New King James Version (NKJV)

An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble

To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.”

A

Psalm

of David.

1 Save me, O God!

# Forthe waters have come up tomyneck.

2 I sink in deep mire,

Wherethereisno standing;

I have come into deep waters,

Where the floods overflow me.

3 I am weary with my crying;

My throat is dry;

# My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those whohate me without a cause

Are more than the hairs of my head;

They are mighty who would destroy me,

Beingmy enemies wrongfully;

Though I have stolen nothing,

Istillmust restoreit.

5 O God, You know my foolishness;

And my sins are not hidden from You.

6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord Godof hosts, be ashamed because of me;

Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.

7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;

Shame has covered my face.

8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,

And an alien to my mother’s children;

9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,

# And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

10 When I weptandchastenedmy soul with fasting,

That became my reproach.

11 I also made sackcloth my garment;

I became a byword to them.

12 Those who sit in the gate speak against me,

# And Iamthe song of thedrunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayeristo You,

OLord,inthe acceptable time;

O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,

Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

14 Deliver me out of the mire,

And let me not sink;

Let me be delivered from those who hate me,

And out of the deep waters.

15 Let not the floodwater overflow me,

Nor let the deep swallow me up;

And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Hear me, OLord, for Your lovingkindnessisgood;

Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.

17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,

For I am in trouble;

Hear me speedily.

18 Draw near to my soul,andredeem it;

Deliver me because of my enemies.

19 You knowmy reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;

My adversariesareall before You.

20 Reproach has broken my heart,

And I am full of heaviness;

# I lookedforsomeoneto take pity, buttherewasnone;

# And forcomforters, but I found none.

21 They also gave me gall for my food,

# And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 Let their table become a snare before them,

And their well-being a trap.

23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see;

And make their loins shake continually.

24 Pour out Your indignation upon them,

And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.

25 Let their dwelling place be desolate;

Let no one live in their tents.

26 For they persecute theonesYou have struck,

And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.

27 Add iniquity to their iniquity,

# And let them not come into Your righteousness.

28 Let thembe blotted out of the book of the living,

# And not be written with the righteous.

29 But Iampoor and sorrowful;

Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.

30 I will praise the name of God with a song,

And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

31 Thisalso shall please theLordbetter than an oxorbull,

Which has horns and hooves.

32 The humble shall seethisandbe glad;

# And you who seek God,your hearts shall live.

33 For theLordhears the poor,

# And does not despiseHis prisoners.

34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,

# The seasand everything that moves in them.

35 For God will save Zion

And build the cities of Judah,

That they may dwell there and possess it.

36 Also,the descendants of His servants shall inherit it,

And those who love His name shall dwell in it.

Prayer for Relief from Adversaries

To the Chief Musician.

A

Psalm

of David.

#

To bring to remembrance.

1 Makehaste,O God, to deliver me!

Make haste to help me, OLord!

2 Let them be ashamed and confounded

Who seek my life;

Let them be turned back and confused

Who desire my hurt.

3 Let them be turned back because of their shame,

Who say, “Aha, aha!”

4 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;

And let those who love Your salvation say continually,

“Let God be magnified!”

5 But Iampoor and needy;

# Make haste to me, O God!

Youaremy help and my deliverer;

OLord, do not delay.

God the Rock of Salvation

1 InYou, OLord, I put my trust;

Let me never be put to shame.

2 Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;

# Incline Your ear to me, and save me.

3 Be my strong refuge,

To which I may resort continually;

# You have given thecommandment to save me,

For Youaremy rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,

Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

5 For You aremy hope, O Lord God;

Youaremy trust from my youth.

6 By You I have been upheld from birth;

You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.

My praiseshallbecontinually of You.

7 I have become as a wonder to many,

But Youaremy strong refuge.

8 Letmy mouth be filledwithYour praise

AndwithYour glory all the day.

9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

10 For my enemies speak against me;

# And those who lie in wait for my lifetake counsel together,

11 Saying, “God has forsaken him;

Pursue and take him, forthereisnone to deliverhim.”

12 O God, do not be far from me;

# O my God,make haste to help me!

13 Let them be confoundedandconsumed

Who are adversaries of my life;

Let them be coveredwithreproach and dishonor

Who seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually,

And will praise You yet more and more.

15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness

AndYour salvation all the day,

For I do not knowtheirlimits.

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;

I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

17 O God, You have taught me from myyouth;

And to thisdayI declare Your wondrous works.

18 Now alsowhenIamold and grayheaded,

O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength tothisgeneration,

Your power to everyonewhois to come.

