Psalm 3

English Standard Version

Save Me, O My God

A Psalm of David, ^(A)when he fled from Absalom his son.

3 O Lord, ^(B)how many are my foes!
Many are ^(C)rising against me;
²many are saying of my soul,
^(D)“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah^[a]

³But you, O Lord, are ^(E)a shield ^(F)about me,
my glory, and ^(G)the lifter of my head.
⁴I ^(H)cried aloud to the Lord,
and he ^(I)answered me from his ^(J)holy hill. Selah

⁵I ^(K)lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
⁶I ^(L)will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have ^(M)set themselves against me all around.

⁷^(N)Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you ^(O)strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you ^(P)break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸^(Q)Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah

Footnotes

Psalm 3:2 The meaning of the Hebrew word Selah, used frequently in the Psalms, is uncertain. It may be a musical or liturgical direction

Psalm 34

English Standard Version

Taste and See That the Lord Is Good

^[a] Of David, when he ^(A)changed his behavior before ^(B)Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

34 I will bless the Lord ^(C)at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
²My soul ^(D)makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and ^(E)be glad.
³Oh, ^(F)magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

⁴I ^(G)sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to him are ^(H)radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶^(I)This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and ^(J)saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷^(K)The angel of the Lord ^(L)encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸Oh, ^(M)taste and see that ^(N)the Lord is good!
    ^(O)Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
¹⁰^(P)The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who ^(Q)seek the Lord lack no good thing.

¹¹^(R)Come, O children, listen to me;
    ^(S)I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹²^(T)What man is there who desires life
    and loves many days, that he may ^(U)see good?
¹³^(V)Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from ^(W)speaking deceit.
¹⁴^(X)Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and ^(Y)pursue it.

¹⁵^(Z)The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
    ^(AA)and his ears toward their cry.
¹⁶^(AB)The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to ^(AC)cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷^(AD)When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is near to ^(AE)the brokenhearted
    and saves ^(AF)the crushed in spirit.

¹⁹^(AG)Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    ^(AH)but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰He keeps all his bones;
    ^(AI)not one of them is broken.
²¹^(AJ)Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²²The Lord ^(AK)redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be ^(AL)condemned.

Footnotes

Psalm 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

Psalm 40

English Standard Version

My Help and My Deliverer

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

40 I ^(A)waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and ^(B)heard my cry.
²He drew me up from ^(C)the pit of destruction,
    out of ^(D)the miry bog,
and ^(E)set my feet upon a rock,
    ^(F)making my steps secure.
³He put ^(G)a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will ^(H)see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.

⁴Blessed is the man who ^(I)makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who ^(J)go astray after a lie!
⁵You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your ^(K)wondrous deeds and your ^(L)thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are ^(M)more than can be told.

⁶^(N)In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
    but you have given me an open ^(O)ear.^[a]
Burnt offering and sin offering
    you have not required.
⁷Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
    in the scroll of the book it is written ^(P)of me:
⁸^(Q)I delight to do your will, O my God;
    your law is ^(R)within my heart.”

⁹I have told the glad news of deliverance^[b]
    in ^(S)the great congregation;
behold, I have not ^(T)restrained my lips,
    ^(U)as you know, O Lord.
¹⁰I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

¹¹As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
    your mercy from me;
your ^(V)steadfast love and your faithfulness will
    ever preserve me!
¹²For evils have ^(W)encompassed me
    beyond number;
my ^(X)iniquities have overtaken me,
    and I cannot ^(Y)see;
they are ^(Z)more than the hairs of my head;
    my heart ^(AA)fails me.

¹³^(AB)Be pleased, O Lord, to ^(AC)deliver me!
    O Lord, ^(AD)make haste to help me!
¹⁴^(AE)Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
    who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be ^(AF)turned back and brought to dishonor
    who delight in my hurt!
¹⁵Let those be appalled because of their shame
    who ^(AG)say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

¹⁶But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
    ^(AH)say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
¹⁷As for me, I am ^(AI)poor and needy,
    but ^(AJ)the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God!

Footnotes

Psalm 40:6 Hebrew ears you have dug for me
Psalm 40:9 Hebrew righteousness; also verse 10

Psalm 63

English Standard Version

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David, ^(A)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 O God, you are my God; ^(B)earnestly I seek you;
    ^(C)my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
    as in ^(D)a dry and weary land where there is no water.
²So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
    beholding ^(E)your power and glory.
³Because your ^(F)steadfast love is better than life,
    my lips will praise you.
⁴So I will bless you ^(G)as long as I live;
    in your ^(H)name I will ^(I)lift up my hands.

