BOOK I

Psalms 1–41

Psalm 1

Blessed is the one(A)
    who does not walk(B) in step with the wicked(C)
or stand in the way(D) that sinners take(E)
    or sit(F) in the company of mockers,(G)
but whose delight(H) is in the law of the Lord,(I)
    and who meditates(J) on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree(K) planted by streams(L) of water,(M)
    which yields its fruit(N) in season
and whose leaf(O) does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.(P)

Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff(Q)
    that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand(R) in the judgment,(S)
    nor sinners in the assembly(T) of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over(U) the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.(V)

Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire[a]
    and the peoples plot(W) in vain?
The kings(X) of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed,(Y) saying,
“Let us break their chains(Z)
    and throw off their shackles.”(AA)

The One enthroned(AB) in heaven laughs;(AC)
    the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger(AD)
    and terrifies them in his wrath,(AE) saying,
“I have installed my king(AF)
    on Zion,(AG) my holy mountain.(AH)

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;(AI)
    today I have become your father.(AJ)
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations(AK) your inheritance,(AL)
    the ends of the earth(AM) your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron[b];(AN)
    you will dash them to pieces(AO) like pottery.(AP)

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;(AQ)
    be warned, you rulers(AR) of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear(AS)
    and celebrate his rule(AT) with trembling.(AU)
12 Kiss his son,(AV) or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath(AW) can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed(AX) are all who take refuge(AY) in him.

Psalm 3[c]

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.(AZ)

Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.(BA)[d]

But you, Lord, are a shield(BB) around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.(BC)
I call out to the Lord,(BD)
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.(BE)

I lie down and sleep;(BF)
    I wake again,(BG) because the Lord sustains me.
I will not fear(BH) though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.(BI)

Arise,(BJ) Lord!
    Deliver me,(BK) my God!
Strike(BL) all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth(BM) of the wicked.

From the Lord comes deliverance.(BN)
    May your blessing(BO) be on your people.

Psalm 4[e]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

Answer me(BP) when I call to you,
    my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;(BQ)
    have mercy(BR) on me and hear my prayer.(BS)

How long will you people turn my glory(BT) into shame?(BU)
    How long will you love delusions and seek false gods[f]?[g](BV)
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant(BW) for himself;
    the Lord hears(BX) when I call to him.

Tremble and[h] do not sin;(BY)
    when you are on your beds,(BZ)
    search your hearts and be silent.
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
    and trust in the Lord.(CA)

Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
    Let the light of your face shine on us.(CB)
Fill my heart(CC) with joy(CD)
    when their grain and new wine(CE) abound.

In peace(CF) I will lie down and sleep,(CG)
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.(CH)

Psalm 5[i]

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

Listen(CI) to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.(CJ)
Hear my cry for help,(CK)
    my King and my God,(CL)
    for to you I pray.

In the morning,(CM) Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.(CN)
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
    with you, evil people(CO) are not welcome.
The arrogant(CP) cannot stand(CQ)
    in your presence.
You hate(CR) all who do wrong;
    you destroy those who tell lies.(CS)
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.
But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence(CT) I bow down(CU)
    toward your holy temple.(CV)

Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness(CW)
    because of my enemies—
    make your way straight(CX) before me.
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;(CY)
    with their tongues they tell lies.(CZ)
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,(DA)
    for they have rebelled(DB) against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.(DC)
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name(DD) may rejoice in you.(DE)

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;(DF)
    you surround them(DG) with your favor as with a shield.(DH)

Psalm 6[j]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith.[k] A psalm of David.

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger(DI)
    or discipline me in your wrath.
Have mercy on me,(DJ) Lord, for I am faint;(DK)
    heal me,(DL) Lord, for my bones are in agony.(DM)
My soul is in deep anguish.(DN)
    How long,(DO) Lord, how long?

Turn,(DP) Lord, and deliver me;
    save me because of your unfailing love.(DQ)
Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
    Who praises you from the grave?(DR)

I am worn out(DS) from my groaning.(DT)

All night long I flood my bed with weeping(DU)
    and drench my couch with tears.(DV)
My eyes grow weak(DW) with sorrow;
    they fail because of all my foes.

Away from me,(DX) all you who do evil,(DY)
    for the Lord has heard my weeping.
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;(DZ)
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;(EA)
    they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.(EB)

Psalm 7[l]

A shiggaion[m](EC) of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

Lord my God, I take refuge(ED) in you;
    save and deliver me(EE) from all who pursue me,(EF)
or they will tear me apart like a lion(EG)
    and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue(EH) me.

Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands(EI)
if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause(EJ) have robbed my foe—
then let my enemy pursue and overtake(EK) me;
    let him trample my life to the ground(EL)
    and make me sleep in the dust.[n](EM)

Arise,(EN) Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.(EO)
    Awake,(EP) my God; decree justice.
Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.(EQ)
    Let the Lord judge(ER) the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,(ES)
    according to my integrity,(ET) O Most High.(EU)
Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—(EV)
you, the righteous God(EW)
    who probes minds and hearts.(EX)

10 My shield[o](EY) is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.(EZ)
11 God is a righteous judge,(FA)
    a God who displays his wrath(FB) every day.
12 If he does not relent,(FC)
    he[p] will sharpen his sword;(FD)
    he will bend and string his bow.(FE)
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows.(FF)

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth(FG) to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit(FH) they have made.(FI)
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;(FJ)
    I will sing the praises(FK) of the name of the Lord Most High.(FL)

Psalm 8[q]

For the director of music. According to gittith.[r] A psalm of David.

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name(FM) in all the earth!

You have set your glory(FN)
    in the heavens.(FO)
Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold(FP) against your enemies,
    to silence the foe(FQ) and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,(FR)
    the work of your fingers,(FS)
the moon and the stars,(FT)
    which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?[s](FU)

You have made them[t] a little lower than the angels[u](FV)
    and crowned them[v] with glory and honor.(FW)
You made them rulers(FX) over the works of your hands;(FY)
    you put everything under their[w] feet:(FZ)
all flocks and herds,(GA)
    and the animals of the wild,(GB)
the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,(GC)
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!(GD)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 2:1 Hebrew; Septuagint rage
  2. Psalm 2:9 Or will rule them with an iron scepter (see Septuagint and Syriac)
  3. Psalm 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-8 is numbered 3:2-9.
  4. Psalm 3:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 4 and 8.
  5. Psalm 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-8 is numbered 4:2-9.
  6. Psalm 4:2 Or seek lies
  7. Psalm 4:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 4.
  8. Psalm 4:4 Or In your anger (see Septuagint)
  9. Psalm 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-12 is numbered 5:2-13.
  10. Psalm 6:1 In Hebrew texts 6:1-10 is numbered 6:2-11.
  11. Psalm 6:1 Title: Probably a musical term
  12. Psalm 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-17 is numbered 7:2-18.
  13. Psalm 7:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  14. Psalm 7:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  15. Psalm 7:10 Or sovereign
  16. Psalm 7:12 Or If anyone does not repent, / God
  17. Psalm 8:1 In Hebrew texts 8:1-9 is numbered 8:2-10.
  18. Psalm 8:1 Title: Probably a musical term
  19. Psalm 8:4 Or what is a human being that you are mindful of him, / a son of man that you care for him?
  20. Psalm 8:5 Or him
  21. Psalm 8:5 Or than God
  22. Psalm 8:5 Or him
  23. Psalm 8:6 Or made him ruler . . . ; / . . . his

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.

But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

10 Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long?

Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.

For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.

Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.

The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

10 Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

O Lord my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)

Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.

So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.

The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

17 I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!