Psalm 102

A Prayer of  One Afflicted Who Grows Faint
And Voices His Lament Before Jehovah

Hear my prayer, O Jehovah.
Receive my cry for help.
Do not hide your face from me
In my time of trouble.
Listen to me when I call
And answer me quickly.
For my days vanish like smoke.
My bones burn like a furnace.
My heart is afflicted
And has withered like dry grass.
I forget to eat my food.
I groan aloud in agony;
I am but skin and bones.
I am like a pelican
In the desert wilderness,
An owl amid ruins.
I lie awake, sleepless,
Like a lone bird on the roof.

My enemies taunt me all the day long.
Those that mock me use my name as a curse.
My food is ashes, my drink, mixed with tears.
Because of your anger and indignation,
(For you have picked me up and tossed me aside)
My days are lengthening shadows, dry grass.

But you,  Jehovah, sit upon your throne forever,
And your renown endures through the generations.
You will rise up and show pity for Jerusalem.
It is time to show her favor; yes, now is the time!
For your servants cherish her stones, even her dust.
Foreign nations will fear the name of Jehovah,
And all the kings of the earth will respect your glory.

For Jehovah will rebuild Jerusalem
And will appear there in all his splendor.
He will answer the prayers of the destitute
And will not ignore their supplications.
Record this for future generations
That people yet unborn may praise Jehovah.
For he looks down from his high sanctuary;
From Heaven Jehovah observes the earth.
Listening to the wails of prisoners,
He rescues those who are condemned to die
That they might proclaim the name of Jehovah
In Zion and praise him in Jerusalem
When the tribes assemble and the kingdoms
Come together to worship Jehovah.

When I was in the prime of life
He broke my strength and shortened my days.
And so I cried out, “O my God,
Take me not in the midst of my life,
You whose years last through the ages.
You established the earth of old;
The heavens are your handiwork.
They will pass away, but you remain.
They will wear out as old clothes do,
And like articles of clothing
You will change them and throw them away.
But you will ever stay the same
And your years go on forever.
The children of those who serve you
Will continue and their descendants,
Under your auspices, will thrive.”

Psalm 100

All on earth, shout out your praises to Jehovah!
Serve him with gladness and come before him singing.
Know that Jehovah is the god who created us.
We are his, his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courtyard with praise.
Express your thanks to him and make his name blessed.
For good is Jehovah; his love lasts forever.
His faithfulness endures through the generations.

Psalm 99

Jehovah reigns, let the peoples tremble.
He sits on his throne beneath the cherubim.
Let the earth quake.  In Zion Jehovah
Is great, exalted above all peoples.
They praise your name as great, awesome, and holy.
The “King” is mighty and loves what is right.
He has established justice in Jacob’s land
And has dispensed divine law objectively.

Exalt and extol Jehovah our god.
Worship at his footstool, for he is holy.
Moses and Aaron were among his priests.
Samuel was among those who called on his name.
They called to Jehovah and he answered them.
He spoke to them from a pillar-shaped cloud.
They kept the laws and decrees he gave them.
Jehovah, our god, you answered their prayers.
To Israel you were a forgiving god,
But an avenger of their wicked plots.

Give praise to Jehovah, our god,
Worship him at his holy mount,
For Jehovah, our god, is holy.

Psalm 98

Sing to Jehovah a new song,
For he has accomplished wonders.
His right hand and arm of holiness
Have achieved his deliverance.
Jehovah proclaimed his salvation
And has revealed his righteousness
In the sight of foreign nations.
He has remembered his mercy
And his faithfulness to Israel.
Every corner of the earth
Has seen the salvation of our god.

Shout joyfully to Jehovah.
All the earth, break out in song.
Cry aloud and sing his praises.
With the harp play music of praise
To Jehovah, and with the lyre
Sing to him melodious songs.
With trumpets and blasts of the shofar
Shout out with a jubilant noise
In front of the king, Jehovah.
Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
The earth and all who live on it.
Let the rivers clap their hands in glee
And the hills sing for joy together.
Let them sing before Jehovah
For he is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness
And its people with equity.

