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PSALM 1
Delight in
the Torah of YHWH
This
anonymous psalm stands as a faithful doorkeeper to the entire book of psalms. It
reminds those who enter of the righteous behaviour and fruitful life that are
characteristic of the one who delights in God’s Instructions,
in
contrast to the life and destiny of the ungodly who will perish.
1
Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel
of the wicked,
or stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of scoffers!
2
But his delight is in the
Torah* of YHWH,
and in His
teaching he meditates day and night.
3
He is like a tree firmly planted by streams of
water,
which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither;
and whatever he does prospers.
4
The wicked are not so!
Rather they are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the
judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6
For YHWH knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
r
(*
Torah has been traditionally translated
as 'law.' But more correctly, it means 'teaching, instruction, direction.')
PSALM 2
The Reign of the
Messiah
The
theme of this psalm is the supreme King (the Messiah). It unveils
the
world rulers’ rebellion against YHWH and His Anointed King.
It also
reveals God’s purpose to set His King on Mount Zion, and
exhorts
the world rulers to submit to the Son to avoid His wrath.
1
^Why do the nations rage, and the people devise a vain
thing?
2
The kings of the earth take their stand, and the
rulers take counsel together
against
YHWH
and against
His Anointed - His Messiah.^
[Acts 4:25-28]
3
“Let us break Their chains,” they say, “and throw off
Their fetters!”
4
He who is sitting in the heavens laughs. The Lord
scoffs at them.
5
Then He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies
them in His fury, saying,
6
^ “I, yes,
I have installed
My King on Zion,
My holy hill.”^
[Heb.1:3. 8:1]
7
^“I will proclaim
the decree: YHWH said to Me, ‘You are My Son.
Today I have begotten You -
that is, I have established You in an
official Sonship position.^
[Acts
13:33. Heb 1:5. 5:5]
8
^Ask of Me, and I will give the nations as Your
inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.^
[Rev 11:15]
9
^You will rule them with a sceptre of iron;*
You will dash them to pieces like pottery’.”^
[Rev 2:27. 12:5. 19:15]
10
Now therefore, O kings, be wise! Be warned, you
rulers of the earth.
11
Worship and serve
YHWH
with awe, and rejoice with trembling.
12
^Kiss - do homage to
the Son,
lest He become angry,
and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled just a little.
How blessed are all who trust in, and take refuge in
Him!^
[2 Thes 1:6-8] r
(*
another reading is, "You shall break them with a rod of iron")
PSALM 3
YHWH
Our Shield
In this
psalm David is encouraged by God’s protection in the face of Absalom’s
rebellion. He praises Yahweh for deliverance, and seeks further victory.
A Psalm of
David, when he fled from his son Absalom.
1
^O YHWH,
how My adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against Me!^
[Luke 22:66]
2
^Many are saying of Me,
‘There is no deliverance for Him in God.’^
Selah. [Luke 23:35]
3 But You are a shield around me,
O
YHWH,
my Glory, and the One who lifts up my head.
4 I
cried to YHWH with my voice,
and
He answered me from
His holy Hill. Selah
5 I
lay down and slept; I awoke again, because
YHWH sustained me.
6 I will not fear the tens of thousands of people
who have set themselves against me on every side.
7 Arise, O YHWH!
Save me, O my God
– my Elohim!
For
You have smitten all my enemies on the jaw;
You
have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation comes from
YHWH!
Your blessing is upon Your people.
Selah r
PSALM 4
YHWH
hears when I call to Him!
In this
psalm of trust, David seeks God’s help. In spite of opposition,
he
expresses his trust in Yahweh who gives him joy, peace and security.
A Psalm of
David
1 Answer me when I call, O
God (You who
are) my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Be
gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 How
long, O sons of men, will you make my honour a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.
3 But know that YHWH
has set apart the godly man for Himself;
YHWH
will hear when I call to Him.
4
In your anger, do not sin. Meditate in your heart
when you are upon your bed, and be silent and still. Selah.
5 Offer sacrifices of righteousness, and
trust in YHWH.
6 Many
are asking, "Who will show us any good?"
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us,
O YHWH!
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 I
will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone,
O YHWH,
make me to dwell in safety.
r
PSALM 5
YHWH
blesses the righteous man
David
describes God’s hatred of sin and asks God to guide him
in
righteousness; and he rejoices in God’s protection and blessing.
A Psalm of
David
1 Give
ear to my words, O YHWH, consider my
meditation and my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for
to You I always pray.
3
In the morning, O
YHWH, You hear my voice;
in
the morning I present myself to You, and I look up
in eager expectation.
4
You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness.
No evil can dwell with You,
5
and the arrogant cannot stand in Your Presence.
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6
You destroy those who tell lies.
YHWH abhors a
man of blood and deceit!
7 But
as for me, by Your great mercy,
I will enter Your
House.
I bow myself in awe towards
Your holy Sanctuary.
8
O YHWH, lead me in
Your righteousness
because of my enemies watching me;
Make Your way
straight before me.
9 There is nothing reliable in what they say;
their
heart is filled with destruction, their throat is an open grave,
and they flatter with their tongue.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own intrigues!
Banish them because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against You.
11 But let all who
take refuge in You rejoice.
Let them ever sing for joy, because
You spread Your protection over them.
And let those who love
Your Name
rejoice in You.
12 For You bless
the righteous, O YHWH;
You surround him with favour as with a shield.
r
PSALM 6
Prayer for
Grace in Time of
Trouble
David
expresses his distress that God uses his adversaries to chasten him.
He
prays for deliverance, laments his sufferings, and warns his enemies to depart,
confident that Yahweh will answer his prayer.
A Psalm of
David
1
O YHWH, do not
rebuke me in Your anger,
Or chasten me in
Your wrath.
2
O YHWH, be
gracious to me, for I am withering away;
Heal me, O YHWH,
for my bones are trembling,
3 And
my soul is in anguish.
But You! - O YHWH,
how long?
4
Turn, O YHWH,
deliver my soul;
Save me because of
Your unfailing love.
5 There is no remembrance of You in death;
In
Sheol* who will give thanks to You?
6 I am
worn out from my
groaning.
All
night long I flood my bed with weeping;
I
drench my couch with my tears.
7 My
eyes waste away because of grief;
They
fail because of all my adversaries.
8 Depart from me, all you who do evil!
For
YHWH has heard my
weeping;
9
YHWH has heard my
supplication;
YHWH accepts my
prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly
dismayed.
They will turn back in sudden disgrace.
r
(*
Sheol - the realm of the dead)
PSALM 7
My Shield is
with
God who Saves
David
confidently seeks Yahweh for deliverance.
He
affirms his innocence and appeals to God to vindicate him from slander,
and to
bring judgment on his enemies.
A
Shiggaion (ecstatic song) of David,
which he
sang to YHWH concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1
O YHWH my God, in
You have I taken refuge;
Save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 lest
they tear my soul like a lion,
and
rip it to pieces, with no-one to deliver me.
3
O YHWH my God, if I have done this:
if
there is injustice in my hands,
4
if I have rewarded evil to him
who was at peace with me,
or without cause have robbed my adversary,
5
then let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it;
Let him trample my life to the ground,
and lay my glory in the dust.
Selah.
6 Arise, O YHWH, in
Your anger;
Rise
up against the rage of my enemies,
Stir
up for me the judgment You have decreed.
7
Let the assembly of the peoples gather around You;
and for their sakes, return to rule over them from on high.
8
YHWH will judge
the peoples!
Vindicate me, O
YHWH, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity within me.
9
O righteous God,
who searches hearts and minds -
bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and
make the righteous secure.
10 My shield is God who
saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a
righteous Judge,
a God who is angry with the wicked every
day.
12 If a man does not repent, He will sharpen
His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.
13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He makes ready His flaming arrows.
14 Look how the wicked travails with
wickedness,
he
conceives mischief, and brings forth
falsehood.
15 He digs a pit and scoops it out,
And then falls into the hole which he made.
16 His mischief
will recoil upon himself,
And his
violence
will come down upon his own head.
