Psalm 103-111

English Standard Version

⁶ The Lord works ^(J)righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ^(K)ways to Moses,
    his ^(L)acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is ^(M)merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
^9 (N)He will not always chide,
    nor will he ^(O)keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us ^(P)according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For ^(Q)as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his ^(R)steadfast love toward ^(S)those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he ^(T)remove our transgressions from us.
¹³ As ^(U)a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion ^(V)to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows our frame;^[a]
    he ^(W)remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like ^(X)grass;
    he flourishes like ^(Y)a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for ^(Z)the wind passes over it, and ^(AA)it is gone,
    and ^(AB)its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But ^(AC)the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on ^(AD)those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to ^(AE)children's children,
¹⁸ to those who ^(AF)keep his covenant
    and ^(AG)remember to do his commandments.
¹⁹ The Lord has ^(AH)established his throne in the heavens,
    and his ^(AI)kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you ^(AJ)his angels,
    you ^(AK)mighty ones who ^(AL)do his word,
    obeying the voice of his word!
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his ^(AM)hosts,
    his ^(AN)ministers, who do his will!
^22 (AO)Bless the Lord, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
^(AP)Bless the Lord, O my soul!

⁵ He ^(BC)set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
⁶ You ^(BD)covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
⁷ At ^(BE)your rebuke they fled;
    at ^(BF)the sound of your thunder they ^(BG)took to flight.
⁸ The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you ^(BH)appointed for them.
⁹ You set ^(BI)a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they ^(BJ)might not again cover the earth.

¹⁰ You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills;
¹¹ they ^(BK)give drink to every beast of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
    they sing among the branches.
^13 (BL)From your lofty abode you ^(BM)water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

¹⁴ You cause ^(BN)the grass to grow for the livestock
    and ^(BO)plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth ^(BP)food from the earth
¹⁵     and ^(BQ)wine to gladden the heart of man,
^(BR)oil to make his face shine
    and bread to ^(BS)strengthen man's heart.

¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
    ^(BT)the cedars of Lebanon ^(BU)that he planted.
¹⁷ In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has her home in the fir trees.
¹⁸ The high mountains are for ^(BV)the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for ^(BW)the rock badgers.

¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the ^(BX)seasons;^[b]
    the sun knows its time for setting.
^20 (BY)You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
^21 (BZ)The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.
²² When the sun rises, they steal away
    and lie down in their ^(CA)dens.
^23 (CB)Man goes out to his work
    and to his labor until the evening.

²⁴ O Lord, how manifold are your works!
    In ^(CC)wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Here is the sea, great and wide,
    ^(CD)which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great.
²⁶ There go the ships,
    and ^(CE)Leviathan, which you formed to ^(CF)play in it.^[c]

²⁷ These ^(CG)all look to you,
    to ^(CH)give them their food in due season.
²⁸ When you give it to them, they gather it up;
    when you ^(CI)open your hand, they are filled with good things.
²⁹ When you ^(CJ)hide your face, they are ^(CK)dismayed;
    when you ^(CL)take away their breath, they die
    and ^(CM)return to their dust.
³⁰ When you ^(CN)send forth your Spirit,^[d] they are created,
    and you ^(CO)renew the face of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord ^(CP)endure forever;
    may the Lord ^(CQ)rejoice in his works,
³² who looks on the earth and it ^(CR)trembles,
    who ^(CS)touches the mountains and they smoke!
³³ I will sing to the Lord ^(CT)as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
³⁴ May my ^(CU)meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.
³⁵ Let ^(CV)sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
^(CW)Bless the Lord, O my soul!
^(CX)Praise the Lord!

⁷ He is the Lord our God;
    his ^(DI)judgments are in all the earth.
⁸ He ^(DJ)remembers his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for ^(DK)a thousand generations,
^9 (DL)the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his ^(DM)sworn promise to Isaac,
¹⁰ which he confirmed to ^(DN)Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
¹¹ saying, ^(DO)“To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as ^(DP)your portion for an inheritance.”

¹² When they were ^(DQ)few in number,
    of little account, and ^(DR)sojourners in it,
¹³ wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
¹⁴ he ^(DS)allowed no one to oppress them;
    he ^(DT)rebuked kings on their account,
¹⁵ saying, ^(DU)“Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

¹⁶ When he ^(DV)summoned a famine on the land
    and ^(DW)broke all supply^[e] of bread,
¹⁷ he had ^(DX)sent a man ahead of them,
    Joseph, who was ^(DY)sold as a slave.
¹⁸ His ^(DZ)feet were hurt with fetters;
    his neck was put in a collar of iron;
¹⁹ until ^(EA)what he had said came to pass,
    the word of the Lord ^(EB)tested him.
^20 (EC)The king sent and ^(ED)released him;
    the ruler of the peoples set him free;
²¹ he ^(EE)made him lord of his house
    and ruler of all his possessions,
²² to bind^[f] his princes at his pleasure
    and to teach his elders wisdom.

