1  Hear my prayer, O Lord;

^cgive ear to my pleas for mercy!

In your ^dfaithfulness answer me, in your ^drighteousness!

2  ^eEnter not into judgment with your servant,

for no one living is righteous ^fbefore you.

3  For the enemy has pursued my soul;

^ghe has crushed my life to the ground;

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

4  Therefore my spirit ⁱfaints within me;

my heart within me is appalled.

5  ^jI remember the days of old;

^kI meditate on all that you have done;

I ponder the work of your hands.

6  ^lI stretch out my hands to you;

^mmy soul thirsts for you like ⁿa parched land. Selah

7  ^oAnswer me quickly, O Lord!

^pMy spirit fails!

^qHide not your face from me,

^rlest I be like those who go down to the pit.

8  ^sLet me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,

for in you I ^ttrust.

^uMake me know the way I should go,

^vfor to you I lift up my soul.

9  ^wDeliver me from my enemies, O Lord!

I have fled to you for refuge.¹

10  ^xTeach me to do your will,

for you are my God!

^yLet your good Spirit ^zlead me

on ^alevel ground!

11  ^bFor your name’s sake, O Lord, ^cpreserve my life!

In your righteousness ^dbring my soul out of trouble!

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

and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,

for I am your ^fservant.

1  Blessed be the Lord, my ^grock,

^hwho trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

2  he is my ⁱsteadfast love and my ^jfortress,

my ^kstronghold and my deliverer,

my ^lshield and he in whom I take refuge,

who ^msubdues peoples² under me.

3  O Lord, ⁿwhat is man that you ^oregard him,

or the son of man that you think of him?

4  ^pMan is like a breath;

his days are like ^qa passing ^rshadow.

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

^tTouch the mountains so that they smoke!

6  ^uFlash forth the lightning and scatter them;

^usend out your arrows and rout them!

7  ^vStretch out your hand from on high;

^wrescue me and deliver me from the many waters,

from the hand ^xof foreigners,

8  whose mouths speak ^ylies

and whose right hand is ^za right hand of falsehood.

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

upon ^aa ten-stringed harp I will play to you,

10  who gives victory to kings,

who ^brescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

11  Rescue me and deliver me

from the hand ^xof foreigners,

whose mouths speak ^ylies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12  May our sons in their youth

be like ^cplants full grown,

our daughters like ^dcorner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

13  ^emay our granaries be full,

^fproviding 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;³

may there be no ^gcry of distress in our streets!

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

ⁱBlessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

1  ^jI will extol you, my God and ^kKing,

and bless your name forever and ever.

2  Every day I will bless you

^land praise your name forever and ever.

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

and his ⁿgreatness is unsearchable.

4  ^oOne generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

5  On ^pthe glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

6  They shall speak of ^qthe might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

7  They shall pour forth the fame of your ^rabundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8  The Lord is ^sgracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9  The Lord is ^tgood to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

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

and all your ^vsaints shall bless you!

11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

12  to ^wmake known to the children of man your^{5 x}mighty deeds,

and ^ythe glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13  ^zYour kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.⁶]

14  The Lord ^aupholds all who are falling

and ^braises up all who are bowed down.

15  The eyes of all ^clook to you,

and you give them their food in due season.

16  You ^dopen your hand;

you ^esatisfy the desire of every living thing.

17  The Lord is ^frighteous in all his ways

and ^gkind in all his works.

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

to all who call on him ⁱin truth.

19  He ^jfulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also ^khears their cry and saves them.

20  The Lord ^lpreserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and ^mlet all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

1  ⁿPraise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2  I will praise the Lord ^oas long as I live;

^pI will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3  ^qPut not your trust in princes,

^rin a son of man, in whom there is ^sno salvation.

4  When ^this breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.

5  ^uBlessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose ^vhope is in the Lord his God,

6  ^wwho made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

^xwho keeps faith forever;

7  ^ywho executes justice for the oppressed,

^zwho gives food to the hungry.

^aThe Lord sets the prisoners free;

8  ^bthe Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

^cThe Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

^dthe Lord loves the righteous.

9  ^eThe Lord watches over the sojourners;

^fhe upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but ^gthe way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10  ^hThe Lord will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

ⁿPraise the Lord!

1  ⁱPraise the Lord!

For ^jit is good to sing praises to our God;

for ^kit is pleasant,⁷ and ^la song of praise is fitting.

2  The Lord ^mbuilds up Jerusalem;

he ⁿgathers the outcasts of Israel.

3  He heals ^othe brokenhearted

and ^pbinds up their wounds.

