Psalms 90:1-150:6 A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our resting-place in all generations.

BBE⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our resting-place in all generations. ² Before the mountains were made, before you had given birth to the earth and the world, before time was, and for ever, you are God. ³ You send man back to his dust; and say, Go back, you children of men. ⁴ For to you a thousand years are no more than yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. ⁵ (UNTRANSLATED TEXT) ⁶ In the morning it is green; in the evening it is cut down, and becomes dry. ⁷ We are burned up by the heat of your passion, and troubled by your wrath. ⁸ You have put our evil doings before you, our secret sins in the light of your face. ⁹ For all our days have gone by in your wrath; our years come to an end like a breath. ¹⁰ The measure of our life is seventy years; and if through strength it may be eighty years, its pride is only trouble and sorrow, for it comes to an end and we are quickly gone. ¹¹ Who has knowledge of the power of your wrath, or who takes note of the weight of your passion? ¹² So give us knowledge of the number of our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. ¹³ Come back, O Lord; how long? let your purpose for your servants be changed. ¹⁴ In the morning give us your mercy in full measure; so that we may have joy and delight all our days. ¹⁵ Make us glad in reward for the days of our sorrow, and for the years in which we have seen evil. ¹⁶ Make your work clear to your servants, and your glory to their children. ¹⁷ Let the pleasure of the Lord our God be on us: O Lord, give strength to the work of our hands. ⁹¹ ¹ Happy is he whose resting-place is in the secret of the Lord, and under the shade of the wings of the Most High; ² Who says of the Lord, He is my safe place and my tower of strength: he is my God, in whom is my hope. ³ He will take you out of the bird-net, and keep you safe from wasting disease. ⁴ You will be covered by his feathers; under his wings you will be safe: his good faith will be your salvation. ⁵ You will have no fear of the evil things of the night, or of the arrow in flight by day, ⁶ Or of the disease which takes men in the dark, or of the destruction which makes waste when the sun is high. ⁷ You will see a thousand falling by your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. ⁸ Only with your eyes will you see the reward of the evil-doers. ⁹ Because you have said, I am in the hands of the Lord, the Most High is my safe resting-place; ¹⁰ No evil will come on you, and no disease will come near your tent. ¹¹ For he will give you into the care of his angels to keep you wherever you go. ¹² In their hands they will keep you up, so that your foot may not be crushed against a stone. ¹³ You will put your foot on the lion and the snake; the young lion and the great snake will be crushed under your feet. ¹⁴ Because he has given me his love, I will take him out of danger: I will put him in a place of honour, because he has kept my name in his heart. ¹⁵ When his cry comes up to me, I will give him an answer: I will be with him in trouble; I will make him free from danger and give him honour. ¹⁶ With long life will he be rewarded; and I will let him see my salvation. ⁹² ¹ A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. It is a good thing to give praise to the Lord, and to make melody to your name, O Most High; ² To make clear your mercy in the morning, and your unchanging faith every night; ³ On a ten-corded instrument, and on an instrument of music with a quiet sound. ⁴ For you, O Lord, have made me glad through your work; I will have joy in the works of your hands. ⁵ O Lord, how great are your works! and your thoughts are very deep. ⁶ A man without sense has no knowledge of this; and a foolish man may not take it in. ⁷ When the sinners come up like the grass, and all the workers of evil do well for themselves, it is so that their end may be eternal destruction. ⁸ But you, O Lord, are on high for ever. ⁹ For see! your haters, O Lord, will be put to death; all the workers of evil will be put to flight; ¹⁰ But my horn is lifted up like the horn of the ox: the best oil is flowing on my head. ¹¹ My eyes have seen trouble come on my haters; my ears have news of the fate of the evil-doers who have come up against me. ¹² The good man will be like a tall tree in his strength; his growth will be as the wide-stretching trees of Lebanon. ¹³ Those who are planted in the house of the Lord will come up tall and strong in his gardens. ¹⁴ They will give fruit even when they are old; they will be fertile and full of growth; ¹⁵ For a sign that the Lord is upright; he is my Rock, there is no deceit in him. ⁹³ ¹ The Lord is King; he is clothed with glory; the Lord is clothed with strength; power is the cord of his robe; the world is fixed, so that it may not be moved. ² The seat of your power has been from the past; you are eternal. ³ The rivers send up, O Lord, the rivers send up their voices; they send them up with a loud cry. ⁴ The Lord in heaven is stronger than the noise of great waters, yes, he is stronger than the great waves of the sea. ⁵ Your witness is most certain; it is right for your house to be holy, O Lord, for ever. ⁹⁴ ¹ O God, in whose hands is punishment, O God of punishment, let your shining face be seen. ² Be lifted up, O judge of the earth; let their reward come to the men of pride. ³ How long will sinners, O Lord, how long will sinners have joy over us? ⁴ Words of pride come from their lips; all the workers of evil say great things of themselves. ⁵ Your people are crushed by them, O Lord, your heritage is troubled, ⁶ They put to death the widow and the guest, they take the lives of children who have no father; ⁷ And they say, Jah will not see it, the God of Jacob will not give thought to it. ⁸ Give your mind to my words, you who are without wisdom among the people; you foolish men, when will you be wise? ⁹ Has he by whom your ears were planted no hearing? or is he blind by whom your eyes were formed? ¹⁰ He who is the judge of the nations, will he not give men the reward of their acts, even he who gives knowledge to man? ¹¹ The Lord has knowledge of the thoughts of man, for they are only a breath. ¹² Happy is the man who is guided by you, O Jah, and to whom you give teaching out of your law; ¹³ So that you may give him rest from the days of evil, till a hole is made ready for the destruction of the sinners. ¹⁴ The Lord will not give up his people, or take away his support from his heritage; ¹⁵ But decisions will again be made in righteousness; and they will be kept by all whose hearts are true. ¹⁶ Who will give me help against the sinners? and who will be my support against the workers of evil? ¹⁷ If the Lord had not been my helper, my soul would quickly have gone down into death. ¹⁸ If I say, My foot is slipping; your mercy, O Lord, is my support. ¹⁹ Among all my troubled thoughts, your comforts are the delight of my soul. ²⁰ What part with you has the seat of sin, which makes evil into a law? ²¹ They are banded together against the soul of the upright, to give decisions against those who have done no wrong. ²² But the Lord is my safe resting-place; my God is the Rock where I am safe. ²³ And he has made their evil designs come back on themselves, cutting them off in their sin; the Lord our God will put an end to them. ⁹⁵ ¹ O come, let us make songs to the Lord; sending up glad voices to the Rock of our salvation. ² Let us come before his face with praises; and make melody with holy songs. ³ For the Lord is a great God, and a great King over all gods. ⁴ The deep places of the earth are in his hand; and the tops of the mountains are his. ⁵ The sea is his, and he made it; and the dry land was formed by his hands. ⁶ O come, let us give worship, falling down on our knees before the Lord our Maker. ⁷ For he is our God; and we are the people to whom he gives food, and the sheep of his flock. Today, if you would only give ear to his voice! ⁸ Let not your hearts be hard, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the waste land; ⁹ When your fathers put me to the test and saw my power and my work. ¹⁰ For forty years I was angry with this generation, and said, They are a people whose hearts are turned away from me, for they have no knowledge of my ways; ¹¹ And I made an oath in my wrath, that they might not come into my place of rest. ⁹⁶ ¹ O make a new song to the Lord; let all the earth make melody to the Lord. ² Make songs to the Lord, blessing his name; give the good news of his salvation day by day. ³ Make clear his glory to the nations, and his wonders to all the peoples. ⁴ For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised; he is more to be feared than all other gods. ⁵ For all the gods of the nations are false gods; but the Lord made the heavens. ⁶ Honour and glory are before him: strong and fair is his holy place. ⁷ Give to the Lord, O you families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength. ⁸ Give to the Lord the glory of his name; take with you an offering and come into his house. ⁹ O give worship to the Lord in holy robes; be in fear before him, all the earth. ¹⁰ Say among the nations, The Lord is King; yes, the world is ordered so that it may not be moved; he will be an upright judge of the peoples. ¹¹ Let the heavens have joy and the earth be glad; let the sea be thundering with all its waters; ¹² Let the field be glad, and everything which is in it; yes, let all the trees of the wood be sounding with joy, ¹³ Before the Lord, for he is come; he is come to be the judge of the earth; the earth will be judged in righteousness, and the peoples with unchanging faith. ⁹⁷ ¹ The Lord is King, let the earth have joy; let all the sea-lands be glad. ² Dark clouds are round him; his kingdom is based on righteousness and right judging. ³ Fire goes before him, burning up all those who are against him round about. ⁴ His bright flames give light to the world; the earth saw it with fear. ⁵ The mountains became like wax at the coming of the Lord, at the coming of the Lord of all the earth. ⁶ The heavens gave out the news of his righteousness, and all the people saw his glory. ⁷ Shamed be all those who give worship to images, and take pride in false gods; give him worship, all you gods. ⁸ Zion gave ear and was glad; and the daughters of Judah were full of joy, because of your decisions, O Lord. ⁹ For you, Lord, are most high over the earth; you are lifted up over all other gods. ¹⁰ You who are lovers of the Lord, be haters of evil; he keeps the souls of his saints; he takes them out of the hand of sinners. ¹¹ Light is shining on the lovers of righteousness, and for the upright in heart there is joy. ¹² Be glad in the Lord, you upright men; praising the memory of his holy name. ⁹⁸ ¹ A Psalm. O make a new song to the Lord, because he has done works of wonder; with his right hand, and with his holy arm, he has overcome. ² The Lord has given to all the knowledge of his salvation; he has made clear his righteousness in the eyes of the nations. ³ He has kept in mind his mercy and his unchanging faith to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ⁴ Let all the earth send out a glad cry to the Lord; sounding with a loud voice, and praising him with songs of joy. ⁵ Make melody to the Lord with instruments of music; with a corded instrument and the voice of song. ⁶ With wind instruments and the sound of the horn, make a glad cry before the Lord, the King. ⁷ Let the sea be thundering, with all its waters; the world, and all who are living in it; ⁸ Let the streams make sounds of joy with their hands; let the mountains be glad together, ⁹ Before the Lord, for he has come as judge of the earth; judging the world in righteousness, and