New King James Version (NKJV)

Praise to the Lord for His Holiness

1 TheLordreigns;

Let the peoples tremble!

# He dwellsbetweenthe cherubim;

Let the earth be moved!

2 TheLordisgreat in Zion,

And Heishigh above all the peoples.

3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name—

Heisholy.

4 The King’s strength also loves justice;

You have established equity;

You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

5 Exalt theLordour God,

And worship at His footstool—

Heisholy.

6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests,

# And Samuel was among those whocalled upon His name;

They called upon theLord, and He answered them.

7 He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar;

They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them.

8 You answered them, OLordour God;

You were to them God-Who-Forgives,

Though You took vengeance on their deeds.

9 Exalt theLordour God,

And worship at His holy hill;

For theLordour Godisholy.

A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People

#

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Makea joyful shout to theLord, all you lands!

2 Serve theLordwith gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

3 Know that theLord, HeisGod;

# ItisHewhohas made us, and not we ourselves;

# WeareHis people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

Andinto His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him,andbless His name.

5 For theLordisgood;

# His mercyiseverlasting,

And His truthenduresto all generations.

Promised Faithfulness to the Lord

A Psalm of David.

1 I will sing of mercy and justice;

To You, OLord, I will sing praises.

2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way.

Oh, when will You come to me?

# I willwalk within my house with a perfect heart.

3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;

# I hate the work of thosewho fall away;

It shall not cling to me.

4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;

# I will notknow wickedness.

5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,

Him I will destroy;

# The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,

Him I will not endure.

6 My eyesshallbeon the faithful of the land,

That they may dwell with me;

He who walks in a perfect way,

He shall serve me.

7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;

He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.

8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land,

# That I may cut off all the evildoersfrom the city of theLord.

The Lord’s Eternal Love

A Prayer of the afflicted,

#

when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the

Lord

.

1 Hear my prayer, OLord,

And let my cry come to You.

2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;

Incline Your ear to me;

In the day that I call, answer me speedily.

3 For my days areconsumed like smoke,

And my bones are burned like a hearth.

4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass,

So that I forget to eat my bread.

5 Because of the sound of my groaning

My bones cling to my skin.

6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;

I am like an owl of the desert.

7 I lie awake,

And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.

8 My enemies reproach me all day long;

Those who deride me swear an oath against me.

9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,

And mingled my drink with weeping,

10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;

For You have lifted me up and cast me away.

11 My daysarelike a shadow that lengthens,

And I wither away like grass.

12 But You, OLord, shall endure forever,

And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.

13 You will ariseandhave mercy on Zion;

For the time to favor her,

Yes, the set time, has come.

14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,

And show favor to her dust.

15 So the nations shallfear the name of theLord,

And all the kings of the earth Your glory.

16 For theLordshall build up Zion;

# He shall appear in His glory.

17 He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,

And shall not despise their prayer.

18 This will bewritten for the generation to come,

# Thata people yet to be created may praise theLord.

19 For Helooked down from the height of His sanctuary;

From heaven theLordviewed the earth,

20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner,

To release those appointed to death,

21 Todeclare the name of theLordin Zion,

And His praise in Jerusalem,

22 When the peoples are gathered together,

And the kingdoms, to serve theLord.

23 He weakened my strength in the way;

# Heshortened my days.

24 I said, “O my God,

Do not take me away in the midst of my days;

# Your yearsarethroughout all generations.

25 Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,

And the heavensarethe work of Your hands.

26 They will perish, but You will endure;

Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;

Like a cloak You will change them,

And they will be changed.

27 ButYouarethe same,

And Your years will have no end.

28 The children of Your servants will continue,

And their descendants will be established before You.”

Praise for the Lord’s Mercies

A

Psalm

of David.

1 BlesstheLord, O my soul;

And all that is within me,blessHis holy name!

2 Bless theLord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

# Whoheals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,

# Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with goodthings,

# Sothatyour youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 TheLordexecutes righteousness

And justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known His ways to Moses,

His acts to the children of Israel.

8 TheLordismerciful and gracious,

Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

9 He will not always strivewithus,

Nor will He keepHisangerforever.

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,

Sogreat is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

12 As far as the east is from the west,

# Sofar has Heremoved our transgressions from us.

13 As a father pitieshischildren,

SotheLordpities those who fear Him.

14 For He knows our frame;

He remembers that wearedust.