4  He ^qdetermines the number of the stars;

he ^rgives to all of them their names.

5  ^sGreat is our Lord, and ^tabundant in power;

^uhis understanding is beyond measure.

6  The Lord ^vlifts up the humble;⁸

he casts the wicked to the ground.

7  ^wSing to the Lord with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on ^xthe lyre!

8  He covers the heavens with clouds;

he prepares ^yrain for the earth;

he makes ^zgrass grow on the hills.

9  He ^agives to the beasts their food,

and to ^bthe young ravens that cry.

10  His delight is not in ^cthe strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

11  but the Lord ^dtakes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who ^ehope in his steadfast love.

12  Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

13  For he strengthens ^fthe bars of your gates;

he blesses your children within you.

14  He ^gmakes peace in your borders;

he ^hfills you with the ⁱfinest of the wheat.

15  He ^jsends out his command to the earth;

his word runs swiftly.

16  He gives ^ksnow like wool;

he scatters ^lfrost like ashes.

17  He hurls down his crystals of ^mice like crumbs;

who can stand before his ⁿcold?

18  He ^osends out his word, and melts them;

he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

19  He declares his word to Jacob,

his ^pstatutes and rules⁹ to Israel.

20  He ^qhas not dealt thus with any other nation;

they do not know his rules.¹⁰

^rPraise the Lord!

1  ^rPraise the Lord!

Praise the Lord ^sfrom the heavens;

praise him ^tin the heights!

2  Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his ^uhosts!

3  Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars!

4  Praise him, you ^vhighest heavens,

and you ^wwaters above the heavens!

5  ^xLet them praise the name of the Lord!

For ^yhe commanded and they were created.

6  And he ^zestablished them forever and ever;

he gave ^aa decree, and it shall not ^bpass away.¹¹

7  Praise the Lord ^cfrom the earth,

you ^dgreat sea creatures and all deeps,

8  ^efire and hail, ^fsnow and mist,

^gstormy wind ^hfulfilling his word!

9  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!

1  ^uPraise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord ^va new song,

his praise in ^wthe assembly of the godly!

2  Let Israel ^xbe glad in ^yhis Maker;

let the children of Zion rejoice in their ^zKing!

3  Let them praise his name with ^adancing,

making melody to him with ^btambourine and ^clyre!

4  For the Lord ^dtakes pleasure in his people;

he ^eadorns the humble with salvation.

5  Let the godly exult in glory;

let them ^fsing for joy on their ^gbeds.

6  Let ^hthe high praises of God be in their throats

and ⁱtwo-edged swords in their hands,

7  to execute vengeance on the nations

and punishments on the peoples,

8  to bind their kings with ^jchains

and their nobles with fetters of iron,

9  to execute on them the judgment ^kwritten!

^lThis is honor for all his godly ones.

^uPraise the Lord!

1  ^uPraise the Lord!

Praise God in his ^msanctuary;

praise him in ⁿhis mighty heavens!¹²

2  Praise him for his ^omighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent ^pgreatness!

3  Praise him with ^qtrumpet sound;

praise him with ^rlute and ^rharp!

4  Praise him with ^stambourine and ^sdance;

praise him with ^tstrings and ^upipe!

5  Praise him with sounding ^vcymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

6  Let ^weverything that has breath praise the Lord!

^xPraise the Lord!

2  To know wisdom and instruction,

to understand words of insight,

3  to receive instruction in wise dealing,

in ^brighteousness, justice, and equity;

4  to give prudence to ^cthe simple,

knowledge and ^ddiscretion to the youth—

5  Let the wise hear and ^eincrease in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6  to understand a proverb and a saying,

^fthe words of the wise and their ^griddles.

7  ^hThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8  ⁱHear, my son, your father’s instruction,

and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

9  for they are ^ja graceful garland for your head

and ^kpendants for your neck.

10  My son, if sinners ^lentice you,

do not consent.

11  If they say, “Come with us, ^mlet us lie in wait for blood;

ⁿlet us ambush the innocent without reason;

12  like Sheol let us ^oswallow them alive,

and whole, like ^pthose who go down to the pit;

13  we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

14  throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse”—

15  my son, ^qdo not walk in the way with them;

^rhold back your foot from their paths,

16  for ^stheir feet run to evil,

and they make haste to shed blood.

17  ^tFor in vain is a net spread

in the sight of any bird,

18  but these men ^ulie in wait for their own blood;

they ^uset an ambush for their own lives.

