Historical
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test;
(F)Refine my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your (G)[d]goodness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful people,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go around (M)Your altar, Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 Lord, I (O)love the dwelling of Your house,
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory remains.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I will (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on (X)level ground;
In the (Y)congregations I will bless the Lord.
A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.
A Psalm of David.
27 The Lord is my (Z)light and my (AA)salvation;
Whom should I fear?
The Lord is the [j](AB)defense of my life;
(AC)Whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to (AD)devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they (AE)stumbled and fell.
3 If an (AF)army encamps against me,
My heart will not fear;
If war arises against me,
In spite of this I am (AG)confident.
4 (AH)One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may (AI)dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold (AJ)the [k]beauty of the Lord
And to [l](AK)meditate in His temple.
5 For on the (AL)day of trouble He will (AM)conceal me in His [m]tabernacle;
He will (AN)hide me in the secret place of His tent;
He will (AO)lift me up on a rock.
6 And now (AP)my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer (AQ)sacrifices in His tent [n]with shouts of joy;
I will (AR)sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 (AS)Hear, Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and (AT)answer me.
8 When You said, “(AU)Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“(AV)I shall seek Your face, Lord.”
9 (AW)Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in (AX)anger;
You have been (AY)my help;
(AZ)Do not abandon me nor (BA)forsake me,
God of my salvation!
10 [o]For my father and (BB)my mother have forsaken me,
But (BC)the Lord will take me up.
11 (BD)Teach me Your way, Lord,
And lead me on a (BE)level path
Because of my enemies.
12 Do not turn me over to the [p](BF)desire of my enemies,
For (BG)false witnesses have risen against me,
And the violent (BH)witness.
13 I certainly believed that I would see the (BI)goodness of the Lord
In the (BJ)land of the living.
14 (BK)Wait for the Lord;
Be (BL)strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, Lord, I call;
My (BM)rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You (BN)are silent to me,
I will become like those who (BO)go down to the pit.
2 Hear the (BP)sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help,
When I (BQ)raise my hands (BR)toward [q]Your holy (BS)sanctuary.
3 (BT)Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who practice injustice,
Who (BU)speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Give back to them (BV)according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Give back to them according to the work of their hands;
Repay them what is due them.
5 Because they (BW)do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He (BX)has heard the sound of my pleading.
7 The Lord is my (BY)strength and my (BZ)shield;
My heart (CA)trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore (CB)my heart triumphs,
And with (CC)my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [r]their (CD)strength,
And He is a refuge of (CE)salvation to His anointed.
9 (CF)Save Your people and bless (CG)Your inheritance;
Be their (CH)shepherd also, and (CI)carry them forever.
The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.
A Psalm of David.
29 (CJ)Ascribe to the Lord, [s]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory [t]due His name;
Worship the Lord (CK)in holy attire.
3 The (CL)voice of the Lord is on the waters;
The God of glory (CM)thunders,
The Lord is over [u](CN)many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is (CO)powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks (CP)the cedars of Lebanon in pieces.
6 He makes Lebanon (CQ)skip like a calf,
And (CR)Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord divides [v]flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord [w]shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of (CS)Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes (CT)the deer give birth
And strips the forests bare;
And (CU)in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sat as King at the (CV)flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as (CW)King forever.
11 [x]The Lord will give (CX)strength to His people;
[y]The Lord will bless His people with (CY)peace.
Thanksgiving for Rescue from Death.
A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David.
30 I will (CZ)exalt You, Lord, for You have (DA)lifted me up,
And have not let my (DB)enemies rejoice over me.
2 Lord my God,
I (DC)cried to You for help, and You (DD)healed me.
3 Lord, You have (DE)brought up my soul from [z]Sheol;
You have kept me alive, [aa]that I would not (DF)go down to the pit.
4 (DG)Sing praise to the Lord, you (DH)His godly ones,
And (DI)praise the mention of His holiness.
5 For (DJ)His anger is but for a moment,
His (DK)favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may (DL)last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
6 Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I will (DM)never be moved.”
7 Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You (DN)hid Your face, I was dismayed.
8 To You, Lord, I called,
And to the Lord I pleaded for compassion:
9 “What gain is there in my blood, if I (DO)go down to the pit?
Will the (DP)dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?
10 “(DQ)Hear, Lord, and be gracious to me;
Lord, be my (DR)helper.”
11 You have turned (DS)my mourning into dancing for me;
You have (DT)untied my sackcloth and encircled me with (DU)joy,
12 That my [ab](DV)soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will (DW)give thanks to You forever.
A Psalm of Complaint and of Praise.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
31 (DX)In You, Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never (DY)be [ac]put to shame;
(DZ)In Your righteousness rescue me.
2 (EA)Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
Be a (EB)rock of [ad]strength for me,
A [ae]stronghold to save me.
3 For You are my rock and (EC)my fortress;
For the (ED)sake of Your name You will lead me and guide me.
4 You will (EE)pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my (EF)strength.
5 (EG)Into Your hand I entrust my spirit;
You have (EH)redeemed me, Lord, (EI)God of [af]truth.
6 I hate those who (EJ)devote themselves to worthless [ag]idols,
But I (EK)trust in the Lord.
7 I will (EL)rejoice and be glad in Your faithfulness,
Because You have (EM)seen my misery;
You have known the troubles of my soul,
8 And You have not (EN)handed me over to the enemy;
You have set my feet in a large place.
9 Be gracious to me, Lord, for (EO)I am in distress;
My (EP)eye is wasted away from grief, (EQ)my soul and my body too.
10 For my life is spent with (ER)sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My (ES)strength has failed because of my guilt,
And (ET)my [ah]body has wasted away.
11 Because of all my adversaries, I have become a (EU)disgrace,
Especially to my (EV)neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I am (EW)forgotten like a dead person, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the [ai](EX)slander of many,
(EY)Terror is on every side;
While they (EZ)took counsel together against me,
They (FA)schemed to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, Lord,
I say, “(FB)You are my God.”
15 My (FC)times are in Your hand;
(FD)Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your (FE)face shine upon Your servant;
(FF)Save me in Your faithfulness.
17 Let me not be (FG)put to shame, Lord, for I call upon You;
Let the (FH)wicked be put to shame, let them (FI)be silent in [aj]Sheol.
18 Let the (FJ)lying lips be speechless,
Which (FK)speak arrogantly against the righteous
With pride and contempt.
19 How great is Your (FL)goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have performed for those who (FM)take refuge in You,
(FN)Before the sons of mankind!
20 You hide them in the (FO)secret place of Your presence from the (FP)conspiracies of mankind;
You keep them secretly in a [ak]shelter from the (FQ)strife of tongues.
21 (FR)Blessed be the Lord,
For He has shown His (FS)marvelous faithfulness to me in a besieged (FT)city.
22 As for me, (FU)I said in my alarm,
“I am (FV)cut off from Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You (FW)heard the sound of my pleadings
When I called to You for help.
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