Psalm 35

O Jehovah, challenge those who challenge me;
Make war against those who make war against me!
Put on your armor and take up your shield;
Stir yourself and rise, come to my rescue!
Seize the spear, brandish the javelin;
Block the way against those who pursue me!
Tell me that you will be my salvation.

Bring disgrace and shame on those who would destroy me;
Confuse, put to retreat those who seek my ruin.
Let them be like chaff blown before the wind
Driven forth by the agent of Jehovah.
And let their way be dark and slippery,
Pursued by the agent of Jehovah.
Without reason they have set a trap for me,
Spreading a net and digging a hidden pit.
But let them be ensnared in their own net;
Let them fall into their own hidden pit
And, unawares, meet their own destruction.

My spirit will then rejoice in Jehovah
And be glad that he has brought my salvation.
With every ounce of my soul I will say,
“O Jehovah, who can compare with you?
Who is it that saves the weak from the strong
And protects the helpless and poor from robbers?”

Hostile witnesses rise up against me
And quiz me on things I know nothing about.
They return evil for the good I do them
And leave my spirit in desolation.

When they were ill, I dressed in mourning
And denied myself by fasting.
I prayed for them repeatedly
As if they were a friend or brother.
I went around bent over with grief,
As one who mourns for his mother.

But when I stumbled, they rejoiced.
They gathered round and looked on with glee,
As strangers kept insulting me.
They abused, mocked, and belittled,
And ground their teeth at me in anger. 

How much longer, O God, will you look on?
Rescue my soul from these ruthless attacks!
Protect my precious life from these predators!

Then, in the assembly, I will thank you,
And before all the people I will praise you.

They who have no reason to oppose me,
Let them not delight in my defeat.
They who have no cause to hate me,
Let them not sneer at my sorrow.

They do not speak in words of peace,
But tell lies about the peaceable.
Of me they make false accusations.
“Aha, aha,” they mockingly say,
“We have seen what you are up to.”
Jehovah, you are witness to this.
Do not remain silent about it,
Do not leave me alone, O God!
Arouse yourself and defend me!
Rise up and fight for me, O my God!
Judge me fairly, Jehovah my god,
According to your righteous ways,
Vindicate me and stop their gloating.
Do not let them say to themselves,
“Ah, yes, we got what we wanted.”
Or proclaim, “We have eaten him up!”

May those who take pleasure in my suffering
Be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who exalt themselves above me
Be covered with dishonor and disgrace.

But for those who favored my vindication,
Let them shout out in joyful jubilation
And repeat, “How great is Jehovah
Who takes pleasure in his servant’s success!”

Then I will proclaim your righteousness
And sing your praises all day long!

Psalm 34

(A poem of King David written when he feigned madness before the Philistine king, who then dismissed him.  And so David departed.)

At all times I give my thanks to Jehovah;
My praise for him will always be on my lips.
With my whole being I exalt Jehovah.
Let the poor and humble hear and rejoice.
Join with me to glorify Jehovah,
And let us extol his name together.

I sought Jehovah’s help and he answered me;
He delivered me from all that I feared.
Those who turn to him for help will beam with joy,
They will never be ashamed of themselves!

Here is one afflicted who called out to him
And Jehovah saved him from all his troubles.
The agent of Jehovah surrounds and guards.
Protects and defends those who revere him.

Take a look and see how good Jehovah is!
Happy is the man who puts his trust in him.
You who worship Jehovah, revere him
For those who revere him will lack for nothing.

Even the lion, the noblest of beasts,
May suffer want and grow weak with hunger
But those who put their trust in Jehovah
Will never lack for the good things of life.

Come, come, my children, and listen to me,
For I will teach you to revere Jehovah!

Whatever man has a love of life
And wishes to see many good days
Will keep his tongue from speaking evil
And stop his lips from telling lies.
He will reject evil and do good,
Choose peace and strive to pursue it.

Jehovah’s eyes are upon the righteous,
And his ears listen to their pleas for help,
But he opposes the evildoers,
Erasing their memory from the earth.

Jehovah hears them when the righteous cry out for help,
And he delivers them from all of their troubles.
Jehovah lends comfort to those whose hearts are broken,
And he rescues those whose spirits have been shattered.
Many may be the afflictions of the righteous,
But Jehovah gives them relief from all of them.
He will protect their bones so none will be broken.