Psalm 97

Jehovah reigns, let the world rejoice,
Let the farthest shores be gladdened.

Storm clouds and darkness circle round him.
Righteousness and his divine law
Are the foundation of his throne.
A conflagration precedes him
And consumes his foes on all sides.
His lightning illuminates the world:
The earth sees it and shakes with fear.
The mountains melt away like wax
In the presence of Jehovah,
Who is master of the whole earth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
All peoples have witnessed his glory.
All who serve images are shamed,
Those who adore worthless idols,
All you gods must bow down to him!

Jerusalem has heard and rejoices,
And the villages of Judah exult
Because of your judgments, O Jehovah.
For you are the most high over all the earth,
Exalted far above all other gods.
Let those who love Jehovah hate evil.
He protects the lives of those who are pious,
And saves them from the hands of the wicked.

A light will shine upon the righteous
And gladness upon the pure of heart.

Rejoice in Jehovah, you righteous ones,
And give thanks to honor his holiness.

Psalm 96

Sing to Jehovah a new song.
Sing to Jehovah, all the world.
Sing to Jehovah, praise his name.
Proclaim his salvation each day.
Declare to the nations his glory,
His miracles to all the people.
For Jehovah is great indeed,
Deserving greatly to be praised
And to be feared above all gods.
All the gods of other nations
Are idols; it was Jehovah,
He, that created the heavens.
Honor and grandeur are before him,
Strength and beauty fill his Temple.
Make acknowledgement of Jehovah,
O you families of nations,
Acknowledge his glory and power.
Make acknowledgement to Jehovah
Of the honor that is due his name.
Bring a sacrificial offering
And enter his Temple’s courtyard.
Make obeisance to Jehovah
In sacred vestments of splendor.
Let the earth tremble before him.

Announce to the nations, “Jehovah reigns!”
The earth is established; it cannot be moved.
He will judge its people with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad.
Let the sea and all its denizens roar.
Let the fields and all that’s in them exult.
Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy
Before Jehovah — for he is coming.
He is coming to pass judgment on the earth.
He will judge the world by his morality
And its people with evenhanded justice.

Psalm 95

Come, let us sing with joy to Jehovah.
Let us shout to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
And praise him in songs of exultation.

For Jehovah is a great god,
The great king above all other gods.
The depths of the earth are in his hand,
And the mountain peaks are his as well.
The sea is his, for he made it,
And his hands fashioned the dry land.
Come let us bow down in worship,
Kneel before Jehovah our maker,
For he, Jehovah, is our god,
And we the people of his pasture,
The sheep that are under his charge.

Today, if only we could hear his voice, —
“Don’t be stubborn as you were at Meribah,
On that day in the desert at Massah,
Where you ancestors tested and tried me,
Although they had already seen my works.
With that generation I was angry
For forty years.  I said to myself of them,
‘They are a people whose hearts have gone astray.
They have not been obedient to my ways.’
And so in my anger I made a vow,
‘They shall never enter my place of repose!”

Psalm 94

O Jehovah, god of vengeance,
God of vengeance reveal yourself.
Rouse yourself, O judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
How long, Jehovah, will the wicked,
How long will the wicked exult?
They burst out with arrogant words;
They boast, all the evildoers.
They crush your people, O Jehovah;
And oppress your inheritance.
They slay the widow and the stranger
And they murder the fatherless.
They say, “Jehovah does not see.
The god of Jacob pays no heed.”
Take notice, you stupid people.
You fools, when, oh when, will you get wise?
Does he not hear who affixed the ear?
Does not see who molded the eye?
Does he not mete out punishment,
He who admonishes nations?
Does he not know who teaches man?

Jehovah knows the plans of men
And knows they are futility.
Blessed is the man you discipline,
O Jehovah, and teach from your law
To give him relief from troublous times —-
While a pit is dug for the wicked.

