New King James Version (NKJV)

Prayer and Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Righteous Judgments

To the Chief Musician. To

the

tune

of

“Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David.

1 I will praiseYou,OLord, with my whole heart;

I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

2 I will be glad andrejoice in You;

# I will sing praise to Your name,O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back,

They shall fall and perish at Your presence.

4 For You have maintained my right and my cause;

You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.

5 You have rebuked the nations,

You have destroyed the wicked;

# You haveblotted out their name forever and ever.

6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever!

And you have destroyed cities;

# Even their memory hasperished.

7 But theLordshall endure forever;

He has prepared His throne for judgment.

8 He shall judge the world in righteousness,

And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

9 TheLordalso will be arefuge for the oppressed,

A refuge in times of trouble.

10 And those whoknow Your name will put their trust in You;

For You,Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11 Sing praises to theLord, who dwells in Zion!

# Declare His deeds among the people.

12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them;

He does not forget the cry of the humble.

13 Have mercy on me, OLord!

Consider my trouble from those who hate me,

You who lift 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 willrejoice in Your salvation.

15 The nations have sunk down in the pitwhichthey made;

In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.

16 TheLordisknownbythe judgment He executes;

The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

# Meditation.

Selah

17 The wicked shall be turned into hell,

# Andall the nationsthat forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten;

# The expectation of the poor shallnotperish forever.

19 Arise, OLord,

Do not let man prevail;

Let the nations be judged in Your sight.

20 Put them in fear, OLord,

Thatthe nations may know themselvestobebutmen.

Selah

A Song of Confidence in God’s Triumph over Evil

1 Why do You stand afar off, OLord?

Whydo You hide in times of trouble?

2 The wicked inhispride persecutes the poor;

# Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

3 For the wickedboasts of his heart’s desire;

# Heblesses the greedyandrenounces theLord.

4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seekGod;

# Godisin none of histhoughts.

5 His ways are always prospering;

Your judgmentsarefar above, out of his sight;

Asforall his enemies, he sneers at them.

6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

# I shall never be in adversity.”

7 His mouth is full of cursing anddeceit and oppression;

Under his tongueistrouble and iniquity.

8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages;

In the secret places he murders the innocent;

His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.

9 He lies in wait secretly, as a lion in his den;

He lies in wait to catch the poor;

He catches the poor when he draws him into his net.

10 So he crouches, he lies low,

That the helpless may fall by his strength.

11 He has said in his heart,

“God has forgotten;

He hides His face;

He will never see.”

12 Arise, OLord!

# O God,lift up Your hand!

# Do not forget thehumble.

13 Why do the wicked renounce God?

He has said in his heart,

“You will not requireanaccount.”

14 But You haveseen, for You observe trouble and grief,

To repayitby Your hand.

# The helplesscommits himself to You;

# You are the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evilman;

Seek out his wickednessuntilYou find none.

16 TheLordisKing forever and ever;

The nations have perished out of His land.

17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;

You will prepare their heart;

You will cause Your ear to hear,

18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Faith in the Lord’s Righteousness

To the Chief Musician.

A

Psalm

of David.

1 IntheLordI put my trust;

How can you say to my soul,

“Fleeasa bird to your mountain”?

2 For look!The wicked bendtheirbow,

They make ready their arrow on the string,

That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.

3 If the foundations are destroyed,

What can the righteous do?

4 TheLordisin His holy temple,

# TheLord’sthroneisin heaven;

# His eyes behold,

His eyelids test the sons of men.

5 TheLordtests the righteous,

But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;

Fire and brimstone and a burning wind

# Shallbethe portion of their cup.

7 For theLordisrighteous,

# Heloves righteousness;

His countenance beholds the upright.

Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy

To the Chief Musician.

#

On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.

1 Help,Lord, for the godly manceases!

For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;

Withflattering lipsanda double heart they speak.

3 May theLordcut off all flattering lips,

Andthe tongue that speaks proud things,

4 Who have said,

“With our tongue we will prevail;

Our lipsareour own;

Whoislord over us?”

5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,

Now I will arise,” says theLord;

“I will sethimin the safety for which he yearns.”

6 The words of theLordarepure words,

Likesilver tried in a furnace of earth,

Purified seven times.

7 You shall keep them, OLord,

You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

8 The wicked prowl on every side,

When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, OLord? Will You forget me forever?

# How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Havingsorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Considerandhear me, OLordmy God;

# Enlighten my eyes,

# Lest I sleep thesleepofdeath;

4 Lest my enemy say,

“I have prevailed against him”;

Lestthose who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to theLord,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Folly of the Godless, and God’s Final Triumph

To the Chief Musician.

A

Psalm

of David.

1 Thefool has said in his heart,

“Thereisno God.”

They are corrupt,

They have done abominable works,

There is none who does good.

2 TheLordlooks down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

3 They have all turned aside,

They have together become corrupt;

Thereisnone who does good,

No, not one.

4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,

Who eat up my peopleasthey eat bread,

# Anddo not call on theLord?

5 There they are in great fear,

For Godiswith the generation of the righteous.