15 Asforman,his daysarelike grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

# Andits place remembers it no more.

17 But the mercy of theLordisfrom everlasting to everlasting

On those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children’s children,

18 To such as keep His covenant,

And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

19 TheLordhas established His throne in heaven,

# AndHis kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless theLord, you His angels,

# Who excel in strength, whodo His word,

Heeding the voice of His word.

21 Bless theLord, allyouHis hosts,

# Youministers of His, who do His pleasure.

22 Bless theLord, all His works,

In all places of His dominion.

Bless theLord, O my soul!

Praise to the Sovereign Lord for His Creation and Providence

1 BlesstheLord, O my soul!

OLordmy God, You are very great:

You are clothed with honor and majesty,

2 Who coverYourselfwith light aswitha garment,

Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.

3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,

Who makes the clouds His chariot,

Who walks on the wings of the wind,

4 Who makes His angels spirits,

His ministers a flame of fire.

5 Youwholaid the foundations of the earth,

Sothatit should not be moved forever,

6 Youcovered it with the deep aswitha garment;

The waters stood above the mountains.

7 At Your rebuke they fled;

At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.

8 They went up over the mountains;

They went down into the valleys,

To the place which You founded for them.

9 You haveset a boundary that they may not pass over,

# That they may not return to cover the earth.

10 He sends the springs into the valleys;

They flow among the hills.

11 They give drink to every beast of the field;

The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home;

They sing among the branches.

13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers;

# The earth is satisfied withthe fruit of Your works.

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,

And vegetation for the service of man,

# That he may bring forthfood from the earth,

15 Andwinethatmakes glad the heart of man,

Oil to makehisface shine,

And breadwhichstrengthens man’s heart.

16 The trees of theLordare fullofsap,

The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

17 Where the birds make their nests;

The stork has her home in the fir trees.

18 The high hillsarefor the wild goats;

# The cliffs are a refuge for therock badgers.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons;

# Thesun knows its going down.

20 You make darkness, and it is night,

In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.

21 The young lions roar after their prey,

And seek their food from God.

22 Whenthe sun rises, they gather together

And lie down in their dens.

23 Man goes out tohis work

And to his labor until the evening.

24 OLord, how manifold are Your works!

In wisdom You have made them all.

# The earth is full of Yourpossessions—

25 This great and wide sea,

In whichareinnumerable teeming things,

Living things both small and great.

26 There the ships sail about;

# ThereisthatLeviathan

Which You have made to play there.

27 These all wait for You,

That You may givethemtheir food in due season.

28 WhatYou give them they gather in;

You open Your hand, they are filled with good.

29 You hide Your face, they are troubled;

# You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;

And You renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of theLordendure forever;

# May theLordrejoice in His works.

32 He looks on the earth, and ittrembles;

# He touches the hills, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to theLordas long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 May mymeditation be sweet to Him;

I will be glad in theLord.

35 Maysinners be consumed from the earth,

And the wicked be no more.

Bless theLord, O my soul!

Praise theLord!

The Eternal Faithfulness of the Lord

1 Oh,give thanks to theLord!

Call upon His name;

# Make known His deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

# Talk of all His wondrous works!

3 Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek theLord!

4 Seek theLordand His strength;

# Seek His face evermore!

5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,

His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

6 O seed of Abraham His servant,

You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

7 HeistheLordour God;

# His judgmentsarein all the earth.

8 Heremembers His covenant forever,

The wordwhichHe commanded, for a thousand generations,

9 Thecovenantwhich He made with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac,

10 And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,

To Israelasan everlasting covenant,

11 Saying,“To you I will give the land of Canaan

As the allotment of your inheritance,”

12 When they were few in number,

# Indeed very few,and strangers in it.

13 When they went from one nation to another,

Fromonekingdom to another people,

14 He permitted no one to do them wrong;

# Yes,He rebuked kings for their sakes,

15 Saying,“Do not touch My anointed ones,

And do My prophets no harm.”

16 MoreoverHe called for a famine in the land;

# He destroyed all theprovision of bread.

17 He sent a man before them—

# Joseph—whowas sold as a slave.

18 They hurt his feet with fetters,

He was laid in irons.

19 Until the time that his word came to pass,

# The word of theLordtested him.

20 The king sent and released him,

The ruler of the people let him go free.

21 He made him lord of his house,

And ruler of all his possessions,

22 To bind his princes at his pleasure,

And teach his elders wisdom.