²³ Then ^(EF)Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob ^(EG)sojourned in ^(EH)the land of Ham.
²⁴ And the Lord ^(EI)made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
²⁵ He ^(EJ)turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to ^(EK)deal craftily with his servants.

²⁶ He ^(EL)sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, ^(EM)whom he had chosen.
^27 (EN)They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in ^(EO)the land of Ham.
²⁸ He ^(EP)sent darkness, and made the land dark;
    they ^(EQ)did not rebel^[g] against his words.
²⁹ He turned their waters into blood
    and ^(ER)caused their fish to die.
³⁰ Their land swarmed with frogs,
    even in ^(ES)the chambers of their kings.
³¹ He spoke, and there came ^(ET)swarms of flies,
    ^(EU)and gnats throughout their country.
³² He gave them hail for rain,
    and fiery ^(EV)lightning bolts through their land.
³³ He struck down their vines and fig trees,
    and ^(EW)shattered the trees of their country.
³⁴ He spoke, and the ^(EX)locusts came,
    young locusts without number,
³⁵ which devoured all the vegetation in their land
    and ate up the fruit of their ground.
³⁶ He ^(EY)struck down all the firstborn in their land,
    ^(EZ)the firstfruits of all their strength.

³⁷ Then he brought out Israel with ^(FA)silver and gold,
    and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
^38 (FB)Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for ^(FC)dread of them had fallen upon it.

³⁹ He ^(FD)spread a cloud for a covering,
    and fire to give light by night.
^40 (FE)They asked, and he ^(FF)brought quail,
    and gave them ^(FG)bread from heaven in abundance.
⁴¹ He opened the rock, and ^(FH)water gushed out;
    it flowed through ^(FI)the desert like a river.
⁴² For he ^(FJ)remembered his holy promise,
    and ^(FK)Abraham, his servant.

⁴³ So he brought his people out with joy,
    his ^(FL)chosen ones with ^(FM)singing.
⁴⁴ And he ^(FN)gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil,
⁴⁵ that they might ^(FO)keep his statutes
    and ^(FP)observe his laws.
^(FQ)Praise the Lord!

^4 (FW)Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
    help me when you save them,^[h]
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your ^(FX)chosen ones,
    that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
    that I may glory with your inheritance.

^6 (FY)Both we and ^(FZ)our fathers have sinned;
    we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
⁷ Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
    did not consider your wondrous works;
they ^(GA)did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
    but ^(GB)rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
⁸ Yet he saved them ^(GC)for his name's sake,
    ^(GD)that he might make known his mighty power.
⁹ He ^(GE)rebuked the Red Sea, and it ^(GF)became dry,
    and he ^(GG)led them through the deep as through a desert.
¹⁰ So he ^(GH)saved them from the hand of the foe
    and ^(GI)redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
¹¹ And ^(GJ)the waters covered their adversaries;
    not one of them was left.
¹² Then ^(GK)they believed his words;
    they ^(GL)sang his praise.

¹³ But they soon ^(GM)forgot his works;
    they did not wait for ^(GN)his counsel.
¹⁴ But they had ^(GO)a wanton craving in the wilderness,
    and ^(GP)put God to the test in the desert;
¹⁵ he ^(GQ)gave them what they asked,
    but sent ^(GR)a wasting disease among them.

¹⁶ When men in the camp ^(GS)were jealous of Moses
    and Aaron, ^(GT)the holy one of the Lord,
^17 (GU)the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
    and covered the company of Abiram.
^18 (GV)Fire also broke out in their company;
    the flame burned up the wicked.

¹⁹ They ^(GW)made a calf in Horeb
    and worshiped a metal image.
²⁰ They ^(GX)exchanged the glory of God^[i]
    for the image of an ox that eats grass.
²¹ They ^(GY)forgot God, their Savior,
    who had done great things in Egypt,
²² wondrous works in ^(GZ)the land of Ham,
    and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
²³ Therefore ^(HA)he said he would destroy them—
    had not Moses, his ^(HB)chosen one,
^(HC)stood in the breach before him,
    to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

²⁴ Then they ^(HD)despised ^(HE)the pleasant land,
    having ^(HF)no faith in his promise.
²⁵ They ^(HG)murmured in their tents,
    and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
²⁶ Therefore he ^(HH)raised his hand and swore to them
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
²⁷ and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
    ^(HI)scattering them among the lands.