17 I will praise
YHWH, because of His righteousness,
And
will sing praise to the
Name of YHWH
Most High. r
PSALM 8
God's Glory
and Man's Dominion
David
marvels at the majesty of Yahweh who uses infants to overthrow the mighty. He
expresses wonder that God has entrusted His creation to the dominion of man.
A Psalm of
David
1
O YHWH, our Lord,
how excellent is
Your Name
in all the earth,
You
have displayed Your splendour above the
heavens!
2
From the mouth of infants and babes
You have established strength,
because of Your adversaries;
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When
I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
4
^What is man that You are mindful of Him,
and
the Son of Man
that You visit and inspect Him?
5
You have made Him a little lower than the angels
of God,
and have
crowned Him with glory and honour!
6
You made Him rule over the works of Your hands;
You put everything under His feet -^
[Heb.2:5-9. 1 Cor.15:27] -
7 all
sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the
birds of the air, and the fish of the sea
that
move through the channels of the oceans.
9
O YHWH, our Lord,
How excellent is Your Name in all the earth!
r
PSALM 9
YHWH
Judges
in Righteousness
David
praises Yahweh, the righteous Judge, for destroying the wicked.
He
expresses his confidence that those who love the Name of Yahweh,
will
not be forgotten or forsaken.
A Psalm of
David
1
I confess and praise You,
O YHWH, with
all my heart;
I declare all
Your wonders.
2
I rejoice and am glad in You;
I will proclaim
Your Name in
song, O Elyon, Most High.
3
My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before You,
4
for You have upheld my right and my cause.
You sat on the throne judging righteously.
5
You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked.
You have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6
O enemy! complete destruction has overtaken you
forever!
You, O YHWH,
have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
7 But
YHWH abides
for ever;
He has established
His throne for
judgment;
8
He judges the world in
righteousness;
He governs the peoples with
justice.
9 And YHWH is a
Stronghold for
the oppressed,
a
Refuge
in times of trouble.
10 They who know Your
Name will put their trust in
You;
For You, O YHWH,
have never forsaken those who seek You.
11 Sing praises to
YHWH, who dwells in Zion;
Proclaim His deeds among the peoples.
12 For
He who makes an inquest into the shedding of blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Have mercy
on me, O YHWH!
See
my affliction from those who hate me!
You are the One who lifts me up from the gates of death
14 that I may tell of all Your praise
in the gates of the Daughter of Zion.
I rejoice in Your salvation.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have
made;
their own feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 YHWH is known by
the judgment He executes.
The wicked are ensnared by the work of their own
hands.
Higgaion (meditate). Selah.
17 The wicked will be turned into Sheol - into Hell,
all the nations that forget God.
18 But the needy will not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the meek perish for ever.
19 Arise, O YHWH, do not let man triumph;
let the nations be judged
in Your
Presence.
20
Strike them with fear,
O YHWH;
let the nations know that they are but men.
Selah. r
PSALM 10
YHWH is King
Forever and Ever
The
psalmist laments the ungodliness and unrighteousness of the wicked.
He
petitions Yahweh to deliver the afflicted and destroy the wicked.
He
expresses confidence that God will answer his prayer.
1
Why, O YHWH
do You stand far off?
Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In
his arrogance the
wicked hunt down the afflicted -
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.
3 For
the wicked boasts of his heart's desire -
He blesses the greedy and reviles
YHWH.
4 The
wicked, in his pride
and haughtiness, does not seek Him.
All his thoughts are, "There is no God,"
5
and his ways always seem to prosper.
Your judgments are far above, out of his sight.
As
for all his adversaries, he sneers at them;
6 he
says to himself, "I shall not be moved;
I shall never be in adversity."
7 His
mouth is full of curses, deceit and
threats;
mischief and
wickedness are under his tongue.
8 He
lies in wait near the villages;
from
ambush he murders the innocent.
He
watches stealthily for his victims;
9 he
lies in wait like a lion under cover;
he
lies in wait to catch the afflicted;
he
catches the helpless and
drags them off in his net.
10 He
crouches, he lies low,
that
the unfortunate may fall under his great strength.
11 He
says to himself, "God has forgotten;
He covers His face; He will never see."
12 Arise, O YHWH! Lift up
Your hand, O God!
Do not forget the afflicted!
13 Why
does the wicked man
revile God?
He
says to himself, "You will not call me to account."
14 But You
have seen it, for You observe all trouble and
grief
to repay it by Your hand.
The unfortunate commits himself to You;
for You have been the Helper of the fatherless.
15
Break the arm of the wicked and evil man,
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
16
YHWH is King for ever and ever;
The nations have perished from His land.
17 O YHWH, you have
heard the desire of the humble;
You have strengthened their heart,
You have inclined Your ear to hear their cry;
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
r
PSALM 11
YHWH is Righteous. YHWH
is a Refuge
In this song of trust, David, faced with the temptation to flee, expresses his
faith
in Yahweh, who will destroy the wicked and deliver the righteous.
To the
Chief Musician. A psalm of David.
1
In YHWH
I have trusted;
How
do you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain?"
2 For
look! The wicked bend a bow,
they
set their arrow against the string,
to
shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
3
When the foundations are being destroyed, what
can the righteous do?"
4
YHWH is in His holy temple; YHWH - His throne is in
the heavens;
He observes,
and His eyes test
the sons of men.
5
YHWH tests the
righteous, but the wicked,
and the one who loves violence, His soul hates.
6
He will rain fiery coals and burning sulphur upon
the wicked;
and a scorching wind will be the portion of their cup.
7
For YHWH is righteous;
He loves righteousness.
The upright will see His face.
r
PSALM 12
YHWH
will set the godly in safety
In this
lament psalm, David contrasts the trouble caused by the wicked words
of evil
men with his trust in the true words of Yahweh.
To the
Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp.
A psalm of
David
1
Save, O YHWH,
for the godly ceases to be,
for the faithful have vanished from among the sons of men.
2
Everyone speaks falsehood and vanity with his
neighbour.
They speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
3
YHWH will cut
off all flattering lips,
and every boastful tongue that speaks great things;
4 People who have said, "We will triumph with our tongues;
Our lips are our own! Who is master over us?"
5 "Because of the oppression of the poor,
because of the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise," says
YHWH; "I will
set him in the safety for which he yearns."
6
The words of YHWH are pure words -
like silver refined in a furnace of earth; purified seven times.
7
O YHWH, You
will keep them;
You will protect us from this generation for ever.
8 The
wicked strut about on every side
when
what is vile is honoured among the sons of men.
r
PSALM 13
Prayer for Help in Trouble
Here
David laments his oppression by the enemy, petitions Yahweh to deliver him,
and
confidently resolves to praise the LORD for that deliverance.
A
Psalm of David
1
How long, O YHWH?
Will You forget me for ever?
How long will You
hide Your Face
from me?
2
How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
wrestling with my thoughts, and
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my
enemy be exalted over me?
3
Consider and answer me, O YHWH, my God;
Give
light to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 Lest
my enemy say, 'I have overcome him,'
and my adversaries rejoice when I am shaken.
5
But I have trusted in
Your mercy and unfailing love.
My heart rejoices in Your salvation.
6
I sing to YHWH,
for He has dealt bountifully with me.
r
PSALM 14
The Folly of the Wicked
David
laments the moral foolishness and corruption of the whole human race
and
longs for the establishment of the righteous
Kingdom of Yahweh on earth.
(This
psalm, with slight changes, is identical to Psalm 53)
A Psalm
of David
1
The fool has said in his heart,
'There is no God.'
They
have acted corruptly;
they
have committed vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
2
YHWH has looked
down from heaven upon the sons of men,
to see if there is a
wise one, seeking God.
3
They have all turned aside;
together they have become filthy.
There is no one who does good, not even one.
4 Have
all the workers of wickedness no knowledge,
who eat up My people as they eat bread,
and do not call
upon YHWH?
5 There
they are in great fear,
for
God is with
the generation of the righteous.
