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Psalm 30[a]

Thanksgiving for Deliverance

A psalm. A song for the dedication of the Temple.[b] Of David.

I

I praise you, Lord, for you raised me up
    and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, my God,
    I cried out to you for help and you healed[c] me.
Lord, you brought my soul up from Sheol;
    you let me live, from going down to the pit.[d](A)

II

Sing praise to the Lord, you faithful;
    give thanks to his holy memory.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
    his favor a lifetime.
At dusk weeping comes for the night;
    but at dawn there is rejoicing.

III

Complacent,[e] I once said,
    “I shall never be shaken.”
Lord, you showed me favor,
    established for me mountains of virtue.
But when you hid your face
    I was struck with terror.(B)
To you, Lord, I cried out;
    with the Lord I pleaded for mercy:
10 [f]“What gain is there from my lifeblood,
    from my going down to the grave?
Does dust give you thanks
    or declare your faithfulness?
11 Hear, O Lord, have mercy on me;
    Lord, be my helper.”

IV

12 You changed my mourning into dancing;
    you took off my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness.(C)
13 So that my glory may praise you
    and not be silent.
O Lord, my God,
    forever will I give you thanks.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 30 An individual thanksgiving in four parts: praise and thanks for deliverance and restoration (Ps 30:2–4); an invitation to others to join in (Ps 30:5–6); a flashback to the time before deliverance (Ps 30:7–11); a return to praise and thanks (Ps 30:12). Two sets of images recur: 1) going down, death, silence; 2) coming up, life, praising. God has delivered the psalmist from one state to the other.
  2. 30:1 For the dedication of the Temple: a later adaptation of the Psalm to celebrate the purification of the Temple in 164 B.C. during the Maccabean Revolt.
  3. 30:3 Healed: for God as healer, see also Ps 103:3; 107:20; Hos 6:1; 7:1; 11:3; 14:5.
  4. 30:4 Sheol…pit: the shadowy underworld residence of the spirits of the dead, here a metaphor for near-death.
  5. 30:7 Complacent: untroubled existence is often seen as a source of temptation to forget God, cf. Dt 8:10–18; Hos 13:6; Prv 30:9.
  6. 30:10 In the stillness of Sheol no one gives you praise; let me live and be among your worshipers, cf. Ps 6:6; 88:11–13; 115:17; Is 38:18.

Psalm 30

Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave Illness

A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the temple. Of David.

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
    and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
    restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.[a]

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
    his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O Lord,
    you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.

To you, O Lord, I cried,
    and to the Lord I made supplication:
“What profit is there in my death,
    if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing;
    you have taken off my sackcloth
    and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul[b] may praise you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 30:3 Or that I should not go down to the Pit
  2. Psalm 30:12 Heb that glory

30 Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy.

In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice.

Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.

For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for thy name's sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.

Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for thou art my protector.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

Thou hast hated them that regard vanities, to no purpose. But I have hoped in the Lord:

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. For thou hast regarded my humility, thou hast saved my soul out of distresses.

And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.

10 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with wrath, my soul, and my belly:

11 For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed.

12 I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintance. They that saw me without fled from me.

13 I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed.

14 For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.

15 But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God.

16 My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me.

17 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy.

18 Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell.

19 Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse.

20 O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men.

21 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.

22 Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city.

23 But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.

24 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.

25 Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Thanksgiving for Rescue from Death.

A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David.

30 I will (A)exalt You, Lord, for You have (B)lifted me up,
And have not let my (C)enemies rejoice over me.
Lord my God,
I (D)cried to You for help, and You (E)healed me.
Lord, You have (F)brought up my soul from [a]Sheol;
You have kept me alive, [b]that I would not (G)go down to the pit.
(H)Sing praise to the Lord, you (I)His godly ones,
And (J)praise the mention of His holiness.
For (K)His anger is but for a moment,
His (L)favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may (M)last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I will (N)never be moved.”
Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You (O)hid Your face, I was dismayed.
To You, Lord, I called,
And to the Lord I pleaded for compassion:
“What gain is there in my blood, if I (P)go down to the pit?
Will the (Q)dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?

10 (R)Hear, Lord, and be gracious to me;
Lord, be my (S)helper.”
11 You have turned (T)my mourning into dancing for me;
You have (U)untied my sackcloth and encircled me with (V)joy,
12 That my [c](W)soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will (X)give thanks to You forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 30:3 I.e., the netherworld
  2. Psalm 30:3 Some mss from among those who go down
  3. Psalm 30:12 Lit glory

Psalm 30[a]

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.[b] Of David.

I will exalt(A) you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths(B)
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.(C)
Lord my God, I called to you for help,(D)
    and you healed me.(E)
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;(F)
    you spared me from going down to the pit.(G)

Sing(H) the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;(I)
    praise his holy name.(J)
For his anger(K) lasts only a moment,(L)
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;(M)
weeping(N) may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.(O)

When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”(P)
Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,(Q)
    I was dismayed.

To you, Lord, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
“What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?(R)
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?(S)
10 Hear,(T) Lord, and be merciful to me;(U)
    Lord, be my help.(V)

11 You turned my wailing(W) into dancing;(X)
    you removed my sackcloth(Y) and clothed me with joy,(Z)
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise(AA) you forever.(AB)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 30:1 In Hebrew texts 30:1-12 is numbered 30:2-13.
  2. Psalm 30:1 Title: Or palace
  3. Psalm 30:7 That is, Mount Zion