For Jehovah will not forsake his people,
Nor will he abandon his inheritance.
Judgment will again be based on justice,
And the upright in heart will follow it.
Who will stand up for me against the wicked?
Who will stand by me against evildoers?
Had not Jehovah come to my defense
I’d soon be dwelling in the land of silence.
When  I  would cry out, “My foot is slipping!”
Your unfailing love, Jehovah, holds me up.
When I am overwhelmed by anxiety,
Your consolation brings joy to my soul.
Can a corrupt leader be allied with you,
A leader promoting  injustice with his laws?
They band together to oppose the righteous,
And they condemn the innocent to death.
But Jehovah has become my stronghold,
My god is the rock where I find shelter.
He will turn their own evil against them.
He will destroy them for their wickedness.
Jehovah, our god, will put an end to them!    

Psalm 31

In you, Jehovah, have I sought refuge;
Let me at no time fall into disgrace,
But let your sense of right deliver me.
Turn your ear to me, rescue me with dispatch.
Be an enclave, a fortress to guard me.
(For you are my enclave and my fortress.)
Therefore, in your name, lead and protect me;
Free me from the trap my foes have set for me,
For in you alone I find my protection,
And into your hands do I entrust my life.
Thus save me, Jehovah, my faithful god!

Those who worship false idols, I detest:
I put my confidence in Jehovah.

I am glad for your loyal love,
And rejoice in your devotion,
For you have witnessed my misery
And know the troubles of my soul.
You would not allow me to fall
Into the hands of my enemy,
But set me in a place of safety.

Pity me, O Jehovah,
For I am in dire distress.
My eyes grow weak with weeping,
My body and soul languish
And waste away with grief.
Sorrow consumes my soul,
My years are wasted in sobs,
My troubles exhaust me
And my life is draining away.

Because of all my enemies,
My neighbors hold me in contempt.
Even my friends will avoid me,
For when they see me on the street
They run the other way in fear.
Forgotten am I, like one dead,
Like a broken piece of pottery.
I have heard the threats made by many --
I am surrounded by terror --
For they hold counsel against me
And are plotting to take my life.

But I trust in you, Jehovah
And have declared, “You are my god!”
Indeed my future is in your hands.
Deliver me from my enemies
And from those who persecute me.
Let your face smile upon your servant.
Let your mercy be my redemption.
Let me not be shamed, O Jehovah,
For I pray to you for succor.
Let the wicked people be shamed;
Let them be silenced by the grave.
Still their lying, deceitful tongues
That speak with arrogance and contempt
In castigating the righteous.

How abundant is your bounty,
Stored up for those who revere you,
Bestowed upon those who trust you,
For the people of the world to see.
You shelter them with your presence,
Hiding them in a secret refuge,
Protecting them from the plots of men,
Far from slanderous accusations.

Praise Jehovah, for he has shown me
The miracle of his constant love.
When the city was under siege
I cried out to him in alarm,
“I’m defeated before your eyes!”
You heard the voice of my pleading
When I cried out in supplication.

Love Jehovah and his followers,
For Jehovah sustains the faithful --
But he punishes severely
The evil deeds of the arrogant.

Be strong in spirit and brave of heart,
All who put their hope in Jehovah.

Psalm 29

Praise Jehovah, you celestial beings.
Praise Jehovah's glory and his power,
And grant Jehovah the honor due his name.
Bow down before Jehovah when he appears
In the splendor of his holy panoply.

Jehovah's voice echoes over the waters,
As the god of glory roars with thunder.
Jehovah is heard over the raging sea,
For the voice of Jehovah has power
And the voice of Jehovah has majesty.
Jehovah's voice splits the mighty cedars,
Splintering the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon cavort like a calf
And Mount Sirion leap like a wild young steer.
Jehovah speaks in flashes of lightning,
And his voice makes the barren deserts quake,
Shaking even the wastelands of Kadesh.
The voice of Jehovah twists the mighty oak
And strips the leaves from the trees of the forest
So that all in his Temple will shout, "Glory!"

Jehovah sits enthroned above the sea.
There he will sit enthroned as king forever.
Jehovah will lend strength to his people
And bring to them the blessing of peace.

Psalm 24

The earth is Jehovah's and all it contains;
The world and its people belong to him.
For he built it upon the ocean waters
And founded it upon the rivers and streams.

