1 Why, O Lord, do you stand kfar away?
2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them nbe caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked oboasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain pcurses1 and qrenounces the Lord.
4 In the pride of his face2 the wicked does not qseek him;3
all his thoughts are, r“There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, sout of his sight;
as for all his foes, he tpuffs at them.
6 He usays in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I vshall not meet adversity.”
7 wHis mouth is filled with cursing and xdeceit and yoppression;
zunder his tongue are amischief and biniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;
in chiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 he lurks in ambush like da lion in his ethicket;
he flurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his gnet.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
12 jArise, O Lord; O God, klift up your hand;
lforget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked mrenounce God
and say in his heart, “You will not ncall to account”?
14 But you do see, for you onote mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless pcommits himself;
you have been qthe helper of the fatherless.
15 rBreak the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
scall his wickedness to account till you find none.
16 tThe Lord is king forever and ever;
the unations perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will vstrengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to wdo justice to the fatherless and xthe oppressed,
so that yman who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
Psalm 13
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 vHow long, O Lord? Will you wforget me forever?
How long will you xhide your face from me?
2 How long must I take ycounsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 zConsider and answer me, O Lord my God;
alight up my eyes, lest bI sleep the sleep of death,
4 clest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am dshaken.
5 But I have etrusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall frejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 22
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
1 uMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so vfar from saving me, from the words of my wgroaning?
2 O my God, I cry by xday, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are yholy,
zenthroned on athe praises1 of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they bcried and were rescued;
in you they ctrusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am da worm and not a man,
escorned by mankind and fdespised by the people.
7 All who see me gmock me;
they make mouths at me; they hwag their heads;
8 i“He trusts in the Lord; let him jdeliver him;
let him rescue him, for he kdelights in him!”
9 Yet you are he who ltook me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from mmy mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Be not nfar from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is onone to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me;
pstrong bulls of qBashan surround me;
13 they ropen wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am spoured out like water,
and all my bones are tout of joint;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is wdried up like a potsherd,
and my xtongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For ydogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers zencircles me;
they have apierced my hands and feet2—
17 I can count all my bones—
they bstare and gloat over me;
18 cthey divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O Lord, ndo not be far off!
O you my help, dcome quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of ethe dog!
21 Save me from fthe mouth of the lion!
22 hI will tell of your name to my ibrothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who jfear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, kglorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of lthe afflicted,
and he has not mhidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he ncried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great ocongregation;
my pvows I will qperform before those who fear him.
26 rThe afflicted4 shall seat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts tlive forever!
27 All uthe ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all vthe families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For wkingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All xthe prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall ybow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not zkeep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming ageneration;
31 they shall bcome and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet cunborn,
that he has done it.
Psalm 77
To the choirmaster: according to yJeduthun. A Psalm of zAsaph.
1 I acry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 bIn the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in cthe night my dhand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul erefuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I fmoan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so gtroubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider hthe days of old,
the years long ago.
6 I said,1 “Let me remember my isong in the night;
let me jmeditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord kspurn forever,
and never again lbe favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his mpromises at an end for all time?
9 nHas God forgotten to be gracious?
oHas he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will qremember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your rwork,
and meditate on your smighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is tholy.
uWhat god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who vworks wonders;
you have wmade known your might among the peoples.
15 You xwith your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When ythe waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies zgave forth thunder;
your aarrows flashed on every side.
18 bThe crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
cyour lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth dtrembled and shook.
19 Your eway was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints fwere unseen.3
20 You gled your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
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