Bible in 90 Days
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king,[a] shall have sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.(A)
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations;
therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.(B)
Psalm 46
God’s Defense of His City and People
To the leader. Of the Korahites. According to Alamoth. A Song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present[b] help in trouble.(C)
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,(D)
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah(E)
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.(F)
5 God is in the midst of the city;[c] it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.(G)
6 The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice; the earth melts.(H)
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.[d] Selah(I)
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.(J)
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.(K)
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations;
I am exalted in the earth.”(L)
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.[e] Selah
Psalm 47
God’s Rule over the Nations
To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.(M)
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.(N)
3 He subdued peoples under us
and nations under our feet.(O)
4 He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah(P)
5 God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.(Q)
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.(R)
7 For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.[f](S)
8 God is king over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.(T)
9 The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted.(U)
Psalm 48
The Glory and Strength of Zion
A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites.
1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain,(V) 2 beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.(W)
3 Within its citadels God
has shown himself a sure defense.(X)
4 Then the kings assembled;
they came on together.(Y)
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic; they took to flight;(Z)
6 trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labor,
7 as when an east wind shatters
the ships of Tarshish.(AA)
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes forever. Selah
9 We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10 Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.(AB)
11 Let Mount Zion be glad;
let the towns[g] of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.(AC)
12 Walk about Zion; go all around it;
count its towers;
13 consider well its ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation(AD)
14 that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will be our guide forever.(AE)
Psalm 49
The Folly of Trust in Riches
To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1 Hear this, all you peoples;
give ear, all inhabitants of the world,(AF)
2 both low and high,
rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.(AG)
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb;
I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.(AH)
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,(AI)
6 those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?(AJ)
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life;[h]
there is no price one can give to God for it.(AK)
8 For the ransom of life is costly
and can never suffice,(AL)
9 that one should live on forever
and never see the Pit.(AM)
10 When we look at the wise, they die;
fool and dolt perish together
and leave their wealth to others.(AN)
11 Their graves[i] are their homes forever,
their dwelling places to all generations,
though they named lands their own.(AO)
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.(AP)
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy,
the end of those[j] who are pleased with their lot. Selah(AQ)
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend,[k]
and their form shall waste away;
Sheol shall be their home.[l](AR)
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me. Selah(AS)
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich,
when the wealth of their houses increases.(AT)
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away;
their wealth will not go down after them.(AU)
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy
—for you are praised when you do well for yourself—(AV)
19 they[m] will go to the company of their ancestors,
who will never again see the light.(AW)
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;
they are like the animals that perish.(AX)
Psalm 50
The Acceptable Sacrifice
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.(AY)
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.(AZ)
3 Our God comes and does not keep silent;
before him is a devouring fire
and a mighty tempest all around him.(BA)
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:(BB)
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”(BC)
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge. Selah(BD)
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.(BE)
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.(BF)
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.(BG)
10 For every wild animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.(BH)
11 I know all the birds of the air,[n]
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all that is in it is mine.(BI)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[o]
and pay your vows to the Most High.(BJ)
15 Call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”(BK)
16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?(BL)
17 For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.(BM)
18 You make friends with a thief when you see one,
and you keep company with adulterers.(BN)
19 You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your kin;
you slander your own mother’s child.(BO)
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.(BP)
22 Mark this, then, you who forget God,
or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.(BQ)
23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me;
to those who go the right way,[p]
I will show the salvation of God.”
Psalm 51
Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon
To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy,
blot out my transgressions.(BR)
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.(BS)
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.(BT)
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.(BU)
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.(BV)
6 You desire truth in the inward being;[q]
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.(BW)
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.(BX)
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.(BY)
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.(BZ)
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right[r] spirit within me.(CA)
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.(CB)
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing[s] spirit.(CC)
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.(CD)
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.(CE)
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.(CF)
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.(CG)
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God[t] is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.(CH)
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem;(CI)
19 then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.(CJ)
Psalm 52
Judgment on the Deceitful
To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done against the godly?[u]
All day long(CK) 2 you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.(CL)
3 You love evil more than good
and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah(CM)
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.(CN)
5 But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah(CO)
6 The righteous will see and fear
and will laugh at the evildoer,[v] saying,(CP)
7 “See the one who would not take
refuge in God
but trusted in abundant riches
and sought refuge in wealth!”[w](CQ)
8 But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.(CR)
9 I will thank you forever
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim[x] your name, for it is good.(CS)
Psalm 53
Denunciation of Godlessness
To the leader: according to Mahalath. A Maskil of David.
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt; they commit abominable acts;
there is no one who does good.(CT)
2 God looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.(CU)
3 They have all fallen away; they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.(CV)
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers,
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon God?(CW)
5 There they shall be in great terror,
in terror such as has not been.