6 You
have shamed the counsel of the poor,
but
YHWH is his
Refuge.
7
O that the salvation of Israel
would come
out of Zion!
When YHWH
turns back the captivity of His people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.
r
PSALM 15
Who may dwell in
God’s Holy Place?
David
describes the character of the person who qualifies to dwell in the Presence of
God.
He
describes the eleven-fold qualities of the righteous man who is upright
in
deed, word, attitudes and finances.
A Psalm of
David
1
YHWH, who is it
that dwells in Your tent?
Who is it that lives in
Your holy hill?
2
He who walks with integrity, and does what is
righteous,
and speaks truth in his heart.
3
He who has not slandered with his tongue;
he who has not done evil to his neighbour,
nor taken up a reproach against his friend.
4
The one in whose eyes a reprobate is despised.
One
who esteems those standing in
awe of
YHWH.
He who has sworn to his own hurt, and does not
change.
(He who has kept his oath even when it hurt).
5
He who has not put out his silver at usury - high interest,
and has not taken a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these righteous things will
never be moved.
r
PSALM 16
Fullness of Joy in the
Presence of YHWH
David
declares that as he has trusted Yahweh to be his portion in life,
so will
he trust Him to preserve him in death. Verse 10 is a Messianic reference.
A Michtam
(poem) of David
1
Keep and protect,
O God, for I have
trusted in You.
2
Oh my soul, You have said to
YHWH, 'You are
my Master;
I have no good beside or beyond You.'
3 As
for the holy ones who are on the earth,
they
are the excellent, the noble and glorious ones in whom is all my
delight.
4
The sorrows of those who hasten after another
god are multiplied;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
nor will I take their names on my lips.
5
YHWH is the
portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You hold and maintain my lot.
6
Boundary
lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, a delightful heritage is mine.
7
I will bless
YHWH who has counselled me;
indeed, my heart* instructs me in the night. (*lit. kidneys)
8
I have set YHWH
always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I am not
shaken.
9
Therefore my heart is glad, and my esteem rejoices;
my flesh also dwells in safety.
10
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol*; (*the
grave or place of the dead),
neither will You allow
Your Holy One
to see corruption.
11
You make known to me the path of life.
In
Your presence
is fullness of joy;
at
Your right hand
are pleasures for ever.
r
PSALM 17
Saviour
of those who take
Refuge at
God’s Right Hand
In this
prayer, David presents his credentials of uprightness,
and
petitions Yahweh for protection from wicked men.
A Prayer
of David
1 Hear
righteousness - my righteous cause,
O YHWH;
listen to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer that does not come from deceitful lips.
2
My sentence - my vindication- goes forth from
Your presence.
Your eyes see what is right.
3
You have probed my heart;
You have examined me by night;
You have tested me and have found nothing.
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 As
for the deeds of men - by the word of Your lips
I
have observed and avoided the paths of the
destroyer,
5
that my steps might hold fast to
Your paths.
My feet have not slipped.
6
I have called upon You, for
You answer me,
O God;
Incline Your ear
to me and hear my speech.
7
Wondrously display
Your lovingkindness,
O Saviour, by Your
right Hand,
save
those who take
refuge
in You
from those who rise up against them.
8
Keep me as the apple of the eye;
Hide me in the shadow of
Your wings,
9
from the wicked who ravage me;
from
my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They
have closed up their hearts;
their mouths have spoken with arrogance.
11 They
have now surrounded us in our tracks;
they
set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
12 He is
like a lion that is eager to tear his prey,
and
as a young lion crouching under cover.
13 Arise,
O YHWH, confront him, cause him to bend.
Rescue my soul from the wicked by Your sword,
14
from such men by
Your hand, O
YHWH,
and from men of the world whose portion is in
this life,
and
whose belly you fill with Your hidden resources.
They
are satisfied with sons,
and
leave their abundance to their babes.
15
As for me, I shall see
Your face in
righteousness.
When I awake I will be satisfied with
Your likeness.
r
PSALM 18
YHWH
my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer
In this
victory song, David tells of what Yahweh is to him,
and
rehearses God’s deliverance and victory,
and
resolves to sing praises to the Name of Yahweh.
To the
Chief Musician. A psalm of David the servant of YHWH
who spoke
to YHWH the words of this song on the day YHWH delivered him
from the
hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said …
1
I love You, O
YHWH, my Strength.
2
YHWH is my Rock
and my Fortress and
my Deliverer,
My God, my Rock,
in whom I take refuge
and trust.
He is
my Shield
and the Horn of my Salvation,
my High Tower -
my Stronghold.
3
I call upon
YHWH the One who is to be praised,
and
I am saved from my enemies.
4
The cords of death were all around me,
and the torrents of Beliya’al - of ungodliness -
made me afraid.
5
The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6
In my distress I called upon
YHWH
and to my Elohim
I cried;
from His
sanctuary He heard my voice,
and my cry came before Him, into His ears.
7 Then
the earth shook and quaked;
the
foundations of the mountains trembled
and
were shaken, because He was angry.
8 Smoke
went up from His nostrils,
and
consuming fire from His mouth;
coals were kindled by it.
9 He
bowed the heavens, and came down
with thick darkness under His feet.
10 And He
rode upon a cherub and flew;
He
flew upon the wings of the wind.
11 He
made darkness His secret place;
His
canopy around Him was darkness of waters,
thick clouds of the skies.
12 From
the brightness before Him,
His
thick clouds passed by with hail and coals of fire.
13
YHWH thundered in
the heavens,
and
Elyon the Most High
uttered His voice -
hail
and coals of fire.
14 And He
sent out His arrows, and scattered them;
and
many bolts of lightning, and vanquished them.
15 Then
the channels of water were seen,
and
the foundations of the world were uncovered,
at Your rebuke, O
YHWH,
at
the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
16 He
sent from on high, he took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
17
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for
they were stronger than I.
18
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but
YHWH was my
Support.
19 He
also brought me forth into a broad place;
He rescued me, because
He delighted in me.
20
YHWH has rewarded
me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands He has repaid me.
21
For I have kept the ways of
YHWH,
and have not acted wickedly against from my God.
22
For all His judgments are before me,
and I have not turned away from His laws.
23
I was also blameless and upright before Him,
and I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 And
YHWH has
recompensed me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands in
His eyes.
25
With the kind You
show Yourself kind;
with the blameless and upright
You show Yourself perfect;
26
with the pure You
show Yourself pure;
and with the crooked
You show Yourself obstinate.
27 For
You save a poor, afflicted people;
but bring down the haughty eyes.
28
For You Yourself light my lamp.
YHWH my God
turns my darkness into light.
29
For by You I run
against a troop;
and by my God I leap over a wall.
30 As
for God, His
way is perfect;
the
Word of YHWH is
tested and proven.
He is a Shield to all who trust and take refuge
in Him.
31 For
who is Eloah, besides
YHWH?
And
who is a Rock, except our
Elohim?
32
It is God
who arms me with strength,
and makes my way perfect.
33
He makes my
feet like hinds' feet,
and causes me to stand on my high places,
34
and trains
my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35
You have also given me
the Shield of Your Salvation,
and
Your right Hand
upholds me;
and Your lowliness - Your condescension makes me
great.
36
You enlarge the path under me for my steps,
and my ankles do not twist.
37 I
pursue my enemies and overtake them,
and
do not turn back till they are destroyed.
38 I
shatter them, and they are not able to rise.
They
fall under my feet.
39 For
You gird me with strength for battle;
You cause my adversaries to bow in subjection under me.
40 You
have given me the necks of my enemies;
and as for those who hate me, I cut them off.
41
They cried out, but there is no one to save;
to
YHWH, but He
does not answer them.
42 I beat
them as fine as dust before the wind;
I
cast them out as slime in the streets.
43
You deliver me from
the contentions of the people;
You have placed me as a head of nations;
a people whom I have not known serve me.
44
As soon as they hear, they obey me;
foreigners show submission to me.
45
Foreigners fade away,
and come trembling from their hideouts.
46
YHWH lives!
Blessed is my Rock,
and exalted is the
God of my salvation.
