Psalm 1-14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Book I
(Psalms 1–41)
Psalm 1
The Two Ways
1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path that sinners tread
or sit in the seat of scoffers,(A)
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.(B)
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.(C)
4 The wicked are not so
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.(D)
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous,(E)
6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.(F)
Psalm 2
God’s Promise to His Anointed
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?(G)
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and his anointed, saying,(H)
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord has them in derision.(I)
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath
and terrify them in his fury, saying,(J)
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”(K)
7 I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.(L)
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage
and the ends of the earth your possession.(M)
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”(N)
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear;
with trembling(O) 12 kiss his feet,[a]
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Happy are all who take refuge in him.(P)
Psalm 3
Trust in God under Adversity
A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.
1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me,
“There is no help for you[b] in God.” Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.(Q)
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah(R)
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.(S)
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O Lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to the Lord;
may your blessing be on your people! Selah(T)
Psalm 4
Confident Plea for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
You gave me room when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.(U)
2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah(V)
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.(W)
4 When you are disturbed,[c] do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah(X)
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.(Y)
6 There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”(Z)
7 You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.(AA)
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.(AB)
Psalm 5
Trust in God for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.
1 Listen to my words, O Lord;
attend to my sighing.(AC)
2 Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.(AD)
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.(AE)
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.(AF)
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.(AG)
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.(AH)
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house;
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in awe of you.(AI)
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.(AJ)
9 For there is no truth in their mouths;
their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
they flatter with their tongues.(AK)
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions, cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.(AL)
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.(AM)
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover them with favor as with a shield.(AN)
Psalm 6
Prayer for Recovery from Grave Illness
To the leader: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.(AO)
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.(AP)
3 My soul also is struck with terror,
while you, O Lord—how long?(AQ)
4 Turn, O Lord, save my life;
deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who can give you praise?(AR)
6 I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief;
they grow weak because of all my foes.(AS)
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.(AT)
9 The Lord has heard my supplication;
the Lord accepts my prayer.(AU)
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror;
they shall turn back and in a moment be put to shame.
Psalm 7
Plea for Help against Persecutors
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.
1 O Lord my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,(AV)
2 or like a lion they will tear me apart;
they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.(AW)
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is wrong in my hands,(AX)
4 if I have repaid my ally with harm
or plundered my foe without cause,(AY)
5 then let the enemy pursue and overtake me,
trample my life to the ground,
and lay my soul in the dust. Selah
6 Rise up, O Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake, O my God;[d] you have appointed a judgment.(AZ)
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you,
and over it take your seat[e] on high.(BA)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;
judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.(BB)
9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous,
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God.(BC)
10 God is my shield,
who saves the upright in heart.(BD)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who has indignation every day.(BE)
12 If one does not repent, God[f] will whet his sword;
he has bent and strung his bow;(BF)
13 he has prepared his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.(BG)
14 See how they conceive evil
and are pregnant with mischief
and bring forth lies.(BH)
15 They make a pit, digging it out,
and fall into the hole that they have made.(BI)
16 Their mischief returns upon their own heads,
and on their own heads their violence descends.(BJ)
17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness
and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.(BK)
Psalm 8
Divine Majesty and Human Dignity
To the leader: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.(BL)
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.(BM)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;(BN)
4 what are humans that you are mindful of them,
mortals[g] that you care for them?(BO)
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God[h]
and crowned them with glory and honor.(BP)
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,(BQ)
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!(BR)
Psalm 9
God’s Power and Justice
To the leader: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
1 [i]I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.(BS)
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.(BT)
3 When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.(BU)
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.(BV)
5 You have rebuked the nations; you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.(BW)
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.(BX)
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.(BY)
8 He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.(BZ)
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.(CA)
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.(CB)
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.(CC)
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.(CD)
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,(CE)
14 so that I may recount all your praises
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.(CF)
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.(CG)
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah(CH)
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.(CI)
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.(CJ)
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
let the nations be judged before you.(CK)
20 Put them in fear, O Lord;
let the nations know that they are only human. Selah(CL)
Psalm 10
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
1 [j]Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(CM)
3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart;
those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.(CN)
4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;
all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”(CO)
5 Their ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of their sight;
as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6 They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;
throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”(CP)
7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.(CQ)
8 They sit in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places they murder the innocent.
Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;(CR)
9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its den;
they lurk that they may seize the poor;
they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.(CS)
10 They stoop, they crouch,
and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten;
he has hidden his face; he will never see it.”(CT)
12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed.(CU)
13 Why do the wicked renounce God
and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?
14 But you do see! Indeed, you note trouble and grief,
that you may take it into your hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
you have been the helper of the orphan.(CV)
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;
seek out their wickedness until you find none.(CW)
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations shall perish from his land.(CX)
17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear(CY)
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
so that those from earth may strike terror no more.[k](CZ)
Psalm 11
Song of Trust in God
To the leader. Of David.
1 In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to the mountains,[l](DA)
2 for look, the wicked bend the bow,
they have fitted their arrow to the string,
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.(DB)
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”(DC)
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold; his gaze examines humankind.(DD)
5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
and his soul hates the lover of violence.(DE)
6 On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur;
a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.(DF)
7 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.(DG)
Psalm 12
Plea for Help in Evil Times
To the leader: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.(DH)
2 They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a deceitful heart they speak.(DI)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,(DJ)
4 those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;
our lips are our own—who is our master?”
5 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord;
“I will place them in the safety for which they long.”(DK)
6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.(DL)
7 You, O Lord, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.(DM)
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind.(DN)
Psalm 13
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?(DO)
2 How long must I bear pain[m] in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?(DP)
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,(DQ)
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.(DR)
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.(DS)
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he has dealt bountifully with me.(DT)
Psalm 14
Denunciation of Godlessness
To the leader. Of David.
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt; they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good.(DU)
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.(DV)
3 They have all gone astray; they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.(DW)
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?(DX)
5 There they shall be in great terror,
for God is with the company of the righteous.(DY)
6 You would confound the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.(DZ)
7 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.(EA)
Footnotes
- 2.12 Cn: Meaning of Heb of 2.11b and 12a is uncertain
- 3.2 Syr: Heb him
- 4.4 Or are angry
- 7.6 Or awake for me
- 7.7 Cn: Heb return
- 7.12 Heb he
- 8.4 Heb son of man
- 8.5 Or than the divine beings or angels
- 9.1 Psalms 9–10 were originally one psalm, as in the Greek and Latin traditions. In Hebrew, Psalms 9–10 formed an acrostic.
- 10.1 Psalms 9–10 were originally one psalm, as in the Greek and Latin traditions. In Hebrew, Psalms 9–10 formed an acrostic.
- 10.18 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 11.1 Gk Syr Jerome Tg: Heb flee to your mountain, O bird
- 13.2 Syr: Heb hold counsels
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.