Psalm 27-41

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

² When evildoers assail me
    to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
    they shall stumble and fall.^(B)

³ Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
    yet I will be confident.^(C)

⁴ One thing I asked of the Lord;
    this I seek:
to live in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
    and to inquire in his temple.^(D)

⁵ For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will set me high on a rock.^(E)

⁶ Now my head is lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.^(F)

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!^(G)
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, do I seek.^(H)
9     Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger,
    you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off; do not forsake me,
    O God of my salvation!^(I)
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will take me up.^(J)

¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on a level path
    because of my enemies.^(K)
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
    for false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they are breathing out violence.^(L)

¹³ I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.^(M)
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!^(N)

³ Do not drag me away with the wicked,
    with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors
    while mischief is in their hearts.^(Q)
4 Repay them according to their work
    and according to the evil of their deeds;
repay them according to the work of their hands;
    render them their due reward.^(R)
5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
    or the work of his hands,
he will break them down and build them up no more.^(S)

⁶ Blessed be the Lord,
    for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.^(T)
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him.^(U)

⁸ The Lord is the strength of his people;
    he is the saving refuge of his anointed.^(V)
9 O save your people and bless your heritage;
    be their shepherd and carry them forever.^(W)

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over mighty waters.^(Z)
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.^(AA)

⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.^(AB)
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.^(AC)

⁷ The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.^(AD)

⁹ The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl^[d]
    and strips the forest bare,
    and in his temple all say, “Glory!”^(AE)

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.^(AF)
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace!^(AG)

⁴ Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.^(AK)
5 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.^(AL)

⁶ As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
⁷ By your favor, O Lord,
    you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.^(AM)

⁸ To you, O Lord, I cried,
    and to the Lord I made supplication:
⁹ “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?^(AN)
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”^[f]

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

³ You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
    for your name’s sake lead me and guide me;^(AS)
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
    for you are my refuge.^(AT)
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
    you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.^(AU)

⁶ You hate^[h] those who pay regard to worthless idols,
    but I trust in the Lord.^(AV)
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
    because you have seen my affliction;
    you have taken notice of my adversities^(AW)
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
    you have set my feet in a broad place.^(AX)

⁹ Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eye wastes away from grief,
    my soul and body also.
¹⁰ For my life is spent with sorrow
    and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,^[i]
    and my bones waste away.^(AY)

¹¹ I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
    a horror^[j] to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
    those who see me in the street flee from me.^(AZ)
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
    I have become like a broken vessel.^(BA)
13 For I hear the whispering of many—
    terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
    as they plot to take my life.^(BB)

¹⁴ But I trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”^(BC)
15 My times are in your hand;
    deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.^(BD)
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love.^(BE)
17 Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,
    for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
    let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.^(BF)
18 Let the lying lips be stilled
    that speak insolently against the righteous
    with pride and contempt.^(BG)

¹⁹ O how abundant is your goodness
    that you have laid up for those who fear you
and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
    in the sight of everyone!^(BH)
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
    from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
    from contentious tongues.^(BI)

²¹ Blessed be the Lord,
    for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
    when I was beset as a city under siege.^(BJ)
22 I had said in my alarm,
    “I am driven far^[k] from your sight.”
But you heard my supplications
    when I cried out to you for help.^(BK)

²³ Love the Lord, all you his saints.
    The Lord preserves the faithful
    but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.^(BL)
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord.^(BM)

³ While I kept silent, my body wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.^(BP)
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up^[l] as by the heat of summer. Selah^(BQ)

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah^(BR)

⁶ Therefore let all who are faithful
    offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress,^[m] the rush of mighty waters
    shall not reach them.^(BS)
7 You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah^(BT)

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my eye upon you.^(BU)
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
    whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
    else it will not stay near you.^(BV)

¹⁰ Many are the torments of the wicked,
    but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.^(BW)
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
    and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.^(BX)

⁴ For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in faithfulness.^(CB)
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.^(CC)

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made
    and all their host by the breath of his mouth.^(CD)
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
    he put the deeps in storehouses.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him,^(CE)
9 for he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.^(CF)

¹⁰ The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.^(CG)
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the thoughts of his heart to all generations.^(CH)
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.^(CI)

¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all humankind.^(CJ)
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches
    all the inhabitants of the earth—
¹⁵ he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.^(CK)
16 A king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.^(CL)
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
    and by its great might it cannot save.^(CM)

¹⁸ Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,^(CN)
19 to deliver their soul from death
    and to keep them alive in famine.^(CO)

²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and shield.
²¹ Our heart is glad in him
    because we trust in his holy name.^(CP)
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.^(CS)
5 Look to him, and be radiant,
    so your^[n] faces shall never be ashamed.^(CT)
6 This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord
    and was saved from every trouble.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him and delivers them.^(CU)
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
    happy are those who take refuge in him.^(CV)
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
    for those who fear him have no want.^(CW)
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.^(CX)