47
It is
God who
executes vengeance for me,
and He subdues the peoples under me,
48
He delivers me
from my enemies.
You lift me up above my opponents;
You rescue me from the
violent man.
49
Therefore I will give thanks to You,
O YHWH, among
the nations,
and I will sing praises to
Your Name.
50
He gives great
deliverance to His king,
and shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
to David, and to his descendants forever.
r
PSALM 19
The Works and Torah of YHWH
In this
psalm of praise, David reflects n the Glory of God in natural revelation
and the
Glory of the Torah (instructions) as God’s special revelation
which
alone meets man’s spiritual needs.
A Psalm of
David
1
The heavens are proclaiming
the glory of God;
and the vast expanse of the sky declares
the work of His hands.
2
Day to day they pour forth speech,
and night to night they display knowledge.
3
There is no audible speech, nor are there
words;
their voice is not heard.
4
Yet their line
- their testimony - has gone out into all the earth,
and their silent utterances to the end of the world.
In them He set up a tent for the sun,
5
which is like a bridegroom coming out of his room.
It rejoices like a strong man set to run his course.
6
Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
and its circuit is to the other end of them,
and nothing is hidden from its heat.
7
The Torah (teaching) of
YHWH is perfect,
restoring the soul.
The testimony of YHWH
is sure, making
wise the simple.
8
The precepts of
YHWH are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The commandment of
YHWH is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
9
The fear of
YHWH is pure,
enduring for ever.
The judgments of
YHWH are true, and
altogether righteous.
10
They are more precious than gold, yes, than much pure
gold;
they are sweeter than honey, even honey from the comb.
11
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned and
instructed;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who
can discern his errors?
Acquit and declare me innocent of secret faults.
13
Keep Your servant also from presumptuous ones.
from presumptuous, arrogant, compulsive, careless sins.
Let them not rule over me;
then I shall be complete - blameless and perfect,
and innocent of great transgression.
14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart
be pleasing in Your sight,
O YHWH,
my Rock and my
Redeemer. r
PSALM 20
Victory in the
Name of YHWH our God
David
relays the people’s prayer for his victory in battle,
rehearses his own trust in God for victory,
and
reiterates the people’s prayer to Yahweh, their King.
To the
Chief Musician. A Psalm of David
1
YHWH answers
you in the day of trouble!
The
Name of the God of Jacob
sets you securely on high!
2
He sends you help from the sanctuary,
and supports you from Zion!
3
He remembers all your offerings,
and accepts your burnt offerings!
Selah.
4
He gives you your heart's desire,
and fulfils all your plans!
5 We
sing for joy over your salvation and
victory,
and
in the Name of our God
we set up a banner.
YHWH fulfils
all your petitions.
6
Now I know that
YHWH saves His anointed;
He answers him from His holy heavens,
with the saving strength of
His Right Hand.
7
Some talk about and boast, and trust in
chariots,
and some talk about and trust in horses,
but we will talk about* and trust in the
Name of YHWH,
our Elohim.
(* lit. make mention)
8 They,
yes they have bowed down and fallen,
but
we have risen and stand upright!
9
O YHWH, save the
king!
He will answer us in the day we call.
r
PSALM 21
The Deliverance of
YHWH
David
acknowledges that Yahweh has established his kingdom,
and
anticipates God’s dealing with His enemies.
To the
Chief Musician. A Psalm of David
1
O YHWH, the
king rejoices in Your strength,
and how greatly he rejoices
in Your salvation*!
2
You have given him the desire of his heart,
and You have not withheld the request of his lips.
Selah.
3 For
You put before him blessings of Your
goodness;
You set a crown of pure gold on his head.
4
He asked You for life, and You gave it to him -
length of days for ever and ever.
5
His honour is great through
Your salvation*;
(*
yeshuah)
splendour and majesty You place upon him.
6
For You bless and make him a blessing
forever;
You cause him to rejoice with great joy by
Your Presence.
7
For the king is trusting in
YHWH,
and through the lovingkindness of
ELYON, the Most High,
he is not moved or shaken.
8
Your hand reaches all Your enemies;
Your right hand finds out those who hate You.
9
You will make them like a fiery furnace in the time
of Your Presence.
YHWH will
swallow them up in His wrath,
and fire will devour them.
10
You will destroy their fruit - their offspring -
from the earth,
and their descendants from among the sons of men,
11
for they planned evil against You.
They devised a wicked plot,
but they
cannot succeed,
12
for You make them turn their back;
when You aim Your bowstrings at their faces.
13
Be exalted, O
YHWH, in Your strength.
We sing and praise Your mighty power.
r]
PSALM 22
Rejection and Anguish
- and a Song of
Praise
David
expresses his trust in God in spite of his apparent rejection by God and by men.
He
calls for God’s help and deliverance in the face of attacks by his enemies.
He
resolves to praise God and exhorts others to do likewise,
and
concludes with a prophecy about the Millennial Kingdom.
The
psalm is about more than David’s experience.
This is a major Messianic prophecy about the suffering of the Messiah.
A Psalm of
David
1 ^El-i,
El-i,* why have You
forsaken Me?
*(My God, My God)
Why are You
so
far from saving Me,
and from
the words of
My groaning?
[Matt.27:46]
2
O My God, I cry
by day, but You do not answer;
and by night, but there is no silence -
no rest for Me.
3
You are holy; enthroned
on the praises of Your people Israel.
4
Our fathers trusted in You.
They trusted, and You
delivered
them.
5
They cried out to You, and were
delivered.
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed or disappointed.
6
But I am a worm,
and not a man,
a
reproach
of men, and
despised
by the people.
7
All who see Me,
mock Me;
they grimace and shake the head, saying,
[Matt.
27:39]
8
'Cast yourself on
YHWH! Let Him
deliver Him!
Let Him rescue Him,
since He has delighted in Him.'
[Matt. 27:43]
9
Yet You are the One who brought Me out of the womb;
causing Me to trust while upon My mother's breasts.
10
I was cast upon You from birth.
You have been
My God
from My mother's womb.
11
Do not be far from Me, for trouble is near;
for there is no one to help.
[Matt. 26:56]
12
Many bulls have surrounded Me;
mighty ones of Bashan have encircled Me.
13
They have opened their mouths wide against
Me,
as a ravening and roaring lion.
[Matt. 27:40-44]
14
I am poured out like water,
all My bones are out of joint;
[John
19:17-18]
My heart has become like wax;
it has melted within Me.
15
My strength is dried up
like a piece of broken pottery,
and
My tongue sticks to My jaws;
[John 19:28]
and You are bringing Me to
the dust of death.
16
For dogs have
surrounded Me;
a band of evildoers has encircled Me.
They
pierced My hands and My feet.
[John 20:25]
17
I can count all My bones.
They look, they stare at Me.
[John 19:37]
18
They divide My
garments among them,
and
for My clothing they cast lots.
[Matt.27:35]
19
But You, O YHWH,
do not be far off;
O
My Strength,
hasten to help Me!
20
Deliver My soul from
the sword,
My only one - my precious life - from the paws of the dog.
21
Save Me from the
lion's mouth; and from the horns of the wild beasts.
You have answered Me!
22
I will declare
Your Name to My brethren.
[Heb.
2:12]
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
22
You who revere
YHWH, praise Him;
all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
and stand in awe of Him, all you seed of Israel.
24
For He has not despised nor abhorred the suffering
of the afflicted;
neither has He hidden
His Face
from Him.
[Heb. 5:7]
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
25
My praise is of You in the great assembly;
I will fulfil My vows before those who stand in awe of Him.
26
The meek will eat and be satisfied.
Those who seek Him will praise
YHWH.
Your heart will live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to
YHWH,
and all the families of the nations will bow down
before You.
28
For the kingdom belongs to
YHWH,
and He is ruling over the nations.
29 All
the fat ones of the earth - the healthy - have eaten,
and
bow themselves in worship.
All who go down to the dust bow before Him,
even he who cannot keep his soul alive.
30
A seed will serve Him.
It will tell of
YHWH to the
next generation.
