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Praise for Victory[a]

21 The king is glad, O Lord, because you gave him strength;
    he rejoices because you made him victorious.
You have given him his heart's desire;
    you have answered his request.

You came to him with great blessings
    and set a crown of gold on his head.
He asked for life, and you gave it,
    a long and lasting life.

His glory is great because of your help;
    you have given him fame and majesty.
Your blessings are with him forever,
    and your presence fills him with joy.

The king trusts in the Lord Almighty;
    and because of the Lord's constant love
    he will always be secure.
The king will capture all his enemies;
    he will capture everyone who hates him.
He will destroy them like a blazing fire
    when he appears.

The Lord will devour them in his anger,
    and fire will consume them.
10 None of their descendants will survive;
    the king will kill them all.

11 They make their plans, and plot against him,
    but they will not succeed.
12 He will shoot his arrows at them
    and make them turn and run.

13 We praise you, Lord, for your great strength!
    We will sing and praise your power.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 21:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David.

Psalm 21

Thanksgiving for Victory

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord,
    and in your help how greatly he exults!(A)
You have given him his heart’s desire
    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah(B)
For you meet him with rich blessings;
    you set a crown of fine gold on his head.(C)
He asked you for life; you gave it to him—
    length of days forever and ever.(D)
His glory is great through your help;
    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.(E)
You bestow on him blessings forever;
    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
For the king trusts in the Lord,
    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.(F)

Your hand will find out all your enemies;
    your right hand will find out those who hate you.(G)
You will make them like a fiery furnace
    when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
    and fire will consume them.(H)
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth
    and their children from among humankind.(I)
11 If they plan evil against you,
    if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.(J)
12 For you will put them to flight;
    you will aim at their faces with your bows.(K)

13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
    We will sing and praise your power.(L)

21 Unto the end, for the morning protection, a psalm for David.

O God my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my sins.

O my God, I shall cry by day, and thou wilt not hear: and by night, and it shall not be reputed as folly in me.

But thou dwellest in the holy place, the praise of Israel.

In thee have our fathers hoped: they have hoped, and thou hast delivered them.

They cried to thee, and they were saved: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

But I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people.

All they that saw me have laughed me to scorn: they have spoken with the lips, and wagged the head.

He hoped in the Lord, let him deliver him: let him save him, seeing he delighteth in him.

10 For thou art he that hast drawn me out of the womb: my hope from the breasts of my mother.

11 I was cast upon thee from the womb. From my mother's womb thou art my God,

12 Depart not from me. For tribulation is very near: for there is none to help me.

13 Many calves have surrounded me: fat bulls have besieged me.

14 They have opened their mouths against me, as a lion ravening and roaring.

15 I am poured out like water; and all my bones are scattered. My heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels.

16 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue hath cleaved to my jaws: and thou hast brought me down into the dust of death.

17 For many dogs have encompassed me: the council of the malignant hath besieged me. They have dug my hands and feet.

18 They have numbered all my bones. And they have looked and stared upon me.

19 They parted my garments amongst them; and upon my vesture they cast lots.

20 But thou, O Lord, remove not thy help to a distance from me; look towards my defence.

21 Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword: my only one from the hand of the dog.

22 Save me from the lion's mouth; and my lowness from the horns of the unicorns.

23 I will declare thy name to my brethren: in the midst of the church will I praise thee.

24 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him: all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him.

25 Let all the seed of Israel fear him: because he hath not slighted nor despised the supplication of the poor man. Neither hath he turned away his face from me: and when I cried to him he heard me.

26 With thee is my praise in a great church: I will pay my vows in the sight of them that fear him.

27 The poor shall eat and shall be filled: and they shall praise the Lord that seek him: their hearts shall live for ever and ever.

28 All the ends of the earth shall remember, and shall be converted to the Lord: And all the kindreds of the Gentiles shall adore in his sight.

29 For the kingdom is the Lord's; and he shall have dominion over the nations.

30 All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and have adored: all they that go down to the earth shall fall before him.

31 And to him my soul shall live: and my seed shall serve him.

32 There shall be declared to the Lord a generation to come: and the heavens shall shew forth his justice to a people that shall be born, which the Lord hath made.

21 1-7 Your strength, God, is the king’s strength.
    Helped, he’s hollering Hosannas.
You gave him exactly what he wanted;
    you didn’t hold back.
You filled his arms with gifts;
    you gave him a right royal welcome.
He wanted a good life; you gave it to him,
    and then made it a long life as a bonus.
You lifted him high and bright as a cumulus cloud,
    then dressed him in rainbow colors.
You pile blessings on him;
    you make him glad when you smile.
Is it any wonder the king loves God?
    that he’s sticking with the Best?

8-12 With a fistful of enemies in one hand
    and a fistful of haters in the other,
You radiate with such brilliance
    that they cringe as before a furnace.
Now the furnace swallows them whole,
    the fire eats them alive!
You purge the earth of their progeny,
    you wipe the slate clean.
All their evil schemes, the plots they cook up,
    have fizzled—every one.
You sent them packing;
    they couldn’t face you.

13 Show your strength, God, so no one can miss it.
    We are out singing the good news!