New King James Version (NKJV)

The Assured Judgment of the Wicked

To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David

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when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

Defend me from those who rise up against me.

2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,

And save me from bloodthirsty men.

3 For look, they lie in wait for my life;

# The mighty gather against me,

Notformy transgression norformy sin, OLord.

4 They run and prepare themselves through no faultofmine.

# Awake to help me, and behold!

5 You therefore, OLordGod of hosts, the God of Israel,

Awake to punish all the nations;

Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.

Selah

6 At evening they return,

They growl like a dog,

And go all around the city.

7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth;

# Swordsarein their lips;

# Fortheysay,“Who hears?”

8 ButYou, OLord, shall laugh at them;

You shall have all the nations in derision.

9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength;

# For Godismy defense.

10 My God of mercy shallcome to meet me;

# God shall letme seemydesireon my enemies.

11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget;

Scatter them by Your power,

And bring them down,

O Lord our shield.

12 Forthe sin of their mouthandthe words of their lips,

Let them even be taken in their pride,

And for the cursing and lyingwhichthey speak.

13 Consumethemin wrath, consumethem,

That theymaynotbe;

# Andlet them know that God rules in Jacob

To the ends of the earth.

Selah

14 Andat evening they return,

They growl like a dog,

And go all around the city.

15 Theywander up and down for food,

And howl if they are not satisfied.

16 But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble.

17 To You,O my Strength, I will sing praises;

For Godismy defense,

My God of mercy.

Urgent Prayer for the Restored Favor of God

To the Chief Musician.

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Set to “Lily of the Testimony.” A Michtam of David. For teaching.

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When he fought against Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and Joab returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

1 O God,You have cast us off;

You have broken us down;

You have been displeased;

Oh, restore us again!

2 You have made the earth tremble;

You have broken it;

# Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.

3 You have shown Your people hard things;

# You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

4 You have given a banner to those who fear You,

That it may be displayed because of the truth.

Selah

5 That Your beloved may be delivered,

SavewithYour right hand, and hear me.

6 God hasspoken in His holiness:

“I will rejoice;

# I willdivideShechem

# And measure outthe Valley of Succoth.

7 GileadisMine, and ManassehisMine;

# Ephraim alsoisthe helmet for My head;

# JudahisMy lawgiver.

8 MoabisMy washpot;

# Over Edom I will cast My shoe;

# Philistia, shout in triumph because of Me.”

9 Who will bring metothe strong city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10 Isitnot You, O God,whocast us off?

# And You, O God,whodidnot go out with our armies?

11 Give us help from trouble,

# For the help of manisuseless.

12 Through Godwe will do valiantly,

ForitisHewhoshall tread down our enemies.

Assurance of God’s Eternal Protection

To the Chief Musician. On a stringed instrument.

A

Psalm

of David.

1 Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a shelter for me,

# A strong tower from the enemy.

4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

# I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

Selah

5 For You, O God, have heard my vows;

You have givenmethe heritage of those who fear Your name.

6 You will prolong the king’s life,

His years as many generations.

7 He shall abide before God forever.

# Oh, prepare mercyand truth,whichmay preserve him!

8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,

That I may daily perform my vows.

A Calm Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God

To the Chief Musician. To

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Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1 Trulymy soul silentlywaitsfor God;

From Himcomesmy salvation.

2 He onlyismy rock and my salvation;

Heismy defense;

# I shall not be greatlymoved.

3 How long will you attack a man?

You shall be slain, all of you,

# Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.

4 They only consult to casthimdown from his high position;

# Theydelight in lies;

They bless with their mouth,

But they curse inwardly.

Selah

5 My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectationisfrom Him.

6 He onlyismy rock and my salvation;

Heismy defense;

I shall not be moved.

7 In Godismy salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

Andmy refuge,isin God.

8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;

# Pour out your heart before Him;

Godisa refuge for us.