giving true decisions for the peoples. ⁹⁹ ¹ The Lord is King; let the peoples be in fear: his seat is on the winged ones; let the earth be moved. ² The Lord is great in Zion; he is high over all the nations. ³ Let them give praise to your name, for it is great and to be feared; holy is he. ⁴ The king's power is used for righteousness; you give true decisions, judging rightly in the land of Jacob. ⁵ Give high honour to the Lord our God, worshipping at his feet; holy is he. ⁶ Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who gave honour to his name; they made prayers to the Lord, and he gave answers to them. ⁷ His voice came to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his witness, and the law which he gave them. ⁸ You gave them an answer, O Lord our God; you took away their sin, though you gave them punishment for their wrongdoing. ⁹ Give high honour to the Lord our God, worshipping with your faces turned to his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy. ¹⁰⁰ ¹ A Psalm of Praise. Make a glad sound to the Lord, all the earth. ² Give worship to the Lord with joy; come before him with a song. ³ Be certain that the Lord is God; it is he who has made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep to whom he gives food. ⁴ Come into his doors with joy, and into his house with praise; give him honour, blessing his name. ⁵ For the Lord is good, and his mercy is never-ending; his faith is unchanging through all generations. ¹⁰¹ ¹ A Psalm. Of David. I will make a song of mercy and righteousness; to you, O Lord, will I make melody. ² I will do wisely in the way of righteousness: O when will you come to me? I will be walking in my house with a true heart. ³ I will not put any evil thing before my eyes; I am against all turning to one side; I will not have it near me. ⁴ The false heart I will send away from me: I will not have an evil-doer for a friend. ⁵ I will put to death anyone who says evil of his neighbour secretly; the man with a high look and a heart of pride is disgusting to me. ⁶ My eyes will be on those of good faith in the land, so that they may be living in my house; he who is walking in the right way will be my servant. ⁷ The worker of deceit will not come into my house; the false man will have no place before my eyes. ⁸ Morning by morning will I put to death all the sinners in the land, so that all evil-doers may be cut off from Jerusalem. ¹⁰² ¹ A Prayer of the man who is in trouble, when he is overcome, and puts his grief before the Lord. Give ear to my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to you. ² Let not your face be veiled from me in the day of my trouble; give ear to me, and let my cry be answered quickly. ³ My days are wasted like smoke, and my bones are burned up as in a fire. ⁴ My heart is broken; it has become dry and dead like grass, so that I give no thought to food. ⁵ Because of the voice of my sorrow, my flesh is wasted to the bone. ⁶ I am like a bird living by itself in the waste places; like the night-bird in a waste of sand. ⁷ I keep watch like a bird by itself on the house-top. ⁸ My haters say evil of me all day; those who are violent against me make use of my name as a curse. ⁹ I have had dust for bread and my drink has been mixed with weeping: ¹⁰ Because of your passion and your wrath, for I have been lifted up and then made low by you. ¹¹ My days are like a shade which is stretched out; I am dry like the grass. ¹² But you, O Lord, are eternal; and your name will never come to an end. ¹³ You will again get up and have mercy on Zion: for the time has come for her to be comforted. ¹⁴ For your servants take pleasure in her stones, looking with love on her dust. ¹⁵ So the nations will give honour to the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth will be in fear of his glory: ¹⁶ When the Lord has put up the walls of Zion, and has been been in his glory; ¹⁷ When he has given ear to the prayer of the poor, and has not put his request on one side. ¹⁸ This will be put in writing for the coming generation, and the people of the future will give praise to the Lord. ¹⁹ For from his holy place the Lord has seen, looking down on the earth from heaven; ²⁰ Hearing the cry of the prisoner, making free those for whom death is ordered; ²¹ So that they may give out the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; ²² When the peoples are come together, and the kingdoms, to give worship to the Lord. ²³ He has taken my strength from me in the way; he has made short my days. ²⁴ I will say, O my God, take me not away before my time; your years go on through all generations: ²⁵ In the past you put the earth on its base, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ²⁶ They will come to an end, but you will still go on; they all will become old like a coat, and like a robe they will be changed: ²⁷ But you are the unchanging One, and your years will have no end. ²⁸ The children of your servants will have a safe resting-place, and their seed will be ever before you. ¹⁰³ ¹ Of David. Give praise to the Lord, O my soul; let everything in me give praise to his holy name. ² Give praise to the Lord, O my soul; let not all his blessings go from your memory. ³ He has forgiveness for all your sins; he takes away all your diseases; ⁴ He keeps back your life from destruction, crowning you with mercy and grace. ⁵ He makes your mouth full of good things, so that your strength is made new again like the eagle's. ⁶ The Lord gives decisions in righteousness for all who are in trouble. ⁷ He gave knowledge of his way to Moses, and made his acts clear to the children of Israel. ⁸ The Lord is kind and full of pity, not quickly made angry, but ever ready to have mercy. ⁹ His feeling will no longer be bitter; he will not keep his wrath for ever. ¹⁰ He has not given us the punishment for our sins, or the reward of our wrongdoing. ¹¹ For as the heaven is high over the earth, so great is his mercy to his worshippers. ¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our sins from us. ¹³ As a father has pity on his children, so the Lord has pity on his worshippers. ¹⁴ For he has knowledge of our feeble frame; he sees that we are only dust. ¹⁵ As for man, his days are as grass: his beautiful growth is like the flower of the field. ¹⁶ The wind goes over it and it is gone; and its place sees it no longer. ¹⁷ But the mercy of the Lord is eternal for his worshippers, and their children's children will see his righteousness; ¹⁸ If they keep his agreement, and have his laws in mind to do them. ¹⁹ The Lord has made ready his high seat in the heavens; his kingdom is ruling over all. ²⁰ Give praise to the Lord, you his angels, who are great in strength, doing his orders, and waiting for his voice. ²¹ Give praise to the Lord, all you his armies; and you his servants who do his pleasure. ²² Give praise to the Lord, all his works, in all places under his rule: give praise to the Lord, O my soul. ¹⁰⁴ ¹ Give praise to the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are robed with honour and power. ² You are clothed with light as with a robe; stretching out the heavens like a curtain: ³ The arch of your house is based on the waters; you make the clouds your carriage; you go on the wings of the wind: ⁴ He makes winds his angels, and flames of fire his servants. ⁵ He has made the earth strong on its bases, so that it may not be moved for ever and ever; ⁶ Covering it with the sea as with a robe: the waters were high over the mountains; ⁷ At the voice of your word they went in flight; at the sound of your thunder they went away in fear; ⁸ The mountains came up and the valleys went down into the place which you had made ready for them. ⁹ You made a limit over which they might not go, so that the earth would never again be covered by them. ¹⁰ You sent the springs into the valleys; they are flowing between the hills. ¹¹ They give drink to every beast of the field; the mountain asses come to them for water. ¹² The birds of the air have their resting-places by them, and make their song among the branches. ¹³ He sends down rain from his store-houses on the hills: the earth is full of the fruit of his works. ¹⁴ He makes the grass come up for the cattle, and plants for the use of man; so that bread may come out of the earth; ¹⁵ And wine to make glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shining, and bread giving strength to his heart. ¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are full of growth, the cedars of Lebanon of his planting; ¹⁷ Where the birds have their resting-places; as for the stork, the tall trees are her house. ¹⁸ The high hills are a safe place for the mountain goats, and the rocks for the small beasts. ¹⁹ He made the moon for a sign of the divisions of the year; teaching the sun the time of its going down. ²⁰ When you make it dark, it is night, when all the beasts of the woods come quietly out of their secret places. ²¹ The young lions go thundering after their food; searching for their meat from God. ²² The sun comes up, and they come together, and go back to their secret places to take their rest. ²³ Man goes out to his work, and to his business, till the evening. ²⁴ O Lord, how great is the number of your works! in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of the things you have made. ²⁵ There is the great, wide sea, where there are living things, great and small, more than may be numbered. ²⁶ There go the ships; there is that great beast, which you have made as a plaything. ²⁷ All of them are waiting for you, to give them their food in its time. ²⁸ They take what you give them; they are full of the good things which come from your open hand. ²⁹ If your face is veiled, they are troubled; when you take away their breath, they come to an end, and go back to the dust. ³⁰ If you send out your spirit, they are given life; you make new the face of the earth. ³¹ Let the glory of the Lord be for ever; let the Lord have joy in his works: ³² At whose look the earth is shaking; at whose touch the mountains send out smoke. ³³ I will make songs to the Lord all my life; I will make melody to my God while I have my being. ³⁴ Let my thoughts be sweet to him: I will be glad in the Lord. ³⁵ Let sinners be cut off from the earth, and let all evil-doers come to an end. Give praise to the Lord, O my soul. Give praise to the Lord. ¹⁰⁵ ¹ O give praise to the Lord; give honour to his name, talking of his doings among the peoples. ² Let your voice be sounding in songs and melody; let all your thoughts be of the wonder of his works. ³ Have glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who are searching after the Lord be glad. ⁴ Let your search be for the Lord and for his strength; let your hearts ever be turned to him. ⁵ Keep in mind the great works which he has done; his wonders, and the decisions of his mouth; ⁶ O you seed of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his loved ones. ⁷ He is the Lord our God: he is judge of all the earth. ⁸ He has kept his agreement in mind for ever, the word which he gave for a thousand generations; ⁹ The agreement which he made with Abraham, and his oath to Isaac; ¹⁰ And he gave it to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an eternal agreement; ¹¹ Saying, To you will I give the land of Canaan, the measured line of your heritage: ¹² When they were still small in number, and strange in the land; ¹³ When they went about from one nation to another, and from one kingdom to another people. ¹⁴ He would not let anyone do them wrong; he even kept back kings because of them, ¹⁵ Saying, Put not your hand on those who have been marked with my holy oil, and do my prophets no wrong. ¹⁶ And he took away all food from the land, so that the people were without bread. ¹⁷ He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was