Psalm 1

New American Standard Bible

BOOK 1

The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.

1 Blessed is the person who ^(A)does not walk in the ^(B)counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the ^[a]^(C)path of sinners,
Nor ^(D)sit in the seat of scoffers!
²But his ^(E)delight is ^(F)in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates ^(G)day and ^(H)night.
³He will be like ^(I)a tree planted by ^[b]streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its ^[c]leaf does not wither;
And ^[d]in whatever he does, ^(J)he prospers.

⁴The wicked are not so,
But they are like ^(K)chaff which the wind blows away.
⁵Therefore ^(L)the wicked will not stand in the ^(M)judgment,
Nor sinners in ^(N)the assembly of the righteous.
⁶For the Lord ^[e]^(O)knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of ^(P)the wicked will perish.

Footnotes

Psalm 1:1 Or way
Psalm 1:3 Or canals
Psalm 1:3 Or foliage
Psalm 1:3 Or all that he does prospers
Psalm 1:6 Or approves; or has regard to

Psalm 31

New American Standard Bible

A Psalm of Complaint and of Praise.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

31 ^(A)In You, Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never ^(B)be ^[a]put to shame;
^(C)In Your righteousness rescue me.
²^(D)Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
Be a ^(E)rock of ^[b]strength for me,
A ^[c]stronghold to save me.
³For You are my rock and ^(F)my fortress;
For the ^(G)sake of Your name You will lead me and guide me.
⁴You will ^(H)pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my ^(I)strength.
⁵^(J)Into Your hand I entrust my spirit;
You have ^(K)redeemed me, Lord, ^(L)God of ^[d]truth.

⁶I hate those who ^(M)devote themselves to worthless ^[e]idols,
But I ^(N)trust in the Lord.
⁷I will ^(O)rejoice and be glad in Your faithfulness,
Because You have ^(P)seen my misery;
You have known the troubles of my soul,
⁸And You have not ^(Q)handed me over to the enemy;
You have set my feet in a large place.

⁹Be gracious to me, Lord, for ^(R)I am in distress;
My ^(S)eye is wasted away from grief, ^(T)my soul and my body too.
¹⁰For my life is spent with ^(U)sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My ^(V)strength has failed because of my guilt,
And ^(W)my ^[f]body has wasted away.
¹¹Because of all my adversaries, I have become a ^(X)disgrace,
Especially to my ^(Y)neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me in the street flee from me.
¹²I am ^(Z)forgotten like a dead person, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
¹³For I have heard the ^[g]^(AA)slander of many,
^(AB)Terror is on every side;
While they ^(AC)took counsel together against me,
They ^(AD)schemed to take away my life.

¹⁴But as for me, I trust in You, Lord,
I say, “^(AE)You are my God.”
¹⁵My ^(AF)times are in Your hand;
^(AG)Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
¹⁶Make Your ^(AH)face shine upon Your servant;
^(AI)Save me in Your faithfulness.
¹⁷Let me not be ^(AJ)put to shame, Lord, for I call upon You;
Let the ^(AK)wicked be put to shame, let them ^(AL)be silent in ^[h]Sheol.
¹⁸Let the ^(AM)lying lips be speechless,
Which ^(AN)speak arrogantly against the righteous
With pride and contempt.

¹⁹How great is Your ^(AO)goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have performed for those who ^(AP)take refuge in You,
^(AQ)Before the sons of mankind!
²⁰You hide them in the ^(AR)secret place of Your presence from the ^(AS)conspiracies of mankind;
You keep them secretly in a ^[i]shelter from the ^(AT)strife of tongues.
²¹^(AU)Blessed be the Lord,
For He has shown His ^(AV)marvelous faithfulness to me in a besieged ^(AW)city.
²²As for me, ^(AX)I said in my alarm,
“I am ^(AY)cut off from Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You ^(AZ)heard the sound of my pleadings
When I called to You for help.

²³Love the Lord, all ^(BA)His godly ones!
The Lord ^(BB)watches over the faithful
But fully ^(BC)repays the one who acts arrogantly.
²⁴^(BD)Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who wait for the Lord.

Footnotes

Psalm 31:1 Or ashamed;
Psalm 31:2 Or refuge, protection
Psalm 31:2 Lit house of a stronghold
Psalm 31:5 Or faithfulness
Psalm 31:6 Lit futilities
Psalm 31:10 Or bones, substance
Psalm 31:13 Lit whispering
Psalm 31:17 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 31:20 Or pavilion

Psalm 61

New American Standard Bible

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the music director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

61 ^(A)Hear my cry, God;
^(B)Give Your attention to my prayer.
²From the ^(C)end of the earth I call to You when my heart is ^(D)faint;
Lead me to ^(E)the rock that is higher than I.
³For You have been a ^(F)refuge for me,
A ^(G)tower of strength against the enemy.
⁴Let me ^[a]^(H)dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me ^(I)take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

⁵For You have heard my ^(J)vows, God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who ^(K)fear Your name.
⁶You will ^[b]^(L)prolong the king’s ^[c]life;
His years will be like generations.
⁷He will ^[d]sit enthroned ^(M)before God forever;
Appoint ^(N)faithfulness and truth that they may watch over him.
⁸So I will ^(O)sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may ^(P)pay my vows day by day.

Footnotes

Psalm 61:4 Or sojourn
Psalm 61:6 Lit add days to
Psalm 61:6 Lit days
Psalm 61:7 Or remain before

Psalm 91

New American Standard Bible

Security of One Who Trusts in the Lord.