¹¹ Come, O children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.^(CY)
12 Which of you desires life
    and covets many days to enjoy good?^(CZ)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from speaking deceit.^(DA)
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
    seek peace, and pursue it.^(DB)

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their cry.^(DC)
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
    to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.^(DD)
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and rescues them from all their troubles.^(DE)
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.^(DF)

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord rescues them from them all.^(DG)
20 He keeps all their bones;
    not one of them will be broken.^(DH)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.^(DI)
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.^(DJ)

⁴ Let them be put to shame and dishonor
    who seek after my life.
Let them be turned back and confounded
    who devise evil against me.^(DL)
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
    with the angel of the Lord driving them on.^(DM)
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.^(DN)

⁷ For without cause they hid their net^[o] for me;
    without cause they dug a pit^[p] for my life.^(DO)
8 Let ruin come on them unawares,
and let the net that they hid ensnare them;
    let them fall in it—to their ruin.^(DP)

⁹ Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord,
    exulting in his deliverance.^(DQ)
10 All my bones shall say,
    “O Lord, who is like you?
You deliver the weak
    from those too strong for them,
    the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”^(DR)

¹¹ Malicious witnesses rise up;
    they ask me about things I do not know.^(DS)
12 They repay me evil for good;
    my soul is forlorn.^(DT)
13 But as for me, when they were sick,
    I wore sackcloth;
    I afflicted myself with fasting.
I prayed with head bowed^[q] on my bosom,^(DU)
14     as though I grieved for a friend or a brother;
I went about as one who laments for a mother,
    bowed down and in mourning.

¹⁵ But at my stumbling they gathered in glee;
    they gathered together against me;
ruffians whom I did not know
    tore at me without ceasing;^(DV)
16 they impiously mocked more and more,^[r]
    gnashing at me with their teeth.

¹⁷ How long, O Lord, will you look on?
    Rescue me from their ravages,
    my life from the lions!^(DW)
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation;
    in the mighty throng I will praise you.^(DX)

¹⁹ Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me
    or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.^(DY)
20 For they do not speak peace,
    but they conceive deceitful words
    against those who are quiet in the land.
²¹ They open wide their mouths against me;
    they say, “Aha, Aha,
    our eyes have seen it.”^(DZ)

²² You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent!
    O Lord, do not be far from me!^(EA)
23 Wake up! Rouse yourself for my defense,
    for my cause, my God and my Lord!^(EB)
24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God,
    according to your righteousness,
    and do not let them rejoice over me.^(EC)
25 Do not let them say to themselves,
    “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.”
Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you^[s] up.”^(ED)

²⁶ Let all those who rejoice at my calamity
    be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me
    be clothed with shame and dishonor.^(EE)

²⁷ Let those who desire my vindication
    shout for joy and be glad
    and say evermore,
“Great is the Lord,
    who delights in the welfare of his servant.”^(EF)
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
    and of your praise all day long.^(EG)

⁵ Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains;
    your judgments are like the great deep;
    you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.^(EK)

⁷ How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.^(EL)
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from the river of your delights.^(EM)
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light.^(EN)

¹⁰ O continue your steadfast love to those who know you
    and your salvation to the upright of heart!
¹¹ Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me
    or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² There the evildoers lie prostrate;
    they are thrust down, unable to rise.^(EO)

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    live in the land and enjoy security.^(ER)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.^(ES)

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.^(ET)
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light
    and the justice of your cause like the noonday.^(EU)

⁷ Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
    do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
    over those who carry out evil devices.^(EV)

⁸ Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
    Do not fret—it leads only to evil.^(EW)
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.^(EX)

¹⁰ Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.^(EY)
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.^(EZ)

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them,^(FA)
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he sees that their day is coming.^(FB)

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to kill those who walk uprightly;^(FC)
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
    and their bows shall be broken.^(FD)

¹⁶ Better is a little that the righteous person has
    than the abundance of many wicked.^(FE)
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.^(FF)

¹⁸ The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
    and their heritage will abide forever;^(FG)
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
    in the days of famine they have abundance.^(FH)

²⁰ But the wicked perish,
    and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
    they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.^(FI)

²¹ The wicked borrow and do not pay back,
    but the righteous are generous and keep giving;^(FJ)
22 surely those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
    but those cursed by him shall be cut off.^(FK)

²³ Our steps^[t] are made firm by the Lord
    when he delights in our^[u] way;^(FL)
24 though we stumble, we^[v] shall not fall headlong,
    for the Lord holds us^[w] by the hand.^(FM)

