before the Lord continually,

that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!

16  For he did not remember to show kindness,

but pursued the poor and needy

and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.

17  He loved to curse; let curses come⁴ upon him!

He did not delight in blessing; may it be far⁵ from him!

18  He clothed himself with cursing ^eas his coat;

may it soak⁶ into his body like water,

like oil into his bones!

19  May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,

like a belt that he puts on every day!

20  May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,

of those who speak evil against my life!

21  But you, O God my Lord,

deal on my behalf ^ffor your name’s sake;

^gbecause your steadfast love is good, deliver me!

22  ^hFor I am poor and needy,

and my heart is stricken within me.

23  I am gone like a ⁱshadow at evening;

I am shaken off like a locust.

24  My knees are weak through ^jfasting;

my body has become ^kgaunt, with no fat.

25  I am an object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they ^lwag their heads.

26  ^mHelp me, O Lord my God!

Save me according to your steadfast love!

27  Let them know that this is your hand;

you, O Lord, have done it!

28  Let them curse, but you will bless!

They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!

29  May my accusers be ⁿclothed with dishonor;

may they be ^owrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!

30  With my mouth ^pI will give great thanks to the Lord;

I will praise him in the midst of the throng.

31  For he stands ^qat the right hand of the needy one,

^rto save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

1  ^sThe Lord says to my Lord:

^t“Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.”

2  The Lord sends forth from Zion

your mighty scepter.

^uRule in the midst of your enemies!

3  Your people will offer themselves ^vfreely

on the day of your power,⁷

in holy garments;⁸

from the womb of the morning,

the dew of your youth will be yours.⁹

4  ^wThe Lord has sworn

and ^xwill not change his mind,

^y“You are a ^zpriest forever

after the order of ^aMelchizedek.”

5  The Lord is ^bat your right hand;

he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

6  He will execute ^cjudgment among the nations,

filling them with corpses;

he will ^dshatter chiefs¹⁰

over the wide earth.

7  He will drink from the brook by the way;

therefore he will lift up his head.

1  ^tI give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;

before the gods I sing your praise;

2  I bow down ^utoward your holy temple

and ^vgive thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,

for you have exalted above all things

your name and your word.¹

3  ^wOn the day I called, you answered me;

my strength of soul you increased.²

4  ^xAll the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,

for they have heard the words of your mouth,

5  and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

for great is the glory of the Lord.

6  For though the Lord is ^yhigh, he regards the lowly,

^zbut the haughty he knows from afar.

7  ^aThough I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

and your right hand delivers me.

8  The Lord will ^bfulfill his purpose for me;

your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not ^cforsake the work of your hands.

1  O Lord, you have ^dsearched me and known me!

2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

3  ^eYou search out my path and my lying down

and are ^facquainted with all my ways.

4  Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5  You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

6  ^gSuch knowledge is ^htoo wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

7  ⁱWhere shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I ^jflee from your presence?

8  ^kIf I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I ^lmake my bed in Sheol, ^myou are there!

9  If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10  even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

11  If I say, ⁿ“Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

12  ^oeven the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

13  For ^pyou formed my inward parts;

you ^qknitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.³

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15  My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16  Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in ^ryour book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

17  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

^sHow vast is the sum of them!

18  If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I am still with you.

19  Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

O men of blood, depart from me!

20  They speak against you with malicious intent;

your enemies ^ttake your name in vain.⁴

21  ^uDo I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22  I hate them with complete hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart!

^vTry me and know my thoughts!⁵

24  And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and ^wlead me in the way everlasting!⁶

1  ^xDeliver me, O Lord, from evil men;

preserve me from violent men,

2  who plan evil things in their heart

and ^ystir up wars continually.

3  They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s,

and ^zunder their lips is the venom of asps. Selah

4  Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;

preserve me from violent men,

who have planned to trip up my feet.

5  The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,

and with cords they have spread a net;⁷

beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah

6  ^aI say to the Lord, You are my God;

give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!

7  O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,

you have covered my head in the day of battle.

8  Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;

do not further their⁸ evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah

9  As for the head of those who surround me,

^blet the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!

10  ^cLet burning coals fall upon them!

Let them be cast into fire,

into miry pits, no more to rise!

11  Let not the slanderer be established in the land;

let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

12  I know that ^dthe Lord will ^emaintain the cause of the afflicted,

and will execute justice for the needy.

13  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;

^fthe upright shall dwell in your presence.