91 One who dwells in the ^(A)shelter of the Most High
Will lodge in the ^(B)shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say to the Lord, “My ^(C)refuge and my ^(D)fortress,
My God, in whom I ^(E)trust!”
³For it is He who rescues you from the ^(F)net of the trapper
And from the deadly ^(G)plague.
⁴He will ^(H)cover you with His pinions,
And ^(I)under His wings you may take refuge;
His ^(J)faithfulness is a ^(K)shield and wall.

⁵You ^(L)will not be afraid of the ^(M)terror by night,
Or of the ^(N)arrow that flies by day;
⁶Of the ^(O)plague that ^[a]stalks in darkness,
Or of the ^(P)destruction that devastates at noon.
⁷A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But ^(Q)it shall not approach you.
⁸You will only look on with your eyes
And ^(R)see the retaliation against the wicked.
⁹^[b]For you have made the Lord, ^(S)my refuge,
The Most High, ^(T)your dwelling place.
¹⁰^(U)No evil will happen to you,
Nor will any plague come near your ^[c]tent.

¹¹For He will give ^(V)His angels orders concerning you,
To protect you in all your ways.
¹²On their hands they will ^(W)lift you up,
So that you do not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³You will ^(X)walk upon the lion and cobra,
You will trample the young lion and the ^[d]serpent.

¹⁴“^(Y)Because he has loved Me, I will save him;
I will ^(Z)set him securely on high, because he has ^(AA)known My name.
¹⁵He will ^(AB)call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in ^[e]trouble;
I will rescue him and ^(AC)honor him.
¹⁶I will satisfy him with ^[f]a ^(AD)long life,
And ^[g]^(AE)show him My salvation.”

Footnotes

Psalm 91:6 Or walks
Psalm 91:9 Or For You, O Lord, are my Refuge; You have made the Most High your dwelling place
Psalm 91:10 Or dwelling
Psalm 91:13 Or dragon
Psalm 91:15 Or distress
Psalm 91:16 Lit length of days
Psalm 91:16 Or cause him to feast his eyes on

Psalm 121

New American Standard Bible

The Lord, the Keeper of Israel.

A Song of Ascents.

121 I will ^(A)raise my eyes to ^(B)the mountains;
From where will my help come?
²My ^(C)help comes from the Lord,
Who ^(D)made heaven and earth.
³He will not ^(E)allow your foot to slip;
He who ^(F)watches over you will not slumber.
⁴Behold, He who watches over Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is your ^[a]^(G)protector;
The Lord is your ^(H)shade on your right hand.
⁶The ^(I)sun will not ^[b]beat down on you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
⁷The Lord will ^[c]^(J)protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
⁸The Lord will ^[d]^(K)guard your going out and your coming in
^(L)From this time and forever.

Footnotes

Psalm 121:5 Or keeper
Psalm 121:6 Lit strike you
Psalm 121:7 Or keep
Psalm 121:8 Or keep

Proverbs 1

New American Standard Bible

The Usefulness of Proverbs

1 The ^(A)proverbs of Solomon ^(B)the son of David, king of Israel:

²To know ^(C)wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of ^(D)understanding,
³To ^(E)receive instruction in wise behavior,
^(F)Righteousness, justice, and integrity;
⁴To give ^(G)prudence to the naive,
To the youth ^(H)knowledge and discretion,
⁵A wise person will hear and ^(I)increase in learning,
And a ^(J)person of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
⁶To understand a proverb and a saying,
The words of the wise and their ^(K)riddles.

⁷^(L)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

⁸^(M)Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
And ^(N)do not ignore your mother’s teaching;
⁹For they are a ^(O)graceful wreath for your head
And ^(P)necklaces for your neck.
¹⁰My son, if sinners ^(Q)entice you,
^(R)Do not consent.
¹¹If they say, “Come with us,
Let’s ^(S)lie in wait for blood,
Let’s ^(T)ambush the innocent without cause;
¹²Let’s ^(U)swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, like those who ^(V)go down to the pit;
¹³We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with plunder;
¹⁴Throw in your lot ^[a]with us;
We will all have one money bag,”
¹⁵My son, ^(W)do not walk on the way with them.
^(X)Keep your feet from their path,
¹⁶For ^(Y)their feet run to evil,
And they are quick to shed blood.
¹⁷Indeed, it is ^[b]useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any ^[c]bird;
¹⁸But they ^(Z)lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
¹⁹Such are the ways of everyone who ^(AA)makes unjust gain;
It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

²⁰^(AB)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She ^[d]raises her voice in the public square;
²¹At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:
²²“How long, you ^(AC)naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking?
And how long will ^(AD)scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools ^(AE)hate knowledge?
²³Turn to my rebuke,
Behold, I will ^(AF)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
²⁴Because ^(AG)I called and you ^(AH)refused,
I ^(AI)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
²⁵And you ^(AJ)neglected all my advice
And did not ^(AK)want my rebuke;
²⁶I will also ^(AL)laugh at your ^(AM)disaster;
I will mock when your ^(AN)dread comes,
²⁷When your dread comes like a storm
And your disaster comes like a ^(AO)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸Then they will ^(AP)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will ^(AQ)seek me diligently but will not find me,
²⁹Because they ^(AR)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
³⁰They ^(AS)did not accept my advice,
They disdainfully rejected every rebuke from me.
³¹So they shall ^(AT)eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be ^(AU)filled with their own schemes.
³²For the ^(AV)faithlessness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
³³But ^(AW)whoever listens to me will live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”