²⁵ I have been young and now am old,
    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.^(FN)
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending,
    and their children become a blessing.^(FO)

²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good;
    so you shall abide forever.^(FP)
28 For the Lord loves justice;
    he will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
    but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.^(FQ)
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
    and live in it forever.^(FR)

³⁰ The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
    and their tongues speak justice.^(FS)
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
    their steps do not slip.^(FT)

³² The wicked watch for the righteous
    and seek to kill them.^(FU)
33 The Lord will not abandon them to their power
    or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.^(FV)

³⁴ Wait for the Lord and keep to his way,
    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
    you will look on the destruction of the wicked.^(FW)

³⁵ I have seen the wicked oppressing
    and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.^[x](FX)
36 Again I^[y] passed by, and they were no more;
    though I sought them, they could not be found.^(FY)

³⁷ Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
    for there is posterity for the peaceable.^(FZ)
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
    the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.^(GA)

³⁹ The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
    he is their refuge in the time of trouble.^(GB)
40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
    he rescues them from the wicked and saves them
    because they take refuge in him.^(GC)

³ There is no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
    because of my sin.^(GF)
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
    they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.^(GG)

⁵ My wounds grow foul and fester
    because of my foolishness;^(GH)
6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
    all day long I go around mourning.^(GI)
7 For my loins are filled with burning,
    and there is no soundness in my flesh.^(GJ)
8 I am utterly spent and crushed;
    I groan because of the tumult of my heart.^(GK)

⁹ O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.^(GL)
10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me;
    as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
¹¹ My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,
    and my neighbors stand far off.^(GM)

¹² Those who seek my life lay their snares;
    those who seek to hurt me speak of ruin
    and meditate on treachery all day long.^(GN)

¹³ But I am like the deaf; I do not hear;
    like the mute, who cannot speak.^(GO)
14 Truly, I am like one who does not hear
    and in whose mouth is no retort.

¹⁵ But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait;
    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.^(GP)
16 For I pray, “Only do not let them rejoice over me,
    those who boast against me when my foot slips.”^(GQ)

¹⁷ For I am ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever with me.^(GR)
18 I confess my iniquity;
    I am sorry for my sin.^(GS)
19 Those who are my foes without cause^[z] are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.^(GT)
20 Those who render me evil for good
    are my adversaries because I follow after good.^(GU)

²¹ Do not forsake me, O Lord;
    O my God, do not be far from me;^(GV)
22 make haste to help me,
    O Lord, my salvation.^(GW)

⁴ “Lord, let me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting my life is.^(GZ)
5 You have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath. Selah^(HA)
6     Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
    they heap up and do not know who will gather.^(HB)

⁷ “And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
    My hope is in you.^(HC)
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
    Do not make me the scorn of the fool.^(HD)
9 I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
    for it is you who have done it.^(HE)
10 Remove your stroke from me;
    I am worn down by the blows^[aa] of your hand.^(HF)

¹¹ “You chastise mortals
    in punishment for sin,
consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
    surely everyone is a mere breath. Selah^(HG)

¹² “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
    and give ear to my cry;
    do not hold your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing guest,
    an alien, like all my forebears.^(HH)
13 Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again,
    before I depart and am no more.”^(HI)

⁴ Happy are those who make
    the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after false gods.^(HM)
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
    they would be more than can be counted.^(HN)

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
    but you have given me an open ear.^[ac]
Burnt offering and sin offering
    you have not required.^(HO)
7 Then I said, “Here I am;
    in the scroll of the book it is written of me.^[ad]
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
    your law is within my heart.”^(HP)

⁹ I have told the glad news of deliverance
    in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
    as you know, O Lord.^(HQ)
10 I have not hidden your saving help 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.^(HR)

¹¹ Do not, O Lord, withhold
    your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    keep me safe forever.^(HS)
12 For evils have encompassed me
    without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me
    until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
    and my heart fails me.^(HT)

¹³ Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
    O Lord, make haste to help me.^(HU)
14 Let all those be put to shame and confusion
    who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who desire my hurt.^(HV)
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
    who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”^(HW)

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

⁴ As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;
    heal me, for I have sinned against you.”^(IC)
5 My enemies wonder in malice
    when I will die and my name perish.^(ID)
6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words
    while their hearts gather mischief;
    when they go out, they tell it abroad.^(IE)
7 All who hate me whisper together about me;
    they imagine the worst for me.^(IF)

⁸ They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,
    that I will not rise again from where I lie.^(IG)
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
    who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.^(IH)
10 But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
    and raise me up, that I may repay them.^(II)

¹¹ By this I know that you are pleased with me:
    because my enemy has not triumphed over me.^(IJ)
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity
    and set me in your presence forever.^(IK)

¹³ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.
                Amen and Amen.^(IL)