²⁸ Then they ^(HJ)yoked themselves to the ^(HK)Baal of Peor,
    and ate sacrifices offered to ^(HL)the dead;
²⁹ they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
    and a plague broke out among them.
³⁰ Then ^(HM)Phinehas stood up and intervened,
    and the plague was stayed.
³¹ And that was ^(HN)counted to him as righteousness
    from generation to generation forever.

³² They ^(HO)angered him at the waters of Meribah,
    and it went ill with Moses on their account,
³³ for they ^(HP)made his spirit bitter,^[j]
    and he ^(HQ)spoke rashly with his lips.

³⁴ They did not ^(HR)destroy the peoples,
    ^(HS)as the Lord commanded them,
³⁵ but they ^(HT)mixed with the nations
    and learned to do as they did.
³⁶ They served their idols,
    which became ^(HU)a snare to them.
³⁷ They ^(HV)sacrificed their sons
    and their daughters to ^(HW)the demons;
³⁸ they poured out innocent blood,
    the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
    and the land was ^(HX)polluted with blood.
³⁹ Thus they ^(HY)became unclean by their acts,
    and ^(HZ)played the whore in their deeds.

⁴⁰ Then ^(IA)the anger of the Lord was kindled against ^(IB)his people,
    and he abhorred his ^(IC)heritage;
⁴¹ he ^(ID)gave them into the hand of the nations,
    so that those who hated them ruled over them.
⁴² Their enemies ^(IE)oppressed them,
    and they were brought into subjection under their power.
^43 (IF)Many times he delivered them,
    but they were rebellious in their ^(IG)purposes
    and were ^(IH)brought low through their iniquity.

⁴⁴ Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
    when he ^(II)heard their cry.
⁴⁵ For their sake he ^(IJ)remembered his covenant,
    and ^(IK)relented according to ^(IL)the abundance of his steadfast love.
⁴⁶ He caused them to be ^(IM)pitied
    by all those who held them captive.

^47 (IN)Save us, O Lord our God,
    and ^(IO)gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.

^48 (IP)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!
^(IQ)And let all the people say, “Amen!”
    ^(IR)Praise the Lord!

⁴ Some ^(IX)wandered in desert wastes,
    finding no way ^(IY)to a city to dwell in;
⁵ hungry and thirsty,
    their soul ^(IZ)fainted within them.
⁶ Then they ^(JA)cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷ He led them by ^(JB)a straight way
    till they reached ^(JC)a city to dwell in.
^8 (JD)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
⁹ For he ^(JE)satisfies the longing soul,
    ^(JF)and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

^10 (JG)Some sat in darkness and in ^(JH)the shadow of death,
    prisoners in ^(JI)affliction and in irons,
¹¹ for they ^(JJ)had rebelled against the words of God,
    and ^(JK)spurned the counsel of the Most High.
¹² So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
    they fell down, ^(JL)with none to help.
^13 (JM)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
¹⁴ He brought them out of ^(JN)darkness and the shadow of death,
    and ^(JO)burst their bonds apart.
^15 (JP)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
¹⁶ For he ^(JQ)shatters the doors of bronze
    and cuts in two the bars of iron.

¹⁷ Some were ^(JR)fools through their sinful ways,
    and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
^18 (JS)they loathed any kind of food,
    and they ^(JT)drew near to ^(JU)the gates of death.
^19 (JV)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁰ He ^(JW)sent out his word and ^(JX)healed them,
    and ^(JY)delivered them from their destruction.
^21 (JZ)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
²² And let them ^(KA)offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
    and ^(KB)tell of his deeds in ^(KC)songs of joy!

²³ Some ^(KD)went down to the sea in ships,
    doing business on the great waters;
²⁴ they saw the deeds of the Lord,
    his wondrous works in the deep.
²⁵ For he ^(KE)commanded and ^(KF)raised the stormy wind,
    which lifted up the waves of the sea.
²⁶ They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
    their courage ^(KG)melted away in their evil plight;
²⁷ they reeled and ^(KH)staggered like drunken men
    and ^(KI)were at their wits' end.^[l]
28 (KJ)Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁹ He ^(KK)made the storm be still,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰ Then they were glad that the waters^[m] were quiet,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.
^31 (KL)Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
³² Let them ^(KM)extol him in ^(KN)the congregation of the people,
    and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

³³ He ^(KO)turns rivers into a desert,
    springs of water into thirsty ground,
^34 (KP)a fruitful land into a salty waste,
    because of the evil of its inhabitants.
³⁵ He ^(KQ)turns a desert into pools of water,
    ^(KR)a parched land into springs of water.
³⁶ And there he lets the hungry dwell,
    and they establish ^(KS)a city to live in;
³⁷ they sow fields and plant vineyards
    and get a fruitful yield.
^38 (KT)By his blessing they multiply greatly,
    and he does not let their livestock diminish.