Who may ascend the mountain of Zion
And stand in Jehovah's holy Temple?
He whose hands are clean and whose heart is pure,
He who will not deign to worship an idol
Or swear by a false god deceitfully.
From Jehovah will he receive a blessing,
The vindication of divine salvation.
Such ones may entreat the aid of Jacob's god.

Open the gates, fling wide the ancient doors!
That the glorious sovereign might enter.
Who is this glorious sovereign?  --- Jehovah!
Strong and mighty, and doughty in battle.

Open the gates, fling wide the ancient doors!
That the glorious sovereign might enter.
Who is this glorious sovereign?  --- Jehovah!
The almighty commander of armies,
He is the glorious sovereign!

Psalm 20

May Jehovah answer your prayers in times of trouble;
May the name of the god of Jacob protect you;
From the Sanctum of the Temple may he send you aid,
From the Mount of Zion may he lend you support.
May he remember all your sacrifices of grain,
And look with favor upon your burnt offerings.

May he grant you all that your heart desires,
And bring the fulfillment of all your plans.
We will then sing with joy for your success
And fly a flag in honor of our god.
May Jehovah give to you all that you ask!

Now I know well that Jehovah will save
And make victorious his anointed king.
From holy Heaven he will answer him
And, with deeds of divine might, rescue him.
Some put their trust in battle chariots,
Some in horses of war, but we put our trust
In the power of Jehovah, our god.
They will be overcome and fall in defeat,
But we will rise up and stand straight and tall.

O Jehovah, grant victory to our king! 
May you answer us when we call upon you!
 

Psalm 18

(A poem composed by David, a servant of Jehovah, and dedicated to Jehovah on the occasion of Jehovah saving him from his enemies, particularly Saul.)

I love you, Jehovah!  You are my strength.
Jehovah is the foundation of my life,
He is my fortress and my deliverer;
My god is the rocks wherein I find refuge;
My shield, my salvation, my defender.

I pray to Jehovah, the praiseworthy,
And I am rescued from my enemies.
I was entangled in the cords of death,
And a deadly torrent swept over me,
I was being strangled by the cords of death,
And all but caught in the trap of the grave.
In my distress I called to Jehovah;
I cried out to my god to beg his help,
And in his temple he did hear my voice:
My appeal commanded his attention!

Then the earth did tremble and quake
Even the base of mountains shook --
Because of Jehovah's anger.
Like smoke billowing from his nostrils,
Like fire issuing from his mouth,
Setting alight charcoal embers,  
He sped through the celestial dome
And descended from the sky to earth
With a cloud of black smoke at his feet.
(He flew in one of his airships
That soared upon the wings of the wind.)
Darkness shrouded and sheltered him;
Heavy rain clouds obscured his ship.
Into the brightness that lay ahead
There came from the surrounding cloud
Falls of bombs and fiery missiles.
Jehovah thundered from the sky,
And amid the bombs and missiles,
The voice of the Most High resounded.
He fired upon and scattered his foes;
Launches of missiles routed them.
At your rebuke, O Jehovah,
The bed of the sea was exposed
And the crust of the earth laid bare,
As if by a blast of your breath.

He descended from high and seized me,
Pulling me out of deep water.
He rescued me from mighty foes
And from all of those who hated me. ---
They were more powerful than I!
In troublous times they attacked me,
But Jehovah came to my aid.
He took me to a place of safety,
Sparing me out of affection.
Jehovah showed me this favor
Because of my righteous conduct.
He has restored and rewarded me
Because my hands are free from evil,
Because I've kept Jehovah's laws
And not turned away from my god.
All his commandments have I observed,
Nor have I ignored his decrees.
In his eyes I am without blame:
I have refrained from sinful acts.
And so Jehovah rewards me
Because I have done what is right
And am innocent in his sight.

You are faithful to those faithful to you,
You are guileless to those of rectitude,
You are sincere with those who are honest,
But are shrewd dealing with the devious.
You encourage and empower the humble,
But humble the haughty and arrogant.