19 AlsoYour righteousness, O God,isvery high,

You who have done great things;

# O God, whoislike You?

20 You,who have shown me great and severe troubles,

# Shall revive me again,

And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

21 You shall increase my greatness,

And comfort me on every side.

22 Alsowith the lute I will praise You—

AndYour faithfulness, O my God!

To You I will sing with the harp,

# OHoly One of Israel.

23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,

# Andmy soul, which You have redeemed.

24 My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;

For they are confounded,

For they are brought to shame

Who seek my hurt.

Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign

A

Psalm

#

of Solomon.

1 Give the king Your judgments, O God,

And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.

2 He will judge Your people with righteousness,

And Your poor with justice.

3 The mountains will bring peace to the people,

And the little hills, by righteousness.

4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people;

He will save the children of the needy,

And will break in pieces the oppressor.

5 They shall fear You

# As long as the sun and moon endure,

Throughout all generations.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,

Like showersthatwater the earth.

7 In His days the righteous shall flourish,

# And abundance of peace,

Until the moon is no more.

8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,

And from the River to the ends of the earth.

9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,

# And His enemies will lick the dust.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles

Will bring presents;

The kings of Sheba and Seba

Will offer gifts.

11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;

All nations shall serve Him.

12 For Hewill deliver the needy when he cries,

The poor also, andhimwho has no helper.

13 He will spare the poor and needy,

And will save the souls of the needy.

14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;

# Andprecious shall be their blood in His sight.

15 And He shall live;

# And the gold ofSheba will be given to Him;

Prayer also will be made for Him continually,

Anddaily He shall be praised.

16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth,

On the top of the mountains;

Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon;

# Andthoseof the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17 His name shall endure forever;

His name shall continue as long as the sun.

# Andmenshall be blessed in Him;

# All nations shall call Him blessed.

18 BlessedbetheLordGod, the God of Israel,

# Who only does wondrous things!

19 AndblessedbeHis glorious name forever!

# And let the whole earth be filledwithHis glory.

Amen and Amen.

20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

BOOK THREE: Psalms 73—89

The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God

A Psalm of

#

Asaph.

1 Truly Godisgood to Israel,

To such as are pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

# My steps had nearlyslipped.

3 For Iwasenvious of the boastful,

# When I saw the prosperity of thewicked.

4 Forthereareno pangs in their death,

But their strengthisfirm.

5 Theyarenot in troubleasothermen,

Nor are they plagued likeothermen.

6 Therefore pride serves as their necklace;

# Violence covers themlikea garment.

7 Their eyes bulge with abundance;

They have more than heart could wish.

8 They scoff and speak wickedlyconcerningoppression;

# Theyspeak loftily.

9 They set their mouthagainst the heavens,

And their tongue walks through the earth.

10 Therefore his people return here,

# And waters of a fullcupare drained by them.

11 And they say,“How does God know?

And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

12 Behold, thesearethe ungodly,

Who are always at ease;

They increaseinriches.

13 Surely I have cleansed my heartinvain,

And washed my hands in innocence.

14 For all day long I have been plagued,

And chastened every morning.

15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”

Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

16 When I thoughthowto understand this,

Itwastoo painful for me—

17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God;

# ThenI understood theirend.

18 SurelyYou set them in slippery places;

You cast them down to destruction.

19 Oh, how they arebroughtto desolation, as in a moment!

They are utterly consumed with terrors.

20 As a dream whenoneawakes,

So,Lord, when You awake,

You shall despise their image.

21 Thus my heart was grieved,

And I was vexed in my mind.

22 Iwasso foolish and ignorant;

I waslikea beast before You.

23 Nevertheless Iamcontinually with You;

You holdmeby my right hand.

24 You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive metoglory.

25 Whom have I in heavenbutYou?

Andthereisnone upon earththatI desire besides You.

26 My flesh and my heart fail;

# ButGodisthe strength of my heart and myportion forever.

27 For indeed,those who are far from You shall perish;

You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.

28 Butitisgood for me todraw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord God,

# That I maydeclare all Your works.

A Plea for Relief from Oppressors

A Contemplation of Asaph.

1 O God, why have You castusoff forever?

Whydoes Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

2 Remember Your congregation,whichYou have purchased of old,

The tribe of Your inheritance,whichYou have redeemed—

This Mount Zion where You have dwelt.

3 Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.

The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.

4 Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place;

# They set up their bannersforsigns.

5 They seem like men who lift up

Axes among the thick trees.

6 And now they break down its carved work, all at once,

With axes and hammers.

7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary;

They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.

8 They said in their hearts,

“Let us destroy them altogether.”

They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.

9 We do not see our signs;

# Thereisno longer any prophet;

Noristhereany among us who knows how long.

10 O God, how long will the adversary reproach?

Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?

