Psalm 119:161-124:8

English Standard Version

Sin and Shin

¹⁶¹^(A)Princes persecute me ^(B)without cause,
    but my heart ^(C)stands in awe of your words.
¹⁶²I ^(D)rejoice at your word
    like one who ^(E)finds great spoil.
¹⁶³I hate and abhor falsehood,
    but I love ^(F)your law.
¹⁶⁴Seven times a day I praise you
    for your ^(G)righteous rules.
¹⁶⁵Great ^(H)peace have those who love your law;
    ^(I)nothing can make them stumble.
¹⁶⁶I ^(J)hope for your salvation, O Lord,
    and I do your commandments.
¹⁶⁷My soul keeps your testimonies;
    I ^(K)love them exceedingly.
¹⁶⁸I keep your precepts and testimonies,
    ^(L)for all my ways are before you.

Taw

¹⁶⁹Let my ^(M)cry come before you, O Lord;
    ^(N)give me understanding ^(O)according to your word!
¹⁷⁰Let my plea come before you;
    ^(P)deliver me according to your word.
¹⁷¹My lips will ^(Q)pour forth praise,
    for you ^(R)teach me your statutes.
¹⁷²My tongue will sing of your word,
    for ^(S)all your commandments are right.
¹⁷³Let your hand be ready to help me,
    for I have ^(T)chosen your precepts.
¹⁷⁴I ^(U)long for your salvation, O Lord,
    and your law is my ^(V)delight.
¹⁷⁵Let my soul live and praise you,
    and let your rules help me.
¹⁷⁶I have ^(W)gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
    for I do not ^(X)forget your commandments.

Deliver Me, O Lord

A Song of ^(Y)Ascents.

120 In my distress I called to the Lord,
    and he answered me.
²Deliver me, O Lord,
    from lying lips,
    from a deceitful tongue.

³What shall be given to you,
    ^(Z)and what more shall be done to you,
    you deceitful tongue?
⁴^(AA)A warrior's ^(AB)sharp arrows,
    with glowing ^(AC)coals of the broom tree!

⁵Woe to me, that I sojourn in ^(AD)Meshech,
    that I dwell among ^(AE)the tents of ^(AF)Kedar!
⁶Too long have I had my dwelling
    among those who hate peace.
⁷^(AG)I am for peace,
    but when I speak, they are for war!

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^(AH)Ascents.

121 I ^(AI)lift up my eyes to ^(AJ)the hills.
From where does my help come?
²^(AK)My help comes from the Lord,
who ^(AL)made heaven and earth.

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

⁵The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your ^(AO)shade on your ^(AP)right hand.
⁶^(AQ)The sun shall not ^(AR)strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

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

Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

A Song of ^(AV)Ascents. Of David.

122 I was glad when they said to me,
^(AW)“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
²Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!

³Jerusalem—^(AX)built as a city
    that is ^(AY)bound firmly together,
⁴to which the tribes ^(AZ)go up,
    the tribes of the Lord,
as was ^(BA)decreed for^[a] Israel,
    to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
⁵There ^(BB)thrones for judgment were set,
    the thrones of the house of David.

⁶^(BC)Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
⁷Peace be within your ^(BD)walls
    and security within your ^(BE)towers!”
⁸For my brothers and companions' sake
    I will say, ^(BF)“Peace be within you!”
⁹For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will ^(BG)seek your good.

Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God

A Song of ^(BH)Ascents.

123 To you I ^(BI)lift up my eyes,
    O you who are ^(BJ)enthroned in the heavens!
²Behold, as the eyes of servants
    look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
    to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    till he has mercy upon us.

³^(BK)Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
    for we have had more than enough of ^(BL)contempt.
⁴Our soul has had more than enough
    of ^(BM)the scorn of ^(BN)those who are at ease,
    of the contempt of ^(BO)the proud.

Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

A Song of ^(BP)Ascents. Of David.

124 ^(BQ)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
    ^(BR)let Israel now say—
²if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
    when people rose up against us,
³then they would have ^(BS)swallowed us up alive,
    when their anger was kindled against us;
⁴then ^(BT)the flood would have ^(BU)swept us away,
    the torrent would have gone ^(BV)over us;
⁵then over us would have gone
    the raging waters.

⁶Blessed be the Lord,
    who has not given us
    as prey to their teeth!
⁷We have escaped like a bird
    from ^(BW)the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
    and we have escaped!