23 Israel also came into Egypt,

# And Jacob dweltin the land of Ham.

24 He increased His people greatly,

And made them stronger than their enemies.

25 He turned their heart to hate His people,

To deal craftily with His servants.

26 He sent Moses His servant,

AndAaron whom He had chosen.

27 Theyperformed His signs among them,

And wonders in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness, and madeitdark;

And they did not rebel against His word.

29 He turned their waters into blood,

And killed their fish.

30 Their land abounded with frogs,

Evenin the chambers of their kings.

31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

Andlice in all their territory.

32 He gave them hail for rain,

Andflaming fire in their land.

33 He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,

And splintered the trees of their territory.

34 He spoke, and locusts came,

Young locusts without number,

35 And ate up all the vegetation in their land,

And devoured the fruit of their ground.

36 He also destroyed all the firstborn in their land,

# The first of all their strength.

37 He also brought them out with silver and gold,

Andtherewasnone feeble among His tribes.

38 Egypt was glad when they departed,

For the fear of them had fallen upon them.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering,

And fire to give light in the night.

40 Thepeopleasked, and He brought quail,

# Andsatisfied them with the bread of heaven.

41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

It ran in the dry placeslikea river.

42 For He rememberedHis holy promise,

AndAbraham His servant.

43 He brought out His people with joy,

His chosen ones with gladness.

44 He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,

And they inherited the labor of the nations,

45 That they might observe His statutes

And keep His laws.

Praise theLord!

Joy in Forgiveness of Israel’s Sins

1 Praise theLord!

# Oh, give thanks to theLord, forHeisgood!

For His mercyenduresforever.

2 Who can utter the mighty acts of theLord?

Who can declare all His praise?

3 Blessedarethose who keep justice,

# Andhe whodoes righteousness atall times!

4 Remember me, OLord, with the favorYouhavetowardYour people.

Oh, visit me with Your salvation,

5 That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones,

That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,

That I may glory with Your inheritance.

6 We have sinned with our fathers,

We have committed iniquity,

We have done wickedly.

7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;

They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies,

# But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea.

8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake,

# That He might make His mighty power known.

9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;

# SoHe led them through the depths,

As through the wilderness.

10 Hesaved them from the hand of him who hatedthem,

And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

11 The waters covered their enemies;

There was not one of them left.

12 Then they believed His words;

They sang His praise.

13 They soon forgot His works;

They did not wait for His counsel,

14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,

And tested God in the desert.

15 And He gave them their request,

# Butsent leanness into their soul.

16 Whenthey envied Moses in the camp,

AndAaron the saint of theLord,

17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan,

And covered the faction of Abiram.

18 A fire was kindled in their company;

The flame burned up the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb,

And worshiped the molded image.

20 Thusthey changed their glory

Into the image of an ox that eats grass.

21 They forgot God their Savior,

Who had done great things in Egypt,

22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,

Awesome things by the Red Sea.

23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,

# Had not Moses His chosen onestood before Him in the breach,

To turn away His wrath, lest He destroythem.

24 Then they despisedthe pleasant land;

# Theydid not believe His word,

25 But complained in their tents,

Anddid not heed the voice of theLord.

26 Therefore He raised His handinanoathagainst them,

# To overthrow them in the wilderness,

27 To overthrow their descendants among the nations,

And to scatter them in the lands.

28 They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor,

And ate sacrifices made to the dead.

29 Thus they provokedHimto anger with their deeds,

And the plague broke out among them.

30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,

And the plague was stopped.

31 And that was accounted to himfor righteousness

To all generations forevermore.

32 They angeredHimalso at the waters of strife,

# So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;

33 Because they rebelled against His Spirit,

So that he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They did not destroy the peoples,

# Concerning whom theLordhad commanded them,

35 But they mingled with the Gentiles

And learned their works;

36 They served their idols,

# Which became a snare to them.

37 They even sacrificed their sons

# And their daughters todemons,

38 And shed innocent blood,

The blood of their sons and daughters,

Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;

# Andthe land was polluted with blood.

39 Thus they weredefiled by their own works,

# Andplayed the harlot by their own deeds.

40 Thereforethe wrath of theLordwas kindled against His people,

# So that He abhorredHis own inheritance.

41 AndHe gave them into the hand of the Gentiles,

And those who hated them ruled over them.

42 Their enemies also oppressed them,

And they were brought into subjection under their hand.

