Psalm 17

Hear my plea for justice, Jehovah;
Heed my cry, listen to my prayer,
For it comes from lips that know not lies.
Since you can see what is right and true,
Your judgment must be in my favor.

Though you lay bare the desires of my heart
And examine the dreams I dream at night,
Though you test and probe and scrutinize me,
You will find no wickedness within me.
I speak not lies as others are wont to do;
I have not trod the path of violence,
But have followed the way that you command.
I have held fast and my foot has not slipped.

I call to you, my god, sure of your reply.
Lend me your ear and listen to what I say!
Show me your wondrous love and loyalty.
Save me, take me to your side as you do
Those who seek refuge from their enemies.

Keep me under your protective eye;
Hide me under your sheltering wing;
Save me from my evil oppressors
And the deadly foes all around me,
For their hearts are closed to pity
And their mouths boast arrogantly.
They have tracked me down and surround me,
Intent upon taking me down
And tearing my flesh like a lion. ---
There they couch like a young lion
In cover, awaiting the ambush!

Rise up, Jehovah!  Attack them!
Conquer them!  And, by force of arms,
Deliver me from the wicked!

Use your power, Jehovah, to spare me
From such men, men of the material world
Whose reward is only in the here and now.
Let them fill themselves with your hidden stores;
Let their sons feast upon the surpluses
And have enough to pass on to their children.
But as for me, I am well satisfied,
If you judge me righteous, to behold your face
Or awaken with a vision of you. 

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.