Psalm 25-27

English Standard Version

Teach Me Your Paths

^[a] Of David.

25 To you, O Lord, I ^(A)lift up my soul.
²O my God, in you I ^(B)trust;
    ^(C)let me not be put to shame;
    ^(D)let not my enemies exult over me.
³Indeed, ^(E)none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
    they shall be ashamed who are ^(F)wantonly ^(G)treacherous.

⁴^(H)Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
⁵Lead me in your ^(I)truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

⁶Remember your ^(J)mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
    ^(K)for they have been from of old.
⁷Remember not ^(L)the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your ^(M)steadfast love remember me,
    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

⁸^(N)Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he ^(O)instructs sinners in the way.
⁹He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are ^(P)steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹For your ^(Q)name's sake, O Lord,
    pardon my guilt, for it is ^(R)great.
¹²Who is the man who fears the Lord?
    Him ^(S)will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
¹³His soul shall ^(T)abide in well-being,
    and his ^(U)offspring ^(V)shall inherit the land.
¹⁴^(W)The friendship^[b] of the Lord is for those who fear him,
    and he makes known to them his covenant.
¹⁵My ^(X)eyes are ever toward the Lord,
    for he will ^(Y)pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶^(Z)Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
    bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸^(AA)Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹Consider how many are my foes,
    and with what violent hatred they hate me.
²⁰Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
    ^(AB)Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
²¹May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
    for I wait for you.

²²^(AC)Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.

I Will Bless the Lord

Of David.

26 ^(AD)Vindicate me, O Lord,
    for I have ^(AE)walked in my integrity,
    and I have ^(AF)trusted in the Lord without wavering.
²^(AG)Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and ^(AH)my mind.^[c]
³For your ^(AI)steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I ^(AJ)walk in your ^(AK)faithfulness.

⁴I do not ^(AL)sit with men of ^(AM)falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
⁵I ^(AN)hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.

⁶I ^(AO)wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
⁷proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your ^(AP)wondrous deeds.

⁸O Lord, I ^(AQ)love the habitation of your house
    and the place where your glory dwells.
⁹^(AR)Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
    nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
¹⁰in whose hands are evil devices,
    and whose right hands are full of ^(AS)bribes.

¹¹But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
redeem me, and be gracious to me.
¹²My foot stands on ^(AT)level ground;
in ^(AU)the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.

27 The Lord is my ^(AV)light and my ^(AW)salvation;
^(AX)whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold^[d] of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

²When evildoers assail me
to ^(AY)eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

³^(AZ)Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet^[e] I will be confident.

⁴^(BA)One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may ^(BB)dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon ^(BC)the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire^[f] in his temple.

⁵For he will ^(BD)hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will ^(BE)lift me high upon a rock.

⁶And now my ^(BF)head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of ^(BG)joy;
^(BH)I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

⁷^(BI)Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
⁸You have said, ^(BJ)“Seek^[g] my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”^[h]
⁹    ^(BK)Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
    O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    ^(BL)O God of my salvation!
¹⁰For ^(BM)my father and my mother have forsaken me,
    but the Lord will ^(BN)take me in.

¹¹^(BO)Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on ^(BP)a level path
    because of my enemies.
¹²^(BQ)Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
    for ^(BR)false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they ^(BS)breathe out violence.

¹³I believe that I shall look^[i] upon ^(BT)the goodness of the Lord
    in ^(BU)the land of the living!
¹⁴^(BV)Wait for the Lord;
    ^(BW)be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

Footnotes

Psalm 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Psalm 25:14 Or The secret counsel
Psalm 26:2 Hebrew test my kidneys and my heart
Psalm 27:1 Or refuge
Psalm 27:3 Or in this
Psalm 27:4 Or meditate
Psalm 27:8 The command (seek) is addressed to more than one person
Psalm 27:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
Psalm 27:13 Other Hebrew manuscripts Oh! Had I not believed that I would look