31
They will come and will declare His righteousness
to a people yet to be born, that He has done it.^
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PSALM 23
YHWH
RO-EE --
YHWH
MY SHEPHERD
In this
song of confidence, David pictures Yahweh as the Great Shepherd
who
provides for and protects His sheep, and as the gracious Host
who
protects and provides abundantly for His guests.
A Psalm of
David
1
YHWH is my
Shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for
His Name's sake.
4
Yes, when I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death,
I fear no evil;
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5
You prepare a table before me in the face of my
enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil.
My cup is full and running over.
6
Only goodness and lovingkindness follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the
House of YHWH
forever. r
PSALM 24
YHWH of Hosts - the King of Glory
This
psalm begins with a hymn of praise to Yahweh, the Owner and
Creator
of the whole earth. David instructs worshippers,
and
concludes with an anthem to the King of Glory.
A Psalm of
David
1
The earth belongs to
YHWH, and all that
fills it;
The world, and those who inhabit it.
2
For He has founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the floods of waters.
3
Who may ascend into the Mountain of
YHWH?
And who may stand in
His Holy Place?
4
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not lifted up his soul to vanity and falsehood,
nor sworn deceitfully.
5
He shall receive blessing from
YHWH
and righteousness from the
God of his salvation.
6 This
is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek
Your Face.
Selah.
7
Lift up your heads, O you gates,
and be lifted up, you everlasting doors,
and the
King of Glory
will come in!
8 Who
is this King of Glory?
YHWH strong and
mighty,
YHWH mighty in
battle.
9
Lift up your heads, O you gates,
and lift them up, O everlasting doors,
and the
King of Glory
will come in!
10
Who is this King
of Glory?
YHWH of Hosts,
He is the King of Glory. Selah.
r
PSALM 25
The Ways of
YHWH
David
petitions Yahweh for protection, guidance and pardon;
describes attributes of God,, and prays for deliverance.
A Psalm of
David
1
To You, O YHWH,
I lift up my soul.
2
O my Elohim, my
God, I have put my trust in
You;
do not let me be ashamed;
do not let my enemies triumph over me.
3
Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed.
Let those who deal treacherously without cause be
ashamed.
4
Cause me to know
Your ways, O YHWH;
teach me Your
paths.
5
Lead me in Your
truth and teach me,
for You are the
God of my salvation;
on You I wait all the day.
6
Remember, O YHWH,
Your compassion
and Your lovingkindness,
for they are
everlasting.
7
Do not remember the sins of my youth and my
transgressions;
according to
Your lovingkindness
remember me,
for
Your goodness' sake,
O YHWH.
8
Good and
upright is YHWH;
therefore He
instructs sinners in the way.
9
He guides the humble in justice,
and He teaches the humble
His way.
10
All the paths of
YHWH are
lovingkindness and truth
to those who keep
His covenant
and
His testimonies.
11
For Your Name's
sake, O YHWH,
pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12
Who is the man who fears
YHWH?
He instructs him in the way he should choose.
13
His soul dwells in prosperity,
and his descendants inherit the land.
14
The secret of
YHWH is with those who fear Him,
and He makes them know
His covenant.
15
My eyes are continually toward
YHWH,
for He will release my feet from the net.
16
Turn Your face
to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17
The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
oh, bring me out of my distresses!
18
Look on my affliction and my misery,
and forgive all my sins.
19
See my enemies, for they are many;
and they hate me with violent hatred.
20
Oh, guard my soul and
deliver me;
do not let me be ashamed, for I have taken
refuge in You.
21
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I have
waited on You.
22
Redeem Israel, O
God, from all his troubles.
r
PSALM 26
Trusting in
YHWH
Who Vindicates
David
seeks divine vindication,
and
petitions God to deliver him from the fate of the wicked.
A Psalm of
David
1
Vindicate me, O
YHWH, for I have walked in my integrity;
and I have trusted in
YHWH, without
wavering.
2
Examine me, O
YHWH, and prove me,
try my kidneys and my heart -
my innermost being.
3 For
Your lovingkindness is before my
eyes,
and
I have walked in
Your truth.
4
I have not sat with deceitful men,
nor will I enter with hypocrites.
5
I have hated the assembly of evildoers,
and I do not sit with the wicked.
6
I wash my hands in innocence,
and
I will go around
Your altar, O YHWH,
7 to
raise a voice of thanksgiving,
and
to declare all
Your wonders.
8
O YHWH, I have
loved the habitation of Your house,
and the place where
Your glory
dwells.
9 Do no
gather my soul together with sinners,
nor
my life with men of blood,
10 in
whose hands is a wicked scheme,
and
whose right hand is full of bribes.
11 But as
for me, I walk in my integrity;
Redeem me, and be
gracious to me.
12
My foot stands on level ground;
in the assemblies
I will bless YHWH.
r
PSALM 27
YHWH
My Stronghold
David
praises God, expressing his confidence in Yahweh.
He
prays for continued victory.
A Psalm of
David
1
YHWH is
my Light and my
Salvation;
whom shall I fear?
YHWH is the
Refuge - the Stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2
When evildoers - my adversaries and my enemies -
come against me to devour my flesh,
they will stumble and fall.
3
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear.
Though war should break out against me,
yet
in this I shall be confident.
4
One thing I have asked of
YHWH, and
this I seek -
that I may dwell in
the House of
YHWH
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon
the beauty of
YHWH,
and to inquire and meditate in
His Sanctuary.
5 For
in the day of evil He hides me in
His Shelter;
In
the Secret Place of His Tent
He hides me;
He sets me high upon
a Rock.
6 And
now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around
me;
and
I offer in His
Tent, sacrifices of joyful shouting;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to
YHWH.
7
Hear, O YHWH,
when I call with my voice,
Be gracious to me and answer me.
8
When You said,
'Seek My Face,' my heart said to You,
'Your Face, O
YHWH, I will seek.'
9
Do not hide Your
Face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger.
You have been
my Help.
Do not abandon me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10
When my father and my mother forsake me,
then
YHWH will take
me up.
11
Teach me Your way,
O YHWH,
and lead me in an
upright path, because of my enemies.
12
Do not deliver me over to the desire of my
adversaries;
for false witnesses have arisen against me,
and they breathe out violence to me.
13
I would have despaired
unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of
YHWH
in the land of the living.
14
Wait for YHWH!
Be strong, and let your heart take courage.
Yes, wait for
YHWH!
r
PSALM 28
YHWH,
the Stronghold of the Anointed
David
petitions Yahweh to deliver him, and to repay his enemies.
He
expresses his assurance that his prayer has been answered,
and
then rejoices and prays for God’s people.
A Psalm of
David
1
To You, O YHWH my
Rock, I call;
do not be deaf to me,
for if You are silent to me,
I will be like those who are going down to the pit.
2
Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You,
when I lift up my hands toward
Your holy oracle -
the Sanctuary from
where You speak Your holy words.
3
Do not drag me away with the wicked
and with the workers of wickedness;
who speak peace to their neighbours,
while evil is in their hearts.
4
Give to them according to their practice
and according to the evil of their deeds.
Give to them according to the work of their hands.
Render to them what they deserve.
5
Because they do not regard
the deeds of
YHWH
nor the work of
His hands,
He throws them down and does not build them up.
6
Blessed is YHWH,
for He has heard the voice of my supplication.
7
YHWH is my
Strength and my Shield;
my heart has trusted in Him, and I have been helped;
therefore my heart exults,
and with my song I thank Him.
8
YHWH is their
Strength;
yes, He is the
Stronghold of
Salvation to His
anointed.
9
Save Your people,
and bless Your inheritance.
Feed and shepherd them, and carry and
bear them up forever.
r
PSALM 29
The Voice of YHWH
David
ascribes glory to the omnipotent YHWH who controls and reveals Himself
in
nature, and who blesses His people with strength and peace.
The
Name of Yahweh occurs 18 times in this short psalm.
A Psalm of
David
1
Ascribe to YHWH,
O you sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to YHWH
honour and strength.