6 You shame the counsel of the poor,

# But theLordishisrefuge.

7 Oh, that the salvation of Israelwouldcomeout of Zion!

# When theLordbrings back the captivity of His people,

Let Jacob rejoiceandIsrael be glad.

The Character of Those Who May Dwell with the Lord

A Psalm of David.

1 Lord,who may abide in Your tabernacle?

Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

2 He who walks uprightly,

And works righteousness,

# And speaks thetruth in his heart;

3 Hewhodoes not backbite with his tongue,

Nor does evil to his neighbor,

# Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised,

But he honors those who fear theLord;

# Hewhoswears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 Hewhodoes not put out his money at usury,

Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

# He who does thesethingsshall never be moved.

The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory

A

#

Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

2 Omysoul,you have said to theLord,

“Youaremy Lord,

# My goodness is nothing apart from You.”

3 As for the saints whoareon the earth,

# “They are the excellent ones, inwhom is all my delight.”

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hastenafteranothergod;

# Their drink offerings ofblood I will not offer,

# Nor take up their names on my lips.

5 OLord,Youarethe portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You maintain my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasantplaces;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless theLordwho has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set theLordalways before me;

BecauseHeisat my right hand I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will rest in hope.

10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11 You will show me thepath of life;

In Your presenceisfullness of joy;

At Your right handarepleasures forevermore.

Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation

A Prayer of David.

1 Hear a just cause, OLord,

Attend to my cry;

Give ear to my prayerwhichisnot from deceitful lips.

2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;

Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.

3 You have tested my heart;

You have visitedmein the night;

# You have tried me and have found nothing;

# I have purposed that my mouth shall nottransgress.

4 Concerning the works of men,

By the word of Your lips,

I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.

5 Uphold my steps in Your paths,

Thatmy footsteps may not slip.

6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;

Incline Your ear to me,andhear my speech.

7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,

O You who save those who trustinYou

From those who rise upagainstthem.

8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;

Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

9 From the wicked who oppress me,

Frommy deadly enemies who surround me.

10 They have closed up theirfathearts;

# With their mouths theyspeak proudly.

11 They have now surrounded us in our steps;

They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,

12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey,

And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

13 Arise, OLord,

Confront him, cast him down;

Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,

14 With Your hand from men, OLord,

From men of the worldwhohavetheir portion inthislife,

And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.

They are satisfied with children,

And leave the rest of theirpossessionfor their babes.

15 As for me,I will see Your face in righteousness;

# I shall be satisfied when Iawake in Your likeness.

God the Sovereign Savior

To the Chief Musician.

A

Psalm

of David

#

the servant of the

Lord

, who spoke to the

Lord

the words of

#

this song on the day that the

Lord

delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:

1 Iwill love You, OLord, my strength.

2 TheLordis my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

# My God, my strength,in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I will call upon theLord,whoisworthyto be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

4 The pangs of death surrounded me,

And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon theLord,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry came before Him,evento His ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,

Because He was angry.

8 Smoke went up from His nostrils,

And devouring fire from His mouth;

Coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down

With 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 Himwasdark waters

Andthick clouds of the skies.

12 From the brightness before Him,

His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

13 TheLordthundered from heaven,

# And the Most High utteredHis voice,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe,

Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,

The foundations of the world were uncovered

At Your rebuke, OLord,

At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

16 He sent from above, He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me,

For they were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But theLordwas my support.

19 He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

20 TheLordrewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands

He has recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of theLord,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all His judgmentswerebefore me,

And I did not put away His statutes from me.

23 I was also blameless before Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity.

24 Therefore theLordhas recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;

With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

# Andwith the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

27 For You will save the humble people,

# But will bring downhaughty looks.

28 For You will light my lamp;

TheLordmy God will enlighten my darkness.

29 For by You I can run against a troop,

By my God I can leap over a wall.

30 AsforGod,His wayisperfect;

# The word of theLordis proven;

# Heisa shieldto all who trust in Him.

31 For whoisGod, except theLord?

And whoisa rock, except our God?

32 ItisGod whoarms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like thefeetofdeer,

# Andsets me on my high places.

34 He teaches my hands to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your right hand has held me up,

Your gentleness has made me great.

36 You enlarged my path under me,

# So my feet did not slip.

37 I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;

Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

38 I have wounded them,

So that they could not rise;

They have fallen under my feet.

39 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies,

So that I destroyed those who hated me.

41 They cried out, buttherewasnone to save;

# Evento theLord, but He did not answer them.

42 Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;

# Icast them out like dirt in the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;

# You have made me the head of the nations;

# A people I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me they obey me;

The foreigners submit to me.

45 The foreigners fade away,

And come frightened from their hideouts.

46 TheLordlives!

Blessedbemy Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 ItisGod who avenges me,

# And subdues the peoples under me;

48 He delivers me from my enemies.

# You also lift me up above those who rise against me;

You have delivered me from the violent man.

49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, OLord, among the Gentiles,

And sing praises to Your name.

50 Great deliverance He gives to His king,

And shows mercy to His anointed,

To David and his descendants forevermore.