Beginning

26 ⁽⁰⁾ By David:

⁽¹⁾ Vindicate me, Adonai,
for I have lived a blameless life;
unwaveringly I trust in Adonai.
² Examine me, Adonai, test me,
search my mind and heart.
³ For your grace is there before my eyes,
and I live my life by your truth.
⁴ I have not sat with worthless folks,
I won’t consort with hypocrites,
⁵ I hate the company of evildoers,
I will not sit with the wicked.

⁶ I will wash my hands in innocence
and walk around your altar, Adonai,
⁷ lifting my voice in thanks
and proclaiming all your wonders.
⁸ Adonai, I love the house where you live,
the place where your glory abides.

⁹ Don’t include me with sinners
or my life with the bloodthirsty.
¹⁰ In their hands are evil schemes;
their right hands are full of bribes.
¹¹ As for me, I will live a blameless life.
Redeem me and show me favor.
¹² My feet are planted on level ground;
in the assemblies I will bless Adonai.

27 ⁽⁰⁾ By David:

⁽¹⁾ Adonai is my light and salvation;
whom do I need to fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?
² When evildoers assailed me
to devour my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
they stumbled and fell.
³ If an army encamps against me,
my heart will not fear;
if war breaks out against me,
even then I will keep trusting.

⁴ Just one thing have I asked of Adonai;
only this will I seek:
to live in the house of Adonai
all the days of my life,
to see the beauty of Adonai
and visit in his temple.
⁵ For he will conceal me in his shelter
on the day of trouble,
he will hide me in the folds of his tent,
he will set me high on a rock.
⁶ Then my head will be lifted up
above my surrounding foes,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, sing praises to Adonai.

⁷ Listen, Adonai, to my voice when I cry;
show favor to me; and answer me.
⁸ “My heart said of you, ‘Seek my face.’”
Your face, Adonai, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
don’t turn your servant away in anger.
You are my help; don’t abandon me;
don’t leave me, God my savior.
¹⁰ Even though my father and mother have left me,
Adonai will care for me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Adonai;
lead me on a level path
because of my enemies —
¹² don’t give me up to the whims of my foes;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
also those who are breathing violence.

¹³ If I hadn’t believed that I would see
Adonai’s goodness in the land of the living, . . .
¹⁴ Put your hope in Adonai, be strong,
and let your heart take courage!
Yes, put your hope in Adonai!
28 ⁽⁰⁾ By David:

⁽¹⁾ Adonai, I am calling to you;
my Rock, don’t be deaf to my cry.
For if you answer me with silence,
I will be like those who fall in a pit.
² Hear the sound of my prayers
when I cry to you,
when I lift my hands
toward your holy sanctuary.

³ Don’t drag me off with the wicked,
with those whose deeds are evil;
they speak words of peace to their fellowmen,
but evil is in their hearts.
⁴ Pay them back for their deeds,
as befits their evil acts;
repay them for what they have done,
give them what they deserve.
⁵ For they don’t understand the deeds of Adonai
or what he has done.
He will break them down;
he will not build them up.

⁶ Blessed be Adonai,
for he heard my voice as I prayed for mercy.
⁷ Adonai is my strength and shield;
in him my heart trusted, and I have been helped.
Therefore my heart is filled with joy,
and I will sing praises to him.

⁸ Adonai is strength for [his people],
a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.
⁹ Save your people! Bless your heritage!
Shepherd them, and carry them forever!

29 ⁽⁰⁾ A psalm of David:

⁽¹⁾ Give Adonai his due, you who are godly;
give Adonai his due of glory and strength;
² give Adonai the glory due his name;
worship Adonai in holy splendor.

³ The voice of Adonai is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
Adonai over rushing waters,
⁴ the voice of Adonai in power,
the voice of Adonai in splendor.

⁵ The voice of Adonai cracks the cedars;
Adonai splinters the cedars of the L’vanon
⁶ and makes the L’vanon skip like a calf,
Siryon like a young wild ox.

