Psalm 26-27

New King James Version

A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption

A Psalm of David.

26 Vindicate ^(A)me, O Lord,
For I have ^(B)walked in my integrity.
^(C)I have also trusted in the Lord;
I shall not slip.
²^(D)Examine me, O Lord, and ^[a]prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
³For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And ^(E)I have walked in Your truth.
⁴I have not ^(F)sat with idolatrous mortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
⁵I have ^(G)hated the assembly of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.

⁶I will wash my hands in innocence;
So I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
⁷That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
And tell of all Your wondrous works.
⁸Lord, ^(H)I have loved the habitation of Your house,
And the place ^[b]where Your glory dwells.

⁹^(I)Do^[c] not gather my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
¹⁰In whose hands is a sinister scheme,
And whose right hand is full of ^(J)bribes.

¹¹But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me.
¹²^(K)My foot stands in an even place;
In the congregations I will bless the Lord.

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my ^(L)light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The ^(M)Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
²When the wicked came against me
To ^(N)eat^[d] up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³^(O)Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

⁴^(P)One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may ^(Q)dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the ^[e]beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
⁵For ^(R)in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall ^(S)set me high upon a rock.

⁶And now ^(T)my head shall be ^[f]lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of ^[g]joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

⁷Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
⁸When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
⁹^(U)Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
¹⁰^(V)When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

¹¹^(W)Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
¹²Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For ^(X)false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
¹³I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
^(Y)In the land of the living.