By King David
Praise be to Jehovah, my rock,
Who instructs my hands in warfare
And trains my fingers for battle.
He is my faithful love and fortress,
My stronghold and deliverer,
My shield behind which I take shelter,
Who conquers nations under me.
Jehovah, what is man that you take note of him?
What is the human race that you have regard for it?
Man is a breath of air, his life, a passing shadow.
Spread open your heavens, O Jehovah, and come down.
Lay hands upon the mountains that they may emit smoke.
Flash forth your lightning bolts and disperse your enemies.
Shoot your arrows at them and drive them to confusion.
Stretch out your arm from your place on high and rescue me.
Save me from deep waters, from the grasp of foreigners.
Whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hand makes false oaths.
I will sing to you, O God, a new song,
Playing music upon a ten-string harp,
To the one who gives victory to kings
And saves his servant David from deadly swords.
Save me, rescue me from the grasp of foreigners,
Whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hand makes false oaths.
Then our sons will be like plants that flourish when young,
And our daughters, corner stones carved to fit a palace.
Our storehouses will be filled with all kinds of produce,
And our flocks in the fields will multiply by thousands,
Even tens of thousands, our oxen, heavy laden.
There will occur no breaching of the city walls,
No going out to war or outcry in the streets.
Blessed are the people who enjoy such a state,
Blessed are the people whose god is Jehovah.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Psalm 143
By King David
Listen to my prayer, O Jehovah,
Listen to my supplication.
Answer me in your faithfulness,
Answer me in your righteousness.
Do not bring your servant before your judgment,
For no living man is righteous in your eyes.
My enemies have hunted me down,
They have stomped me into the ground,
They have forced me to live in darkness
Like those who have died long ago.
Thus my spirit grows faint within me,
And my heart inside is desolate.
I remember the days of yore,
I meditate on all your works,
I contemplate your handiwork.
I lift my arms to you in prayer.
Like a parched land, I thirst for you.
Make haste to answer me, O Jehovah.
My spirit is failing. Do not hide your face,
Or I be like those fallen into a pit.
Let morning bring news of your faithful love,
For in you have I placed my confidence.
Teach me to know the path I should follow,
For I have upraised my spirit to you.
Save me from my enemies, Jehovah.
For I flee to you to conceal myself.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my god.
May your gracious spirit guide me to firm ground.
For your name’s sake, O Jehovah, revive me.
For your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
With your faithful love, destroy my enemies.
Wipe out all my foes, for I am your servant.
Listen to my prayer, O Jehovah,
Listen to my supplication.
Answer me in your faithfulness,
Answer me in your righteousness.
Do not bring your servant before your judgment,
For no living man is righteous in your eyes.
My enemies have hunted me down,
They have stomped me into the ground,
They have forced me to live in darkness
Like those who have died long ago.
Thus my spirit grows faint within me,
And my heart inside is desolate.
I remember the days of yore,
I meditate on all your works,
I contemplate your handiwork.
I lift my arms to you in prayer.
Like a parched land, I thirst for you.
Make haste to answer me, O Jehovah.
My spirit is failing. Do not hide your face,
Or I be like those fallen into a pit.
Let morning bring news of your faithful love,
For in you have I placed my confidence.
Teach me to know the path I should follow,
For I have upraised my spirit to you.
Save me from my enemies, Jehovah.
For I flee to you to conceal myself.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my god.
May your gracious spirit guide me to firm ground.
For your name’s sake, O Jehovah, revive me.
For your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
With your faithful love, destroy my enemies.
Wipe out all my foes, for I am your servant.
Psalm 142
A Maskil of David
(A Prayer when he was in the cave)
I cry aloud to Jehovah
I lift my voice to Jehovah
And to him make supplication.
Before him I pour out my complaint
And confide in him my troubles.
When my spirit grows faint within me,
You know the way I must travel,
For they have hidden snares for me.
Look to my right and you will see:
There is no one accompanying me;
There is no one who is my refuge;
There is no one who guards my life.
I cry out to you, Jehovah,
Saying, “You are my place of refuge.
My inheritance here on earth.”
Heed my cry, for I am despairing —
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they have become too strong for me,
Liberate me from this prison
That I may give praise to your name.
Because of your bounty to me,
The righteous will gather round me.
(A Prayer when he was in the cave)
I cry aloud to Jehovah
I lift my voice to Jehovah
And to him make supplication.
Before him I pour out my complaint
And confide in him my troubles.