Selah

9 Surely men of low degreearea vapor,

Men of high degreearea lie;

If they are weighed on the scales,

Theyarealtogetherlighterthan vapor.

10 Do not trust in oppression,

Nor vainly hope in robbery;

# If riches increase,

Do not setyourheartonthem.

11 God has spoken once,

Twice I have heard this:

That powerbelongsto God.

12 Also to You, O Lord,belongsmercy;

# ForYou render to each one according to his work.

Joy in the Fellowship of God

A Psalm of David

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when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, Youaremy God;

Early will I seek You;

# My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

# To seeYour power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindnessisbetter than life,

My lips shall praise You.

4 Thus I will bless You while I live;

# I willlift up my hands in Your name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praiseYouwith joyful lips.

6 WhenI remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in thenightwatches.

7 Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.

9 But thosewhoseek my life, to destroyit,

Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword;

They shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;

# Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;

But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;

Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,

From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,

3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,

# And bendtheirbowstoshoottheir arrows—bitter words,

4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;

Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

5 They encourage themselvesinan evil matter;

They talk of laying snares secretly;

# They say, “Who will see them?”

6 They devise iniquities:

“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”

Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

7 But God shall shoot at themwithan arrow;

Suddenly they shall be wounded.

8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;

# All who see them shall flee away.

9 All men shall fear,

# And shalldeclare the work of God;

For they shall wisely consider His doing.

10 The righteous shall be glad in theLord, and trust in Him.

And all the upright in heart shall glory.

Praise to God for His Salvation and Providence

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

1 Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion;

And to You the vow shall be performed.

2 O You who hear prayer,

# To You all flesh will come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me;

Asforour transgressions,

# You willprovide atonement for them.

4 BlessedisthemanYouchoose,

And cause to approachYou,

Thathe may dwell in Your courts.

# We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,

Of Your holy temple.

5 Byawesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,

O God of our salvation,

Youwhoarethe confidence of all the ends of the earth,

And of the far-off seas;

6 Who established the mountains by His strength,

# Beingclothed with power;

7 You who still the noise of the seas,

The noise of their waves,

# And the tumult of the peoples.

8 They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs;

You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

9 You visit the earth andwater it,

You greatly enrich it;

# The river of God is full of water;

You provide their grain,

For so You have prepared it.

10 You water its ridges abundantly,

You settle its furrows;

You make it soft with showers,

You bless its growth.

11 You crown the year with Your goodness,

And Your paths dripwithabundance.

12 They droponthe pastures of the wilderness,

And the little hills rejoice on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks;

# The valleys also are covered with grain;

They shout for joy, they also sing.

Praise to God for His Awesome Works

To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm.

1 Makea joyful shout to God, all the earth!

2 Sing out the honor of His name;

Make His praise glorious.

3 Say to God,

# “Howawesome are Your works!

# Through the greatness of Your power

Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.

4 All the earth shall worship You

And sing praises to You;

They shall sing praisestoYour name.”

Selah

5 Come and see the works of God;

HeisawesomeinHisdoing toward the sons of men.

6 He turned the sea into dryland;

# They went through the river on foot.

There we will rejoice in Him.

7 He rules by His power forever;

His eyes observe the nations;

Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah

8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples!

And make the voice of His praise to be heard,

9 Who keeps our soul among the living,

And does not allow our feet to be moved.

10 ForYou, O God, have tested us;

# You have refined us as silver is refined.

11 You brought us into the net;

You laid affliction on our backs.

12 You have caused men to ride over our heads;

# We went through fire and through water;

But You brought us out to richfulfillment.

13 I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;

# I will pay You my vows,

14 Which my lips have uttered

And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.

15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,

With the sweet aroma of rams;

I will offer bulls with goats.

Selah

16 Comeandhear, all you who fear God,

And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

17 I cried to Him with my mouth,

And He was extolled with my tongue.

18 If I regard iniquity in my heart,

The Lord will not hear.