For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly;[y]
they will be put to shame,[z] for God has rejected them.(CX)
6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.(CY)
Psalm 54
Prayer for Vindication
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “David is in hiding among us.”
1 Save me, O God, by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.(CZ)
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
give ear to the words of my mouth.(DA)
3 For the insolent have risen against me;
the ruthless seek my life;
they do not set God before them. Selah(DB)
4 But surely, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of[aa] my life.(DC)
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil.
In your faithfulness, put an end to them.(DD)
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.(DE)
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.(DF)
Psalm 55
Complaint about a Friend’s Treachery
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.(DG)
2 Attend to me and answer me;
I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught(DH) 3 by the noise of the enemy,
because of the clamor of the wicked.
For they bring[ab] trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.(DI)
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.(DJ)
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.(DK)
6 And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;(DL)
7 truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.”(DM)
9 Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.(DN)
10 Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.(DO)
12 It is not enemies who taunt me—
I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—
I could hide from them.(DP)
13 But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend,(DQ)
14 with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house of God with the throng.(DR)
15 Let death come upon them;
let them go down alive to Sheol,
for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.(DS)
16 But I call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.(DT)
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.(DU)
18 He will redeem me unharmed
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.(DV)
19 God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah
will hear and will humble them,
because they do not change
and do not fear God.(DW)
20 My companion laid hands on a friend
and violated a covenant with me[ac](DX)
21 with speech smoother than butter
but with a heart set on war,
with words that were softer than oil
but in fact were drawn swords.(DY)
22 Cast your burden[ad] on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.(DZ)
23 But you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.(EA)
Psalm 56
Trust in God under Persecution
To the leader: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. Of David. A Miktam, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me;
all day long foes oppress me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many fight against me.
O Most High,(EB) 3 when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.(EC)
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid;
what can flesh do to me?(ED)
5 All day long they seek to injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.(EE)
6 They stir up strife; they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they hoped to take my life.(EF)
7 Do not deliver them for any reason;[ae]
in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!(EG)
8 You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your record?(EH)
9 Then my enemies will retreat
in the day when I call.
This I know, that[af] God is for me.(EI)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?
12 My vows to you I must perform, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.(EJ)
13 For you have delivered my soul from death
and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before God
in the light of life.(EK)
Psalm 57
Praise and Assurance under Persecution
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
1 Be merciful to me, O God; be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
until the destroying storms pass by.(EL)
2 I cry to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.(EM)
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.(EN)
4 I lie down among lions
that greedily devour[ag] human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp swords.(EO)
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.(EP)
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah(EQ)
7 My heart is steadfast, O God;
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make melody.(ER)
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.(ES)
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.(ET)
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.(EU)
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.(EV)
Psalm 58
Prayer for Vengeance
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam.
1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge people fairly?(EW)
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.(EX)
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their birth, speaking lies.(EY)
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,(EZ)
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.(FA)
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!(FB)
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
like grass let them be trodden down[ah] and wither.(FC)
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.(FD)
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!(FE)
10 The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.(FF)
11 People will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges[ai] on earth.”(FG)
Psalm 59
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.(FH)
2 Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty, save me.(FI)
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,(FJ)
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!(FK)
5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah(FL)
6 Each evening they come back
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.(FM)
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words[aj] on their lips,
for “Who,” they think,[ak] “will hear us?”(FN)
8 But you laugh at them, O Lord;
you hold all the nations in derision.(FO)
9 O my strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God, are my fortress.(FP)
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.(FQ)
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
make them totter by your power and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.(FR)
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,(FS)
13 consume them in wrath;
consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob. Selah(FT)
14 Each evening they come back
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.(FU)
15 They roam about for food
and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge in the day of my distress.(FV)
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.(FW)
Psalm 60
Prayer for National Victory after Defeat
To the leader: according to the Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; now restore us!(FX)
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.(FY)
3 You have made your people suffer hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.(FZ)
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
to rally to it out of bowshot.[al] Selah(GA)
5 Give victory with your right hand and answer us,[am]
so that those whom you love may be rescued.(GB)
6 God has promised in his sanctuary,[an]
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.(GC)
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.(GD)
8 Moab is my washbasin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”(GE)
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.(GF)
11 O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.(GG)
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.(GH)
Psalm 61
Assurance of God’s Protection
To the leader: with stringed instruments. Of David.
1 Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.(GI)
2 From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,(GJ)
3 for you are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.(GK)
4 Let me abide in your tent forever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah(GL)
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.(GM)
6 Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!(GN)
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!(GO)
8 So I will always sing praises to your name,
as I pay my vows day after day.(GP)
Psalm 62
Song of Trust in God Alone
To the leader: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.(GQ)
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.(GR)
3 How long will you assail a person,
will you batter your victim, all of you,
as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?(GS)
4 Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.
