The L{ORD}'{S} Glory and Man’s Dignity.

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.

1
O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!2
From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

3
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;4
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?5
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!6
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,7
All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,8
The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9
O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

The L{ORD} Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

1
O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,2
Or he will tear my soul like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.

3
O LORD my God, if I have done this,
If there is injustice in my hands,4
If I have rewarded evil to my friend,
Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary,5
Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake {it;}
And let him trample my life down to the ground
And lay my glory in the dust. Selah.

6
Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;
Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries,
And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.7
Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You,
And over them return on high.8
The LORD judges the peoples;
Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.9
O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.10
My shield is with God,
Who saves the upright in heart.11
God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation 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 also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts.14
Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.15
He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has fallen into the hole which he made.16
His mischief will return upon his own head,
And his violence will descend upon his own pate.

17
I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble.

For the choir director; with stringed instruments, upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David.

1
O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.2
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I {am} pining away;
Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.3
And my soul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O LORD–how long?

4
Return, O LORD, rescue my soul;
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.5
For there is no mention of You in death;
In Sheol who will give You thanks?

6
I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.7
My eye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.

8
Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.9
The LORD has heard my supplication,
The LORD receives my prayer.10
All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.

Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.

For the choir director; for flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.

1
Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my groaning.2
Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.3
In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order {my} {prayer} to You and {eagerly} watch.

4
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.5
The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.6
You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.7
But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.

8
O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.9
There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction {itself.}
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.10
Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.

11
But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.12
For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.

Evening Prayer of Trust in God.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.1
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

2
O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
{How long} will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.3
But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The LORD hears when I call to Him.

4
Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.5
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the LORD.

6
Many are saying, “Who will show us {any} good?
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!7
You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.8
In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

Morning Prayer of Trust in God.

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

1
O LORD, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.2
Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God. Selah.

3
But You, O LORD, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.4
I was crying to the LORD with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.5
I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.6
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.

7
Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.8
Salvation belongs to the LORD;
Your blessing {be} upon Your people! Selah.

The Reign of the L{ORD}'{S} Anointed.

1
Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?2
The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,3
“Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!

4
He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.5
Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,6
“But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.

7
“I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, `You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.8
`Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the {very} ends of the earth as Your possession.9
`You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’

10
Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.11
Worship the LORD with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.12
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish {in} the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.

1
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.3
He will be like a tree {firmly} planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

4
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.5
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.6
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.

Job’s Confession

1 Then Job answered the LORD and said, 2
“I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3
`Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
“Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4
`Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ 5
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You; 6
Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.

God Displeased with Job’s Friends

 7 It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. 8 “Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you {according to your} folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite {and} Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job.

God Restores Job’s Fortunes  10 The LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold. 11 Then all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold. 12 The LORD blessed the latter {days} of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his grandsons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man and full of days.

God’s Power Shown in Creatures

1
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord? 2
“Can you put a rope in his nose
Or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3
“Will he make many supplications to you,
Or will he speak to you soft words? 4
“Will he make a covenant with you?
Will you take him for a servant forever? 5
“Will you play with him as with a bird,
Or will you bind him for your maidens? 6
“Will the traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him among the merchants? 7
“Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears? 8
“Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle; you will not do it again! 9
“Behold, your expectation is false;
Will you be laid low even at the sight of him? 10
“No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me? 11
“Who has given to Me that I should repay {him?}
{Whatever} is under the whole heaven is Mine.

 12
“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Or his mighty strength, or his orderly frame. 13
“Who can strip off his outer armor?
Who can come within his double mail? 14
“Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth there is terror. 15
“{His} strong scales are {his} pride,
Shut up {as with} a tight seal. 16
“One is so near to another
That no air can come between them. 17
“They are joined one to another;
They clasp each other and cannot be separated. 18
“His sneezes flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19
“Out of his mouth go burning torches;
Sparks of fire leap forth. 20
“Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth
As {from} a boiling pot and {burning} rushes. 21
“His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth. 22
“In his neck lodges strength,
And dismay leaps before him. 23
“The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm on him and immovable. 24
“His heart is as hard as a stone,
Even as hard as a lower millstone. 25
“When he raises himself up, the mighty fear;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered. 26
“The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin. 27
“He regards iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood. 28
“The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are turned into stubble for him. 29
“Clubs are regarded as stubble;
He laughs at the rattling of the javelin. 30
“His underparts are {like} sharp potsherds;
He spreads out {like} a threshing sledge on the mire. 31
“He makes the depths boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a jar of ointment. 32
“Behind him he makes a wake to shine;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired. 33
“Nothing on earth is like him,
One made without fear. 34
“He looks on everything that is high;
He is king over all the sons of pride.