19 Butcertainly Godhas heardme;

He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 BlessedbeGod,

Who has not turned away my prayer,

Nor His mercy from me!

An Invocation and a Doxology

To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

1 God be merciful to us and bless us,

# Andcause His face to shine upon us,

Selah

2 ThatYour way may be known on earth,

# Your salvation among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise You, O God;

Let all the peoples praise You.

4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!

# ForYou shall judge the people righteously,

And govern the nations on earth.

Selah

5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;

Let all the peoples praise You.

6 Thenthe earth shall yield her increase;

God, our own God, shall bless us.

7 God shall bless us,

And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

The Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.

1 LetGod arise,

Let His enemies be scattered;

Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.

2 As smoke is driven away,

So drivethemaway;

# As wax melts before the fire,

Solet the wicked perish at the presence of God.

3 Butlet the righteous be glad;

Let them rejoice before God;

Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.

4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;

# Extol Him who rides on the clouds,

# By His name Yah,

And rejoice before Him.

5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,

IsGod in His holy habitation.

6 God sets the solitary in families;

# He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;

# Butthe rebellious dwell in a dryland.

7 O God,when You went out before Your people,

When You marched through the wilderness,

Selah

8 The earth shook;

The heavens also droppedrainat the presence of God;

Sinai itselfwasmovedat the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,

Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,

When it was weary.

10 Your congregation dwelt in it;

# You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.

11 The Lord gave the word;

Greatwasthe company of those who proclaimedit:

12 “Kingsof armies flee, they flee,

And she who remains at home divides the spoil.

13 Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,

# Youwillbelike the wings of a dove covered with silver,

And her feathers with yellow gold.”

14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it,

It waswhiteas snow in Zalmon.

15 A mountain of Godisthe mountain of Bashan;

A mountainofmanypeaksisthe mountain of Bashan.

16 Why do you fume with envy, you mountains ofmanypeaks?

# Thisisthe mountainwhichGod desires to dwell in;

Yes, theLordwill dwellinitforever.

17 The chariots of Godaretwenty thousand,

Eventhousands of thousands;

The Lord is among themasinSinai, in the HolyPlace.

18 You have ascended on high,

# You have led captivity captive;

# You have received gifts among men,

# Evenfromthe rebellious,

# That theLordGod might dwellthere.

19 Blessedbethe Lord,

Whodaily loads uswithbenefits,

The God of our salvation!

Selah

20 Our Godisthe God of salvation;

# Andto Godthe Lordbelongescapes from death.

21 ButGod will wound the head of His enemies,

# The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.

22 The Lord said, “I will bringback from Bashan,

# I will bringthembackfrom the depths of the sea,

23 That your foot may crushthemin blood,

# And the tongues of your dogsmayhavetheir portion fromyourenemies.”

24 They have seen Your procession, O God,

The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

25 The singers went before, the players on instrumentsfollowedafter;

Amongthemwerethe maidens playing timbrels.

26 Bless God in the congregations,

# The Lord, fromthe fountain of Israel.

27 Thereislittle Benjamin, their leader,

The princes of Judahandtheir company,

The princes of Zebulunandthe princes of Naphtali.

28 Your God hascommanded your strength;

Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.

29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,

# Kings will bring presents to You.

30 Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,

# The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,

# Tilleveryonesubmits himself with pieces of silver.

Scatter the peopleswhodelight in war.

31 Envoys will come out of Egypt;

# Ethiopia will quicklystretch out her hands to God.

32 Sing to God, youkingdoms of the earth;

Oh, sing praises to the Lord,

Selah

33 To Himwho rides on the heaven of heavens,whichwereof old!

# Indeed, He sends out His voice, amighty voice.

34 Ascribe strength to God;

His excellenceisover Israel,

And His strengthisin the clouds.

35 O God,Youaremore awesome than Your holy places.

The God of IsraelisHe who gives strength and power toHispeople.

BlessedbeGod!