given as a servant for a price: ¹⁸ His feet were fixed in chains; his neck was put in iron bands; ¹⁹ Till the time when his word came true; he was tested by the word of the Lord. ²⁰ The king sent men to take off his chains; even the ruler of the people, who let him go free. ²¹ He made him lord of his house, and ruler over everything he had; ²² To give his chiefs teaching at his pleasure, and so that his law-givers might get wisdom from him. ²³ Then Israel came into Egypt, and Jacob was living in the land of Ham. ²⁴ And his people were greatly increased, and became stronger than those who were against them. ²⁵ Their hearts were turned to hate against his people, so that they made secret designs against them. ²⁶ He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, the man of his selection. ²⁷ He let his signs be seen among the people, and his wonders in the land of Ham. ²⁸ He sent black night and made it dark; and they did not go against his word. ²⁹ At his word their waters were turned to blood, and he sent death on all their fish. ³⁰ Their land was full of frogs, even in the rooms of the king. ³¹ He gave the word, and there came the dog-fly, and insects over all the land. ³² He gave them ice for rain, and flaming fire in their land. ³³ He gave their vines and their fig-trees to destruction, and the trees of their land were broken down. ³⁴ At his word the locusts came, and young locusts more than might be numbered, ³⁵ And put an end to all the plants of their land, taking all the fruit of the earth for food. ³⁶ He put to death the first child of every family in the land, the first-fruits of their strength. ³⁷ He took his people out with silver and gold: there was not one feeble person among them. ³⁸ Egypt was glad when they went; for the fear of them had come down on them. ³⁹ A cloud was stretched over them for a cover; and he sent fire to give light in the night. ⁴⁰ At the people's request he sent birds, and gave them the bread of heaven for food. ⁴¹ His hand made the rock open, and the waters came streaming out; they went down through the dry places like a river. ⁴² For he kept in mind his holy word, and Abraham, his servant. ⁴³ And he took his people out with joy, the men of his selection with glad cries: ⁴⁴ And gave them the lands of the nations; and they took the work of the peoples for a heritage; ⁴⁵ So that they might keep his orders, and be true to his laws. Give praise to the Lord. ¹⁰⁶ ¹ Let the Lord be praised. O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ² Who is able to give an account of the great acts of the Lord, or to make clear all his praise? ³ Happy are they whose decisions are upright, and he who does righteousness at all times. ⁴ Keep me in mind, O Lord, when you are good to your people; O let your salvation come to me; ⁵ So that I may see the well-being of the people of your selection, and have a part in the joy of your nation, and take pride in your heritage. ⁶ We are sinners like our fathers, we have done wrong, our acts are evil. ⁷ Our fathers did not give thought to your wonders in Egypt; they did not keep in memory the great number of your mercies, but gave you cause for wrath at the sea, even at the Red Sea. ⁸ But he was their saviour because of his name, so that men might see his great power. ⁹ By his word the Red Sea was made dry: and he took them through the deep waters as through the waste land. ¹⁰ And he took them safely out of the hands of their haters, and kept them from the attacks of those who were against them. ¹¹ And the waters went over their haters; all of them came to an end. ¹² Then they had faith in his words; they gave him songs of praise. ¹³ But their memory of his works was short; not waiting to be guided by him, ¹⁴ They gave way to their evil desires in the waste land, and put God to the test in the dry places. ¹⁵ And he gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease into their souls. ¹⁶ They were full of envy against Moses among the tents, and against Aaron, the holy one of the Lord. ¹⁷ The earth opening put an end to Dathan, covering up Abiram and his band. ¹⁸ And a fire was lighted among their tents; the sinners were burned up by the flames. ¹⁹ They made a young ox in Horeb, and gave worship to an image of gold. ²⁰ And their glory was changed into the image of an ox, whose food is grass. ²¹ They had no memory of God their saviour, who had done great things in Egypt; ²² Works of wonder in the land of Ham, and things of fear by the Red Sea. ²³ And he was purposing to put an end to them if Moses, his special servant, had not gone up before him, between him and his people, turning back his wrath, to keep them from destruction. ²⁴ They were disgusted with the good land; they had no belief in his word; ²⁵ Talking against him secretly in their tents, they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord. ²⁶ So he made an oath against them, to put an end to them in the waste land: ²⁷ That their children might be mixed among the nations, and sent away into other lands. ²⁸ And they were joined to Baal-peor, and took part in the offerings to the dead. ²⁹ So they made him angry by their behaviour; and he sent disease on them. ³⁰ Then Phinehas got up, and made prayer for them; and the disease went no farther. ³¹ And all the generations coming after him kept the memory of his righteousness for ever. ³² They made God angry again at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled because of them; ³³ For they made his spirit bitter, and he said unwise things. ³⁴ They did not put an end to the peoples, as the Lord had said; ³⁵ But they were joined to the nations, learning their works. ³⁶ And they gave worship to images; which were a danger to them: ³⁷ They even made offerings of their sons and their daughters to evil spirits, ³⁸ And gave the blood of their sons and their daughters who had done no wrong, offering them to the images of Canaan; and the land was made unclean with blood. ³⁹ So they became unclean through their works, going after their evil desires. ⁴⁰ Then the wrath of the Lord was burning against his people, and he was angry with his heritage. ⁴¹ And he gave them into the hands of the nations; and they were ruled by their haters. ⁴² By them they were crushed, and made low under their hands. ⁴³ Again and again he made them free; but their hearts were turned against his purpose, and they were overcome by their sins. ⁴⁴ But when their cry came to his ears, he had pity on their trouble: ⁴⁵ And kept in mind his agreement with them, and in his great mercy gave them forgiveness. ⁴⁶ He put pity into the hearts of those who made them prisoners. ⁴⁷ Be our saviour, O Lord our God, and let us come back together from among the nations, so that we may give honour to your holy name, and have glory in your praise. ⁴⁸ Praise be to the Lord God of Israel for ever and for ever; and let all the people say, So be it. Give praise to the Lord. ¹⁰⁷ ¹ O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ² Let those whose cause the Lord has taken up say so, his people whom he has taken out of the hands of their haters; ³ Making them come together out of all the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. ⁴ They were wandering in the waste places; they saw no way to a resting-place. ⁵ Their souls became feeble for need of food and drink. ⁶ Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles; ⁷ Guiding them in the right way, so that they might come into the town of their resting-place. ⁸ Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! ⁹ He gives its desire to the unresting soul, so that it is full of good things. ¹⁰ Those who were in the dark, in the black night, in chains of sorrow and iron; ¹¹ Because they went against the words of God, and gave no thought to the laws of the Most High: ¹² So that he made their hearts weighted down with grief; they were falling, and had no helper. ¹³ Then they sent up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gave them salvation out of all their troubles. ¹⁴ He took them out of the dark and the black night, and all their chains were broken. ¹⁵ Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! ¹⁶ The doors of brass are broken by his arm, and the bands of iron are cut in two. ¹⁷ Foolish men, because of their sins, and because of their wrongdoing, are troubled; ¹⁸ They are disgusted by all food, and they come near to the doors of death. ¹⁹ Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles. ²⁰ He sent his word and made them well, and kept them safe from the underworld. ²¹ Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! ²² Let them make offerings of praise, giving news of his works with cries of joy. ²³ Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in the great waters; ²⁴ They see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. ²⁵ For at his word comes up the storm-wind, lifting high the waves. ²⁶ The sailors go up to heaven, and down into the deep; their souls are wasted because of their trouble. ²⁷ They are turned here and there, rolling like a man who is full of wine; and all their wisdom comes to nothing. ²⁸ Then they send up their cry to the Lord in their sorrow, and he gives them salvation out of all their troubles. ²⁹ He makes the storm into a calm, so that the waves are at peace. ³⁰ Then they are glad, because the sea is quiet, and he takes them to the harbour of their desire. ³¹ Let men give praise to the Lord for his mercy, and for the wonders which he does for the children of men! ³² Let them give glory to him in the meeting of the people, and praise among the chiefs. ³³ He makes rivers into waste places, and springs of water into a dry land; ³⁴ He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there. ³⁵ He makes a waste land into a place of water, and a dry land into water-springs. ³⁶ And there he gives the poor a resting-place, so that they may make themselves a town; ³⁷ And put seed in the fields and make vine-gardens, to give them fruit. ³⁸ He gives them his blessing so that they are increased greatly, and their cattle do not become less. ³⁹ And when they are made low, and crushed by trouble and sorrow, ⁴⁰ He puts an end to the pride of kings, and sends them wandering in the waste lands where there is no way. ⁴¹ But he puts the poor man on high from his troubles, and gives him families like a flock. ⁴² The upright see it and are glad: the mouth of the sinner is stopped. ⁴³ Let the wise give thought to these things, and see the mercies of the Lord. ¹⁰⁸ ¹ A Song. A Psalm. Of David. O God, my heart is fixed; I will make songs and melody, even with my glory. ² Give out your sounds, O corded instruments: the dawn will be awaking with my song. ³ I will give you praise, O Lord, among the peoples; I will make melody to you among the nations. ⁴ For your mercy is higher than the heavens: and your unchanging faith than the clouds. ⁵ Be lifted up, O God, higher than the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. ⁶ Let your right hand be stretched out for salvation, and give me an answer, so that your loved ones may be safe from danger. ⁷ This is the word of the holy God: I will be glad; I will make Shechem a heritage, measuring out the valley of Succoth. ⁸ Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is the strength of my head; Judah is my law-giver; ⁹ Moab is my washpot; on Edom is the resting-place of my shoe; over Philistia will I send out a glad cry. ¹⁰ Who will take me into the strong town? who will be my guide into Edom? ¹¹ Have you not sent us away from you, O God? and you go not out with our armies. ¹² Give us help in our trouble; for there is no help in man. ¹³ With God we will do great things; for by him will our haters be crushed underfoot. ¹⁰⁹ ¹ To the chief music-maker. Of David. A Psalm. God of my praise, let my prayer be