Psalm 27

Of David.

The Lord is my light(A) and my salvation(B)
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold(C) of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?(D)

When the wicked advance against me
    to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.(E)
Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;(F)
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.(G)

One thing(H) I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,(I)
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble(J)
    he will keep me safe(K) in his dwelling;
he will hide me(L) in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.(M)

Then my head will be exalted(N)
    above the enemies who surround me;(O)
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice(P) with shouts of joy;(Q)
    I will sing(R) and make music(S) to the Lord.

Hear my voice(T) when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.(U)
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!(V)
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face(W) from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;(X)
    you have been my helper.(Y)
Do not reject me or forsake(Z) me,
    God my Savior.(AA)
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way,(AB) Lord;
    lead me in a straight path(AC)
    because of my oppressors.(AD)
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses(AE) rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord(AF)
    in the land of the living.(AG)
14 Wait(AH) for the Lord;
    be strong(AI) and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 28

Of David.

To you, Lord, I call;
    you are my Rock,
    do not turn a deaf ear(AJ) to me.
For if you remain silent,(AK)
    I will be like those who go down to the pit.(AL)
Hear my cry for mercy(AM)
    as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands(AN)
    toward your Most Holy Place.(AO)

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
    with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
    but harbor malice in their hearts.(AP)
Repay them for their deeds
    and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done(AQ)
    and bring back on them what they deserve.(AR)

Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
    and what his hands have done,(AS)
he will tear them down
    and never build them up again.

Praise be to the Lord,(AT)
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.(AU)
The Lord is my strength(AV) and my shield;
    my heart trusts(AW) in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,(AX)
    and with my song I praise him.(AY)

The Lord is the strength(AZ) of his people,
    a fortress of salvation(BA) for his anointed one.(BB)
Save your people(BC) and bless your inheritance;(BD)
    be their shepherd(BE) and carry them(BF) forever.

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

Ascribe to the Lord,(BG) you heavenly beings,(BH)
    ascribe to the Lord glory(BI) and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his[b] holiness.(BJ)

The voice(BK) of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory(BL) thunders,(BM)
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.(BN)
The voice of the Lord is powerful;(BO)
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.(BP)
He makes Lebanon leap(BQ) like a calf,
    Sirion[c](BR) like a young wild ox.(BS)
The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.(BT)
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.(BU)
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[d](BV)
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”(BW)

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;(BX)
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.(BY)
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;(BZ)
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.(CA)

Psalm 30[e]

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

I will exalt(CB) you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths(CC)
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.(CD)
Lord my God, I called to you for help,(CE)
    and you healed me.(CF)
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;(CG)
    you spared me from going down to the pit.(CH)

Sing(CI) the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;(CJ)
    praise his holy name.(CK)
For his anger(CL) lasts only a moment,(CM)
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;(CN)
weeping(CO) may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.(CP)

When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”(CQ)
Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain[g] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,(CR)
    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?(CS)
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?(CT)
10 Hear,(CU) Lord, and be merciful to me;(CV)
    Lord, be my help.(CW)

11 You turned my wailing(CX) into dancing;(CY)
    you removed my sackcloth(CZ) and clothed me with joy,(DA)
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise(DB) you forever.(DC)

Psalm 31[h](DD)

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;(DE)
    let me never be put to shame;
    deliver me in your righteousness.(DF)
Turn your ear to me,(DG)
    come quickly to my rescue;(DH)
be my rock of refuge,(DI)
    a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress,(DJ)
    for the sake of your name(DK) lead and guide me.
Keep me free from the trap(DL) that is set for me,
    for you are my refuge.(DM)
Into your hands I commit my spirit;(DN)
    deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.(DO)

I hate those who cling to worthless idols;(DP)
    as for me, I trust in the Lord.(DQ)
I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction(DR)
    and knew the anguish(DS) of my soul.
You have not given me into the hands(DT) of the enemy
    but have set my feet in a spacious place.(DU)

Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;(DV)
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,(DW)
    my soul and body(DX) with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish(DY)
    and my years by groaning;(DZ)
my strength fails(EA) because of my affliction,[i](EB)
    and my bones grow weak.(EC)
11 Because of all my enemies,(ED)
    I am the utter contempt(EE) of my neighbors(EF)
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
    those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;(EG)
    I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,(EH)
    “Terror on every side!”(EI)
They conspire against me(EJ)
    and plot to take my life.(EK)

14 But I trust(EL) in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times(EM) are in your hands;
    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
    from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine(EN) on your servant;
    save me in your unfailing love.(EO)
17 Let me not be put to shame,(EP) Lord,
    for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
    and be silent(EQ) in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips(ER) be silenced,
    for with pride and contempt
    they speak arrogantly(ES) against the righteous.

19 How abundant are the good things(ET)
    that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,(EU)
    on those who take refuge(EV) in you.
20 In the shelter(EW) of your presence you hide(EX) them
    from all human intrigues;(EY)
you keep them safe in your dwelling
    from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the Lord,(EZ)
    for he showed me the wonders of his love(FA)
    when I was in a city under siege.(FB)
22 In my alarm(FC) I said,
    “I am cut off(FD) from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry(FE) for mercy
    when I called to you for help.

23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people!(FF)
    The Lord preserves those who are true to him,(FG)
    but the proud he pays back(FH) in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,(FI)
    all you who hope in the Lord.

Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil.[j]

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.(FJ)
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them(FK)
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.(FL)

When I kept silent,(FM)
    my bones wasted away(FN)
    through my groaning(FO) all day long.
For day and night
    your hand was heavy(FP) on me;
my strength was sapped(FQ)
    as in the heat of summer.[k]

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.(FR)
I said, “I will confess(FS)
    my transgressions(FT) to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.(FU)

Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;(FV)
surely the rising(FW) of the mighty waters(FX)
    will not reach them.(FY)
You are my hiding place;(FZ)
    you will protect me from trouble(GA)
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.(GB)

I will instruct(GC) you and teach you(GD) in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on(GE) you.
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle(GF)
    or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,(GG)
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts(GH) in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord(GI) and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 27:2 Or slander
  2. Psalm 29:2 Or Lord with the splendor of
  3. Psalm 29:6 That is, Mount Hermon
  4. Psalm 29:9 Or Lord makes the deer give birth
  5. Psalm 30:1 In Hebrew texts 30:1-12 is numbered 30:2-13.
  6. Psalm 30:1 Title: Or palace
  7. Psalm 30:7 That is, Mount Zion
  8. Psalm 31:1 In Hebrew texts 31:1-24 is numbered 31:2-25.
  9. Psalm 31:10 Or guilt
  10. Psalm 32:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  11. Psalm 32:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 7.

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