Psalm 25

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for Protection, Guidance, and Pardon.

A Psalm of David.

25 To You, Lord, I ^(A)lift up my soul.
²My God, in You ^(B)I trust,
Do not let me ^(C)be ashamed;
Do not let my ^(D)enemies rejoice over me.
³Indeed, ^(E)none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
^[a]Those who ^(F)deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

⁴^(G)Make me know Your ways, Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
⁵Lead me in ^(H)Your truth and teach me,
For You are the ^(I)God of my salvation;
For You I ^(J)wait all the day.
⁶^(K)Remember, Lord, Your compassion and Your faithfulness,
For they have been ^[b]^(L)from of old.
⁷Do not remember the ^(M)sins of my youth or my wrongdoings;
^(N)Remember me according to Your faithfulness,
For Your ^(O)goodness’ sake, Lord.

⁸^(P)The Lord is good and ^(Q)upright;
Therefore He ^(R)instructs sinners in the way.
⁹He ^(S)leads the ^[c]humble in justice,
And He ^(T)teaches the ^[d]humble His way.
¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are ^(U)faithfulness and truth
To ^(V)those who comply with His covenant and His testimonies.
¹¹For the ^(W)sake of Your name, Lord,
^(X)Forgive my wrongdoing, for it is great.

¹²Who is the person who ^(Y)fears the Lord?
He will ^(Z)instruct him in the way he should choose.
¹³His soul will ^(AA)dwell in ^[e]prosperity,
And his ^[f]descendants will ^(AB)inherit the ^[g]land.
¹⁴The ^[h]^(AC)secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
^[i]And He will ^(AD)make them know His covenant.
¹⁵My ^(AE)eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will ^[j]^(AF)rescue my feet from the net.

¹⁶^(AG)Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am ^(AH)lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷^[k]The ^(AI)troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me ^(AJ)out of my distresses.
¹⁸^(AK)Look at my misery and my trouble,
And ^(AL)forgive all my sins.
¹⁹Look at my enemies, for they ^(AM)are many,
And they ^(AN)hate me with violent hatred.
²⁰^(AO)Guard my soul and save me;
Do not let me ^(AP)be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
²¹Let ^(AQ)integrity and uprightness protect me,
For ^(AR)I wait for You.
²²^(AS)Redeem Israel, God,
From all his distress.

Footnotes

Psalm 25:3 Or Let those...be ashamed
Psalm 25:6 Or everlasting
Psalm 25:9 Or afflicted
Psalm 25:9 Or afflicted
Psalm 25:13 Lit good
Psalm 25:13 Lit seed
Psalm 25:13 Or earth
Psalm 25:14 Or counsel; or intimacy
Psalm 25:14 Or And His covenant, to make them know it
Psalm 25:15 Lit bring out
Psalm 25:17 Some commentators Relieve the troubles of my heart

Psalm 55

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

For the music director; on stringed instruments. A ^[a]Maskil of David.

55 ^(A)Listen to my prayer, God;
And ^(B)do not hide Yourself from my pleading.
²Give Your ^(C)attention to me and answer me;
I am restless in my ^(D)complaint and ^[b]^(E)severely distracted,
³Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the ^(F)pressure of the wicked;
For they ^(G)bring down ^[c]trouble upon me
And in anger they ^(H)hold a grudge against me.

⁴My ^(I)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of ^(J)death have fallen upon me.
⁵Fear and ^(K)trembling come upon me,
And ^[d]^(L)horror has ^[e]overwhelmed me.
⁶I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and ^[f]^(M)be at rest.
⁷Behold, I would flee far away,
I would ^(N)spend my nights in the wilderness. Selah
⁸I would hurry to my place of refuge
From the ^(O)stormy wind and heavy gale.”

⁹Confuse them, Lord, ^(P)divide their tongues,
For I have seen ^(Q)violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And evil and harm are in her midst.
¹¹^(R)Destruction is in her midst;
^(S)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her ^[g]streets.

¹²For it is ^(T)not an enemy who taunts me,
Then I could endure it;
Nor is it one who hates me who ^(U)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
¹³But it is you, a man ^[h]my equal,
My ^(V)companion and my ^(W)confidant;
¹⁴We who had sweet ^[i]fellowship together,
^(X)Walked in the house of God among the commotion.
¹⁵May ^[j]death come ^(Y)deceitfully upon them;
May they ^(Z)go down alive to ^[k]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

¹⁶As for me, I shall ^(AA)call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
¹⁷^(AB)Evening and ^(AC)morning and at ^(AD)noon, I will complain and moan,
And He will hear my voice.
¹⁸He will ^(AE)redeem my soul in peace ^[l]from the battle which is against me,
For they are ^(AF)many who are aggressive toward me.
¹⁹God will ^(AG)hear and humiliate them—
Even the one ^(AH)who ^[m]sits enthroned from ancient times— Selah
With whom there ^[n]is no change,
And who ^(AI)do not fear God.
²⁰He has put forth his hands against ^(AJ)those who were at peace with him;
He has ^[o]^(AK)violated his covenant.
²¹His ^[p]speech was ^(AL)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were ^(AM)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn ^(AN)swords.

