Psalm 9

For the worship leader. A song of David to the tune “Death of a Son.”

All my heart will give thanks to You, Eternal One. I will tell others about Your amazing works.

Psalm 11

For the worship leader. A song of David.

I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal, so why do you beckon me to leave, saying, “Fly like a bird to the mountains.

Announce that I am free of all the charges against me—only You can see into my heart to know that to be true. Treat me with fairness; look at me with justice.

As I am Your servant, protect me from my bent toward pride, and keep sin from ruling my life. If You do this, I will be without blame, innocent of the great breach.

Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness, I am not overcome by fear. Because You are with me in those dark moments, near with Your protection and guidance, I am comforted.

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.

Show me Your grace, Eternal One, for I am in a tight spot. My eyes are aching with grief; my body and soul are withering with miseries.

You are my hiding place. You will keep me out of trouble and envelop me with songs that remind me I am free. [pause]

Psalm 41

For the worship leader. A song of David.

Blessed are those who consider the helpless. The Eternal will stay near them, leading them to safety in times of bitter struggle.

At a royal wedding with the daughters of kings among the guests of honor, your bride-queen stands at your right, adorned in gold from Ophir.

And here’s why: I am consumed with You, completely devoted to protecting Your house; when they insult You, they insult me.

But the closer I am to You, my God, the better because life with You is good. O Lord, the Eternal, You keep me safe— I will tell everyone what You have done.

O Lord, my God! I praise You with all that I am. I will rightly honor Your great name forever.

Forsaken by Him and cut off from His hand, abandoned among the dead who rest in their graves. And You have sent me to be forgotten with them, in the lowest pits of the earth, in the darkest canyons of the ocean.

Those whom I have known, who have been with me, You have gathered like sheaves and cast to the four winds. They can’t bear to look me in the eye, and they are horrified when they think of me. I am in a trap and cannot be free.

But I am calling out to You, Eternal One. My prayers rise before You with every new sun!

You will see the dead in heaps at the roadside, corpses spread far and wide in valleys and on hillsides. Rulers and military leaders will lie among them without distinction. This will be his judgment on the nations.

Psalm 138

A song of David.

To You, Lord, I give my whole heart, a heart filled with praise, for I am grateful; before the gods, my heart sings praises to You and You alone.

I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. You have approached even the smallest details with excellence; Your works are wonderful; I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.

Deep hatred boils within me toward them; I am Your friend, and they are my enemies.