answered; ² For the mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things against me. ³ Words of hate are round about me; they have made war against me without cause. ⁴ For my love they give me back hate; but I have given myself to prayer. ⁵ They have put on me evil for good; hate in exchange for my love. ⁶ Put an evil man over him; and let one be placed at his right hand to say evil of him. ⁷ When he is judged, let the decision go against him; and may his prayer become sin. ⁸ Let his life be short; let another take his position of authority. ⁹ Let his children have no father, and his wife be made a widow. ¹⁰ Let his children be wanderers, looking to others for their food; let them be sent away from the company of their friends. ¹¹ Let his creditor take all his goods; and let others have the profit of his work. ¹² Let no man have pity on him, or give help to his children when he is dead. ¹³ Let his seed be cut off; in the coming generation let their name go out of memory. ¹⁴ Let the Lord keep in mind the wrongdoing of his fathers; and may the sin of his mother have no forgiveness. ¹⁵ Let them be ever before the eyes of the Lord, so that the memory of them may be cut off from the earth. ¹⁶ Because he had no mercy, but was cruel to the low and the poor, designing the death of the broken-hearted. ¹⁷ As he took pleasure in cursing, so let it come on him; and as he had no delight in blessing, let it be far from him. ¹⁸ He put on cursing like a robe, and it has come into his body like water, and into his bones like oil. ¹⁹ Let it be to him as a robe which he puts on, let it be like a band which is round him at all times. ²⁰ Let this be the reward given to my haters from the Lord, and to those who say evil of my soul. ²¹ But, O Lord God, give me your help, because of your name; take me out of danger, because your mercy is good. ²² For I am poor and in need, and my heart is wounded in me. ²³ I am gone like the shade when it is stretched out: I am forced out of my place like a locust. ²⁴ My knees are feeble for need of food; there is no fat on my bones. ²⁵ As for me, they make sport of me; shaking their heads when they see me. ²⁶ Give me help, O Lord my God; in your mercy be my saviour; ²⁷ So that they may see that it is the work of your hand; that you, Lord, have done it. ²⁸ They may give curses but you give blessing; when they come up against me, put them to shame; but let your servant be glad. ²⁹ Let my haters be clothed with shame, covering themselves with shame as with a robe. ³⁰ I will give the Lord great praise with my mouth; yes, I will give praise to him among all the people. ³¹ For he is ever at the right hand of the poor, to take him out of the hands of those who go after his soul. ¹¹⁰ ¹ A Psalm. Of David. The Lord said to my lord, Be seated at my right hand, till I put all those who are against you under your feet. ² The Lord will send out the rod of your strength from Zion; be king over your haters. ³ Your people give themselves gladly in the day of your power; like the dew of the morning on the holy mountains is the army of your young men. ⁴ The Lord has made an oath, and will not take it back. You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek. ⁵ In the day of his wrath kings will be wounded by the Lord at your right hand. ⁶ He will be judge among the nations, the valleys will be full of dead bodies; the head over a great country will be wounded by him. ⁷ He will take of the stream by the way; so his head will be lifted up. ¹¹¹ ¹ Let the Lord be praised. I will give praise to the Lord with all my heart, among the upright, and in the meeting of the people. ² The works of the Lord are great, searched out by all those who have delight in them. ³ His work is full of honour and glory; and his righteousness is unchanging for ever. ⁴ Certain for ever is the memory of his wonders: the Lord is full of pity and mercy. ⁵ He has given food to his worshippers; he will keep his agreement in mind for ever. ⁶ He has made clear to his people the power of his works, giving them the heritage of the nations. ⁷ The works of his hands are faith and righteousness; all his laws are unchanging. ⁸ They are fixed for ever and ever, they are done in faith and righteousness. ⁹ He has sent salvation to his people; he has given his word for ever: holy is his name and greatly to be feared. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the best part of wisdom: all those who keep his laws are wise: his praise is eternal. ¹¹² ¹ Let the Lord be praised. Happy is the man who gives honour to the Lord, and has great delight in his laws. ² His seed will be strong on the earth; blessings will be on the generation of the upright. ³ A store of wealth will be in his house, and his righteousness will be for ever. ⁴ For the upright there is a light shining in the dark; he is full of grace and pity. ⁵ All is well for the man who is kind and gives freely to others; he will make good his cause when he is judged. ⁶ He will not ever be moved; the memory of the upright will be living for ever. ⁷ He will have no fear of evil news; his heart is fixed, for his hope is in the Lord. ⁸ His heart is resting safely, he will have no fear, till he sees trouble come on his haters. ⁹ He has given with open hands to the poor; his righteousness is for ever; his horn will be lifted up with honour. ¹⁰ The sinner will see it with grief; he will be wasted away with envy; the desire of the evil-doers will come to nothing. ¹¹³ ¹ Let the Lord be praised. O you servants of the Lord, give praise to the name of the Lord. ² Let blessing be on the name of the Lord, from this time and for ever. ³ From the coming up of the sun to its going down, the Lord's name is to be praised. ⁴ The Lord is high over all nations, and his glory is higher than the heavens. ⁵ Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, ⁶ Looking down on the heavens, and on the earth? ⁷ He takes the poor man out of the dust, lifting him up from his low position; ⁸ To give him a place among the rulers, even with the rulers of his people. ⁹ He gives the unfertile woman a family, making her a happy mother of children. Give praise to the Lord. ¹¹⁴ ¹ When Israel came out of Egypt, the children of Jacob from a people whose language was strange to them; ² Judah became his holy place, and Israel his kingdom. ³ The sea saw it, and went in flight; Jordan was turned back. ⁴ The mountains were jumping like goats, and the little hills like lambs. ⁵ What was wrong with you, O sea, that you went in flight? O Jordan, that you were turned back? ⁶ You mountains, why were you jumping like goats, and you little hills like lambs? ⁷ Be troubled, O earth, before the Lord, before the God of Jacob; ⁸ Who made the rock into a water-spring, and the hard stone into a fountain. ¹¹⁵ ¹ Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name let glory be given, because of your mercy and your unchanging faith. ² Why may the nations say, Where is now their God? ³ But our God is in heaven: he has done whatever was pleasing to him. ⁴ Their images are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. ⁵ They have mouths, but no voice; they have eyes, but they see not; ⁶ They have ears, but no hearing; they have noses, but no sense of smell; ⁷ They have hands without feeling, and feet without power of walking; and no sound comes from their throat. ⁸ Those who make them are like them; and so is everyone who puts his faith in them. ⁹ O Israel, have faith in the Lord: he is their help and their breastplate. ¹⁰ O house of Aaron, have faith in the Lord: he is their help and their breastplate. ¹¹ You worshippers of the Lord, have faith in the Lord: he is their help and their breastplate. ¹² The Lord has kept us in mind and will give us his blessing; he will send blessings on the house of Israel and on the house of Aaron. ¹³ He will send blessings on the worshippers of the Lord, on the small and on the great. ¹⁴ May the Lord give you and your children still greater increase. ¹⁵ May you have the blessing of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ The heavens are the Lord's; but the earth he has given to the children of men. ¹⁷ The dead do not give praise to the Lord; or those who go down to the underworld. ¹⁸ But we will give praise to the Lord now and for ever. Praise be to the Lord. ¹¹⁶ ¹ I have given my love to the Lord, because he has given ear to the voice of my cry and my prayer. ² He has let my request come before him, and I will make my prayer to him all my days. ³ The nets of death were round me, and the pains of the underworld had me in their grip; I was full of trouble and sorrow. ⁴ Then I made my prayer to the Lord, saying, O Lord, take my soul out of trouble. ⁵ The Lord is full of grace and righteousness; truly, he is a God of mercy. ⁶ The Lord keeps the simple; I was made low, and he was my saviour. ⁷ Come back to your rest, O my soul; for the Lord has given you your reward. ⁸ You have taken my soul from the power of death, keeping my eyes from weeping, and my feet from falling. ⁹ I will go before the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁰ I still had faith, though I said, I am in great trouble; ¹¹ Though I said in my fear, All men are false. ¹² What may I give to the Lord for all the good things which he has done for me? ¹³ I will take the cup of salvation, and give praise to the name of the Lord. ¹⁴ I will make the offering of my oath to the Lord, even before all his people. ¹⁵ Dear in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints. ¹⁶ O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of her who is your servant; by you have my cords been broken. ¹⁷ I will give an offering of praise to you, and make my prayer in the name of the Lord. ¹⁸ I will make the offerings of my oath, even before all his people; ¹⁹ In the Lord's house, even in Jerusalem. Praise be to the Lord. ¹¹⁷ ¹ Let all the nations give praise to the Lord: let all the people give him praise. ² For great is his mercy to us, and his faith is unchanging for ever. Praise be to the Lord. ¹¹⁸ ¹ O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ² Let Israel now say, that his mercy is unchanging for ever. ³ Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy is unchanging for ever. ⁴ Let all worshippers of the Lord now say, that his mercy is unchanging for ever. ⁵ I made my prayer to the Lord in my trouble: and the Lord gave me an answer, and put me in a wide place. ⁶ The Lord is on my side; I will have no fear: what is man able to do to me? ⁷ The Lord is my great helper: I will see my desire against my haters. ⁸ It is better to have faith in the Lord than to put one's hope in man. ⁹ It is better to have faith in the Lord than to put one's hope in rulers. ¹⁰ All the nations have come round me; but in the name of the Lord I will have them cut down. ¹¹ They are round me, yes, they are all about me; but in the name of the Lord I will have them cut down. ¹² They are round me like bees; but they are put out like a fire among thorns; for in the name of the Lord I will have them cut down. ¹³ I have been hard pushed by you, so that I might have a fall: but the Lord was my helper. ¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. ¹⁵ The sound of joy and salvation is in the tents of the upright; the right hand of the Lord does works of power. ¹⁶ The right hand of the Lord is lifted up; the right hand of the Lord does works of power. ¹⁷ Life and not death will be my part, and I will give out the story of the works of the Lord. ¹⁸ The hand of Jah has been hard on me; but he has not given me up to death. ¹⁹ Let the doors of righteousness be open to me; I will go in and give praise to the Lord. ²⁰ This is the door of the Lord's house; the workers of righteousness will go in through it. ²¹ I will give you praise, for you have given me an answer, and