Psalm 25-32

Good News Translation

⁴ Teach me your ways, O Lord;
    make them known to me.
⁵ Teach me to live according to your truth,
    for you are my God, who saves me.
    I always trust in you.

⁶ Remember, O Lord, your kindness and constant love
    which you have shown from long ago.
⁷ Forgive the sins and errors of my youth.
In your constant love and goodness,
    remember me, Lord!

⁸ Because the Lord is righteous and good,
    he teaches sinners the path they should follow.
⁹ He leads the humble in the right way
    and teaches them his will.
¹⁰ With faithfulness and love he leads
    all who keep his covenant and obey his commands.

¹¹ Keep your promise, Lord, and forgive my sins,
    for they are many.
¹² Those who have reverence for the Lord
    will learn from him the path they should follow.
¹³ They will always be prosperous,
    and their children will possess the land.
¹⁴ The Lord is the friend of those who obey him
    and he affirms his covenant with them.

¹⁵ I look to the Lord for help at all times,
    and he rescues me from danger.
¹⁶ Turn to me, Lord, and be merciful to me,
    because I am lonely and weak.
¹⁷ Relieve me of my worries
    and save me from all my troubles.
¹⁸ Consider my distress and suffering
    and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹ See how many enemies I have;
    see how much they hate me.
²⁰ Protect me and save me;
    keep me from defeat.
    I come to you for safety.
²¹ May my goodness and honesty preserve me,
    because I trust in you.

²² From all their troubles, O God,
    save your people Israel!

⁴ I do not keep company with worthless people;
    I have nothing to do with hypocrites.
⁵ I hate the company of the evil
    and avoid the wicked.

⁶ Lord, I wash my hands to show that I am innocent
    and march in worship around your altar.
⁷ I sing a hymn of thanksgiving
    and tell of all your wonderful deeds.

⁸ I love the house where you live, O Lord,
    the place where your glory dwells.
⁹ Do not destroy me with the sinners;
    spare me from the fate of murderers—
¹⁰     those who do evil all the time
    and are always ready to take bribes.

¹¹ As for me, I do what is right;
    be merciful to me and save me!

¹² I am safe from all dangers;
    in the assembly of his people I praise the Lord.

² When evil people attack me and try to kill me,
    they stumble and fall.
³ Even if a whole army surrounds me,
    I will not be afraid;
even if enemies attack me,
    I will still trust God.^[e]

⁴ I have asked the Lord for one thing;
    one thing only do I want:
to live in the Lord's house all my life,
    to marvel there at his goodness,
    and to ask for his guidance.
⁵ In times of trouble he will shelter me;
    he will keep me safe in his Temple
    and make me secure on a high rock.
⁶ So I will triumph over my enemies around me.
    With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his Temple;
    I will sing, I will praise the Lord.

⁷ Hear me, Lord, when I call to you!
    Be merciful and answer me!
⁸ When you said, “Come worship me,”
I answered, “I will come, Lord.”
⁹     Don't hide yourself from me!

Don't be angry with me;
    don't turn your servant away.
You have been my help;
    don't leave me, don't abandon me,
    O God, my savior.
¹⁰ My father and mother may abandon me,
    but the Lord will take care of me.

¹¹ Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do,
    and lead me along a safe path,
    because I have many enemies.
¹² Don't abandon me to my enemies,
    who attack me with lies and threats.

¹³ I know that I will live to see
    the Lord's goodness in this present life.
¹⁴ Trust in the Lord.
    Have faith, do not despair.
Trust in the Lord.

^4 (A)Punish them for what they have done,
    for the evil they have committed.
Punish them for all their deeds;
    give them what they deserve!
⁵ They take no notice of what the Lord has done
    or of what he has made;
so he will punish them
    and destroy them forever.

⁶ Give praise to the Lord;
    he has heard my cry for help.
⁷ The Lord protects and defends me;
    I trust in him.
He gives me help and makes me glad;
    I praise him with joyful songs.

⁸ The Lord protects his people;
    he defends and saves his chosen king.
⁹ Save your people, Lord,
    and bless those who are yours.
Be their shepherd,
    and take care of them forever.

³ The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas;
    the glorious God thunders,
    and his voice echoes over the ocean.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is heard
    in all its might and majesty.

⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
    even the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes the mountains of Lebanon jump like calves
    and makes Mount Hermon leap like a young bull.

