Chronological

Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.

¹ ¶ O LORD my God, in thee I have put my trust: save me from all those that persecute me, and deliver me

² Lest they take my soul, as a lion dismembers his prey when there is none to deliver.

³ O LORD my God, if I have done this: if there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴ if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me, then let my persecutor escape without retribution.

⁵ Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay my honour in the dust. Selah.

⁶ Arise, O LORD, in thine anger; lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake the judgment in my favour that thou hast commanded.

⁷ So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about, for their sakes therefore return thou on high.

⁸ The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.

⁹ Let wickedness consume the wicked; but establish the just: for the righteous God is he who tries the hearts and kidneys.

¹⁰ ¶ My shield is in God, he who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹ God is he who judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

¹² If he does not turn, he will whet his sword; he has bent his bow and made it ready.

¹³ He has also prepared for him the weapons of death; he ordains his arrows against the persecutors.

¹⁴ Behold, he travails with iniquity and has conceived of his own work and brought forth falsehood.

¹⁵ He made a pit and deepened it and shall fall into the ditch which he made.

¹⁶ His work shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

¹⁷ I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

A Psalm of David.

¹ ¶ The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

³ Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

⁴ One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple.

⁵ For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his tabernacle; in the secret of his tent shall he hide me; he shall set me high upon a rock.

⁶ And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tabernacle; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

⁷ ¶ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me and answer me.

⁸ My heart has spoken unto me from thee, Seek my face. Thy face, O LORD, will I seek.

⁹ Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy slave away in anger: thou hast been my help; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my saving health.

¹⁰ For my father and my mother have left me, and the LORD has taken me up.

¹¹ Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a right path because of my enemies.

¹² Deliver me not over unto the will of my enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me and such as breathe out cruelty.

¹³ I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait for the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, for the LORD.

To the Overcomer, A Psalm of David.

¹ ¶ In thee, O LORD, have I waited; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in thy righteousness.

² Incline thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily; be thou my strong rock, for a house of defence to save me.

³ For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake thou shalt lead me and guide me.

⁴ Thou shalt pull me out of the net that they have laid in secret for me; for thou art my strength.

⁵ Into thy hand shall I commit my spirit; thou shalt ransom me, O LORD God of truth.

⁶ I have hated those that regard lying vanities; but I wait in the LORD.

⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy, for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities

⁸ and hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; thou hast set my feet in a wide place.

⁹ ¶ Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: my eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

¹⁰ For my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

¹¹ I was a reproach among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to my acquaintances: those that see me without flee from me.

¹² I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I have become like a lost vessel.

¹³ For I have heard the slander of many; fear was on every side; while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

¹⁴ But I trusted in thee, O LORD; I said, Thou art my God.

¹⁵ My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those that persecute me.

¹⁶ Make thy face to shine upon thy slave; save me for thy mercies’ sake.

¹⁷ Let me not be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon thee; let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be cut off for Sheol.

¹⁸ Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

¹⁹ ¶ Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for those that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for those that wait in thee before the sons of men!

²⁰ Thou shalt keep them in the secret place of thy face from the pride of man; thou shalt keep them in the tabernacle protected from the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the LORD, for he has shown me his marvellous mercy in a strong city.

²² For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes; nevertheless thou hast heard the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

²³ O love the LORD, all ye his merciful ones, for the LORD preserves the faithful and plentifully rewards the proud doer.

²⁴ Be of good courage and strengthen your hearts, all ye that wait in the LORD.

A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.

Aleph

¹ ¶ I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Beth

² My soul shall glory in the LORD; the meek shall hear of this, and be glad.

Gimel

³ O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Daleth

⁴ I sought the LORD, and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

He

⁵ They looked unto him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed.

Vau

⁶ This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Zain

⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps round about those that fear him and delivers them.

Cheth

⁸ O taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man that shall trust in him.

Teth

⁹ O fear the LORD, ye his saints; for those that fear him lack nothing.

Jod

¹⁰ The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but those that seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

Caph

¹¹ ¶ Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Lamed

¹² Who is the man that desires life and loves many days that he may see good?

Mem

¹³ Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Nun

¹⁴ Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Samech

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Ain

¹⁶ The anger of the LORD is against those that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Pe

¹⁷ The righteous cried out, and the LORD heard and delivered them out of all their troubles.

Tzaddi

¹⁸ The LORD is near unto those that are of a broken heart and saves such as are of a contrite spirit.

Koph

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD shall deliver him out of them all,

Resh

²⁰ keeping all his bones; not one of them shall be broken.

Schin

²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked; and those that hate the righteous shall be declared guilty.

Tau

²² The LORD ransoms the soul of his slaves, and none of those that trust in him shall be declared guilty.

To the Overcomer, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.

¹ ¶ Why dost thou boast of evil, O strong man? The mercy of God is day by day.

² Thy tongue devises wickedness like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

³ Thou dost love evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

⁴ Thou dost love all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

⁵ God shall likewise cast thee down for ever; he shall cut thee off and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

⁶ ¶ The righteous also shall see and fear and shall laugh at him, saying:

⁷ Behold, this is the man that did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

⁸ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the eternal mercy of God for ever.

⁹ I will praise thee for ever because thou hast done it, and I will wait on thy name, for it is good before thy merciful ones.