have become my salvation. ²² The stone which the builders put on one side has become the chief stone of the building. ²³ This is the Lord's doing; it is a wonder in our eyes. ²⁴ This is the day which the Lord has made; we will be full of joy and delight in it. ²⁵ Send salvation now, O Lord; Lord, send us your blessing. ²⁶ A blessing be on him who comes in the name of the Lord; we give you blessing from the house of the Lord. ²⁷ The Lord is God, and he has given us light; let the holy dance be ordered with branches, even up to the horns of the altar. ²⁸ You are my God, and I will give you praise; my God, and I will give honour to your name. ²⁹ O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ¹¹⁹ ¹ ALEPH Happy are they who are without sin in their ways, walking in the law of the Lord. ² Happy are they who keep his unchanging word, searching after him with all their heart. ³ They do no evil; they go in his ways. ⁴ You have put your orders into our hearts, so that we might keep them with care. ⁵ If only my ways were ordered so that I might keep your rules! ⁶ Then I would not be put to shame, as long as I have respect for all your teaching. ⁷ I will give you praise with an upright heart in learning your right decisions. ⁸ I will keep your rules: O give me not up completely. ⁹ BETH How may a young man make his way clean? by guiding it after your word. ¹⁰ I have made search for you with all my heart: O let me not go wandering far from your teaching. ¹¹ I have kept your sayings secretly in my heart, so that I might do no sin against you. ¹² Praise be to you, O Lord: give me knowledge of your rules. ¹³ With my lips have I made clear all the decisions of your mouth. ¹⁴ I have taken as much delight in the way of your unchanging word, as in all wealth. ¹⁵ I will give thought to your orders, and have respect for your ways. ¹⁶ I will have delight in your rules; I will not let your word go out of my mind. ¹⁷ GIMEL Give me, your servant, the reward of life, so that I may keep your word; ¹⁸ Let my eyes be open to see the wonders of your law. ¹⁹ I am living in a strange land: do not let your teachings be kept secret from me. ²⁰ My soul is broken with desire for your decisions at all times. ²¹ Your hand has been against the men of pride, a curse is on those who go wandering out of your way. ²² Take away from me shame and bitter words; for I have kept your unchanging word in my heart. ²³ Rulers make evil designs against me; but your servant gives thought to your rules. ²⁴ Your unchanging word is my delight, and the guide of my footsteps. ²⁵ DALETH My soul is joined to the dust: O give me life, in keeping with your word. ²⁶ I put the record of my ways before you, and you gave me an answer: O give me knowledge of your rules. ²⁷ Make the way of your orders clear to me; then my thoughts will be ever on your wonders. ²⁸ My soul is wasted with sorrow; give me strength again in keeping with your word ²⁹ Take from me every false way; and in mercy give me your law. ³⁰ I have taken the way of faith: I have kept your decisions before me. ³¹ I have been true to your unchanging word; O Lord, do not put me to shame. ³² I will go quickly in the way of your teaching, because you have given me a free heart. ³³ HE O Lord, let me see the way of your rules, and I will keep it to the end. ³⁴ Give me wisdom, so that I may keep your law; going after it with all my heart. ³⁵ Make me go in the way of your teachings; for they are my delight. ³⁶ Let my heart be turned to your unchanging word, and not to evil desire. ³⁷ Let my eyes be turned away from what is false; give me life in your ways. ³⁸ Give effect to your word to your servant, in whose heart is the fear of you. ³⁹ Take away the shame which is my fear; for your decisions are good. ⁴⁰ See how great is my desire for your orders: give me life in your righteousness. ⁴¹ VAU Let your mercies come to me, O Lord, even your salvation, as you have said. ⁴² So that I may have an answer for the man who would put me to shame; for I have faith in your word. ⁴³ Take not your true word quite out of my mouth; for I have put my hope in your decisions. ⁴⁴ So that I may keep your law for ever and ever; ⁴⁵ So that my way may be in a wide place: because my search has been for your orders. ⁴⁶ So that I may give knowledge of your unchanging word before kings, and not be put to shame. ⁴⁷ And so that I may take delight in your teachings, to which I have given my love. ⁴⁸ And so that my hands may be stretched out to you; and I will give thought to your rules. ⁴⁹ ZAIN Keep in mind your word to your servant, for on it has my hope been fixed. ⁵⁰ This is my comfort in my trouble; that your sayings have given me life. ⁵¹ The men of pride have made great sport of me; but I have not been turned from your law. ⁵² I have kept the memory of your decisions from times past, O Lord; and they have been my comfort. ⁵³ I am burning with wrath, because of the sinners who have given up your law. ⁵⁴ Your rules have been melodies to me, while I have been living in strange lands. ⁵⁵ I have given thought to your name in the night, O Lord, and have kept your law. ⁵⁶ This has been true of me, that I have kept your orders in my heart. ⁵⁷ CHETH The Lord is my heritage: I have said that I would be ruled by your words. ⁵⁸ I have given my mind to do your pleasure with all my heart; have mercy on me, as you have said. ⁵⁹ I gave thought to my steps, and my feet were turned into the way of your unchanging word. ⁶⁰ I was quick to do your orders, and let no time be wasted. ⁶¹ The cords of evil-doers are round me; but I have kept in mind your law. ⁶² In the middle of the night I will get up to give you praise, because of all your right decisions. ⁶³ I keep company with all your worshippers, and those who have your orders in their memory. ⁶⁴ The earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy: give me knowledge of your rules. ⁶⁵ TETH You have done good to your servant, O Lord, in keeping with your word. ⁶⁶ Give me knowledge and good sense; for I have put my faith in your teachings. ⁶⁷ Before I was in trouble I went out of the way; but now I keep your word. ⁶⁸ You are good, and your works are good; give me knowledge of your rules. ⁶⁹ The men of pride have said false things about me; but I will keep your orders in my heart. ⁷⁰ Their hearts are shut up with fat; but my delight is in your law. ⁷¹ It is good for me to have been through trouble; so that I might come to the knowledge of your rules. ⁷² The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver. ⁷³ JOD Your hands have made me, and given me form: give me wisdom, so that I may have knowledge of your teaching. ⁷⁴ Your worshippers will see me and be glad; because my hope has been in your word. ⁷⁵ I have seen, O Lord, that your decisions are right, and that in unchanging faith you have sent trouble on me. ⁷⁶ Let your mercy now be my comfort, as you have said to your servant. ⁷⁷ Let your gentle mercies come to me, so that I may have life; for your law is my delight. ⁷⁸ Let the men of pride be shamed; because they have falsely given decision against me; but I will give thought to your orders. ⁷⁹ Let your worshippers be turned to me, and those who have knowledge of your words. ⁸⁰ Let all my heart be given to your orders, so that I may not be put to shame. ⁸¹ CAPH My soul is wasted with desire for your salvation: but I have hope in your word. ⁸² My eyes are full of weariness with searching for your word, saying, When will you give me comfort? ⁸³ For I have become like a wine-skin black with smoke; but I still keep the memory of your rules. ⁸⁴ How short is the life of your servant! when will you give your decision against those who are attacking me? ⁸⁵ The men of pride, who are turned away from your law, have put nets for me. ⁸⁶ All your teachings are certain; they go after me with evil design; give me your help. ⁸⁷ They had almost put an end to me on earth; but I did not give up your orders. ⁸⁸ Give me life in your mercy; so that I may be ruled by the unchanging word of your mouth. ⁸⁹ LAMED For ever, O Lord, your word is fixed in heaven. ⁹⁰ Your faith is unchanging from generation to generation: you have put the earth in its place, and it is not moved. ⁹¹ They are ruled this day by your decisions; for all things are your servants. ⁹² If your law had not been my delight, my troubles would have put an end to me. ⁹³ I will ever keep your orders in mind; for in them I have life. ⁹⁴ I am yours, O be my saviour; for my desire has been for your rules. ⁹⁵ The sinners have been waiting for me to give me up to destruction; but I will give all my mind to your unchanging ward. ⁹⁶ I have seen that nothing on earth is complete; but your teaching is very wide. ⁹⁷ MEM O what love I have for your law! I give thought to it all the day. ⁹⁸ Your teaching has made me wiser than my haters: for it is mine for ever. ⁹⁹ I have more knowledge than all my teachers, because I give thought to your unchanging word. ¹⁰⁰ I have more wisdom than the old, because I have kept your orders. ¹⁰¹ I have kept back my feet from all evil ways, so that I might be true to your word. ¹⁰² My heart has not been turned away from your decisions; for you have been my teacher. ¹⁰³ How sweet are your sayings to my taste! truly, they are sweeter than honey in my mouth! ¹⁰⁴ Through your orders I get wisdom; for this reason I am a hater of every false way. ¹⁰⁵ NUN Your word is a light for my feet, ever shining on my way. ¹⁰⁶ I have made an oath and kept it, to be guided by your upright decisions. ¹⁰⁷ I am greatly troubled, O Lord, give me life in keeping with your word. ¹⁰⁸ Take, O Lord, the free offerings of my mouth, and give me knowledge of your decisions. ¹⁰⁹ My soul is ever in danger; but I still keep the memory of your law. ¹¹⁰ Sinners have put a net to take me; but I was true to your orders. ¹¹¹ I have taken your unchanging word as an eternal heritage; for it is the joy of my heart. ¹¹² My heart is ever ready to keep your rules, even to the end. ¹¹³ SAMECH I am a hater of men of doubting mind; but I am a lover of your law. ¹¹⁴ You are my secret place and my breastplate against danger; my hope is in your word. ¹¹⁵ Go far from me, you evil-doers; so that I may keep the teachings of my God. ¹¹⁶ Be my support as you have said, and give me life; let not my hope be turned to shame. ¹¹⁷ Let me not be moved, and I will be safe, and ever take delight in your rules. ¹¹⁸ You have overcome all those who are wandering from your rules; for all their thoughts are false. ¹¹⁹ All the sinners of the earth are like waste metal in your eyes; and for this cause I give my love to your unchanging word. ¹²⁰ My flesh is moved for fear of you; I give honour to your decisions. ¹²¹ AIN I have done what is good and right: you will not give me into the hands of those who are working against me. ¹²² Take your servant's interests into your keeping; let me not be crushed by the men of pride. ¹²³ My eyes are wasted with desire for your salvation, and for the word of your righteousness. ¹²⁴ Be good to your servant in your mercy, and give me teaching in your rules. ¹²⁵ I am your servant; give me wisdom, so that I may have knowledge of your unchanging word. ¹²⁶ It is time, O Lord, for you to let your work be seen; for they have made your law without effect. ¹²⁷ For this reason I have greater love far your teachings than for gold, even for shining gold. ¹²⁸ Because of it I keep straight in all things by your orders; and I am a hater of every false way. ¹²⁹ PE Your unchanging word is full of wonder; for this reason my soul keeps it. ¹³⁰ The opening of your words gives light; it gives good sense to the simple. ¹³¹ My mouth was open wide, waiting with great desire for your teachings. ¹³² Let your eyes be turned to me, and have mercy on me, as it is right for you to do to those who are lovers of