2
Ascribe to YHWH
the honour of His
Name;
Bow down and worship
YHWH
in the splendour and beauty of
His
holiness.
3
The voice of
YHWH is over the waters;
The God of glory
thunders,
YHWH is
over many waters.
4
The Voice of
YHWH is powerful,
the Voice of
YHWH is majestic.
5
The Voice of
YHWH is breaking the cedars.
Yes, YHWH
breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6
He makes them skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion (Mt Hermon) like a young wild ox.
7
The Voice of
YHWH hews out flames of fire.
8
The Voice of
YHWH shakes the wilderness;
YHWH shakes the
wilderness of Kadesh.
9
The Voice of
YHWH makes the deer give birth,
and strips the forests bare.
And in His
sanctuary everyone says,
"Glory!"
10
YHWH sat
enthroned over the Flood;
Yes, YHWH
sits as King forever.
11
YHWH gives
strength to His people;
YHWH blesses
His people with peace.
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PSALM 30
YHWH
Clothes With Gladness
David
acknowledges God’s deliverance, and calls on the people to sing praises to
Yahweh.
He
remembers his past time of mourning and praises God for the joy he has now
received.
A Song at
the dedication of the House
(the site
of the future temple - 1 Chron 21:26, 22:1)
A Psalm of
David
1
I exalt You, O
YHWH, for You have lifted me up,
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2
YHWH my God, I
cried out to You,
and You have healed me.
3
YHWH, You have
brought my soul up from Sheol;
You have kept me alive,
that I should not go down to the pit.
4
Sing praise to
YHWH, you His devout, godly people,
and give thanks at the remembrance of
His holiness.
5
For His anger
is but for a moment;
His favour is
for a lifetime.
Weeping may last for the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
6
Now as for me, when I felt secure, I said,
'I will never be shaken.'
7
O YHWH, by
Your favour
You have made my mountain to stand firm and strong;
You hid
Your Face,
and I was troubled.
8
To You, O YHWH,
I call,
and to
YHWH
I make supplication:
9
What profit is there in my blood,
in my going down to the pit and corruption?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?
10
Hear, O YHWH,
have mercy and be gracious to me;
O YHWH, be my
Helper.
11
You have turned my mourning into dancing for me,
You have torn off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness and
joy;
12
that my honour and glory -
everything within me,
may sing praise to You, and not be silent.
O YHWH my
Elohim, I give thanks to You forever.
r
PSALM 31
YHWH
is My Strength
David
laments his distress and danger and asks God to deliver him,
and to
silence his enemies. He praises the LORD for delivering His people;
and
encourages the godly ones to be strong.
To the
Chief Musician. A Psalm of David
1
In You, O YHWH,
I have trusted;
let me never be ashamed.
Deliver me in Your
righteousness.
2
Incline Your ear to me,
rescue me quickly.
Be a Rock of
strength to me,
a strong Fortress
to save me.
3
For You are my
Rock and my
Stronghold;
therefore, for
Your Name's sake lead me and guide me.
4
Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid
for me;
for
You are my
Strength.
5
^Into Your hand I commit My spirit.^ [Lk
23:46].
You have redeemed me,
O YHWH, God of
truth.
6
I have hated those who regard vain idols;
but as for me, I confidently trust in
YHWH.
7
I rejoice and am glad in
Your lovingkindness,
for You have seen my affliction;
You have known the anquish of my soul,
8
and You have not given me over into the hand of the
enemy.
You have set my feet in a wide place.
9
Be gracious to me,
O YHWH, for I am in distress.
My eye, my soul and my body have become old with grief.
10
For my life is consumed with sorrow,
and my years in sighing.
My strength has failed because of my iniquity,
and my bones have wasted away.
11
I am a reproach among all my enemies,
and very much so to my neighbours.
I am a horror to my acquaintances;
those who see me outside in the street flee
from me.
12
I have been forgotten like a dead man -
out of sight and out of mind.
I am like a missing and perishing vessel.
13
For I have heard the slander of man;
and there's fear on every side;
in uniting together against me,
they scheme to take my life.
14
But as for me, I have put my trust in You,
O YHWH,
I have said, 'You are
my God.'
15
My times are in
Your Hand.
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who pursue me.
16
Cause Your Face
to shine upon Your servant;
save me in Your
lovingkindness.
17
Do not let me be ashamed,
O YHWH,
for I have called upon You.
Let the wicked be put to shame,
let them be silenced in Sheol.
18
Let the lying lips become dumb,
which speak arrogantly against the righteous,
with pride and contempt.
19
Oh, how
great is Your goodness,
which You have stored up for those who fear You;
which You have prepared for those who trust in You,
in the sight of the sons of men!
20
You hide them in the secrecy of
Your Presence
from the conspiracies of men;
You keep them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
21
Baruch YHWH!
- Blessed is
YHWH!
For He has shown
His marvellous kindness to me in a fortified
city.
22
As for me, I said in my haste and alarm,
I am cut off from before
Your sight;
nevertheless You heard my voice when I prayed and
cried out to You.
23
Oh, love
YHWH, all you His
devout, godly people!
YHWH preserves the
faithful,
but the proud and haughty He pays
back in full.
24
Be strong, all you who are waiting for
YHWH,
and He will strengthen your heart.
r
PSALM 32
YHWH
Forgives Sin
David
describes the blessing of forgiveness that follows chastening and confession.
God is
now his Hiding Place, and gives him songs of deliverance.
A Psalm of
David.
A Maskil
(a contemplative, skilful, or instructive Psalm)
1
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose
sin is covered.
2
How blessed is the man to whom
YHWH does not
impute iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted
away
through my groaning all day long.
4
For day and night
Your Hand was heavy upon me;
my vitality was turned into the droughts of summer.
Selah.
5
I acknowledged my sin to You,
and I did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to
YHWH’;
and You, yes, You forgave the guilt and
iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6
Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You
in a time when You may be found;
surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach
him.
7
You are my
Hiding Place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah.
8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you
should go;
I will counsel and guide you with
My eye
upon you.
9
Do not be like the horse or like the mule which
lack understanding,
and which must be harnessed with bit and bridle to hold them in
check,
or else they will not keep near you.
10
Many are the sorrows of the wicked;
but
lovingkindness surrounds the one who trusts in
YHWH.
11
Be glad in YHWH
and rejoice you righteous,
and sing joyfully all you who are upright in heart.
r
PSALM 33
Blessed is the Nation whose God is
YHWH
The
anonymous psalmist calls on the righteous to praise Yahweh
because
of His dependability as Ruler and Judge.
1
Sing joyfully in
YHWH, you
righteous!
Praise is most appropriate for the upright.
2
Give thanks to
YHWH with the harp;
sing praises to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3
Sing to Him a new song;
play skilfully with a shout of joy.
4
For the Word of
YHWH is right
and straight;
and all
His work
is done in
faithfulness.
5
He loves
righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the
lovingkindness of
YHWH.
6
By the Word of
YHWH the heavens
were made,
and all the host of them by the
breath of His mouth.
7
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
and lays up the oceans' depths in treasuries.
8
Let all the earth fear
YHWH;
let all the inhabitants of the world
stand in awe of Him.
9
For He spoke, and it came to be;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10
YHWH brings the
counsel of the nations to nothing;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11
The counsel of
YHWH stands forever,
the purposes of
His heart
to all generations.
12
Blessed is the nation whose God is
YHWH,
and the
people He chose for His own inheritance.
13
YHWH has looked
down from the heavens;
He has seen all the sons of men.
14
From His
dwelling-place He looks
on all the inhabitants of the earth -
15
He who is fashioning the hearts of them all,
who is considering all their works.
16
The king is not saved by the great size of an army;
a mighty man is not delivered by his great power.
17
A horse is a false hope for safety;
and it does not deliver anyone by its great strength.
18
Look! The eye
of YHWH is on those who stand in awe of Him,
on those who are waiting for His lovingkindness;
19
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20
Our soul has waited for
YHWH;
He is our Help and our Shield.
21
For our heart rejoices in Him,
because we have trusted in
His holy Name.