Calamity will destroy the wicked;
Those who hate the righteous will be judged guilty.
Jehovah redeems the souls of his servants;
No one who has faith in him will be condemned.
 

Psalm 33

Sing out with joy to Jehovah,
You who are godly and righteous:
He merits praise from the virtuous.

Praise him with the music of the lyre,
Play to him on the harp of ten strings,
Sing to him in celebration,
Performing with skill and expression.
Shout out to him in exultation!

Jehovah’s word is ever true.
We can have faith in all he does.
He loves what is righteous and just —
Jehovah’s loyal love fills the earth.

By Jehovah’s will were the heavens made,
And all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters to form the seas
And marked the boundaries of the ocean depths.
Let the whole world have fear of Jehovah,
Let all who live in it have awe of him.
He spoke and the earth did come into being;
He commanded and world did take form.

Jehovah foils the schemes of nations
And thwarts the plots of its people,
But his plans will endure forever,
His desires will last through the ages.

Blessed is the nation whose god is Jehovah!
Blessed are the people he has chosen as his own!

Jehovah looks down from the heavens
And sees the descendants of man.
From his abode there he observes 
All the inhabitants of earth.
Being the maker of their hearts,
He comprehends all their actions.

A mighty army cannot save a king,
Nor can mere prowess rescue a warrior.
A war horse is not enough for victory:  
Even its strength cannot bring salvation.

Jehovah watches over those who fear him
And have faith in his everlasting love,
Faith that he will spare them from destruction
And keep them alive in times of famine.

We place our hope in Jehovah,
Who is our protector and refuge.
Our hearts rejoice because of him,
And in his holy name we trust.

Therefore, let your love and grace be with us,
O Jehovah, as we place our hopes in you!

Psalm 32

Blessed are they whose acts of transgression
Are forgiven and whose sins are kept concealed.
Happy, those in whom Jehovah finds no guilt
And in whose heart there is no dishonesty.

When I kept my sins to myself,
My body was wasting away,
I groaned in agony all the day.
You tormented me by day and night,
Sapping my strength like a summer drought.
But when I acknowledged my sins
And no longer concealed my guilt,
Declaring, “I will confess my sins
To Jehovah,” you forgave me.

Therefore, those that are faithful should pray to you
While there is time, so that tribulations,
Surging like floodwaters, will not engulf them.

For you are my refuge, my sanctuary.
You protect me from trouble and distress
And surround me with joyful songs of salvation.

“I will teach you, impart to you wisdom,
I will instruct you in the paths you must take;
I will guide you, keeping my eye on you.
So do not be without understanding
Like a horse or a mule that must be led
By the bridle so it will come to you.”

Many are the pains of the wicked,
But mercy and kindness surround
Those who put their faith in Jehovah.
Exult in Jehovah and be glad,
Those who are righteous.  Sing out with joy,
All of you who are pure of heart.

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 30

A Song Composed for the Dedication of King David's Palace
 
I extol you, Jehovah, for you have raised me up,
And have not let my enemies gloat over me.
Jehovah, my god, I called to you and you healed me.
You, Jehovah,  have brought me up from the gates of Hell
And have spared me from falling into the abyss.

Sing the praises of Jehovah,
All you, his faithful votaries!
And give your thanks to Jehovah
In remembrance of his holiness!
His wrath is but of the moment;
His grace will endure a lifetime.
There may be weeping throughout the night,
But in the morning, there is joy.

When I was rich and riding high,
I boasted, “Nothing can take me down!”
On a mountain fortress I stood,
When you, Jehovah, favored me,
But when you hid your face from me,
I became troubled and afraid.
I cried out to you, O Jehovah.
I pleaded to you for mercy.

Is there profit in the spilling of my blood?

What gain to you if I go to the grave?

Can the dust of my rotting corpse praise you,

Or give testimony of your faithfulness?

Hear me, O Jehovah, give me your pity

And be a help to me, O Jehovah.

"

You have turned my mourning into a happy dance;

Stripping away my sackcloth and robing me with joy,

That my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.



O Jehovah my god, to you

Will I give my thanks  -- forever.

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.