11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?

Takeitout of Your bosom and destroythem.

12 ForGodismy King from of old,

Working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13 You divided the sea by Your strength;

You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.

14 You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces,

Andgave himasfood to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

15 You broke open the fountain and the flood;

# You dried up mighty rivers.

16 The dayisYours, the night alsoisYours;

# You have prepared the light and the sun.

17 You haveset all the borders of the earth;

# You have made summer and winter.

18 Remember this,thatthe enemy has reproached, OLord,

Andthata foolish people has blasphemed Your name.

19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast!

Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.

20 Have respect to the covenant;

For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.

21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed!

Let the poor and needy praise Your name.

22 Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;

Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.

23 Do not forget the voice of Your enemies;

The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.

Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment

To the Chief Musician. Set to

#

“Do Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

1 We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!

For Your wondrous works declarethatYour name is near.

2 “When I choose the proper time,

I will judge uprightly.

3 The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved;

I set up its pillars firmly.

Selah

4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’

# And to the wicked,‘Do not lift up the horn.

5 Do not lift up your horn on high;

Donotspeak with a stiff neck.’ ”

6 For exaltationcomesneither from the east

Nor from the west nor from the south.

7 ButGodisthe Judge:

# He puts down one,

And exalts another.

8 Forin the hand of theLordthereisa cup,

And the wine is red;

It is fully mixed, and He pours it out;

Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth

Drainanddrink down.

9 But I will declare forever,

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 “Allthe horns of the wicked I will also cut off,

# Butthe horns of the righteous shall beexalted.”

The Majesty of God in Judgment

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

1 InJudah Godisknown;

His nameisgreat in Israel.

2 In Salem also is His tabernacle,

And His dwelling place in Zion.

3 There He broke the arrows of the bow,

The shield and sword of battle.

Selah

4 Youaremore glorious and excellent

# Thanthe mountains of prey.

5 The stouthearted were plundered;

# They have sunk into their sleep;

And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.

6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,

Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

7 You, Yourself,areto be feared;

# Andwho may stand in Your presence

When once You are angry?

8 You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;

# The earth feared and was still,

9 When Godarose to judgment,

To deliver all the oppressed of the earth.

Selah

10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;

With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.

11 Make vows to theLordyour God, and paythem;

# Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.

12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes;

# Heisawesome to the kings of the earth.

The Consoling Memory of God’s Redemptive Works

To the Chief Musician.

#

To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 I cried out to God with my voice—

To God with my voice;

And He gave ear to me.

2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;

My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;

My soul refused to be comforted.

3 I remembered God, and was troubled;

I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.

Selah

4 You hold my eyelidsopen;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5 I have considered the days of old,

The years of ancient times.

6 I call to remembrance my song in the night;

I meditate within my heart,

And my spirit makes diligent search.

7 Will the Lord cast off forever?

And will He be favorable no more?

8 Has His mercy ceased forever?

# HasHispromise failed forevermore?

9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?

Selah

10 And I said, “Thisismy anguish;

ButIwillrememberthe years of the right hand of the Most High.”

11 I will remember the works of theLord;

Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

12 I will also meditate on all Your work,

And talk of Your deeds.

13 Your way, O God,isin thesanctuary;

Whoisso great a God asourGod?

14 Youarethe God who does wonders;

You have declared Your strength among the peoples.

15 You have withYourarm redeemed Your people,

The sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

16 The waters saw You, O God;

# The waters saw You, they wereafraid;

The depths also trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water;

The skies sent out a sound;

Your arrows also flashed about.

18 The voice of Your thunderwasin the whirlwind;

The lightnings lit up the world;

The earth trembled and shook.

19 Your waywasin the sea,

Your path in the great waters,

And Your footsteps were not known.

20 You led Your people like a flock

By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

God’s Kindness to Rebellious Israel

A

#

Contemplation of Asaph.

1 Give ear, O my people,tomy law;

Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in aparable;

I will utter dark sayings of old,

3 Which we have heard and known,

And our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hidethemfrom their children,

# Telling to the generation to come the praises of theLord,

And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

5 ForHe established a testimony in Jacob,

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which He commanded our fathers,

# Thatthey should make them known to their children;

6 That the generation to come might knowthem,

The childrenwhowould be born,

Thatthey may arise and declarethemto their children,

7 That they may set their hope in God,

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments;

8 Andmay not be like their fathers,

# A stubborn and rebellious generation,

# A generationthatdid not set its heart aright,

And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The children of Ephraim,beingarmedandcarrying bows,

Turned back in the day of battle.

10 They did not keep the covenant of God;

They refused to walk in His law,

11 Andforgot His works

And His wonders that He had shown them.

