Chronological
Psalm 6
Prayer for Recovery from Grave Illness
To the leader: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.(A)
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.(B)
3 My soul also is struck with terror,
while you, O Lord—how long?(C)
4 Turn, O Lord, save my life;
deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who can give you praise?(D)
6 I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief;
they grow weak because of all my foes.(E)
Psalm 8
Divine Majesty and Human Dignity
To the leader: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.(A)
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.(B)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;(C)
4 what are humans that you are mindful of them,
mortals[a] that you care for them?(D)
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God[b]
and crowned them with glory and honor.(E)
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,(F)
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!(G)
Psalm 9
God’s Power and Justice
To the leader: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
1 [c]I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.(H)
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.(I)
3 When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.(J)
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.(K)
5 You have rebuked the nations; you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.(L)
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.(M)
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.(N)
8 He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.(O)
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.(P)
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.(Q)
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.(R)
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.(S)
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,(T)
14 so that I may recount all your praises
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.(U)
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.(V)
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah(W)
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.(X)
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.(Y)
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
let the nations be judged before you.(Z)
20 Put them in fear, O Lord;
let the nations know that they are only human. Selah(AA)
Psalm 10
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
1 [d]Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(AB)
3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart;
those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.(AC)
4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;
all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”(AD)
5 Their ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of their sight;
as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6 They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;
throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”(AE)
7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.(AF)
8 They sit in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places they murder the innocent.
Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;(AG)
9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its den;
they lurk that they may seize the poor;
they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.(AH)
10 They stoop, they crouch,
and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten;
he has hidden his face; he will never see it.”(AI)
12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed.(AJ)
13 Why do the wicked renounce God
and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?
14 But you do see! Indeed, you note trouble and grief,
that you may take it into your hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
you have been the helper of the orphan.(AK)
Psalm 14
Denunciation of Godlessness
To the leader. Of David.
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt; they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good.(A)
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.(B)
3 They have all gone astray; they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.(C)
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the Lord?(D)
5 There they shall be in great terror,
for God is with the company of the righteous.(E)
6 You would confound the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.(F)
7 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.(G)
Psalm 16
Song of Trust and Security in God
A Miktam of David.
1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.(A)
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”[a]
3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble ones
in whom is all my delight.(B)
4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;[b]
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names upon my lips.(C)
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.(D)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.(E)
7 I bless the Lord, who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.(F)
8 I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.(G)
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.(H)
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol
or let your faithful one see the Pit.(I)
11 You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.(J)
Psalm 19
God’s Glory in Creation and the Law
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God,
and the firmament[a] proclaims his handiwork.(A)
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.(B)
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice[b] goes out through all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.
In the heavens[c] he has set a tent for the sun,(C)
5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.(D)
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens
and its circuit to the end of them,
and nothing is hid from its heat.(E)
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;(F)
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;(G)
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.(H)
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.(I)
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.(J)
12 But who can detect one’s own errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.(K)
13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent;[d]
do not let them have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless
and innocent of great transgression.(L)
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.(M)
Psalm 21
Thanksgiving for Victory
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord,
and in your help how greatly he exults!(A)
2 You have given him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah(B)
3 For you meet him with rich blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold on his head.(C)
4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him—
length of days forever and ever.(D)
5 His glory is great through your help;
splendor and majesty you bestow on him.(E)
6 You bestow on him blessings forever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.(F)
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.(G)
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace
when you appear.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them.(H)
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth
and their children from among humankind.(I)
11 If they plan evil against you,
if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.(J)
12 For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.(K)
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.(L)
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.