43 Many times He delivered them;

But they rebelled in their counsel,

And were brought low for their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,

# WhenHe heard their cry;

45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant,

# Andrelentedaccording to the multitude of His mercies.

46 He also made them to be pitied

By all those who carried them away captive.

47 Save us, OLordour God,

And gather us from among the Gentiles,

To give thanks to Your holy name,

To triumph in Your praise.

48 BlessedbetheLordGod of Israel

From everlasting to everlasting!

And let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise theLord!

BOOK FIVE: Psalms 107—150

Thanksgiving to the Lord for His Great Works of Deliverance

1 Oh,give thanks to theLord, forHeisgood!

For His mercyenduresforever.

2 Let the redeemed of theLordsayso,

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

3 Andgathered out of the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the south.

4 They wandered inthe wilderness in a desolate way;

They found no city to dwell in.

5 Hungry and thirsty,

Their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried out to theLordin their trouble,

AndHe delivered them out of their distresses.

7 And He led them forth by theright way,

That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.

8 Oh, thatmenwould give thanks to theLordforHis goodness,

AndforHis wonderful works to the children of men!

9 ForHe satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

10 Those whosat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

# Bound in affliction and irons—

11 Because theyrebelled against the words of God,

# And despisedthe counsel of the Most High,

12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;

# They fell down, andtherewasnone to help.

13 Then they cried out to theLordin their trouble,

AndHe saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,

And broke their chains in pieces.

15 Oh, thatmenwould give thanks to theLordforHis goodness,

AndforHis wonderful works to the children of men!

16 For He hasbroken the gates of bronze,

And cut the bars of iron in two.

17 Fools,because of their transgression,

And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food,

# And theydrew near to the gates of death.

19 Then they cried out to theLordin their trouble,

AndHe saved them out of their distresses.

20 He sent His word andhealed them,

# Anddeliveredthemfrom their destructions.

21 Oh, thatmenwould give thanks to theLordforHis goodness,

AndforHis wonderful works to the children of men!

22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,

# Anddeclare His works with rejoicing.

23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,

Who do business on great waters,

24 They see the works of theLord,

And His wonders in the deep.

25 For He commands andraises the stormy wind,

Which lifts up the waves of the sea.

26 They mount up to the heavens,

They go down again to the depths;

# Their soul melts because of trouble.

27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,

And are at their wits’ end.

28 Then they cry out to theLordin their trouble,

And He brings them out of their distresses.

29 He calms the storm,

So that its waves are still.

30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;

So He guides them to their desired haven.

31 Oh, thatmenwould give thanks to theLordforHis goodness,

AndforHis wonderful works to the children of men!

32 Let them exalt Him alsoin the assembly of the people,

And praise Him in the company of the elders.

33 Heturns rivers into a wilderness,

And the watersprings into dry ground;

34 Afruitful land into barrenness,

For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water,

And dry land into watersprings.

36 There He makes the hungry dwell,

That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,

37 And sow fields and plant vineyards,

That they may yield a fruitful harvest.

38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;

# And He does not let their cattledecrease.

39 When they arediminished and brought low

Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,

40 He pours contempt on princes,

And causes them to wander in the wildernesswherethereisno way;

41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,

# Andmakestheirfamilies like a flock.

42 The righteous seeitand rejoice,

# And alliniquity stops its mouth.

43 Whoeveriswise will observe thesethings,

And they will understand the lovingkindness of theLord.

Assurance of God’s Victory over Enemies

A Song. A Psalm of David.

1 OGod, my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

2 Awake, lute and harp!

I will awaken the dawn.

3 I will praise You, OLord, among the peoples,

And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

4 For Your mercyisgreat above the heavens,

And Your truthreachesto the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

And Your glory above all the earth;

6 That Your beloved may be delivered,

SavewithYour right hand, and hear me.

7 God has spoken in His holiness:

“I will rejoice;

I will divide Shechem

And measure out the Valley of Succoth.

8 GileadisMine; ManassehisMine;

Ephraim alsoisthe helmet for My head;

# JudahisMy lawgiver.

9 MoabisMy washpot;

Over Edom I will cast My shoe;

Over Philistia I will triumph.”

10 Who will bring meintothe strong city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

11 IsitnotYou,O God,whocast us off?

AndYou,O God,whodid not go out with our armies?

12 Give us help from trouble,

For the help of man is useless.

13 Through God we will do valiantly,

ForitisHewhoshall tread down our enemies.