12 Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers,

# In the land of Egypt,inthe field of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through;

# AndHe made the waters stand up like a heap.

14 In the daytime also He led them with the cloud,

And all the night with a light of fire.

15 He split the rocks in the wilderness,

And gavethemdrink in abundance like the depths.

16 He also broughtstreams out of the rock,

And caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 But they sinned even more against Him

# Byrebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

18 Andthey tested God in their heart

By asking for the food of their fancy.

19 Yes, they spoke against God:

They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

20 Behold, He struck the rock,

So that the waters gushed out,

And the streams overflowed.

Can He give bread also?

Can He provide meat for His people?”

21 Therefore theLordheardthisandwas furious;

So a fire was kindled against Jacob,

And anger also came up against Israel,

22 Because theydid not believe in God,

And did not trust in His salvation.

23 Yet He had commanded the clouds above,

# And opened the doors of heaven,

24 Had rained down manna on them to eat,

# And given them of the bread ofheaven.

25 Men ate angels’ food;

He sent them food to the full.

26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heavens;

And by His power He brought in the south wind.

27 He also rained meat on them like the dust,

Feathered fowl like the sand of the seas;

28 And He letthemfall in the midst of their camp,

All around their dwellings.

29 So they ate and were well filled,

For He gave them their own desire.

30 They were not deprived of their craving;

# Butwhile their foodwasstill in their mouths,

31 The wrath of God came against them,

And slew the stoutest of them,

And struck down the choicemenof Israel.

32 In spite of thisthey still sinned,

# Anddid not believe in His wondrous works.

33 Therefore their days He consumed in futility,

And their years in fear.

34 When He slew them, then they sought Him;

And they returned and sought earnestly for God.

35 Then they remembered thatGodwastheir rock,

# And the Most High Godtheir Redeemer.

36 Nevertheless theyflattered Him with their mouth,

And they lied to Him with their tongue;

37 For their heart was not steadfast with Him,

Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

38 But He,beingfull ofcompassion, forgavetheiriniquity,

And did not destroythem.

# Yes, many a timeHe turned His anger away,

# Anddid not stir up all His wrath;

39 ForHe rememberedthat theywerebutflesh,

# A breath that passes away and does not come again.

40 How often theyprovoked Him in the wilderness,

Andgrieved Him in the desert!

41 Yes,again and again they tempted God,

And limited the Holy One of Israel.

42 They did not remember His power:

The day when He redeemed them from the enemy,

43 When He worked His signs in Egypt,

And His wonders in the field of Zoan;

44 Turned their rivers into blood,

And their streams, that they could not drink.

45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,

# Andfrogs, which destroyed them.

46 He also gave their crops to the caterpillar,

# And their labor to thelocust.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail,

And their sycamore trees with frost.

48 He also gave up theircattle to the hail,

And their flocks to fiery lightning.

49 He cast on them the fierceness of His anger,

Wrath, indignation, and trouble,

By sending angels of destructionamongthem.

50 He made a path for His anger;

He did not spare their soul from death,

But gave their life over to the plague,

51 And destroyed all thefirstborn in Egypt,

The first oftheirstrength in the tents of Ham.

52 But Hemade His own people go forth like sheep,

And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;

53 And Heled them on safely, so that they did not fear;

# But the seaoverwhelmed their enemies.

54 And He brought them to Hisholy border,

# This mountainwhichHis right hand had acquired.

55 He also drove out the nations before them,

# Allotted them an inheritance by survey,

And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

56 Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,

And did not keep His testimonies,

57 Butturned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;

# They were turned asidelike a deceitful bow.

58 For they provoked Him to anger with theirhigh places,

And moved Him to jealousy with their carved images.

59 When God heardthis,He was furious,

And greatly abhorred Israel,

60 So that He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,

The tent He had placed among men,

61 And delivered His strength into captivity,

And His glory into the enemy’s hand.

62 He also gave His people over to the sword,

And was furious with His inheritance.

63 The fire consumed their young men,

# Andtheir maidens were not given in marriage.

64 Their priests fell by the sword,

# Andtheir widows made no lamentation.

65 Then the Lord awoke asfromsleep,

# Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.

66 AndHe beat back His enemies;

He put them to a perpetual reproach.

67 Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph,

And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,

68 But chose the tribe of Judah,

# Mount Zionwhich He loved.

69 And He built Hissanctuary like the heights,

Like the earth which He has established forever.

70 He also chose David His servant,

And took him from the sheepfolds;

71 From followingthe ewes that had young He brought him,

# To shepherd Jacob His people,

And Israel His inheritance.

72 So he shepherded them according to theintegrity of his heart,

And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.