⁵My soul will be ^(J)satisfied as with fat and rich food,
    and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
⁶when I remember you ^(K)upon my bed,
    and meditate on you in ^(L)the watches of the night;
⁷for you have been my help,
    and in ^(M)the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
⁸My soul ^(N)clings to you;
    your right hand ^(O)upholds me.

⁹But those who seek to destroy my life
    ^(P)shall go down into ^(Q)the depths of the earth;
¹⁰they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
    they shall be a portion for jackals.
¹¹But ^(R)the king shall rejoice in God;
    all who ^(S)swear by him shall exult,
    ^(T)for the mouths of ^(U)liars will be stopped.

Psalm 91

English Standard Version

My Refuge and My Fortress

91 He who dwells in ^(A)the shelter of the Most High
will abide in ^(B)the shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say^[a] to the Lord, “My ^(C)refuge and my ^(D)fortress,
my God, in whom I ^(E)trust.”

³For he will deliver you from ^(F)the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴He will ^(G)cover you with his pinions,
    and under his ^(H)wings you will ^(I)find refuge;
    his ^(J)faithfulness is ^(K)a shield and buckler.
⁵^(L)You will not fear ^(M)the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

⁷A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸You will only look with your eyes
    and ^(N)see the recompense of the wicked.

⁹Because you have made the Lord your ^(O)dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my ^(P)refuge^[b]—
¹⁰^(Q)no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
^(R)no plague come near your tent.

¹¹^(S)For he will command his ^(T)angels concerning you
    to ^(U)guard you in all your ways.
¹²On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you ^(V)strike your foot against a stone.
¹³You will tread on ^(W)the lion and the ^(X)adder;
    the young lion and ^(Y)the serpent you will ^(Z)trample underfoot.

¹⁴“Because he ^(AA)holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
    I will protect him, because he ^(AB)knows my name.
¹⁵When he ^(AC)calls to me, I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will rescue him and ^(AD)honor him.
¹⁶With ^(AE)long life I will satisfy him
    and ^(AF)show him my salvation.”

Footnotes

Psalm 91:2 Septuagint He will say
Psalm 91:9 Or For you, O Lord, are my refuge! You have made the Most High your dwelling place

Psalm 103

English Standard Version

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

Of David.

103 ^(A)Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
²^(B)Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and ^(C)forget not all his benefits,
³who ^(D)forgives all your iniquity,
    who ^(E)heals all your diseases,
⁴who ^(F)redeems your life from the pit,
    who ^(G)crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵who ^(H)satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like ^(I)the eagle's.

⁶The Lord works ^(J)righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷He made known his ^(K)ways to Moses,
    his ^(L)acts to the people of Israel.
⁸The Lord is ^(M)merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹^(N)He will not always chide,
    nor will he ^(O)keep his anger forever.
¹⁰He does not deal with us ^(P)according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹For ^(Q)as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his ^(R)steadfast love toward ^(S)those who fear him;
¹²as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he ^(T)remove our transgressions from us.
¹³As ^(U)a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion ^(V)to those who fear him.
¹⁴For he knows our frame;^[a]
    he ^(W)remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like ^(X)grass;
    he flourishes like ^(Y)a flower of the field;
¹⁶for ^(Z)the wind passes over it, and ^(AA)it is gone,
    and ^(AB)its place knows it no more.
¹⁷But ^(AC)the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on ^(AD)those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to ^(AE)children's children,
¹⁸to those who ^(AF)keep his covenant
    and ^(AG)remember to do his commandments.
¹⁹The Lord has ^(AH)established his throne in the heavens,
    and his ^(AI)kingdom rules over all.

²⁰Bless the Lord, O you ^(AJ)his angels,
    you ^(AK)mighty ones who ^(AL)do his word,
    obeying the voice of his word!
²¹Bless the Lord, all his ^(AM)hosts,
    his ^(AN)ministers, who do his will!
²²^(AO)Bless the Lord, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
^(AP)Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Footnotes

Psalm 103:14 Or knows how we are formed

Psalm 121

English Standard Version

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

121 I ^(B)lift up my eyes to ^(C)the hills.
From where does my help come?
²^(D)My help comes from the Lord,
who ^(E)made heaven and earth.

³He will not ^(F)let your foot be moved;
he who ^(G)keeps you will not slumber.
⁴Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your ^(H)shade on your ^(I)right hand.
⁶^(J)The sun shall not ^(K)strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷The Lord will ^(L)keep you from all evil;
    he will ^(M)keep your life.
⁸The Lord will keep
    your ^(N)going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.