It's you, Jehovah, that makes my lamp burn bright,
And you, my god, that turns my darkness to light.
With your help I can attack an army;
With my god I can scale their defenses.

The ways of my god are the perfect ways;
The words of Jehovah are tested and true.
He is a shield to those who trust in him.
For who can be God except Jehovah?
And who is like a solid rock but our god?
He is the god that endows me with strength;
He is the one that makes my path broad and clear.
He makes my steps sure-footed like a deer
So I can stand nimbly on the mountain tops.
He trains and strengthens my hands for battle
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have lent me your shield of victory.
You have sustained me with your strong right hand.
You have humbled yourself to exalt me.
You have widened the path on which I walk
So that my feet have room and will not slip.

I pursued my enemies and caught them,
Not withdrawing until they were defeated.
I struck them down so they could not rise again;
They fell and I did trod them under foot.
You have given me the strength to do battle,
And made my enemies bow at my feet.
You have made my opponents retreat in flight,
And I have defeated those who hated me.
(They cried out, but who was there to save them?
Not Jehovah, for he did not answer.)
I pulverized them into windblown dust
And swept them into the gutter like dirt.

You spared me from strife within my country
And ordained me the sovereign of nations. ---
Even people I do not know serve me!
Cringing foreigners cower in my presence.
When they hear a word from me, they obey.
They have lost courage; they tremble with fear
When they come in from their forts and strongholds.

Long live Jehovah!  Praise be to my defender!
May the god who is my salvation be exalted!
He is the god who avenges those who harm me,
Who pacifies the peoples under my control,
Who deliveries me from those who are my enemies.
You raised me above the reach of my adversaries
And protected me from the acts of the violent.

Therefore, I extol you to all the nations,
And sing praises to the name of Jehovah,
Who has given his king great victories
And shown steadfast love to his anointed one,
David, and to his descendants forever.
 

Psalm 16

Protect me, my god, for in you I trust.
To Jehovah I say, "You are my god;
All the good that comes to me comes from you."

It is the men of holiness
Who are the world's nobility;
It is in them I find my joy.

Those who lapse and chase after other gods
Find their sorrows and woes are multiplied.
I make no offerings of blood to them,
Nor will I utter the names of their idols.

My god is my only food and drink;
My destiny is in his hands.
My boundary lines are happily drawn,
My land, a beautiful legacy.

I praise Jehovah, for he is my guide;
Even in the night he is my conscience.
Always I have Jehovah before me;
And with him beside me, I will stand firm.

My heart is glad and my soul rejoices
Even my body dwells in security,
Knowing you will leave not my soul in death's realm
Or let a righteous man rot in the grave.

You show me the path to a holy life.
Your presence fills me with exalted joy;
With you I will know happiness forever!

Psalm 15

Jehovah, who may worship in your Temple
And have leave to ascend your holy mountain?

He who leads a blameless, innocent life
And always aspires to do what is right,
He who speaks from the heart with truthfulness;
Who does not speak slander of his neighbors,
Or slur his friends by spreading hurtful gossip;
Who despises those whom Jehovah rejects
And honors those who respect the divine;
Who keeps his word whatever it may cost him;
Who does not demand interest on a loan,
Or take a bribe to harm the innocent.

Such a person does not bend with the times!  
 

Psalm 14

The immoral do not believe that God exists. ---
Such people are corrupt and commit vile acts;
None of them ever does anything good!

Jehovah looks down from Heaven
To scrutinize the race of men,
To see if any possess wisdom,
To see if any seek out God.

No, all of them have gone astray;
They have all become corrupted.
None of them does anything good,
No, not a single one of them.

Will those who are evil and corrupt ever learn?
Those who consume my people like a piece of bread,
Do they ever call out to Jehovah for help?

The wicked tremble with terror and fright,
For God is on the side of the righteous.
Though the oppressors crush their aspirations,
The oppressed will find refuge in Jehovah.

Would that deliverance and salvation
Come to Israel from the Temple Mount!
When Jehovah will restore his people
And bring them back from their captivity,
How the children of Jacob will rejoice,
And the nation of Israel take delight!