22
Let Your
lovingkindness, O YHWH,
be upon us,
for we have waited for You.
r
PSALM 34
YHWH
My Deliverer and Provider
A song
of thanksgiving for deliverance of God’s goodness to His people.
A Psalm of
David when he feigned madness before Abimelech (Achish),
who drove
him out, and he departed.
[1 Samuel
21:10-15]
1
I bless YHWH
at all times;
His praise
is continually in my mouth.
2
My soul makes its boast in
YHWH;
Let the humble hear and rejoice.
3
Oh magnify YHWH
with me,
and let us exalt
His Name
together.
4
I sought YHWH,
and He answered me,
and
delivered me from all my fears.
5
They looked to Him, and were enlightened,
and their faces were not ashamed.
6
This poor man cried
out and YHWH
heard him
and
saved him out of all his troubles.
7
The Angel of
YHWH encamps
all around those who fear Him,
and
rescues
them.
8
O taste and see that
YHWH is good.
How blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9
Fear YHWH,
all you His
set-apart people;
for
there is no lack for those who fear Him.
10 The
young lions lack and are hungry;
but those who seek
YHWH shall not
lack any good thing.
11
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear - the reverential awe of
YHWH.
12 Who
is the man who desires life,
and
loves days in order to see good?
13
Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14
Turn away from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.
15
The eyes of
YHWH are
on the righteous,
and
His ears
are attentive to their cry.
16
The Face of
YHWH is against evildoers,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17
The righteous cry out, and
YHWH hears,
and
delivers them
out of all their troubles.
18
YHWH is near to
the broken-hearted,
and
saves
those who are crushed in spirit.
19
Many are the evils that confront the
righteous;
but
YHWH delivers
him from them all.
20
^He keeps and protects all His bones;
not one of them is broken.^
[John 19:33]
21
Evil slays the wicked;
and those who hate the righteous are held guilty.
22
YHWH redeems the
soul of His servants;
and none of those trusting in Him will be held guilty.
r
PSALM 35
YHWH
be Magnified!
A Prayer For Vindication
David
laments the unjust hatred of his enemies. He prays for deliverance,
and for
the destruction of his enemies.
A Psalm of
David
1
Contend, O YHWH,
with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me.
2
Take hold of
Your shield and armour,
and rise up to help me.
3
Draw also the spear and javelin to meet those who
pursue me.
Say to my soul,
"I am your Salvation."
4
Let those who are seeking my life
be ashamed and dishonoured.
Let those who are plotting evil against me,
be turned back in confusion.
5
Let them be as chaff before the wind,
with
the Angel of
YHWH driving
them away.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
with
the Angel of
YHWH pursuing them.
7
For without cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8
Let destruction come upon him unawares;
and let the net that he has hidden catch himself;
let him fall into it, to his ruin.
9
And my soul shall be joyful in
YHWH;
it shall rejoice in
His salvation.
10
All my bones will say, "YHWH,
who is like You,
who delivers the poor
from the one who is stronger than himself,
and the poor and needy from him who robs him?"
11
Violent and ruthless witnesses rise up;
they question me on things I know nothing about.
12
They reward me evil for good,
to the deep sorrow of my soul.
13
But as for me, when they were sick,
I put on sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fastings;
and my prayer kept returning to my heart.
14
I went about as though it were a friend
or my brother;
I bowed down with grief, as one who mourns for his mother.
15
But they rejoiced at my stumbling, and gathered
together;
Attackers were gathered together against me of whom I was unaware;
they tore at me and slandered me without ceasing.
16
Like profane jesters at a feast,
they have been
gnashing at me with their teeth.
17
YHWH, how long
will You
look on?
Rescue my soul from
their ravages,
my only life from the young lions.
18
I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among a mighty people.
19
Do not let my enemies rejoice over me with all
their falsehood;
neither let those who hate me without cause wink their eyes.
20
For they do not speak peace,
but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the
land.
21
They also opened their mouth wide against me;
they said, "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it."
22
You have seen this,
O YHWH; do not be
silent;
O YHWH, do not be
far from me.
23
Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right judgment -
my just defence,
and to my cause,
my God and my Master.
24
Vindicate me, O
YHWH, my Elohim,
according to Your
righteousness;
and
do not let them rejoice over me.
25
Do not let them say in their hearts, "Aha, our desire
is fulfilled!"
Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"
26
Let those who are rejoicing at my distress be
ashamed and humiliated altogether;
let those who are magnifying themselves over me be clothed with shame and
confusion.
27
Let those who favour my vindication sing and
rejoice;
and let them say continually, "YHWH
is magnified,
who desires the peace of His servant."
28
And so my tongue shall declare
Your righteousness
and
Your praise,
all day long.
r
PSALM 36
In the Shadow of His Wings
David
describes the evil schemes of wicked men,
but
praises the attributes of God working on behalf of His people.
To the
Chief Musician
A Psalm of
David the servant of YHWH
1
An oracle is
within my heart
concerning the transgression of the wicked.
There is no fear of God before his eyes,
2
for he flatters himself in his own eyes too much
to
realize his iniquity is hateful.
3
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4
He plans wickedness upon his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not despise evil.
5
Your lovingkindness,
O YHWH, extends
to the heavens;
Your faithfulness
reaches to the
clouds.
6
Your righteousness
is like the mountains of God;
Your judgments are
a great deep.
O YHWH, You
preserve man and beast.
7
How precious is
Your lovingkindness, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of
Your wings.
8
They are filled from the abundance of
Your House,
and You cause them to drink of the stream of
Your delights.
9
For with You is the
Fountain of Life;
in
Your light
we see light.
10
Draw out Your
lovingkindness to those who know You,
and Your
righteousness to the upright in heart.
11
Let not the foot of pride come against me,
and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12
There the evildoers have fallen;
they have been thrown down and have been unable to rise.
r
PSALM 37
Do Not Fret! Trust in
YHWH!
David
uses a series of proverbial expressions to exhort the righteous
to
trust in Yahweh who will cause them to inherit the land,
and not
to fret about the wicked who will be cut off and destroyed.
A Psalm of
David
1
Do not fret because of evildoers.
Do not be envious of workers of unrighteousness,
2
for they will soon be cut down like the grass,
and like tender green plants will fade away.
3
Trust in YHWH,
and do good!
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4
Delight yourself in
YHWH; and
He will give you
the desires and petitions of your heart.
5
Commit your way to
YHWH!
Trust also in Him, and
He will do it.
6
He will bring forth your righteousness as the
light,
and your justice and right as the midday sun.
7
Rest in YHWH,
and wait patiently for Him.
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
or because of a man who carries out wicked schemes.
8
Refrain from anger, and turn from wrath.
Do not fret - it tends only to do evil and harm.
9
For evildoers will be cut off,
but those who wait on
YHWH - they
will possess the earth.
10
For just a little while and the wicked man will be
no more;
and you will look for his place, and it will not be there.
11
But the humble will possess the earth,
and delight themselves in the abundance of
peace.
12
The wicked plots against the righteous,
and gnashes his teeth at him.
13
YHWH laughs at
him, for He sees that his day is coming.
14
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow,
to cause the poor and needy to fall,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15
Their sword will pierce their own heart,
and their bows will be broken.
16
Better is the little of the righteous one
than the abundance of many wicked.
17
For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
but YHWH
sustains the righteous.
18
YHWH knows the
days of the perfect - the upright and blameless;
and their inheritance is forever.
19
They are not ashamed in the time of evil;
and in the days of famine they are satisfied.
20
But the wicked will perish; and the enemies of
YHWH,
like the fat of lambs in sacrifices, will be
consumed;
in smoke they are consumed.
(Alternative translation: Like the beauty of the pastures,
they will vanish - like smoke they vanish away.)
21
The wicked borrows and does not pay back.
But the righteous is
gracious
and gives,
22 for
those blessed by Him -
YHWH -
will inherit the earth;
but those cursed by Him will be cut off.
23
The steps of a man are established
by YHWH;
and He delights in his way.