your name. ¹³³ Let my steps be guided by your word; and let not sin have control over me. ¹³⁴ Make me free from the cruel rule of man; then I will keep your orders. ¹³⁵ Let your servant see the shining of your face; give me knowledge of your rules. ¹³⁶ Rivers of water are flowing from my eyes, because men do not keep your law. ¹³⁷ TZADE O Lord, great is your righteousness, and upright are your decisions. ¹³⁸ You have given your unchanging word in righteousness, and it is for ever. ¹³⁹ My passion has overcome me; because my haters are turned away from your words. ¹⁴⁰ Your word is of tested value; and it is dear to your servant. ¹⁴¹ I am small and of no account; but I keep your orders in mind. ¹⁴² Your righteousness is an unchanging righteousness, and your law is certain. ¹⁴³ Pain and trouble have overcome me: but your teachings are my delight. ¹⁴⁴ The righteousness of your unchanging word is eternal; give me wisdom so that I may have life. ¹⁴⁵ KOPH I have made my prayer with all my heart; give answer to me, O Lord: I will keep your rules. ¹⁴⁶ My cry has gone up to you; take me out of trouble, and I will be guided by your unchanging word. ¹⁴⁷ Before the sun is up, my cry for help comes to your ear; my hope is in your words. ¹⁴⁸ In the night watches I am awake, so that I may give thought to your saying. ¹⁴⁹ Let my voice come to you, in your mercy; O Lord, by your decisions give me life. ¹⁵⁰ Those who have evil designs against me come near; they are far from your law. ¹⁵¹ You are near, O Lord; and all your teachings are true. ¹⁵² I have long had knowledge that your unchanging word is for ever. ¹⁵³ RESH O see my trouble, and be my saviour; for I keep your law in my mind, ¹⁵⁴ Undertake my cause, and come to my help, give me life, as you have said. ¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from evil-doers; for they have made no search for your rules. ¹⁵⁶ Great is the number of your mercies, O Lord; give me life in keeping with your decisions. ¹⁵⁷ Great is the number of those who are against me; but I have not been turned away from your unchanging word. ¹⁵⁸ I saw with hate those who were untrue to you; for they did not keep your saying. ¹⁵⁹ See how great is my love for your orders: give me life, O Lord, in keeping with your mercy. ¹⁶⁰ Your word is true from the first; and your upright decision is unchanging for ever. ¹⁶¹ SHIN Rulers have been cruel to me without cause; but I have the fear of your word in my heart. ¹⁶² I am delighted by your saying, like a man who makes discovery of great wealth. ¹⁶³ I am full of hate and disgust for false words; but I am a lover of your law. ¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day do I give you praise, because of your upright decisions. ¹⁶⁵ Great peace have lovers of your law; they have no cause for falling. ¹⁶⁶ Lord, my hope has been in your salvation; and I have kept your teachings. ¹⁶⁷ My soul has kept your unchanging word; great is my love for it. ¹⁶⁸ I have been ruled by your orders; for all my ways are before you. ¹⁶⁹ TAU Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me wisdom in keeping with your word. ¹⁷⁰ Let my prayer come before you; take me out of trouble, as you have said. ¹⁷¹ Let my lips be flowing with praise, because you have given me knowledge of your rules. ¹⁷² Let my tongue make songs in praise of your word; for all your teachings are righteousness. ¹⁷³ Let your hand be near for my help; for I have given my heart to your orders. ¹⁷⁴ All my desire has been for your salvation, O Lord; and your law is my delight. ¹⁷⁵ Give life to my soul so that it may give you praise; and let your decisions be my support. ¹⁷⁶ I have gone out of the way like a wandering sheep; make search for your servant; for I keep your teachings ever in mind. ¹²⁰ ¹ A Song of the going up. In my trouble my cry went up to the Lord, and he gave me an answer. ² O Lord, be the saviour of my soul from false lips, and from the tongue of deceit. ³ What punishment will he give you? what more will he do to you, you false tongue? ⁴ Sharp arrows of the strong, and burning fire. ⁵ Sorrow is mine because I am strange in Meshech, and living in the tents of Kedar. ⁶ My soul has long been living with the haters of peace. ⁷ I am for peace: but when I say so, they are for war. ¹²¹ ¹ A Song of the going up. My eyes are lifted up to the hills: O where will my help come from? ² Your help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. ³ May he not let your foot be moved: no need of sleep has he who keeps you. ⁴ See, the eyes of Israel's keeper will not be shut in sleep. ⁵ The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. ⁶ You will not be touched by the sun in the day, or by the moon at night. ⁷ The Lord will keep you safe from all evil; he will take care of your soul. ⁸ The Lord will keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time and for ever. ¹²² ¹ A Song of the going up. Of David. I was glad because they said to me, We will go into the house of the Lord. ² At last our feet were inside your doors, O Jerusalem. ³ O Jerusalem, you are like a town which is well joined together; ⁴ To which the tribes went up, even the tribes of the Lord, for a witness to Israel, to give praise to the name of the Lord. ⁵ For there seats for the judges were placed, even the rulers' seats of the line of David. ⁶ O make prayers for the peace of Jerusalem; may they whose love is given to you do well. ⁷ May peace be inside your walls, and wealth in your noble houses. ⁸ Because of my brothers and friends, I will now say, Let peace be with you. ⁹ Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will be working for your good. ¹²³ ¹ A Song of the going up. To you my eyes are lifted up, even to you whose seat is in the heavens. ² See! as the eyes of servants are turned to the hands of their masters, and the eyes of a servant-girl to her owner, so our eyes are waiting for the Lord our God, till he has mercy on us. ³ Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for all men are looking down on us. ⁴ For long enough have men of pride made sport of our soul. ¹²⁴ ¹ A Song of the going up. Of David. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side let Israel now say; ² If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men came up against us; ³ They would have made a meal of us while still living, in the heat of their wrath against us: ⁴ We would have been covered by the waters; the streams would have gone over our soul; ⁵ Yes, the waters of pride would have gone over our soul. ⁶ Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be wounded by their teeth. ⁷ Our soul has gone free like a bird out of the net of those who would take her: the net is broken, and we are free. ⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. ¹²⁵ ¹ A Song of the going up. Those whose hope is in the Lord are like the mountain of Zion, which may not be moved, but keeps its place for ever. ² As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people, from this time and for ever. ³ For the rod of sinners will not be resting on the heritage of the upright; so that the upright may not put out their hands to evil. ⁴ Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in heart. ⁵ But as for such as are turned out of the straight way, the Lord will take them away with the workers of evil. Let peace be on Israel. ¹²⁶ ¹ A Song of the going up. When the Lord made a change in Zion's fate, we were like men in a dream. ² Then our mouths were full of laughing, and our tongues gave a glad cry; they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them. ³ The Lord has done great things for us; because of which we are glad. ⁴ Let our fate be changed, O Lord, like the streams in the South. ⁵ Those who put in seed with weeping will get in the grain with cries of joy. ⁶ Though a man may go out weeping, taking his vessel of seed with him; he will come again in joy, with the corded stems of grain in his arms. ¹²⁷ ¹ A Song of the going up. Of Solomon. If the Lord is not helping the builders, then the building of a house is to no purpose: if the Lord does not keep the town, the watchman keeps his watch for nothing. ² It is of no use for you to get up early, and to go late to your rest, with the bread of sorrow for your food; for the Lord gives to his loved ones in sleep. ³ See, sons are a heritage from the Lord; the fruit of the body is his reward. ⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a man of war, are the children of the young. ⁵ Happy is the man who has a good store of them; he will not be put to shame, but his cause will be supported by them against his haters. ¹²⁸ ¹ A Song of the going up. Happy is the worshipper of the Lord, who is walking in his ways. ² You will have the fruit of the work of your hands: happy will you be, and all will be well for you. ³ Your wife will be like a fertile vine in the inmost parts of your house: your children will be like olive plants round your table. ⁴ See! this is the blessing of the worshipper of the Lord. ⁵ May the Lord send you blessing out of Zion: may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. ⁶ May you see your children's children. Peace be on Israel. ¹²⁹ ¹ A Song of the going up. Great have been my troubles from the time when I was young let Israel now say; ² Great have been my troubles from the time when I was young, but my troubles have not overcome me. ³ The ploughmen were ploughing on my back; long were the wounds they made. ⁴ The Lord is true: the cords of the evil-doers are broken in two. ⁵ Let all the haters of Zion be shamed and turned back. ⁶ Let them be like the grass on the house-tops, which is dry before it comes to full growth. ⁷ He who gets in the grain has no use for it; and they do not make bands of it for the grain-stems. ⁸ And those who go by do not say, The blessing of the Lord be on you; we give you blessing in the name of the Lord. ¹³⁰ ¹ A Song of the going up. Out of the deep have I sent up my cry to you, O Lord. ² Lord, let my voice come before you: let your ears be awake to the voice of my prayer. ³ O Jah, if you took note of every sin, who would go free? ⁴ But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be feared. ⁵ I am waiting for the Lord, my soul is waiting for him, and my hope is in his word. ⁶ My soul is watching for the Lord more than those who are watching for the morning; yes, more than the watchers for the morning. ⁷ O Israel, have hope in the Lord; for with the Lord is mercy and full salvation. ⁸ And he will make Israel free from all his sins. ¹³¹ ¹ A Song of the going up. Of David. Lord, there is no pride in my heart and my eyes are not lifted up; and I have not taken part in great undertakings, or in things over-hard for me. ² See, I have made my soul calm and quiet, like a child on its mother's breast; my soul is like a child on its mother's breast. ³ O Israel, have hope in the Lord, from this time and for ever. ¹³² ¹ A Song of the going up. Lord, give thought to David, and to all his troubles; ² How he made an oath to the Lord, and gave his word to the great God of Jacob, saying, ³ Truly, I will not come into my house, or go to my bed, ⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes, or rest to my eyeballs, ⁵ Till I have got a place for the Lord, a resting-place for the great God of Jacob. ⁶ We had news of it at Ephrathah: we came to it in the fields of the wood. ⁷ Let us go into his tent; let us give worship at his feet. ⁸ Come back, O Lord, to your resting-place; you and the ark of your strength. ⁹ Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; and let your saints give cries of joy. ¹⁰ Because of your servant David, do not give up your king. ¹¹ The Lord gave a true oath to David, which he will not take back, saying, I will give your kingdom to the fruit of your body. ¹² If your children