New King James Version (NKJV)

God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 OLord,You have searched me and knownme.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;

# Youunderstand my thought afar off.

3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Forthereisnot a word on my tongue,

# Butbehold, OLord,You know it altogether.

5 You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Suchknowledgeistoo wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannotattainit.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven, Youarethere;

# If I make my bed in hell, behold, Youarethere.

9 IfI take the wings of the morning,

Anddwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed,the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the lightareboth aliketoYou.

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfullyandwonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

Andthatmy soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

Andskillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

Whenasyettherewerenone of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

18 IfI should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You wouldslay the wicked, O God!

# Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20 For theyspeak against You wickedly;

Your enemies takeYournamein vain.

21 Do I not hate them, OLord, who hate You?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see ifthereisanywicked way in me,

# Andlead me in the way everlasting.

Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Deliver me, OLord, from evil men;

Preserve me from violent men,

2 Who plan evil things intheirhearts;

# They continually gather togetherforwar.

3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;

# Thepoison of aspsisunder their lips.

Selah

4 Keep me, OLord, from the hands of the wicked;

Preserve me from violent men,

Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.

5 The proud have hidden asnare for me, and cords;

They have spread a net by the wayside;

They have set traps for me.

Selah

6 I said to theLord: “Youaremy God;

Hear the voice of my supplications, OLord.

7 O Godthe Lord, the strength of my salvation,

You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Do not grant, OLord, the desires of the wicked;

Do not further hiswickedscheme,

# Lestthey be exalted.

Selah

9 “Asforthe head of those who surround me,

Let the evil of their lips cover them;

10 Let burning coals fall upon them;

Let them be cast into the fire,

Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;

Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrowhim.”

12 I know that theLordwillmaintain

The cause of the afflicted,

Andjustice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;

The upright shall dwell in Your presence.

Prayer for Safekeeping from Wickedness

A Psalm of David.

1 Lord, I cry out to You;

Make haste to me!

Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.

2 Let my prayer be set before Youasincense,

# The lifting up of my handsasthe evening sacrifice.

3 Set a guard, OLord, over mymouth;

Keep watch over the door of my lips.

4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,

To practice wicked works

With men who work iniquity;

# And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

5 Let the righteous strike me;

Itshallbea kindness.

And let him rebuke me;

Itshallbeas excellent oil;

Let my head not refuse it.

For still my prayerisagainst the deeds of the wicked.

6 Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff,

And they hear my words, for they are sweet.

7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave,

As when one plows and breaks up the earth.

8 Butmy eyesareupon You, O Godthe Lord;

In You I take refuge;

Do not leave my soul destitute.

9 Keep me fromthe snares they have laid for me,

And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

While I escape safely.

A Plea for Relief from Persecutors

A

#

Contemplation of David. A Prayer

#

when he was in the cave.

1 I cry out to theLordwith my voice;

With my voice to theLordI make my supplication.

2 I pour out my complaint before Him;

I declare before Him my trouble.

3 When my spirit wasoverwhelmed within me,

Then You knew my path.

In the way in which I walk

# They have secretlyset a snare for me.

4 Look onmyright hand and see,

Forthereisno one who acknowledges me;

Refuge has failed me;

No one cares for my soul.

5 I cried out to You, OLord:

I said, “Youaremy refuge,

My portion in the land of the living.

6 Attend to my cry,

For I am brought very low;

Deliver me from my persecutors,

For they are stronger than I.

7 Bring my soul out of prison,

# That I maypraise Your name;

The righteous shall surround me,

For You shall deal bountifully with me.”

An Earnest Appeal for Guidance and Deliverance

A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my prayer, OLord,

Give ear to my supplications!

In Your faithfulness answer me,

Andin Your righteousness.

2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,

# For in Your sight no one living is righteous.

3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;

He has crushed my life to the ground;

He has made me dwell in darkness,

Like those who have long been dead.

4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;

My heart within me is distressed.

5 I remember the days of old;

I meditate on all Your works;

I muse on the work of Your hands.

6 I spread out my hands to You;

# My soullongsfor You like a thirsty land.

Selah

7 Answer me speedily, OLord;

My spirit fails!

Do not hide Your face from me,

# Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.

8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindnessin the morning,

For in You do I trust;

# Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,

# ForI lift up my soul to You.

9 Deliver me, OLord, from my enemies;

In You I take shelter.

10 Teach me to do Your will,

For Youaremy God;

# Your Spiritisgood.

# Lead me inthe land of uprightness.

11 Revive me, OLord, for Your name’s sake!

For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

12 In Your mercycut off my enemies,

And destroy all those who afflict my soul;

For IamYour servant.

A Song to the Lord Who Preserves and Prospers His People

A

Psalm

of David.

1 BlessedbetheLordmy Rock,

# Who trains my hands for war,

Andmy fingers for battle—

2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,

My high tower and my deliverer,

My shield andtheOnein whom I take refuge,

Who subdues my people under me.