⁷ The voice of Adonai flashes fiery flames;
⁸ the voice of Adonai rocks the desert,
Adonai convulses the Kadesh Desert.
⁹ The voice of Adonai causes deer to give birth
and strips the forests bare —
while in his temple, all cry, “Glory!”
¹⁰ Adonai sits enthroned above the flood!
Adonai sits enthroned as king forever!
¹¹ May Adonai give strength to his people!
May Adonai bless his people with shalom!

30 ⁽⁰⁾ A psalm. A song for the dedication of the house. By David:

^2 (1) I will exalt you, Adonai, because you drew me up;
you didn’t let my enemies rejoice over me.
^3 (2) Adonai my God, I cried out to you,
and you provided healing for me.
^4 (3) Adonai, you lifted me up from Sh’ol;
you kept me alive when I was sinking into a pit.

^5 (4) Sing praise to Adonai, you faithful of his;
and give thanks on recalling his holiness.
^6 (5) For his anger is momentary,
but his favor lasts a lifetime.
Tears may linger for the night,
but with dawn come cries of joy.

^7 (6) Once I was prosperous and used to say,
that nothing could ever shake me —
^8 (7) when you showed me favor, Adonai,
I was firm as a mighty mountain.
But when you hid your face,
I was struck with terror.

^9 (8) I called to you, Adonai;
to Adonai I pleaded for mercy:
^10 (9) “What advantage is there in my death,
in my going down to the pit?
Can the dust praise you?
Can it proclaim your truth?
^11 (10) Hear me, Adonai, and show me your favor!
Adonai, be my helper!”

^12 (11) You turned my mourning into dancing!
You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
^13 (12) so that my well-being can praise you and not be silent;
Adonai my God, I will thank you forever!

31 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. A psalm of David:

^2 (1) In you, Adonai, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your justice, save me!
^3 (2) Turn your ear toward me,
come quickly to my rescue,
be for me a rock of strength,
a fortress to keep me safe.
^4 (3) Since you are my rock and fortress,
lead me and guide me for your name’s sake.
^5 (4) Free me from the net they have hidden to catch me,
because you are my strength.
^6 (5) Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you will redeem me, Adonai, God of truth.

^7 (6) I hate those who serve worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in Adonai.
^8 (7) I will rejoice and be glad in your grace,
for you see my affliction,
you know how distressed I am.
^9 (8) You did not hand me over to the enemy;
you set my feet where I can move freely.

^10 (9) Show me favor, Adonai, for I am in trouble.
My eyes grow dim with anger,
my soul and body as well.
^11 (10) For my life is worn out with sorrow
and my years with sighing;
my strength gives out under my guilt,
and my bones are wasting away.

^12 (11) I am scorned by all my adversaries,
and even more by my neighbors;
even to acquaintances
I am an object of fear —
when they see me in the street,
they turn away from me.
^13 (12) Like a dead man, I have passed from their minds;
I have become like a broken pot.
^14 (13) All I hear is whispering,
terror is all around me;
they plot together against me,
scheming to take my life.

^15 (14) But I, I trust in you, Adonai;
I say, “You are my God.”
^16 (15) My times are in your hand;
rescue me from my enemies’ power,
from those who persecute me.

^17 (16) Make your face shine on your servant;
in your grace, save me.
^18 (17) Adonai, don’t let me be put to shame,
for I have called on you;
let the wicked be put to shame,
let them be silenced in Sh’ol.
^19 (18) May lying lips be struck dumb,
that speak insolently against the righteous
with such pride and contempt.

^20 (19) But oh, how great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you do for those who take refuge in you,
before people’s very eyes!
^21 (20) In the shelter of your presence
you hide them from human plots,
you conceal them in your shelter,
safe from contentious tongues.

^22 (21) Blessed be Adonai!
For he has shown me his amazing grace
when I was in a city under siege.
^23 (22) As for me, in my alarm I said,
“I have been cut off from your sight!”
Nevertheless, you heard my pleas
when I cried out to you.

^24 (23) Love Adonai, you faithful of his.
Adonai preserves the loyal,
but the proud he repays in full.
^25 (24) Be strong, and fill your hearts with courage,
all of you who hope in Adonai.