Psalm 61-65

Contemporary English Version

Lead me to the mighty rock^[a]
    high above me.
³ You are a strong tower,
where I am safe
    from my enemies.

⁴ Let me live with you forever
and find protection
    under your wings, my God.
⁵ You heard my promises,
    and you have blessed me,
just as you bless everyone
    who worships you.

⁶ Let the king have a long
    and healthy life.
⁷ May he always rule
    with you, God, at his side;
may your love and loyalty
    watch over him.

⁸ I will sing your praises
forever, God, and will always
    keep my promises.

³ I feel like a shaky fence
    or a sagging wall.
How long will all of you
    attack and assault me?
⁴ You want to bring me down
    from my place of honor.
You love to tell lies,
and when your words are kind,
    hatred hides in your heart.

⁵ Only God gives inward peace,
    and I depend on him.
⁶ God alone is the mighty rock
    that keeps me safe,
and he is the fortress
    where I feel secure.
⁷ God saves me and honors me.
He is that mighty rock
    where I find safety.

⁸ Trust God, my friends,
    and always tell him
each of your concerns.
    God is our place of safety.

⁹ We humans are only a breath;
    none of us are truly great.
All of us together weigh less
    than a puff of air.
¹⁰ Don't trust in violence
or depend on dishonesty
    or rely on great wealth.

¹¹ I heard God say two things:
“I am powerful,
^{12     (A)} and I am very kind.”
The Lord rewards each of us
    according to what we do.

² I have seen your power
and your glory
    in the place of worship.
³ Your love means more
than life to me,
    and I praise you.
⁴ As long as I live,
    I will pray to you.
⁵ I will sing joyful praises
and be filled with excitement
    like a guest at a banquet.

⁶ I think about you, God,
    before I go to sleep,
and my thoughts turn to you
    during the night.
⁷ You have helped me,
and I sing happy songs
    in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I stay close to you,
and your powerful arm
    supports me.

⁹ All who want to kill me
    will end up in the ground.
¹⁰ Swords will run them through,
    and wild dogs will eat them.

¹¹ Because of you, our God,
    the king will celebrate
with your faithful followers,
    but liars will be silent.

⁵ They are determined to do evil,
    and they tell themselves,
“Let's set traps!
    No one can see us.”^[d]
6 They make evil plans and say,
“We'll commit a perfect crime.
    No one knows our thoughts.”^[e]

⁷ But God will shoot his arrows
    and quickly wound them.
⁸ They will be destroyed
    by their own words,
and everyone who sees them
    will tremble with fear.^[f]
9 They will be afraid and say,
“Look at what God has done
    and keep it all in mind.”

¹⁰ May the Lord bless his people
with peace and happiness
    and let them celebrate.

⁵ Our God, you save us,
and your fearsome deeds answer
    our prayers for justice!
You give hope to people
everywhere on earth,
    even those across the sea.
⁶ You are strong,
and your mighty power
    put the mountains in place.
⁷ You silence the roaring waves
and the noisy shouts
    of the nations.
⁸ People far away marvel
    at your fearsome deeds,
and all who live under the sun
celebrate and sing
    because of you.

⁹ You take care of the earth
and send rain to help the soil
    grow all kinds of crops.
Your rivers never run dry,
and you prepare the earth
    to produce abundant grain.
¹⁰ You water all its fields
    and level the lumpy ground.
You send showers of rain
to soften the soil
    and help the plants sprout.
¹¹ Wherever your footsteps
touch the earth,
    a rich harvest is gathered.
¹² Desert pastures blossom,
    and mountains celebrate.
¹³ Meadows are filled
    with sheep and goats;
valleys overflow with grain
    and echo with joyful songs.