Psalm 13

How long will it be, Jehovah? Forever?
Have long will you forget and ignore me? 
How long must it be that doubt torments my mind
And each day pain and sorrow rend my heart  --
And my enemies triumph over me?

Take heed and respond, Jehovah my god!
Restore to my eyes some glimmer of hope,
Or else they will be shut in the sleep of death.

Let not my enemies gloat and boast,
Claiming, "We have defeated him!"
Let them not rejoice at my downfall.

But I put my trust in your unfailing love,
And in my heart there is a welling of joy
Knowing that my salvation lies with you.

It is thus to Jehovah I sing my prayer
For he bestows his bounty upon me.

Psalm 12

Save us, Jehovah, for godly men are gone,
And the faithful have vanished from the earth.
Men now speak only lies to their neighbors.
Sweet talk and false flattery is on their lips
And they deceive with a duplicitous heart.

May you, Jehovah, still those flattering lips
And silence those boastful tongues that proclaim,
"We, by the words of our tongue, will prevail.
Our lips belong to no one but ourselves.
No master can to tell us what we can say!”

"I will now take action!" cries Jehovah,
"For the downtrodden are sorely oppressed,
And the needy groan in hunger and pain.
I will give them the succor they pray for."

True is the promise of Jehovah,
As true and pure as silver refined
In the fire of an earthen kiln
And purified seven times over.

The human race exalts what is vile,
And the wicked are on every side.
From such a generation of men
You, Jehovah, will protect us
And keep us -- for now and always.   

Psalm 11

In Jehovah I find my refuge,
So why then do you exhort me,
"Fly like a bird and head for the hills!
Look! The wicked have bent their bows
And loaded arrows on their strings.
They shoot in stealth, from the shadows,
Piercing the flesh of the pure in heart.
The foundations of the country
Are now collapsing and crumbling!
Even good men can do nothing."

Jehovah remains in his holy Temple,
And he rules still from his heavenly throne.
His eyes are upon the affairs of men;
He examines and scrutinizes them
And will test the mettle of the righteous.

But he detests those who love violence.
And he will rain down upon the wicked
Burning lava and fiery sulphur,
And a scorching wind will be their just lot.

Jehovah is the essence of righteousness,
He loves the righteous deed, and the upright man
Will know his favor.
  

Psalm 10

Why, Jehovah, do you stand aloof
And hide yourself in troublous times?

The wicked in their pride make prey of the poor
And catch them in the traps of their devising.
They flaunt the evil cravings of their heart. 
They bless the greedy and curse the divine.
They in their pride will never seek out God,
Who has no place in their philosophy.

They seem to succeed in all they do.
They see your laws as far beneath them.
At their enemies they sneer and scoff.
This is what they say to themselves:
"Nothing can ever affect me;
No evil will ever befall me."

Out of their mouths come curses, lies, and threats;
Under their tongues simmer evil and sin.
Outside the villages they lie in wait,
To ambush and murder the innocent.
Secretly watching for helpless victims,
They lie in wait like a lion in cover,
Ready to pounce on their powerless prey.
Or like a hunter they trap in their nets
Poor unfortunates, then drag them away.
Bruised and bowed, the helpless victims stagger
And fall before the strength of the wicked.

They say to themselves, "God does not notice,
For he covers his eyes and will never see."

Rouse yourself, O Jehovah!
Punish the wicked, O God!
Ignore not the helpless!

Why do the wicked reject the true God? ---
Because they think, "He won't hold me to account."

But you, Jehovah, have seen the misery
And the grief to the poor and downtrodden
The wicked have caused -- and taken note of it.
And those afflicted put their faith in you,
For you are protector to the fatherless.

Stay the hand of the guilty evil-doers!
Bring to light their crimes, otherwise hidden, --
And make them pay for every last one of them!
Jehovah is king forever and ever!
Such nations will be banished from his earth.

You've heard the longing cries of those oppressed.
Heed them, Jehovah, and give strength to their hearts.
Protect the fatherless and downtrodden
So they may no more fear the men of this earth.