keep my word, and the teachings which I will give them, their children will be rulers of your kingdom for ever. ¹³ For the Lord's heart is on Zion, desiring it for his resting-place. ¹⁴ This is my rest for ever: here will I ever be; for this is my desire. ¹⁵ My blessing will be on her food; and her poor will be full of bread. ¹⁶ Her priests will be clothed with salvation; and her saints will give cries of joy. ¹⁷ There I will make the horn of David fertile: I have made ready a light for my king. ¹⁸ His haters will be clothed with shame; but I will make his crown shining. ¹³³ ¹ A Song of the going up. Of David. See how good and how pleasing it is for brothers to be living together in harmony! ² It is like oil of great price on the head, flowing down over the face, even Aaron's face: coming down to the edge of his robe; ³ Like the dew of Hermon, which comes down on the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord gave orders for the blessing, even life for ever. ¹³⁴ ¹ A Song of the going up. Give praise to the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who take your places in the house of the Lord by night. ² Give praise to the Lord, lifting up your hands in his holy place. ³ May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, send you blessing out of Zion, ¹³⁵ ¹ Let the Lord be praised. O you servants of the Lord, give praise to the name of the Lord. ² You who are in the house of the Lord, and in the open spaces of the house of our God, ³ Give praise to Jah, for he is good: make melody to his name, for it is pleasing. ⁴ For the Lord has taken Jacob for himself, and Israel for his property. ⁵ I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is greater than all other gods. ⁶ The Lord has done whatever was pleasing to him, in heaven, and on the earth, in the seas and in all the deep waters. ⁷ He makes the mists go up from the ends of the earth; he makes thunder-flames for the rain; he sends out the winds from his store-houses. ⁸ He put to death the first-fruits of Egypt, of man and of beast. ⁹ He sent signs and wonders among you, O Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his servants. ¹⁰ He overcame great nations, and put strong kings to death; ¹¹ Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan; ¹² And gave their land for a heritage, even for a heritage to Israel his people. ¹³ O Lord, your name is eternal; and the memory of you will have no end. ¹⁴ For the Lord will be judge of his people's cause; his feelings will be changed to his servants. ¹⁵ The images of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. ¹⁶ They have mouths, but no voice, they have eyes, but they do not see; ¹⁷ They have ears, but no hearing; and there is no breath in their mouths. ¹⁸ Those who make them are like them; and so is everyone who puts his hope in them. ¹⁹ Give praise to the Lord, O children of Israel: give praise to the Lord, O sons of Aaron: ²⁰ Give praise to the Lord, O sons of Levi: let all the worshippers of the Lord give him praise. ²¹ Praise be to the Lord out of Zion, even to the Lord whose house is in Jerusalem, Let the Lord be praised. ¹³⁶ ¹ O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ² O give praise to the God of gods: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ³ O give praise to the Lord of lords: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ⁴ To him who only does great wonders: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ⁵ To him who by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ⁶ To him by whom the earth was stretched out over the waters: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ⁷ To him who made great lights: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ⁸ The sun to have rule by day: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ⁹ The moon and the stars to have rule by night: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ¹⁰ To him who put to death the first-fruits of Egypt: for his mercy is unchanging for ever: ¹¹ And took out Israel from among them: for his mercy is unchanging for ever: ¹² With a strong hand and an outstretched arm: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ¹³ To him who made a way through the Red Sea: for his mercy is unchanging for ever: ¹⁴ And let Israel go through it: for his mercy is unchanging for ever: ¹⁵ By him Pharaoh and his army were overturned in the Red Sea: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ¹⁶ To him who took his people through the waste land: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ¹⁷ To him who overcame great kings: for his mercy is unchanging for ever: ¹⁸ And put noble kings to death: for his mercy is unchanging for ever: ¹⁹ Sihon, king of the Amorites: for his mercy is unchanging for ever: ²⁰ And Og, king of Bashan: for his mercy is unchanging for ever: ²¹ And gave their land to his people for a heritage: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ²² Even a heritage for his servant Israel: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ²³ Who kept us in mind when we were in trouble: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ²⁴ And has taken us out of the hands of our haters: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ²⁵ Who gives food to all flesh: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ²⁶ O give praise to the God of heaven: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. ¹³⁷ ¹ By the rivers of Babylon we were seated, weeping at the memory of Zion, ² Hanging our instruments of music on the trees by the waterside. ³ For there those who had taken us prisoners made request for a song; and those who had taken away all we had gave us orders to be glad, saying, Give us one of the songs of Zion. ⁴ How may we give the Lord's song in a strange land? ⁵ If I keep not your memory, O Jerusalem, let not my right hand keep the memory of its art. ⁶ If I let you go out of my thoughts, and if I do not put Jerusalem before my greatest joy, let my tongue be fixed to the roof of my mouth. ⁷ O Lord, keep in mind against the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem; how they said, Let it be uncovered, uncovered even to its base. ⁸ O daughter of Babylon, whose fate is destruction; happy is the man who does to you what you have done to us. ⁹ Happy is the man who takes your little ones, crushing them against the rocks. ¹³⁸ ¹ Of David. I will give you praise with all my heart: I will make melody to you before the gods. ² I will give worship before your holy Temple, praising your name for your mercy and for your unchanging faith: for you have made your word greater than all your name. ³ When my cry came to your ears you gave me an answer, and made me great with strength in my soul. ⁴ All the kings of the earth will give you praise, O Lord, when the words of your mouth come to their ears. ⁵ They will make songs about the ways of the Lord; for great is the glory of the Lord. ⁶ Though the Lord is high, he sees those who are low; and he has knowledge from far off of those who are lifted up. ⁷ Even when trouble is round me, you will give me life; your hand will be stretched out against the wrath of my haters, and your right hand will be my salvation. ⁸ The Lord will make all things complete for me: O Lord, your mercy is eternal; do not give up the works of your hands. ¹³⁹ ¹ To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David. O Lord, you have knowledge of me, searching out all my secrets. ² You have knowledge when I am seated and when I get up, you see my thoughts from far away. ³ You keep watch over my steps and my sleep, and have knowledge of all my ways. ⁴ For there is not a word on my tongue which is not clear to you, O Lord. ⁵ I am shut in by you on every side, and you have put your hand on me. ⁶ Such knowledge is a wonder greater than my powers; it is so high that I may not come near it. ⁷ Where may I go from your spirit? how may I go in flight from you? ⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there: or if I make my bed in the underworld, you are there. ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning, and go to the farthest parts of the sea; ¹⁰ Even there will I be guided by your hand, and your right hand will keep me. ¹¹ If I say, Only let me be covered by the dark, and the light about me be night; ¹² Even the dark is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day: for dark and light are the same to you. ¹³ My flesh was made by you, and my parts joined together in my mother's body. ¹⁴ I will give you praise, for I am strangely and delicately formed; your works are great wonders, and of this my soul is fully conscious. ¹⁵ My frame was not unseen by you when I was made secretly, and strangely formed in the lowest parts of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book all my days were recorded, even those which were purposed before they had come into being. ¹⁷ How dear are your thoughts to me, O God! how great is the number of them! ¹⁸ If I made up their number, it would be more than the grains of sand; when I am awake, I am still with you. ¹⁹ If only you would put the sinners to death, O God; go far from me, you men of blood. ²⁰ For they go against you with evil designs, and your haters make sport of your name. ²¹ Are not your haters hated by me, O Lord? are not those who are lifted up against you a cause of grief to me? ²² My hate for them is complete; my thoughts of them are as if they were making war on me. ²³ O God, let the secrets of my heart be uncovered, and let my wandering thoughts be tested: ²⁴ See if there is any way of sorrow in me, and be my guide in the eternal way. ¹⁴⁰ ¹ To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David. O Lord, take me out of the power of the evil man; keep me safe from the violent man: ² For their hearts are full of evil designs; and they are ever making ready causes of war. ³ Their tongues are sharp like the tongue of a snake; the poison of snakes is under their lips. Selah. ⁴ O Lord, take me out of the hands of sinners; keep me safe from the violent man: for they are designing my downfall. ⁵ The men of pride have put secret cords for my feet; stretching nets in my way, so that they may take me with their tricks. Selah. ⁶ I have said to the Lord, You are my God: give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my prayer. ⁷ O Lord God, the strength of my salvation, you have been a cover over my head in the day of the fight. ⁸ O Lord, give not the wrongdoer his desire; give him no help in his evil designs, or he may be uplifted in pride. Selah. ⁹ As for those who come round me, let their heads be covered by the evil of their lips. ¹⁰ Let burning flames come down on them: let them be put into the fire, and into deep waters, so that they may not get up again. ¹¹ Let not a man of evil tongue be safe on earth: let destruction overtake the violent man with blow on blow. ¹² I am certain that the Lord will take care of the cause of the poor, and of the rights of those who are troubled. ¹³ Truly, the upright will give praise to your name: the holy will have a place in your house. ¹⁴¹ ¹ A Psalm. Of David. Lord, I have made my cry to you; come to me quickly; give ear to my voice, when it goes up to you. ² Let my prayer be ordered before you like a sweet smell; and let the lifting up of my hands be like the evening offering. ³ O Lord, keep a watch over my mouth; keep the door of my lips. ⁴ Keep my heart from desiring any evil thing, or from taking part in the sins of the evil-doers with men who do wrong: and let me have no part in their good things. ⁵ Let the upright give me punishment; and let the god-fearing man put me in the right way; but I will not let the oil of sinners come on my head: when they do evil I will give myself to prayer. ⁶ When destruction comes to their judges by the side of the