²²^(AO)Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
^(AP)He will never allow the righteous to ^[q]^(AQ)be shaken.
²³But You, God, will bring them down to the ^(AR)pit of destruction;
^(AS)Men of bloodshed and deceit will ^(AT)not live out half their days.
But I will ^(AU)trust in You.

Footnotes

Psalm 55 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 55:2 Another reading is I must moan
Psalm 55:3 Or wickedness
Psalm 55:5 Lit shuddering
Psalm 55:5 Lit covered
Psalm 55:6 Lit settle down
Psalm 55:11 Or plaza
Psalm 55:13 Lit according to my valuation
Psalm 55:14 Lit counsel; or intimacy
Psalm 55:15 Another reading is devastation be upon them
Psalm 55:15 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 55:18 Or so that none may approach me
Psalm 55:19 Or remains from
Psalm 55:19 Lit are no changes
Psalm 55:20 Lit profaned
Psalm 55:21 Lit mouth
Psalm 55:22 Or totter

Psalm 85

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.

For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

85 Lord, You showed ^(A)favor to Your land;
You ^(B)restored the fortunes of Jacob.
²You ^(C)forgave the guilt of Your people;
You ^(D)covered all their sin. Selah
³You ^(E)withdrew all Your fury;
You ^(F)turned away from Your burning anger.

⁴^(G)Restore us, God of our salvation,
And ^(H)cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
⁵Will ^(I)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to ^[a]all generations?
⁶Will You not ^[b]^(J)revive us again,
So that Your people may ^(K)rejoice in You?
⁷Show us Your mercy, Lord,
And ^(L)grant us Your salvation.

⁸^[c]I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will ^(M)speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
And may they not ^(N)turn back to ^[d]foolishness.
⁹Certainly ^(O)His salvation is near to those who ^[e]fear Him,
That ^(P)glory may dwell in our land.
¹⁰^(Q)Graciousness and ^[f]truth have met together;
^(R)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
¹¹^[g]Truth ^(S)sprouts from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
¹²Indeed, ^(T)the Lord will give what is good,
And our ^(U)land will yield its produce.
¹³^(V)Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.

Footnotes

Psalm 85:5 Lit generation and generation
Psalm 85:6 Or bring to life
Psalm 85:8 Or Let me hear
Psalm 85:8 I.e., foolish self-confidence
Psalm 85:9 Or revere
Psalm 85:10 Or faithfulness
Psalm 85:11 Or Faithfulness

Psalm 115

New American Standard Bible

Heathen Idols Contrasted with the Lord.

115 ^(A)Not to us, Lord, not to us,
But ^(B)to Your name give glory,
Because of Your mercy, because of Your ^[a]truth.
²^(C)Why should the nations say,
“^(D)Where, then, is their God?”
³But our ^(E)God is in the heavens;
He ^(F)does whatever He pleases.
⁴Their ^(G)idols are silver and gold,
The ^(H)work of human hands.
⁵They have mouths, but they ^(I)cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
⁶They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
⁷^[b]They have hands, but they cannot feel;
^[c]They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
⁸^(J)Those who make them ^[d]will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.

⁹^(K)Israel, ^(L)trust in the Lord;
He is their ^(M)help and their shield.
¹⁰House of ^(N)Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
¹¹You who ^[e]^(O)fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
¹²The Lord ^(P)has been mindful of us; He will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
¹³He will ^(Q)bless those who ^[f]fear the Lord,
^(R)The small together with the great.
¹⁴May the Lord ^(S)increase you,
You and your children.
¹⁵May you be blessed of the Lord,
^(T)Maker of heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heavens are ^(U)the heavens of the Lord,
But ^(V)the earth He has given to the sons of mankind.
¹⁷The ^(W)dead do not praise ^[g]the Lord,
Nor do any who go down into ^(X)silence;
¹⁸But as for us, we will ^(Y)bless ^[h]the Lord
From this time and forever.
^[i]Praise ^[j]the Lord!