³⁹ When they are diminished and brought low
    through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
^40 (KU)he pours contempt on princes
    and ^(KV)makes them wander ^(KW)in trackless wastes;
⁴¹ but ^(KX)he raises up the needy out of affliction
    and ^(KY)makes their families like flocks.
^42 (KZ)The upright see it and are glad,
    and ^(LA)all wickedness shuts its mouth.

^43 (LB)Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
    let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!
^6 (LE)That your beloved ones may be delivered,
    give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

⁷ God has promised in his holiness:^[o]
    “With exultation I will divide up Shechem
    and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
⁸ Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah my scepter.
⁹ Moab is my washbasin;
    upon Edom I cast my shoe;
    ^(LF)over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

¹⁰ Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
¹¹ Have you not rejected us, O God?
    You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
¹² Oh grant us help against the foe,
    for vain is the salvation of man!
¹³ With God we shall do valiantly;
    it is he who will tread down our foes.

^6 (LN)Appoint a wicked man ^(LO)against him;
    let an accuser stand ^(LP)at his right hand.
⁷ When he is tried, let him come forth guilty;
    let his ^(LQ)prayer be counted as sin!
⁸ May his ^(LR)days be few;
    may ^(LS)another take his ^(LT)office!
⁹ May his ^(LU)children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow!
¹⁰ May his children ^(LV)wander about and beg,
    ^(LW)seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
¹¹ May ^(LX)the creditor seize all that he has;
    may ^(LY)strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
¹² Let there be none to ^(LZ)extend kindness to him,
    nor any to ^(MA)pity his fatherless children!
¹³ May his ^(MB)posterity be cut off;
    may his ^(MC)name be blotted out in the second generation!
¹⁴ May ^(MD)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
    and let not the sin of his mother be ^(ME)blotted out!
^15 (MF)Let them be before the Lord continually,
    that he may ^(MG)cut off the memory of them from the earth!

¹⁶ For he did not remember to show kindness,
    but pursued ^(MH)the poor and needy
    and ^(MI)the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
^17 (MJ)He loved to curse; let curses come^[q] upon him!
    He did not delight in blessing; may it be far^[r] from him!
¹⁸ He ^(MK)clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
    may it ^(ML)soak^[s] into his body like water,
    like oil into his bones!
¹⁹ May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
    like a belt that he puts on every day!
²⁰ May this be the reward of my ^(MM)accusers from the Lord,
    of those who speak evil against my life!

²¹ But you, O God my Lord,
    deal on my behalf ^(MN)for your name's sake;
    because your ^(MO)steadfast love is good, deliver me!
²² For I am ^(MP)poor and needy,
    and my heart is stricken within me.
²³ I am gone like ^(MQ)a shadow at evening;
    I am ^(MR)shaken off like a locust.
²⁴ My knees are weak ^(MS)through fasting;
    my ^(MT)body has become gaunt, with no fat.
²⁵ I am ^(MU)an object of scorn to my accusers;
    when they see me, they ^(MV)wag their heads.

^26 (MW)Help me, O Lord my God!
    Save me according to your steadfast love!
²⁷ Let them ^(MX)know that this is your hand;
    you, O Lord, have done it!
^28 (MY)Let them curse, but you will bless!
    They arise and are put to shame, but ^(MZ)your servant will be glad!
²⁹ May my accusers be ^(NA)clothed with dishonor;
    may they ^(NB)be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!

³⁰ With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
    I will ^(NC)praise him in the midst of the throng.
³¹ For he stands ^(ND)at the right hand of the needy one,
    to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

² The Lord sends forth ^(NI)from Zion
    ^(NJ)your mighty scepter.
    ^(NK)Rule in the midst of your enemies!
^3 (NL)Your people will ^(NM)offer themselves freely
    on the day of your ^(NN)power,^[t]
    in ^(NO)holy garments;^[u]
from the womb of the morning,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.^[v]
4 (NP)The Lord has ^(NQ)sworn
    and will ^(NR)not change his mind,
^(NS)“You are ^(NT)a priest ^(NU)forever
    after the order of ^(NV)Melchizedek.”

⁵ The Lord is at your ^(NW)right hand;
    he will ^(NX)shatter kings on ^(NY)the day of his wrath.
⁶ He will ^(NZ)execute judgment among the nations,
    ^(OA)filling them with corpses;
he will ^(OB)shatter chiefs^[w]
    over the wide earth.
⁷ He will ^(OC)drink from the brook by the way;
    therefore he will lift up his head.