24
When he falls, he shall not be thrown down,
because
YHWH holds his
hand.
25
I have been young, and now I am old;
yet I have not see the righteous forsaken,
or his children begging bread.
26
All day long he is gracious and lends;
and his children are a blessing.
27
Turn away from evil, and do good,
and dwell forever.
28
For YHWH
loves justice,
and does not forsake His devout, godly ones.
They are kept and protected forever.
But the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.
29
The righteous will possess the land,
and dwell in it forever.
30
The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
and his tongue talks of justice.
31
The Torah teaching
of his God
is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
32
The wicked watches and lies in wait for the
righteous,
and seeks to kill him.
33
YHWH will not
leave him in his hand,
or let him be condemned when he is judged.
34
Wait expectantly on
YHWH, and keep
His way,
and
He will exalt you to possess the land.
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35
I have seen the wicked,
ruthless and spreading himself like a native green tree.
36
Yet he passed away, and suddenly he was no more;
When I sought him, he could not be found.
37
Observe the blameless
man, and also see the upright;
for the final result for both is peace.
38
But the transgressors will be destroyed together;
the final result of the wicked will be, to be cut off.
39 But
the salvation of the
righteous is from YHWH -
their strength in time of trouble.
40
And YHWH
helps them, and delivers them.
He delivers
them from the wicked, and
saves them,
because they trust and take
refuge in Him.
r]
PSALM 38
Burdened by Sin and Oppression
David
describes the suffering of sin, the loneliness of sin, and the confession of
sin.
He
focuses on God’s chastening as the cause of his distress.
A Psalm of
David, to bring to remembrance.
1
O YHWH, rebuke me
not in Your wrath;
nor chasten me in
Your burning anger.
2
For Your arrows
have pierced me,
and Your hand
has come down heavily on me.
3
There is no soundness in my flesh
because of
Your indignation - Your anger;
there is no
peace,
no soundness in my bones
because of my sin.
4
For my iniquities have gone over my head -
my guilt has overwhelmed me,
as a heavy burden, too heavy for me.
5
Stinking - my wounds are festering,
because of my folly.
6
I am bent over and greatly bowed down;
I have gone mourning all day long.
7
For my loins are filled with burning;
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8
I have become weak and severely crushed;
I groan because of anguish of heart.
9
Adonai, all my
desire is before You;
and my sighing has not been hidden from You.
10
My heart throbs, my strength has forsaken me;
and even the light of my eyes is no longer with me.
11
My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my
plague;
and my neighbours stand afar off.
12
Those who seeking my life lay snares for me.
Those seeking to bring evil on me have spoken craftily,
and they devise deception and treachery all day long.
13
But I, as one deaf, do not hear;
and I am as a dumb man who does not open his mouth.
14
Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
and in whose mouth are no arguments or replies.
15
I have waited on You,
O YHWH;
because You answer,
O YHWH my God,
16
when I pray. Let them not gloat over me
and exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.
17
For I am ready to fall,
and my pain and agony is always with me.
18
For I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry and grieved because of my sin.
19
But my enemies are vigorous and they have
become strong;
and those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20
And those who repay evil for good,
accuse and oppose me, because I follow what is good.
21
Do not forsake me,
O YHWH;
O my God, do not be far from me!
22
Come quickly to help me,
O YHWH, my
salvation! r
PSALM 39
Life is Vanity and Transient
David
asks God to help him understand the brevity of life,
and to
give him relief from chastening in view of its shortness.
To the
Chief Musician, to Jeduthun.
A Psalm of
David
1
I said: 'I will guard my ways,
that I may not sin with my tongue.
I will put a muzzle on my mouth,
while the wicked are in my presence.'
2
I was dumb and silent,
I refrained even from speaking good;
and my anguish increased.
3
My heart was hot within me;
while I was meditating, the fire burned.
Then I spoke with my tongue;
4
' YHWH, make me to
know my end,
and what is the extent of my days.
Let me know how frail and transient I am.
5
Look, You have made my days as handbreadths,
and my lifespan is as nothing before You.
Every man standing is only vanity - a mere vapor.
Selah.
6
Every man walks about as a phantom - only a shadow;
they are stirred up for nothing - only for vanity.
He amasses goods and wealth, and does not know who will gather
them.
7
And now what do I look for? What can I expect?
O YHWH,
my hope and expectation is in You.
8
Deliver me from all my
transgressions;
Do not make me the laughing stock of the foolish.
9
I have become dumb, I do not open my mouth,
because it is You who have done all this.
10
Take Your stroke away from me;
because of the opposition of Your hand, I am perishing.
11
When You reprove and chasten a man for his sin and
iniquity,
You consume what is precious to him, like a moth.
Every man is vanity - only a mere breath.
Selah.
12
Hear my prayer, O
YHWH, and listen to my cry for help.
Do not be silent at my tears;
for I am a sojourner with You,
a temporary dweller like all my fathers.
13
Turn Your gaze
away from me, that I may brighten up,
before I depart and am no more.'
r
PSALM 40
YHWH
is Magnified.
He is my Deliverer
David
praises Yahweh for past deliverance, and proclaims his delight in the will of
God.
And he
places new problems before the LORD, his Help and Deliverer.
A Psalm of
David
1
I waited intently for
YHWH,
and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
2
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud and mire,
and He has set my feet upon a rock.
He has established my footsteps.
3
He has put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many see it and stand in awe, and trust in
YHWH.
4
How blessed is the man who has made
YHWH his trust,
and has not turned to the proud
and to those who are following falsehood.
5
O YHWH my God,
many are the wonders which You have done,
and Your thoughts and purposes toward us
- there is
no one to compare with You!
-
I maintain and declare: they are more than can be counted.
6
^Sacrifice and offering You have not desired;
My ears You have opened;
Burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not ask for.
7
Then I said, "See, here I am! I have come -
In the scroll of the book it is written of Me;
8
I delight to do
Your will,
O My God;
Your Torah
is within My heart. ^
[Hebrews 10:5-7]
9 I
have proclaimed news of righteousness in the great
assembly;
See, I do not restrain my lips;
O YHWH, You know.
10
I have not concealed
Your righteousness
within my heart;
I have declared
Your faithfulness
and
Your salvation;
I have not concealed
Your lovingkindness
and
Your truth
from the great assembly.
11
O YHWH, do not
withhold Your compassion
from me;
Let
Your lovingkindness
and Your truth
continually preserve me;
12
For evils without number have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me, and I have been unable to see.
They have been more numerous than the hairs of my head,
and my heart has failed me.
13
Be pleased, O YHWH,
to deliver me;
O YHWH, hasten to
help me!
14
Let those who seek to destroy my life be ashamed
and brought to confusion together.
Let those who wish me evil be driven back and dishonoured.
15
Let those who say to me, 'Aha, aha!' be appalled
because of their own shame.
16
All who seek You rejoice and are glad in You;
Those who love Your
salvation say continually,
YHWH is
magnified!
17
I am afflicted and needy,
yet
YHWH Adonai is
mindful of me.
You are my Help
and my Deliverer;
O my
Elohim,
do not delay!
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PSALMS 41
YHWH
Protects from Enemies and False Friends
This
psalm begins with a beatitude – a blessing, similar to Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are
the merciful.” This is in contrast to the schemes of David’s enemies and ‘close
friend.’
But
Yahweh has been gracious and sets David in His Presence forever.
For the
Chief Musician. A Psalm of David
1
How
blessed is he who regards the poor and
helpless.
YHWH delivers
him in a day of trouble.
2
YHWH protects
him and preserves his life,
He is blessed and happy on the earth;
and You do not hand him over to the desire of his enemies.
3
YHWH sustains
him on his sickbed;
You lift him up from his bed of weakness.
4
As for me, I said, '
O YHWH, be gracious to me;
heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.'
5
My enemies speak evil against me,
'When he dies his name will perish?'
6
And if he comes to see me, he speaks empty and
vain words;
his heart gathers wickedness to itself.
Then he goes out and tells it in the street.
7
All who hate me whisper together against me;
they plot evil against me, | 
