⁴ Turn and come to my rescue.
Show your wonderful love
    and save me, Lord.
⁵ If I die, I cannot praise you
    or even remember you.
⁶ My groaning has worn me out.
At night my bed and pillow
    are soaked with tears.
⁷ Sorrow has made my eyes dim,
and my sight has failed
    because of my enemies.

^8 (B) You, Lord, heard my crying,
and those hateful people
    had better leave me alone.
⁹ You have answered my prayer
    and my plea for mercy.
¹⁰ My enemies will be ashamed
    and terrified,
as they quickly run away
    in complete disgrace.

³ I often think of the heavens
    your hands have made,
and of the moon and stars
    you put in place.
^4 (B) Then I ask, “Why do you care
    about us humans?
Why are you concerned
    for us weaklings?”
^5 (C) You made us a little lower
    than you yourself,^[c]
and you have crowned us
    with glory and honor.

^6 (D) You let us rule everything
    your hands have made.
And you put all of it
    under our power—
⁷ the sheep and the cattle,
    and every wild animal,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
the fish in the sea,
    and all ocean creatures.

⁹ Our Lord and Ruler,
your name is wonderful
    everywhere on earth!

³ When my enemies face you,
they run away and stumble
    and are destroyed.
⁴ You take your seat as judge,
and your fair decisions prove
    that I was in the right.
⁵ You warn the nations
    and destroy evil people;
you wipe out their names
    forever and ever.
⁶ Our enemies are destroyed
    completely for all time.
Their cities are torn down,
and they will never
    be remembered again.

⁷ You rule forever, Lord,
and you are on your throne,
    ready for judgment.
⁸ You judge the world fairly
and treat all nations
    with justice.
⁹ The poor can run to you
because you are a fortress
    in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Everyone who honors your name
    can trust you,
because you are faithful
    to all who depend on you.

¹¹ You rule from Zion, Lord,
    and we sing about you
to let the nations know
    everything you have done.
¹² You did not forget
    to punish the guilty
or listen to the cries
    of those in need.

^13 (E) Please have mercy, Lord!
    My enemies mistreat me.
Keep me from the gates
    that lead to death,
¹⁴ and I will sing about you
    at the gate to Zion.
I will be happy there
    because you rescued me.

^15 (F) Our Lord, the nations fell
    into their own pits,
and their feet were caught
    in their own traps.
¹⁶ You showed what you are like,
and you made certain
    that justice is done,
but evil people are trapped
    by their own evil deeds.
¹⁷ The wicked will go down
    to the world of the dead
to be with those nations
    that forgot about you.

¹⁸ The poor and the homeless
won't always be forgotten
    and without hope.

¹⁹ Do something, Lord!
    Don't let the nations win.
Make them stand trial
    in your court of law.
²⁰ Make the nations afraid
and let them all discover
    just how weak they are.

³ The wicked brag about
    their deepest desires.
Those greedy people hate
    and curse you, Lord.
⁴ The wicked are too proud
to turn to you
    or even think about you.
⁵ They are always successful,
though they can't understand
    your teachings,
and they keep sneering
    at their enemies.

⁶ In their hearts they say,
    “Nothing can hurt us!
We'll always be happy
    and free from trouble.”
^7 (G) They curse and tell lies,
and all they talk about
    is how to be cruel
    or how to do wrong.

⁸ They hide outside villages,
waiting to strike and murder
    some innocent victim.
⁹ They are hungry lions
    hiding in the bushes,
hoping to catch
    some helpless passerby.
They trap the poor in nets
    and drag them away.
¹⁰ They crouch down and wait
    to grab a victim.
¹¹ They say, “God can't see!
    He's got on a blindfold.”

¹² Do something, Lord God,
and use your powerful arm
    to help those in need.
¹³ The wicked don't respect you.
In their hearts they say,
    “God won't punish us!”

¹⁴ But you see the trouble
and the distress,
    and you will do something.
The poor can count on you,
    and so can orphans.
¹⁵ Now break the power
    of all merciless people.
Punish them for doing wrong
    and make them stop.

¹⁶ Our Lord, you will always rule,
but every godless nation
    will vanish from the earth.
¹⁷ You listen to the longings
    of those who suffer.
You offer them hope,
and you pay attention
    to their cries for help.
¹⁸ You defend orphans
    and everyone else in need,
so that no one on earth
    can terrify others again.

² From heaven the Lord
    looks down to see
if anyone is wise enough
    to search for him.
³ But all of them are corrupt;
    no one does right.

⁴ Won't you evil people learn?
    You refuse to pray,
and you gobble up
    the Lord's people.
⁵ But you will be frightened,
because God is on the side
    of every good person.
⁶ You may spoil the plans
of the poor,
    but the Lord protects them.

⁷ I long for someone from Zion
    to come and save Israel!
Our Lord, when you bless
    your people again,
Jacob's family will be glad,
    and Israel will celebrate.

³ Your people are wonderful,
    and they make me happy,^[a]
4 but worshipers of other gods
    will have much sorrow.^[b]
I refuse to offer sacrifices
of blood to those gods
    or worship in their name.

⁵ You, Lord, are all I want!
You are my choice,
    and you keep me safe.
⁶ You make my life pleasant,
    and my future is bright.

⁷ I praise you, Lord,
    for being my guide.
Even in the darkest night,
    your teachings fill my mind.
^8 (A) I will always look to you,
as you stand beside me
    and protect me from fear.
⁹ With all my heart,
I will celebrate,
    and I can safely rest.

^10 (B) I am your chosen one.
You won't leave me in the grave
    or let my body decay.
¹¹ You have shown me
    the path to life,
and you make me glad
    by being near to me.
Sitting at your right side,^[c]
    I will always be joyful.

In the heavens a tent
    is set up for the sun.
⁵ It rises like a bridegroom
and gets ready like a hero
    eager to run a race.
⁶ It travels all the way
across the sky.
    Nothing hides from its heat.

^7 (B) The Law of the Lord is perfect;
    it gives us new life.
His teachings last forever,
and they give wisdom
    to ordinary people.
⁸ The Lord's instruction is right;
    it makes our hearts glad.
His commands shine brightly,
    and they give us light.

⁹ Worshiping the Lord is sacred;
    he will always be worshiped.
All his decisions
    are correct and fair.
¹⁰ They are worth more
    than the finest gold
and are sweeter than honey
    from a honeycomb.

¹¹ By your teachings, Lord,
    I am warned;
by obeying them,
    I am greatly rewarded.
¹² None of us know our faults.
Forgive me when I sin
    without knowing it.
¹³ Don't let me do wrong
    on purpose, Lord,
or let sin have control
    over my life.
Then I will be innocent,
and not guilty
    of some terrible fault.

¹⁴ Let my words and my thoughts
    be pleasing to you, Lord,
because you are my mighty rock^[a]
    and my protector.

⁵ The king is highly honored.
You have let him win victories
    that have made him famous.
⁶ You have given him blessings
    that will last forever,
and you have made him glad
    by being so near to him.
⁷ Lord Most High,
    the king trusts you,
and your kindness
    keeps him from defeat.

⁸ With your mighty arm, Lord,
you will strike down all
    of your hateful enemies.
⁹ They will be destroyed by fire
    once you are here,
and because of your anger,
    flames will swallow them.
¹⁰ You will wipe their families
from the earth,
    and they will disappear.
¹¹ All their plans to harm you
    will come to nothing.
¹² You will make them run away
by shooting your arrows
    at their faces.

¹³ Show your strength, Lord,
so that we may sing
    and praise your power.