Footnotes

Psalm 115:1 Or faithfulness
Psalm 115:7 Lit Their hands
Psalm 115:7 Lit Their feet
Psalm 115:8 Or are like them
Psalm 115:11 Or revere
Psalm 115:13 Or revere
Psalm 115:17 Heb Yah
Psalm 115:18 Heb Yah
Psalm 115:18 Or Hallelujah!
Psalm 115:18 Heb Yah

Psalm 145

New American Standard Bible

The Lord Exalted for His Goodness.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

145 I will ^(A)exalt You, ^(B)my God, the King,
And I will ^(C)bless Your name forever and ever.
²Every day I will bless You,
And I will ^(D)praise Your name forever and ever.
³^(E)Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His ^(F)greatness is unsearchable.
⁴One ^(G)generation will praise Your works to another,
And will declare Your mighty acts.
⁵On the ^(H)glorious ^[a]splendor of Your majesty
And ^(I)on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
⁶People will speak of the ^[b]power of Your ^(J)awesome acts,
And I will ^(K)tell of Your greatness.
⁷They will burst forth ^[c]in speaking of Your ^(L)abundant goodness,
And will ^(M)shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is ^(N)gracious and compassionate;
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
⁹The Lord is ^(O)good to all,
And His ^(P)mercies are over all His works.
¹⁰^(Q)All Your works will give thanks to You, Lord,
And Your ^(R)godly ones will bless You.
¹¹They will speak of the ^(S)glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your might,
¹²To ^(T)make known to the sons of mankind ^[d]Your mighty acts,
And the ^(U)glory of the majesty of ^[e]Your kingdom.
¹³Your kingdom is ^[f]an ^(V)everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
^[g]The Lord is faithful in His words,
And holy in all His works.

¹⁴The Lord ^(W)supports all who fall,
And ^(X)raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all ^[h]look to You,
And You ^(Y)give them their food in due time.
¹⁶You ^(Z)open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is ^(AA)righteous in all His ways,
And kind in all His works.
¹⁸The Lord is ^(AB)near to all who call on Him,
To all who call on Him ^(AC)in truth.
¹⁹He will ^(AD)fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also ^(AE)hear their cry for help and save them.
²⁰The Lord ^(AF)watches over all who love Him,
But He will destroy all the ^(AG)wicked.
²¹My ^(AH)mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And ^(AI)all flesh will ^(AJ)bless His holy name forever and ever.

Footnotes

Psalm 145:5 Or majesty of Your splendor
Psalm 145:6 Or strength
Psalm 145:7 Lit the mention of
Psalm 145:12 Lit His
Psalm 145:12 Lit His
Psalm 145:13 Lit a kingdom of all ages
Psalm 145:13 The Lord...His works in LXX (cf. DSS); not found in MT
Psalm 145:15 Lit wait; or hope for

Proverbs 25

New American Standard Bible

Similitudes and Instructions

25 These also are ^(A)proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.

²It is the glory of God to ^(B)conceal a matter,
But the glory of ^(C)kings is to search out a matter.
³As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
⁴Take away the ^[a]^(D)impurities from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the ^(E)smith;
⁵Take away the ^(F)wicked before the king,
And his ^(G)throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶Do not boast in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the same place ^[b]as great people;
⁷For ^(H)it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not go out ^(I)hastily to ^[c]argue your case;
^[d]Otherwise, what will you do in ^[e]the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
⁹^[f]^(J)Argue your case with your neighbor,
And ^(K)do not reveal the secret of another,
¹⁰Or one who hears it will put you to shame,
And the evil report about you will not ^[g]pass away.

¹¹Like apples of gold in settings of silver,
Is a ^(L)word spoken at ^[h]the proper time.
¹²Like ^[i]an ^(M)earring of gold and a ^(N)jewelry piece of ^(O)fine gold,
Is a wise person who offers rebukes to a ^(P)listening ear.
¹³Like the cold of snow in the ^[j]time of harvest
Is a ^(Q)faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
¹⁴Like ^(R)clouds and ^(S)wind without rain
Is a person who boasts ^[k]of his gifts falsely.
¹⁵Through ^[l]^(T)patience a ruler may be persuaded,
And a gentle tongue breaks bone.
¹⁶Have you ^(U)found honey? Eat only ^[m]what you need,
So that you do not have it in excess and vomit it.
¹⁷Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,
Or he will become ^[n]weary of you and hate you.
¹⁸Like a club, a ^(V)sword, and a sharp ^(W)arrow
Is a person who gives ^(X)false testimony against his neighbor.
¹⁹Like a bad tooth and ^[o]an unsteady foot
Is confidence in a ^(Y)treacherous person in time of trouble.
²⁰Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on ^[p]soda,
Is one who sings songs to ^[q]a troubled heart.
²¹^(Z)If ^[r]your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
²²For you will ^[s]heap burning coals on his head,
And ^(AA)the Lord will reward you.
²³The north wind brings rain,
And a ^[t]^(AB)gossiping tongue brings an angry face.
²⁴It is ^(AC)better to live on a corner of the roof,
Than ^[u]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
²⁵Like cold water to a weary soul,
So is ^(AD)good news from a distant land.
²⁶Like a ^(AE)trampled spring and a ^[v]polluted well,
So is a righteous person who gives way before the wicked.
²⁷It is not good to eat much honey,
Nor is it glory to ^(AF)search out ^[w]one’s own glory.
²⁸Like a ^(AG)city that is broken into and without walls
So is a person ^(AH)who has no self-control over his spirit.