Psalm 25-30

New Living Translation

¹ O Lord, I give my life to you.
²     I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
    or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
³ No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
    but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

⁴ Show me the right path, O Lord;
    point out the road for me to follow.
⁵ Lead me by your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God who saves me.
    All day long I put my hope in you.
⁶ Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
    which you have shown from long ages past.
⁷ Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
    Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
    for you are merciful, O Lord.

⁸ The Lord is good and does what is right;
    he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
⁹ He leads the humble in doing right,
    teaching them his way.
¹⁰ The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
    all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

¹¹ For the honor of your name, O Lord,
    forgive my many, many sins.
¹² Who are those who fear the Lord?
    He will show them the path they should choose.
¹³ They will live in prosperity,
    and their children will inherit the land.
¹⁴ The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.
    He teaches them his covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are always on the Lord,
    for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy,
    for I am alone and in deep distress.
¹⁷ My problems go from bad to worse.
    Oh, save me from them all!
¹⁸ Feel my pain and see my trouble.
    Forgive all my sins.
¹⁹ See how many enemies I have
    and how viciously they hate me!
²⁰ Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
    Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.
²¹ May integrity and honesty protect me,
    for I put my hope in you.

²² O God, ransom Israel
    from all its troubles.

¹ Declare me innocent, O Lord,
    for I have acted with integrity;
    I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
² Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.
    Test my motives and my heart.
³ For I am always aware of your unfailing love,
    and I have lived according to your truth.
⁴ I do not spend time with liars
    or go along with hypocrites.
⁵ I hate the gatherings of those who do evil,
    and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
⁶ I wash my hands to declare my innocence.
    I come to your altar, O Lord,
⁷ singing a song of thanksgiving
    and telling of all your wonders.
⁸ I love your sanctuary, Lord,
    the place where your glorious presence dwells.

⁹ Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners.
    Don’t condemn me along with murderers.
¹⁰ Their hands are dirty with evil schemes,
    and they constantly take bribes.
¹¹ But I am not like that; I live with integrity.
    So redeem me and show me mercy.
¹² Now I stand on solid ground,
    and I will publicly praise the Lord.

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
    so why should I tremble?
² When evil people come to devour me,
    when my enemies and foes attack me,
    they will stumble and fall.
³ Though a mighty army surrounds me,
    my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
    I will remain confident.

⁴ The one thing I ask of the Lord—
    the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
    delighting in the Lord’s perfections
    and meditating in his Temple.
⁵ For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
    he will hide me in his sanctuary.
    He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
⁶ Then I will hold my head high
    above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
    singing and praising the Lord with music.

⁷ Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
    Be merciful and answer me!
⁸ My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
    And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
⁹ Do not turn your back on me.
    Do not reject your servant in anger.
    You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
    O God of my salvation!
¹⁰ Even if my father and mother abandon me,
    the Lord will hold me close.

¹¹ Teach me how to live, O Lord.
    Lead me along the right path,
    for my enemies are waiting for me.
¹² Do not let me fall into their hands.
    For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
    with every breath they threaten me with violence.
¹³ Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
    while I am here in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait patiently for the Lord.
    Be brave and courageous.
    Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

¹ I pray to you, O Lord, my rock.
    Do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you are silent,
    I might as well give up and die.
² Listen to my prayer for mercy
    as I cry out to you for help,
    as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.

³ Do not drag me away with the wicked—
    with those who do evil—
those who speak friendly words to their neighbors
    while planning evil in their hearts.
⁴ Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!
    Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.
Pay them back for all their evil deeds!
    Give them a taste of what they have done to others.
⁵ They care nothing for what the Lord has done
    or for what his hands have made.
So he will tear them down,
    and they will never be rebuilt!

⁶ Praise the Lord!
    For he has heard my cry for mercy.
⁷ The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
    I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

⁸ The Lord gives his people strength.
    He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
⁹ Save your people!
    Bless Israel, your special possession.^[b]
Lead them like a shepherd,
    and carry them in your arms forever.

¹ Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings^[c];
    honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
² Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
    Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
    The God of glory thunders.
    The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
    the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
    he makes Mount Hermon^[d] leap like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
    with bolts of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks^[e]
    and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
    The Lord reigns as king forever.
¹¹ The Lord gives his people strength.
    The Lord blesses them with peace.

¹ I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
    You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
² O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you restored my health.
³ You brought me up from the grave,^[f] O Lord.
    You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

⁴ Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
    Praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

⁶ When I was prosperous, I said,
    “Nothing can stop me now!”
⁷ Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
    Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.

⁸ I cried out to you, O Lord.
    I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
⁹ “What will you gain if I die,
    if I sink into the grave?
Can my dust praise you?
    Can it tell of your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
    Help me, O Lord.”

¹¹ You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
    You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
¹² that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!