rock, they will give ear to my words, for they are sweet. ⁷ Our bones are broken up at the mouth of the underworld, as the earth is broken by the plough. ⁸ But my eyes are turned to you, O Lord God: my hope is in you; let not my soul be given up to death. ⁹ Keep me from the net which they have put down for me, and from the designs of the workers of evil. ¹⁰ Let the sinners be taken in the nets which they themselves have put down, while I go free. ¹⁴² ¹ Maschil. Of David. A prayer when he was in the hole of the rock. The sound of my cry went up to the Lord; with my voice I made my prayer for grace to the Lord. ² I put all my sorrows before him; and made clear to him all my trouble. ³ When my spirit is overcome, your eyes are on my goings; nets have been secretly placed in the way in which I go. ⁴ Looking to my right side, I saw no man who was my friend: I had no safe place; no one had any care for my soul. ⁵ I have made my cry to you, O Lord; I have said, You are my safe place, and my heritage in the land of the living. ⁶ Give ear to my cry, for I am made very low: take me out of the hands of my haters, for they are stronger than I. ⁷ Take my soul out of prison, so that I may give praise to your name: the upright will give praise because of me; for you have given me a full reward. ¹⁴³ ¹ A Psalm. Of David. Let my prayer come to you, O Lord; give ear to my requests for your grace; keep faith with me, and give me an answer in your righteousness; ² Let not your servant come before you to be judged; for no man living is upright in your eyes. ³ The evil man has gone after my soul; my life is crushed down to the earth: he has put me in the dark, like those who have long been dead. ⁴ Because of this my spirit is overcome; and my heart is full of fear. ⁵ I keep in mind the early days of the past, giving thought to all your acts, even to the work of your hands. ⁶ My hands are stretched out to you: my soul is turned to you, like a land in need of water. Selah. ⁷ Be quick in answering me, O Lord, for the strength of my spirit is gone: let me see your face, so that I may not be like those who go down into the underworld. ⁸ Let the story of your mercy come to me in the morning, for my hope is in you: give me knowledge of the way in which I am to go; for my soul is lifted up to you. ⁹ O Lord, take me out of the hands of my haters; my soul is waiting for you. ¹⁰ Give me teaching so that I may do your pleasure; for you are my God: let your good Spirit be my guide into the land of righteousness. ¹¹ Give me life, O Lord, because of your name; in your righteousness take my soul out of trouble. ¹² And in your mercy put an end to my haters, and send destruction on all those who are against my soul; for I am your servant. ¹⁴⁴ ¹ A Psalm. Of David. Praise be to the God of my strength, teaching my hands the use of the sword, and my fingers the art of fighting: ² He is my strength, and my Rock; my high tower, and my saviour; my keeper and my hope: he gives me authority over my people. ³ Lord, what is man, that you keep him in mind? or the son of man that you take him into account? ⁴ Man is like a breath: his life is like a shade which is quickly gone. ⁵ Come down, O Lord, from your heavens: at your touch let the mountains give out smoke. ⁶ With your storm-flames send them in flight: send out your arrows for their destruction. ⁷ Put out your hand from on high; make me free, take me safely out of the great waters, and out of the hands of strange men; ⁸ In whose mouths are false words, and whose right hand is a right hand of deceit. ⁹ I will make a new song to you, O God; I will make melody to you on an instrument of ten cords. ¹⁰ It is God who gives salvation to kings; and who kept his servant David from the wounding sword. ¹¹ Make me free, and take me out of the hands of strange men, in whose mouths are false words, and whose right hand is a right hand of deceit. ¹² Our sons are like tall young plants; and our daughters like the shining stones of a king's house; ¹³ Our store-houses are full of all good things; and our sheep give birth to thousands and ten thousands in our fields. ¹⁴ Our oxen are well weighted down; our cows give birth safely; there is no going out, and there is no cry of sorrow in our open places. ¹⁵ Happy is the nation whose ways are so ordered: yes, happy is the nation whose God is the Lord. ¹⁴⁵ ¹ A Song of praise. Of David. Let me give glory to you, O God, my King; and blessing to your name for ever and ever. ² Every day will I give you blessing, praising your name for ever and ever. ³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his power may never be searched out. ⁴ One generation after another will give praise to your great acts, and make clear the operation of your strength. ⁵ My thoughts will be of the honour and glory of your rule, and of the wonder of your works. ⁶ Men will be talking of the power and fear of your acts; I will give word of your glory. ⁷ Their sayings will be full of the memory of all your mercy, and they will make songs of your righteousness. ⁸ The Lord is full of grace and pity; not quickly angry, but great in mercy. ⁹ The Lord is good to all men; and his mercies are over all his works. ¹⁰ All the works of your hands give praise to you, O Lord; and your saints give you blessing. ¹¹ Their words will be of the glory of your kingdom, and their talk of your strength; ¹² So that the sons of men may have knowledge of his acts of power, and of the great glory of his kingdom. ¹³ Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and your rule is through all generations. ¹⁴ The Lord is the support of all who are crushed, and the lifter up of all who are bent down. ¹⁵ The eyes of all men are waiting for you; and you give them their food in its time. ¹⁶ By the opening of your hand, every living thing has its desire in full measure. ¹⁷ The Lord is upright in all his ways, and kind in all his works. ¹⁸ The Lord is near all those who give honour to his name; even to all who give honour to him with true hearts. ¹⁹ To his worshippers, he will give their desire; their cry comes to his ears, and he gives them salvation. ²⁰ The Lord will keep all his worshippers from danger; but he will send destruction on all sinners. ²¹ My mouth will give praise to the Lord; let all flesh be blessing his holy name for ever and ever. ¹⁴⁶ ¹ Let the Lord be praised. Give praise to the Lord, O my soul. ² While I have breath I will give praise to the Lord: I will make melody to my God while I have my being. ³ Put not your faith in rulers, or in the son of man, in whom there is no salvation. ⁴ Man's breath goes out, he is turned back again to dust; in that day all his purposes come to an end. ⁵ Happy is the man who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: ⁶ Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all things in them; who keeps faith for ever: ⁷ Who gives their rights to those who are crushed down; and gives food to those who are in need of it: the Lord makes the prisoners free; ⁸ The Lord makes open the eyes of the blind; the Lord is the lifter up of those who are bent down; the Lord is a lover of the upright; ⁹ The Lord takes care of those who are in a strange land; he gives help to the widow and to the child who has no father; but he sends destruction on the way of sinners. ¹⁰ The Lord will be King for ever; your God, O Zion, will be King through all generations. Praise be to the Lord. ¹⁴⁷ ¹ Give praise to the Lord; for it is good to make melody to our God; praise is pleasing and beautiful. ² The Lord is building up Jerusalem; he makes all the outlaws of Israel come together. ³ He makes the broken-hearted well, and puts oil on their wounds. ⁴ He sees the number of the stars; he gives them all their names. ⁵ Great is our Lord, and great his power; there is no limit to his wisdom. ⁶ The Lord gives help to the poor in spirit; but he sends sinners down in shame. ⁷ Make songs of praise to the Lord; make melody to our God with instruments of music. ⁸ By his hand the heaven is covered with clouds and rain is stored up for the earth; he makes the grass tall on the mountains. ⁹ He gives food to every beast, and to the young ravens in answer to their cry. ¹⁰ He has no delight in the strength of a horse; he takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. ¹¹ The Lord takes pleasure in his worshippers, and in those whose hope is in his mercy. ¹² Give praise to the Lord, O Jerusalem; give praise to your God, O Zion. ¹³ He has made strong the iron bands of your doors; he has sent blessings on your children inside your walls. ¹⁴ He gives peace in all your land, making your stores full of fat grain. ¹⁵ He sends out his orders to the earth; his word goes out quickly. ¹⁶ He gives snow like wool; he sends out ice-drops like dust. ¹⁷ He sends down ice like raindrops: water is made hard by his cold. ¹⁸ At the outgoing of his word, the ice is turned to water; when he sends out his wind, there is a flowing of waters. ¹⁹ He makes his word clear to Jacob, teaching Israel his laws and his decisions. ²⁰ He has not done these things for any other nation: and as for his laws, they have no knowledge of them. Let the Lord be praised. ¹⁴⁸ ¹ Give praise to the Lord. Let the Lord be praised from the heavens: give him praise in the skies. ² Give praise to him, all you his angels: give praise to him, all his armies. ³ Give praise to him, you sun and moon: give praise to him, all you stars of light. ⁴ Give praise to him, you highest heavens, and you waters which are over the heavens. ⁵ Let them give praise to the name of the Lord: for he gave the order, and they were made. ⁶ He has put them in their places for ever; he has given them their limits which may not be broken. ⁷ Give praise to the Lord from the earth, you great sea-beasts, and deep places: ⁸ Fire and rain of ice, snow and mists; storm-wind, doing his word: ⁹ Mountains and all hills; fruit-trees and all trees of the mountains: ¹⁰ Beasts and all cattle; insects and winged birds: ¹¹ Kings of the earth, and all peoples; rulers and all judges of the earth: ¹² Young men and virgins; old men and children: ¹³ Let them give glory to the name of the Lord: for his name only is to be praised: his kingdom is over the earth and the heaven. ¹⁴ He has put on high the horn of his people, for the praise of all his saints; even the children of Israel, a people which is near to him. Let the Lord be praised. ¹⁴⁹ ¹ Let the Lord be praised. Make a new song to the Lord, let his praise be in the meeting of his saints. ² Let Israel have joy in his maker; let the children of Zion be glad in their King. ³ Let them give praise to his name in the dance: let them make melody to him with instruments of brass and corded instruments of music. ⁴ For the Lord has pleasure in his people: he gives the poor in spirit a crown of salvation. ⁵ Let the saints have joy and glory: let them give cries of joy on their beds. ⁶ Let the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hands; ⁷ To give the nations the reward of their sins, and the peoples their punishment; ⁸ To put their kings in chains, and their rulers in bands of iron; ⁹ To give them the punishment which is in the holy writings: this honour is given to all his saints. Praise be to the Lord. ¹⁵⁰ ¹ Let the Lord be praised. Give praise to God in his holy place: give him praise in the heaven of his power. ² Give him praise for his acts of power: give him praise in the measure of his great strength. ³ Give him praise with the sound of the horn: give him praise with corded instruments of music. ⁴ Give him praise with instruments of brass and in the dance: give him praise with horns and corded instruments. ⁵ Give him praise with the loud brass: give him praise with the high-sounding brass. ⁶ Let everything which has breath give praise to the Lord. Let the Lord be praised.