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 17
A fPrayer of David.
1 Hear a just cause, O Lord; gattend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
2 From your presence hlet my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!
3 You have itried my heart, you have jvisited me by knight,
you have ltested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have mheld fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I ncall upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
oincline your ear to me; hear my words.
7 pWondrously show1 your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from qtheir adversaries at your right hand.
8 Keep me as rthe apple of your eye;
hide me in sthe shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who tsurround me.
10 uThey close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they vspeak arrogantly.
11 They have now surrounded our wsteps;
they set their eyes to xcast us to the ground.
12 He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion ylurking in ambush.
13 Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O Lord,
from zmen of the world whose aportion is in this life.2
You fill their womb with treasure;3
they are satisfied with bchildren,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
15 As for me, I shall cbehold your face in righteousness;
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.
Psalm 80
To the choirmaster: according to eLilies. A Testimony. Of fAsaph, a Psalm.
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead gJoseph like ha flock.
You who are ienthroned upon the cherubim, jshine forth.
2 Before kEphraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
lstir up your might
and mcome to save us!
olet your face shine, that we may be saved!
4 O pLord God of hosts,
qhow long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with rthe bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 sYou make us an object of contention for our sneighbors,
and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 nRestore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
8 You brought ta vine out of Egypt;
you udrove out the nations and planted it.
9 You vcleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to wthe sea
and its shoots to wthe River.2
12 Why then have you xbroken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 yThe boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
zLook down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted,
and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have aburned it with fire; they have acut it down;
may they perish at bthe rebuke of your face!
17 But clet your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you;
dgive us life, and we will call upon your name!
19 eRestore us, O Lord God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 86
iA Prayer of David.
1 jIncline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am kpoor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am lgodly;
save your servant, who mtrusts in you—you are my God.
3 nBe gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for oto you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and pforgiving,
qabounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 rGive ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7 In sthe day of my trouble I call upon you,
tfor you answer me.
8 There is unone like you among the gods, O Lord,
vnor are there any works like yours.
9 wAll the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For xyou are great and ydo wondrous things;
zyou alone are God.
11 aTeach me your way, O Lord,
that I may bwalk in your truth;
cunite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 dFor great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have edelivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14 O God, insolent men have frisen up against me;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God gmerciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 hTurn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to iyour servant,
and save ithe son of your maidservant.
17 jShow me a sign of your kfavor,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
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