When my spirit grows faint within me,
You know the way I must travel,
For they have hidden snares for me.
Look to my right and you will see:
There is no one accompanying me;
There is no one who is my refuge;
There is no one who guards my life.
I cry out to you, Jehovah,
Saying, “You are my place of refuge.
My inheritance here on earth.”
Heed my cry, for I am despairing —
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they have become too strong for me,
Liberate me from this prison
That I may give praise to your name.
Because of your bounty to me,
The righteous will gather round me.
Psalm 141
By King David
O Jehovah, I call out to you.
Please listen to me and hurry
To come to me when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense,
My raised hands like an evening sacrifice.
Put a guard, O Jehovah, over my mouth,
And watch over the parting of my lips.
Let me not be attracted to evil things
Or be involved in corrupt activities
With men who are disposed to iniquity.
Let me not partake of their ill-gotten gains.
If I do, let a righteous man strike me down,
For his rebuke is an act of kindness.
It is oil on the head; I reject it not,
And I ever pray against evil deeds.
When their rulers are dashed against the rocks,
They will hear my words and find them pleasant.
As when one plows the ground, turning up the soil,
So our bones are scattered above the grave.
But my eyes are fixed on you, Master Jehovah.
In you I seek refuge. Don’t leave me defenseless!
Let the wicked be fall into their own nets.
While let me pass by in security.
O Jehovah, I call out to you.
Please listen to me and hurry
To come to me when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense,
My raised hands like an evening sacrifice.
Put a guard, O Jehovah, over my mouth,
And watch over the parting of my lips.
Let me not be attracted to evil things
Or be involved in corrupt activities
With men who are disposed to iniquity.
Let me not partake of their ill-gotten gains.
If I do, let a righteous man strike me down,
For his rebuke is an act of kindness.
It is oil on the head; I reject it not,
And I ever pray against evil deeds.
When their rulers are dashed against the rocks,
They will hear my words and find them pleasant.
As when one plows the ground, turning up the soil,
So our bones are scattered above the grave.
But my eyes are fixed on you, Master Jehovah.
In you I seek refuge. Don’t leave me defenseless!
Let the wicked be fall into their own nets.
While let me pass by in security.
Psalm 140
By King David
Save me, O Jehovah, from men of evil,
Deliver me from men of violence,
Those who devise evil schemes in their hearts
And are continually stirring up wars.
Their tongues are sharpened like those of serpents
And their words are like a viper’s poison.
Protect me from the hands of the wicked,
Jehovah; keep me safe from violent men
Who are determined to make me stumble.
The arrogant have laid a trap for me;
They have spread a net on the side of the path;
They have set snares for me along my way.
I say to Jehovah, “You are my god.”
Hear, O Jehovah, my pleas for mercy.
Jehovah the Master, my mighty savior,
You shield my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant to the wicked their desires,
O Jehovah; let not their evil schemes
Succeed, so that they may exalt themselves.
As for the leaders of those who beseige me,
Let the evil they speak fall upon them.
May burning embers fall upon their heads;
May they be cast into a pit of flames
Or a bog from which they can never climb out.
Let not slanderers prosper in the land;
Let disaster hunt down violent men
And bring them to a hasty destruction.
I know that Jehovah upholds justice
For the poor and champions those in want.
Surely the righteous are praising your name
And the upright will dwell in your presence.
Save me, O Jehovah, from men of evil,
Deliver me from men of violence,
Those who devise evil schemes in their hearts
And are continually stirring up wars.
Their tongues are sharpened like those of serpents
And their words are like a viper’s poison.
Protect me from the hands of the wicked,
Jehovah; keep me safe from violent men
Who are determined to make me stumble.
The arrogant have laid a trap for me;
They have spread a net on the side of the path;
They have set snares for me along my way.
I say to Jehovah, “You are my god.”
Hear, O Jehovah, my pleas for mercy.
Jehovah the Master, my mighty savior,
You shield my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant to the wicked their desires,
O Jehovah; let not their evil schemes
Succeed, so that they may exalt themselves.
As for the leaders of those who beseige me,
Let the evil they speak fall upon them.
May burning embers fall upon their heads;
May they be cast into a pit of flames
Or a bog from which they can never climb out.
Let not slanderers prosper in the land;
Let disaster hunt down violent men
And bring them to a hasty destruction.
I know that Jehovah upholds justice
For the poor and champions those in want.
Surely the righteous are praising your name
And the upright will dwell in your presence.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Psalm 139
By King David
O Jehovah, you have examined me.