19  ^vSuch are the ways of everyone who is ^wgreedy for unjust gain;

^xit takes away the life of its possessors.

20  ^yWisdom cries aloud in the street,

in the markets she raises her voice;

21  at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

at ^zthe entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22  “How long, O ^asimple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will ^bscoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools ^chate knowledge?

23  If you turn at my reproof,¹

behold, I will ^dpour out my spirit to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24  ^eBecause I have called and ^fyou refused to listen,

have ^gstretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

25  because you have ^hignored all my counsel

and ⁱwould have none of my reproof,

26  I also ^jwill laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when ^kterror strikes you,

27  when terror strikes you like ^la storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28  ^mThen they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

29  Because they ^chated knowledge

and ⁿdid not choose the fear of the Lord,

30  ^hwould have none of my counsel

and ⁱdespised all my reproof,

31  therefore they shall eat ^othe fruit of their way,

and have ^ptheir fill of their own devices.

32  For the simple are killed by ^qtheir turning away,

and ^rthe complacency of fools destroys them;

33  but ^swhoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be ^tat ease, without dread of disaster.”

1  ^uMy son, ^vif you receive my words

and treasure up my commandments with you,

2  making your ear attentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

3  yes, if you call out for insight

and raise your voice ^wfor understanding,

4  if you seek it like ^xsilver

and search for it as for ^yhidden treasures,

5  then ^zyou will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

6  For ^athe Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is ^ba shield to those who ^cwalk in integrity,

8  guarding the paths of justice

and ^dwatching over the way of his ^esaints.

9  ^fThen you will understand ^grighteousness and justice

and equity, every good path;

10  for wisdom will come into your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

11  ^hdiscretion will ⁱwatch over you,

understanding will guard you,

12  delivering you from the way of evil,

from men of perverted speech,

13  who forsake the paths of uprightness

to ^jwalk in the ways of darkness,

14  who ^krejoice in doing evil

and ^ldelight in the perverseness of evil,

15  men whose ^mpaths are crooked,

ⁿand who are ^odevious in their ways.

16  So ^pyou will be delivered from the forbidden² woman,

from ^qthe adulteress³ with ^rher smooth words,

17  who forsakes ^sthe companion of her youth

and forgets ^tthe covenant of her God;

18  ^ufor her house sinks down to death,

and her paths to the departed;⁴

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 ^vwill inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it,

22  but the wicked will be ^wcut off from the land,

and the treacherous will be ^xrooted out of it.

1  ^yMy son, do not forget my teaching,

^zbut let your heart keep my commandments,

2  for ^alength of days and years of life

and ^bpeace they will add to you.

3  Let not ^csteadfast love and ^dfaithfulness forsake you;

^ebind them around your neck;

^fwrite them on the tablet of your heart.

4  So you will ^gfind favor and ^hgood success⁵

in the sight of God and man.

5  ⁱTrust in the Lord with all your heart,

and ^jdo not lean on your own understanding.

6  In all your ways ^kacknowledge him,

and he ^lwill make straight your paths.

7  ^mBe not wise in your own eyes;

ⁿfear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

8  It will be ^ohealing to your flesh⁶

and ^prefreshment⁷ to your bones.

9  Honor the Lord with your wealth

and with ^qthe firstfruits of all your produce;

10  then your ^rbarns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

11  ^sMy son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

12  for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as ^ta father the son in whom he delights.

13  ^uBlessed is the one who finds wisdom,

and the one who gets understanding,

14  ^vfor the gain from her is better than gain from silver

and her profit better than ^wgold.

15  She is more precious than ^xjewels,

and ^ynothing you desire can compare with her.

16  ^zLong life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are ^ariches and honor.

17  Her ^bways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

18  She is ^ca tree of life to those who ^dlay hold of her;

those who hold her fast are called blessed.

19  ^eThe Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

by understanding ^ehe established the heavens;

20  by his knowledge ^fthe deeps broke open,

and ^gthe clouds drop down the dew.

21  My son, ^hdo not lose sight of these—

keep sound wisdom and discretion,

22  and they will be ⁱlife for your soul

and ^jadornment for your neck.

23  ^kThen you will walk on your way securely,

^land your foot will not stumble.

24  ^mIf you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you lie down, ⁿyour sleep will be sweet.

25  ^oDo not be afraid of sudden terror

or of ^pthe ruin⁸ of the wicked, when it comes,

26  for the Lord will be your confidence

and will ^qkeep your foot from being caught.

27  ^rDo not withhold good from those to whom it is due,⁹

when it is in your power to do it.

28  ^sDo not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,