They take pleasure in falsehood;
they bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse. Selah(GT)
5 For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.(GU)
7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.(GV)
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah(GW)
9 Those of low estate are but a breath;
those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than a breath.(GX)
10 Put no confidence in extortion,
and set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.(GY)
11 Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,(GZ)
12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.
For you repay to all
according to their work.(HA)
Psalm 63
Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God; I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.(HB)
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.(HC)
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.(HD)
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.(HE)
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,[ao]
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips(HF)
6 when I think of you on my bed
and meditate on you in the watches of the night,(HG)
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.(HH)
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.(HI)
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;(HJ)
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.(HK)
Psalm 64
Prayer for Protection from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from the dread enemy.(HL)
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the scheming of evildoers,(HM)
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,(HN)
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless;
they shoot suddenly and without fear.(HO)
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see us?[ap](HP)
6 Who can search out our crimes?[aq]
We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.”
For the human heart and mind are deep.(HQ)
7 But God will shoot his arrow at them;
they will be wounded suddenly.
8 Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin;[ar]
all who see them will shake with horror.(HR)
9 Then everyone will fear;
they will tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.(HS)
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him.
Let all the upright in heart glory.(HT)
Psalm 65
Thanksgiving for Earth’s Bounty
To the leader. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1 Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed,(HU)
2 O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.(HV)
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.(HW)
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.(HX)
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.(HY)
6 By your[as] strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.(HZ)
7 You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.(IA)
8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.(IB)
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow;
the hills gird themselves with joy;(IC)
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks;
the valleys deck themselves with grain;
they shout and sing together for joy.(ID)
Psalm 66
Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel
To the leader. A Song. A Psalm.
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;(IE)
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.(IF)
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.(IG)
4 All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name.” Selah(IH)
5 Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.(II)
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,(IJ)
7 who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah(IK)
8 Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard,(IL)
9 who has kept us among the living
and has not let our feet slip.(IM)
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.(IN)
11 You brought us into the net;
you laid burdens on our backs;(IO)
12 you let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.[at](IP)
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows,(IQ)
14 those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.(IR)
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatted calves,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah(IS)
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.(IT)
17 I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.(IU)
19 But truly God has listened;
he has heard the words of my prayer.(IV)
20 Blessed be God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.(IW)
Psalm 67
The Nations Called to Praise God
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah(IX)
2 that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.(IY)
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah(IZ)
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.(JA)
6 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.(JB)
7 May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him.(JC)
Psalm 68
Praise and Thanksgiving
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.
1 Let God rise up; let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.(JD)
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.(JE)
3 But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.(JF)
4 Sing to God; sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds[au]—
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.(JG)
5 Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.(JH)
6 God gives the desolate a home to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.(JI)
7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, Selah(JJ)
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.(JK)
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;(JL)
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.(JM)
11 The Lord gives the command;
great is the company of those[av] who bore the tidings:
12 “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil,(JN)
13 though they stay among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with green gold.(JO)
14 When the Almighty[aw] scattered kings there,
snow fell on Zalmon.(JP)
15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
where the Lord will reside forever?(JQ)
17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands,
the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.[ax](JR)
18 You ascended the high mount,
leading captives in your train
and receiving gifts from people,
even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there.(JS)
19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah(JT)
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.(JU)
21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.(JV)
22 The Lord said,
“I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,(JW)
23 so that you may bathe[ay] your feet in blood,
so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.”(JX)
24 Your solemn processions are seen,[az] O God,
the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—(JY)
25 the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them young women playing tambourines:(JZ)
26 “Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”(KA)
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in a body,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.(KB)
28 Summon your might, O God;
show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem,
kings bear gifts to you.(KC)
30 Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample[ba] under foot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.[bb](KD)
31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt;
let Cush hasten to stretch out its hands to God.(KE)
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.(KF)
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel
and whose power is in the skies.(KG)
35 Awesome is God in his[bc] sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!(KH)
Psalm 69
Prayer for Deliverance from Persecution
To the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.(KI)
2 I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.(KJ)
3 I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.(KK)
4 More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal,
must I now restore?(KL)
5 O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.(KM)
6 Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,
O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me,
O God of Israel.
7 It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my face.(KN)
8 I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.(KO)
9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.(KP)
10 When I humbled my soul with fasting,[bd]
they insulted me for doing so.(KQ)
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.(KR)
12 I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.(KS)
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful help(KT) 14 rescue me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.(KU)
15 Do not let the flood sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up
or the Pit close its mouth over me.(KV)
16 Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.(KW)
17 Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.(KX)
18 Draw near to me; redeem me;
set me free because of my enemies.
19 You know the insults I receive
and my shame and dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.(KY)
20 Insults have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none.(KZ)
21 They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.(LA)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.