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 23

My shepherd is Jehovah --- For nothing do I want.
He sets me to rest in pastures lush and verdant.
He leads me to drink in the streams of tranquil waters
That uplift my spirit and lend me renewed strength.
He guides me sure-footed onto the proper paths
That I may be a credit, an honor to his name.
Even though I pass through valleys treacherous and dark,
Fear is not upon me, for he is close beside,
With his rod and shepherd’s crook to keep me well in line.

He lays out a table and fixes a feast for me
While those who give me grief begrudgingly look on.
He pours upon my head a blessing dose of oil
And refills my cup so it brims to overflowing.
His mercy and his love will be with me forever
And I will make my home with him for all of my days.

Psalm 22

My god, my god, why have you abandoned me?
Why so far from my groaning cries for help?
Every day I pray to you, my Elohim,
But every day my prayers receive no answer. ---
Through the sleepless night I cry out to you.

And yet you are enthroned as the Holy One,
The object of Israel's adoration.
Our ancestors put their confidence in you;
They trusted you and you brought them salvation:
They cried out to you for help and were rescued.
They had faith in you and were not let down.

I am not a man, but a worm,
Scorned by others, despised by all.
Derided by all who see me.
They stick their tongues out and shake their heads,
"Why not pray to Jehovah," they scoff.
"Maybe Jehovah will save you,
Since it's he who loves you so much!"

You are the one who brought me out of the womb
And comforted me as a suckling babe.
I have trusted you since the day I was born,
And from birth you have always been my god.
So why must you be so distant from me
When trouble is near and there's no one to help?

My foes surround me like angry bulls,
Like the mighty bulls of Bashan.
They threaten me with jaws agape
Like ravaging, roaring lions.
My strength is poured out like water.
All my bones have snapped out of joint.
My heart is like wax melted inside.
My throat is as dry as a clay pot,
My tongue, stuck to the roof of my mouth.
You've left me for dead in the dust,
While an evil gang surround me,
Cornering me like a pack of dogs.
They have bound my hands and my feet.
All of my bones are visible;
They can only look at me and stare.
They divide my clothes among them,
And they draw lots for my garments.

O Jehovah, be not aloof,
But come quickly to my rescue
For you are my deliverance!
Spare my life, save me from the sword.
Protect me from the vicious dogs. 
Snatch me from the jaws of the lion.
Guard me from the horns of the bulls.

Then, I will tell of you to my brethren
And praise your name in the public meetings.
"Give your praise Jehovah, all who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Revere him, all you sons of Israel!"

For he has not scorned or despised
The sufferings of the afflicted.
He has not turned his face away,
But has listened to their cries for help.

I will extol you in the grand assembly
And be seen to fulfill the vows I made you
Before the company of those who fear you.
The poor and afflicted will eat their fill.
Those who turn to Jehovah will praise him.
Their hearts will be eternally grateful!
The whole world will acknowledge Jehovah;
People from every country will worship him;
Since dominion of the earth belongs to him,
Jehovah will rule over its nations.
All who are mortal, whose lives must end as dust,
Even the powerful and prosperous,
Will worship and devote their lives to him.
Posterity will continue to serve him,
Teaching of him to future generations,
Recounting the righteousness of his doings.
Even men and women who are yet unborn
Will hear what Jehovah has accomplished!

Psalm 21

The King rejoices in your might, Jehovah,
And in the victories you have granted him!
You have fulfilled all his heart desires
And withheld nothing that he did ask for.

Blessings of goodness you have lavished upon the King;
A crown of finest gold you have placed upon his head.
He prayed for his life and you have given it to him --
His days endure and will go on and on forever.
The triumphs you brought him have lent him great glory.
With splendor and majesty you have bedecked him.
The blessings bestowed upon him will last forever,
And your very presence is a source of delight.

In Jehovah does the King put his trust,
And the constant love of the god on high
Will make him secure and unconquerable.
He will challenge his foes and do battle,
And they will feel his military might.
When he appears and engages them in combat
He will be to them like a blazing furnace:
In his wrath Jehovah will consume them
And incinerate them in fire and flame.
The King will exterminate their families,
Wiping their children from the face of the earth,
So they may leave no descendants behind
To be numbered among the race of men.
They may plan evil and conspire against him,
But their wicked schemes will be to no avail,
For when his arrows are aimed at their faces,
They will sound the retreat, turn tail and run.

May your power, Jehovah, be exalted!
In music and song we praise your deeds of might!

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 19

The sky is a witness to the glory of God
And its dome, a testament to his handiwork.
Each day bears its tidings to the following day,
Each night passes on its knowledge to the night to come.
No words are spoken, for they utter not a sound,
But what they say is heard by all throughout the world,
And their message resounds to the ends of the earth.

God has made for the sun a home in the heavens.
It rises like a bridegroom from his wedding tent,
Exulting like an athlete eager for the race;
It runs from one end of the sky to the other,
And nothing upon its course can escape its heat.

Perfect are the teachings of Jehovah,
For they bestow vitality to the soul.
His instructions can be counted upon
To impart wisdom to the ignorant.
Right and just are the precepts of Jehovah,
Lending joyful satisfaction to the heart.
His philosophy shines with clarity,
A light upon the eyes, showing the way.
Noble is the reverence for Jehovah
That continues and endures forever.

True are Jehovah's judgments and decrees;
They remain entirely just and fair.
More precious are they than the purest gold,
Sweeter than honey dripping from the comb.
Also through them your servant is cautioned; 
In obeying them there is much reward.

Who can perceive their own mistakes?
Save me from my unacknowledged faults,
And keep me from pride and presumption
That I be not mastered by them.
This done, I will be free from guilt,
Innocent of any great wrong.

May what I say and feel in my heart
Meet with your kindly approval. ---
O Jehovah, my rock of refuge!
O Jehovah, my redeemer!

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.