You know me, know when I sit and when I stand
And from afar you understand my thoughts.
You watch me when I travel and when I rest;
With all my habits you are acquainted.
Even before a word comes to my tongue,
You know all about it, O Jehovah.
You guard my front and have my back
And have laid your hand upon my head.
Such knowledge is too deep for me;
It is too high for me to grasp.
Where can I be free from your spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I rise to heaven, you are there.
Or lie down in the grave, you are there.
If upon the wings of dawn I fly
And set down upon the farthest sea,
Even there your hand will guide me
And your power will protect me.
If I bid the darkness to hide me
And turn the light about me to night,
The darkness will not be dark to me,
For the night will shine like the day,
And darkness be as light to me.
For you formed my innermost being
And molded me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you that you have made me
An awesome and unique creation —
Full well I know how wondrous your works!
My body was not hidden from you
When I was secretly taking shape,
Woven in the depths of the earth:
Your eyes observed my embryo.
All my days were written in your book,
Before one of them could come to pass.
How profound I find your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the number of them!
If I were able to count them
They would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake I am still with you.
If only you, O God, would slay the wicked.
Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men,
For they speak against you blasphemously,
Enemies of yours that take your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate you, Jehovah,
And detest those who rise up against you?
With an absolute hatred I hate them
And number them among my enemies.
Examine me, O God, and know my mind.
Put me to the test and learn my concerns.
See if I am on any evil path
And guide me onto the way everlasting.
O Jehovah, you have examined me.
You know me, know when I sit and when I stand
And from afar you understand my thoughts.
You watch me when I travel and when I rest;
With all my habits you are acquainted.
Even before a word comes to my tongue,
You know all about it, O Jehovah.
You guard my front and have my back
And have laid your hand upon my head.
Such knowledge is too deep for me;
It is too high for me to grasp.
Where can I be free from your spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I rise to heaven, you are there.
Or lie down in the grave, you are there.
If upon the wings of dawn I fly
And set down upon the farthest sea,
Even there your hand will guide me
And your power will protect me.
If I bid the darkness to hide me
And turn the light about me to night,
The darkness will not be dark to me,
For the night will shine like the day,
And darkness be as light to me.
For you formed my innermost being
And molded me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you that you have made me
An awesome and unique creation —
Full well I know how wondrous your works!
My body was not hidden from you
When I was secretly taking shape,
Woven in the depths of the earth:
Your eyes observed my embryo.
All my days were written in your book,
Before one of them could come to pass.
How profound I find your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the number of them!
If I were able to count them
They would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake I am still with you.
If only you, O God, would slay the wicked.
Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men,
For they speak against you blasphemously,
Enemies of yours that take your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate you, Jehovah,
And detest those who rise up against you?
With an absolute hatred I hate them
And number them among my enemies.
Examine me, O God, and know my mind.
Put me to the test and learn my concerns.
See if I am on any evil path
And guide me onto the way everlasting.
Psalm 138
By King David
I will give thanks to you, Jehovah, with all my heart
And sing your praises before the heavenly beings.
Toward your holy temple I will bow in worship
And praise your name for your devotion and faithfulness.
You have exalted your name and word above all.
When I called to you, you answered me
And gave me confidence and strength.
May all the kings on earth give you thanks,
Jehovah, when they hear your decrees.
May they sing of Jehovah’s ways,
For great is Jehovah’s glory.
Though Jehovah is exalted
He has regard for the lowly,
But from the haughty keeps his distance.
If I walk in the midst of trouble
You raise your had to protect me
And use your power to save me
From the anger of my enemies.
Jehovah will fulfill his purpose for me.
Your kindness lasts forever, O Jehovah.
Do not leave your handiwork unfinished.
I will give thanks to you, Jehovah, with all my heart
And sing your praises before the heavenly beings.
Toward your holy temple I will bow in worship
And praise your name for your devotion and faithfulness.
You have exalted your name and word above all.
When I called to you, you answered me
And gave me confidence and strength.
May all the kings on earth give you thanks,
Jehovah, when they hear your decrees.
May they sing of Jehovah’s ways,
For great is Jehovah’s glory.
Though Jehovah is exalted
He has regard for the lowly,
But from the haughty keeps his distance.
If I walk in the midst of trouble
You raise your had to protect me
And use your power to save me
From the anger of my enemies.
Jehovah will fulfill his purpose for me.
Your kindness lasts forever, O Jehovah.
Do not leave your handiwork unfinished.
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