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Psalm 28

A song of David.

Eternal One, I am calling out to You;
    You are the foundation of my life. Please, don’t turn Your ear from me.
If You respond to my pleas with silence,
    I will lose all hope like those silenced by death’s grave.
Listen to my voice.
    You will hear me begging for Your help
With my hands lifted up in prayer,
    my body turned toward Your holy home.

This Davidic psalm pleads with God to spare him and repay his enemies. It would be difficult to locate this psalm in any one event. During his life David faced many threats from different enemies; not only were these threats from outside his realm, but some of his most difficult challenges came from inside his own family.

I beg You; don’t punish me with the most heinous men.
    They spend their days doing evil.
Even when they engage their neighbors in pleasantness,
    they are scheming against them.
Pay them back for their deeds;
    hold them accountable for their malice.
Give them what they deserve.
Because these are people who have no respect for You, O Eternal,
    they ignore everything You have done.
So He will tear them down with His powerful hands;
    never will they be built again.

The Eternal should be honored and revered;
    He has heard my cries for help.
The Eternal is the source of my strength and the shield that guards me.
    When I learn to rest and truly trust Him,
He sends His help. This is why my heart is singing!
    I open my mouth to praise Him, and thankfulness rises as song.

The Eternal gives life and power to all His chosen ones;
    to His anointed He is a sturdy fortress.
Rescue Your people, and bring prosperity to Your legacy;
    may they know You as a shepherd, carrying them at all times.

Psalm 29

A song of David.

Give all credit to the Eternal, O heavenly creatures;
    give praise to Him for His glory and power.
Give to the Eternal the glory due His name;
    worship Him with lavish displays of sacred splendor.

The voice of the Eternal echoes over the great waters;
    God’s magnificence roars like thunder.
    The Eternal’s presence hovers over all the waters.
His voice explodes in great power over the earth.
    His voice is both regal and grand.

The Eternal’s voice shatters the cedars;
    His power splinters the great cedars of Lebanon.
He speaks, and Lebanon leaps like a young calf;
    Sirion jumps like a wild, youthful ox.

The voice of the Eternal cuts through with flames of fire.
The voice of the Eternal rumbles through the wilderness
    with great quakes;
    He causes Kadesh to tremble.

The Eternal’s voice brings life from the doe’s womb;
    His voice strips the forest bare,
    and all the people in the temple declare, “Glory!”

10 The Eternal is enthroned over the great flood;
    His reign is unending.
11 We ask You, Eternal One, to give strength to Your people;
    Eternal One, bless them with the gift of peace.

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