⁷ The voice of the Lord makes the lightning flash.
⁸ His voice makes the desert shake;
    he shakes the desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The Lord's voice shakes the oaks^[i]
    and strips the leaves from the trees
    while everyone in his Temple shouts, “Glory to God!”

¹⁰ The Lord rules over the deep waters;
    he rules as king forever.
¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people
    and blesses them with peace.

⁴ Sing praise to the Lord,
    all his faithful people!
Remember what the Holy One has done,
    and give him thanks!
⁵ His anger lasts only a moment,
    his goodness for a lifetime.
Tears may flow in the night,
    but joy comes in the morning.

⁶ I felt secure and said to myself,
    “I will never be defeated.”
⁷ You were good to me, Lord;
    you protected me like a mountain fortress.
But then you hid yourself from me,
    and I was afraid.

⁸ I called to you, Lord;
    I begged for your help:
⁹ “What will you gain from my death?
    What profit from my going to the grave?
Are dead people able to praise you?
    Can they proclaim your unfailing goodness?
¹⁰ Hear me, Lord, and be merciful!
    Help me, Lord!”

¹¹ You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance;
    you have taken away my sorrow
    and surrounded me with joy.
¹² So I will not be silent;
    I will sing praise to you.
Lord, you are my God;
    I will give you thanks forever.

³ You are my refuge and defense;
    guide me and lead me as you have promised.
⁴ Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me;
    shelter me from danger.
^5 (C)I place myself in your care.
You will save me, Lord;
    you are a faithful God.

⁶ You hate those who worship false gods,
    but I trust in you.
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice
    because of your constant love.
You see my suffering;
    you know my trouble.
⁸ You have not let my enemies capture me;
    you have given me freedom to go where I wish.

⁹ Be merciful to me, Lord,
    for I am in trouble;
my eyes are tired from so much crying;
    I am completely worn out.
¹⁰ I am exhausted by sorrow,
    and weeping has shortened my life.
I am weak from all my troubles;^[m]
    even my bones are wasting away.

¹¹ All my enemies, and especially my neighbors,
    treat me with contempt.
Those who know me are afraid of me;
    when they see me in the street, they run away.
¹² Everyone has forgotten me, as though I were dead;
    I am like something thrown away.
¹³ I hear many enemies whispering;
    terror is all around me.
They are making plans against me,
    plotting to kill me.

¹⁴ But my trust is in you, O Lord;
    you are my God.
¹⁵ I am always in your care;
    save me from my enemies,
    from those who persecute me.
¹⁶ Look on your servant with kindness;
    save me in your constant love.
¹⁷ I call to you, Lord;
    don't let me be disgraced.
May the wicked be disgraced;
    may they go silently down to the world of the dead.
¹⁸ Silence those liars—
    all the proud and arrogant
    who speak with contempt about the righteous.

¹⁹ How wonderful are the good things
    you keep for those who honor you!
Everyone knows how good you are,
    how securely you protect those who trust you.
²⁰ You hide them in the safety of your presence
    from the plots of others;
in a safe shelter you hide them
    from the insults of their enemies.

²¹ Praise the Lord!
How wonderfully he showed his love for me
    when I was surrounded and attacked!
²² I was afraid and thought
    that he had driven me out of his presence.
But he heard my cry,
    when I called to him for help.

²³ Love the Lord, all his faithful people.
The Lord protects the faithful,
    but punishes the proud as they deserve.
²⁴ Be strong, be courageous,
    all you that hope in the Lord.

³ When I did not confess my sins,
    I was worn out from crying all day long.
⁴ Day and night you punished me, Lord;
    my strength was completely drained,
    as moisture is dried up by the summer heat.

⁵ Then I confessed my sins to you;
    I did not conceal my wrongdoings.
I decided to confess them to you,
    and you forgave all my sins.

⁶ So all your loyal people should pray to you in times of need;^[o]
    when a great flood of trouble comes rushing in,
    it will not reach them.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
    you will save me from trouble.
I sing aloud of your salvation,
    because you protect me.

⁸ The Lord says, “I will teach you the way you should go;
    I will instruct you and advise you.
⁹ Don't be stupid like a horse or a mule,
    which must be controlled with a bit and bridle
    to make it submit.”

¹⁰ The wicked will have to suffer,
    but those who trust in the Lord
    are protected by his constant love.
¹¹ You that are righteous, be glad and rejoice
    because of what the Lord has done.
You that obey him, shout for joy!