1  O Lord, I call upon you; ^ghasten to me!

Give ear to my voice when I call to you!

2  Let my ^hprayer be counted as incense before you,

and the lifting up of my hands as ⁱthe evening sacrifice!

3  ^jSet a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

^kkeep watch over the door of my lips!

4  Do not let my heart incline to any evil,

to busy myself with wicked deeds

in company with men who work iniquity,

and let me not eat of their delicacies!

5  ^lLet a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;

let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;

let my head not refuse it.

Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

6  When their judges are thrown over the cliff,⁹

then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.

7  As when one plows and breaks up the earth,

so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.¹⁰

8  But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;

in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!¹¹

9  Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me

and from the snares of evildoers!

10  Let the wicked fall into their own ^mnets,

while I pass by safely.

1  ^pWith my voice I cry out to the Lord;

with my voice I ^qplead for mercy to the Lord.

2  I ^rpour out my complaint before him;

I tell my trouble before him.

3  When ^smy spirit faints within me,

you know my way!

In the path where I walk

they have hidden a trap for me.

4  Look to the right and see:

there is none who takes notice of me;

^tno refuge remains to me;

no one cares for my soul.

5  I cry to you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my refuge,

^umy portion in the land of the living.”

6  ^vAttend to my cry,

for I am brought very low!

^wDeliver me from my persecutors,

for they are too strong for me!

7  ^xBring me out of prison,

that I may give thanks to your name!

The righteous will surround me,

for you will deal bountifully with me.

1  ^yHear my prayer, O Lord;

give ear to my pleas for mercy!

In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!

2  ^zEnter not into judgment with your servant,

for ^ano one living is righteous before you.

3  For the enemy has pursued my soul;

he has crushed my life to the ground;

^bhe has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.

4  Therefore ^cmy spirit faints within me;

my heart within me is appalled.

5  I remember the ^ddays of old;

I meditate on all that you have done;

I ponder the work of your hands.

6  I stretch out my hands to you;

^emy soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

7  Answer me ^fquickly, O Lord!

My spirit fails!

Hide not your face from me,

lest I be like those who go down to the pit.

8  Let me hear ^gin the morning of your steadfast love,

for in you I trust.

^hMake me know the way I should go,

for ⁱto you I lift up my soul.

9  ^jDeliver me from my enemies, O Lord!

I have fled to you for refuge.¹³

10  Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God!

Let ^kyour good Spirit ^llead me

on level ground!

11  ^mFor your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life!

ⁿIn your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

12  And in your steadfast love you will ^ocut off my enemies,

and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,

for I am your servant.

1  Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

who ^ptrains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

2  he is my steadfast love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who ^qsubdues peoples¹⁴ under me.

3  O Lord, ^rwhat is man that you regard him,

or the son of man that you think of him?

4  Man is like a ^sbreath;

his days are like a passing ^tshadow.

5  ^uBow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!

^vTouch the mountains so that they smoke!

6  Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;

send out your ^warrows and rout them!

7  Stretch out your hand from on high;

rescue me and ^xdeliver me from the many waters,

from the hand of foreigners,

8  whose mouths speak lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9  I will sing a new song to you, O God;

upon a ten-stringed harp ^yI will play to you,

10  who gives ^zvictory to kings,

who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

11  Rescue me and deliver me

from the hand of foreigners,

whose mouths speak lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12  May ^aour sons in their youth

be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

13  ^bmay our granaries be full,

providing all kinds of produce;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and ten thousands in our fields;

14  may our cattle be heavy with young,

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;¹⁵

may there be no cry of distress in our streets!

15  ^cBlessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!

^dBlessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

1  ^eI will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever.

2  Every day I will bless you

and praise your name forever and ever.

3  ^fGreat is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his greatness is ^gunsearchable.

4  One generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

5  On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and ^hon your wondrous works, I will ⁱmeditate.

6  They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

7  They shall ^jpour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8  The Lord is ^kgracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9  The Lord is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10  ^lAll your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your saints shall bless you!

11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

12  to ^mmake known to the children of man your¹⁷ mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13  Your kingdom is an ⁿeverlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.¹⁸]

14  The Lord upholds all who are falling

and ^oraises up all who are bowed down.

15  The eyes of all look to you,

and you ^pgive them their food in due season.

16  You ^qopen your hand;

you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17  The Lord is righteous in all his ways

and kind in all his works.

18  The Lord is ^rnear to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them.

20  The Lord ^spreserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and ^tlet all flesh ^ubless his holy name forever and ever.