Psalm 1-8

New King James Version

BOOK ONE

Psalms 1–41

The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly

1 Blessed ^(A)is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ^[a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
^(B)Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
²But ^(C)his delight is in the law of the Lord,
^(D)And in His law he ^[b]meditates day and night.
³He shall be like a tree
^(E)Planted by the ^[c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall ^(F)prosper.

⁴The ungodly are not so,
But are ^(G)like the chaff which the wind drives away.
⁵Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶For ^(H)the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom^(I)

2 Why ^(J)do the ^[d]nations ^[e]rage,
And the people plot a ^[f]vain thing?
²The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the ^(K)rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His ^(L)Anointed,^[g] saying,
³“Let ^(M)us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

⁴He who sits in the heavens ^(N)shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
⁵Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
⁶“Yet I have ^[h]set My King
^[i]On My holy hill of Zion.”

⁷“I will declare the ^[j]decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
^(O)‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
⁸Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
⁹^(P)You shall ^[k]break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

¹⁰Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
¹¹Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
¹²^[l]Kiss the Son, lest ^[m]He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When ^(Q)His wrath is kindled but a little.
^(R)Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

The Lord Helps His Troubled People

A Psalm of David ^(S)when he fled from Absalom his son.

3 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
²Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah

³But You, O Lord, are ^(T)a shield ^[n]for me,
My glory and ^(U)the One who lifts up my head.
⁴I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And ^(V)He heard me from His ^(W)holy hill. Selah

⁵^(X)I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
⁶^(Y)I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
^(Z)For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
⁸^(AA)Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

The Safety of the Faithful

To the ^[o]Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
^[p]Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

²How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
³But know that ^(AB)the Lord has ^[q]set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.

⁴^(AC)Be^[r] angry, and do not sin.
^(AD)Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
⁵Offer ^(AE)the sacrifices of righteousness,
And ^(AF)put your trust in the Lord.

⁶There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
^(AG)Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
⁷You have put ^(AH)gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
⁸^(AI)I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
^(AJ)For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

A Prayer for Guidance

To the Chief Musician. With ^[s]flutes. A Psalm of David.

5 Give ^(AK)ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my ^[t]meditation.
²Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
³My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
^(AL)In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

⁴For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil ^[u]dwell with You.
⁵The ^(AM)boastful shall not ^(AN)stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
⁶You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the ^(AO)bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward ^[v]Your holy temple.
⁸^(AP)Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.

⁹For there is no ^[w]faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
^(AQ)Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
¹⁰Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.

¹¹But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You ^[x]defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
¹²For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

A Prayer of Faith in Time of Distress

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. ^(AR)On ^[y]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.

6 O Lord, ^(AS)do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
²Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, ^(AT)heal me, for my bones are troubled.
³My soul also is greatly ^(AU)troubled;
But You, O Lord—how long?

⁴Return, O Lord, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
⁵^(AV)For in death there is no remembrance of You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?

⁶I am weary with my groaning;
^[z]All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.
⁷^(AW)My eye wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies.

⁸^(AX)Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;
For the Lord has ^(AY)heard the voice of my weeping.
⁹The Lord has heard my supplication;
The Lord will receive my prayer.
¹⁰Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;
Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies

A ^(AZ)Meditation^[aa] of David, which he sang to the Lord ^(BA)concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

7 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
^(BB)Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me,
²^(BC)Lest they tear me like a lion,
^(BD)Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

³O Lord my God, ^(BE)if I have done this:
If there is ^(BF)iniquity in my hands,
⁴If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or ^(BG)have plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

⁶Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
^(BH)Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
^(BI)Rise up ^[ab]for me to the judgment You have commanded!
⁷So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
⁸The Lord shall judge the peoples;
^(BJ)Judge me, O Lord, ^(BK)according to my righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.

⁹Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
^(BL)For the righteous God tests the hearts and ^[ac]minds.
¹⁰^[ad]My defense is of God,
Who saves the ^(BM)upright in heart.

¹¹God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
¹²If he does not turn back,
He will ^(BN)sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
¹³He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

¹⁴^(BO)Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
¹⁵He made a pit and dug it out,
^(BP)And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
¹⁶^(BQ)His trouble shall return upon his own head,
And his violent dealing shall come down on ^[ae]his own crown.

¹⁷I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

The Glory of the Lord in Creation

To the Chief Musician. ^[af]On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.

8 O Lord, our Lord,
How ^(BR)excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have ^(BS)set Your glory above the heavens!

²^(BT)Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ^[ag]ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence ^(BU)the enemy and the avenger.

³When I ^(BV)consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
⁴^(BW)What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You ^(BX)visit^[ah] him?
⁵For You have made him a little lower than ^[ai]the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶^(BY)You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
^(BZ)You have put all things under his feet,
⁷All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
⁸The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.