3 Lord, whatisman, that You take knowledge of him?

Orthe son of man, that You are mindful of him?

4 Man is like a breath;

# His daysarelike a passing shadow.

5 Bow down Your heavens, OLord, and come down;

# Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;

Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.

7 Stretch out Your hand from above;

Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,

From the hand of foreigners,

8 Whose mouthspeaks lying words,

And whose right handisa right hand of falsehood.

9 I willsing a new song to You, O God;

On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,

10 TheOnewho gives salvation to kings,

# Who delivers David His servant

From the deadly sword.

11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,

Whose mouth speaks lying words,

And whose right handisa right hand of falsehood—

12 That our sonsmaybeas plants grown up in their youth;

Thatour daughtersmaybeas pillars,

Sculptured in palace style;

13 Thatour barnsmaybefull,

Supplying all kinds of produce;

Thatour sheep may bring forth thousands

And ten thousands in our fields;

14 Thatour oxenmaybewell laden;

Thattherebeno breaking in or going out;

Thattherebeno outcry in our streets.

15 Happyarethe people who are in such a state;

Happyarethe people whose GodistheLord!

A Song of God’s Majesty and Love

#

A Praise of David.

1 I will extol You, my God, O King;

And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless You,

And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3 GreatistheLord, and greatly to be praised;

# AndHis greatnessisunsearchable.

4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,

And shall declare Your mighty acts.

5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,

And on Your wondrous works.

6 Menshall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,

And I will declare Your greatness.

7 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,

And shall sing of Your righteousness.

8 TheLordisgracious and full of compassion,

Slow to anger and great in mercy.

9 TheLordisgood to all,

And His tender merciesareover all His works.

10 All Your works shall praise You, OLord,

And Your saints shall bless You.

11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,

And talk of Your power,

12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,

And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

13 Your kingdomisan everlasting kingdom,

And Your dominionenduresthroughout all generations.

14 TheLordupholds all who fall,

# Andraises up allwhoarebowed down.

15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

# AndYou give them their food in due season.

16 You open Your hand

# And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 TheLordisrighteous in all His ways,

Gracious in all His works.

18 TheLordisnear to all who call upon Him,

# To all who call upon Himin truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry and save them.

20 TheLordpreserves all who love Him,

But all the wicked He will destroy.

21 My mouth shall speak the praise of theLord,

And all flesh shall bless His holy name

Forever and ever.

The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord

1 Praise theLord!

# Praise theLord, O my soul!

2 While I live I will praise theLord;

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

3 Do not put your trust in princes,

Norin a son of man, in whomthereisno help.

4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;

# In that very dayhis plans perish.

5 Happyishewhohasthe God of Jacob for his help,

Whose hopeisin theLordhis God,

6 Who made heaven and earth,

The sea, and all thatisin them;

Who keeps truth forever,

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,

# Who gives food to the hungry.

# TheLordgives freedom to the prisoners.

8 TheLordopenstheeyesofthe blind;

# TheLordraises those who are bowed down;

TheLordloves the righteous.

9 TheLordwatches over the strangers;

He relieves the fatherless and widow;

# But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

10 TheLordshall reign forever—

Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise theLord!

Praise to God for His Word and Providence

1 Praise theLord!

# Foritisgood to sing praises to our God;

# Foritispleasant,andpraise is beautiful.

2 TheLordbuilds up Jerusalem;

# He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted

And binds up their wounds.

4 He counts the number of the stars;

He calls them all by name.

5 Greatisour Lord, andmighty in power;

# His understandingisinfinite.

6 TheLordlifts up the humble;

He casts the wicked down to the ground.

7 Sing to theLordwith thanksgiving;

Sing praises on the harp to our God,

8 Who covers the heavens with clouds,

Who prepares rain for the earth,

Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

9 He gives to the beast its food,

# Andto the young ravens that cry.

10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;

He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.

11 TheLordtakes pleasure in those who fear Him,

In those who hope in His mercy.

12 Praise theLord, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;

He has blessed your children within you.

14 He makes peaceinyour borders,

# Andfills you with the finest wheat.

15 He sends out His commandtotheearth;

His word runs very swiftly.

16 He gives snow like wool;

He scatters the frost like ashes;

17 He casts out His hail like morsels;

Who can stand before His cold?

18 He sends out His word and melts them;

He causes His wind to blow,andthe waters flow.

19 He declares His word to Jacob,

# His statutes and His judgments to Israel.

20 He has not dealt thus with any nation;

AndasforHisjudgments, they have not known them.

Praise theLord!

Praise to the Lord from Creation

1 Praise theLord!

Praise theLordfrom the heavens;

Praise Him in the heights!

2 Praise Him, all His angels;

Praise Him, all His hosts!

3 Praise Him, sun and moon;

Praise Him, all you stars of light!

4 Praise Him,you heavens of heavens,

# Andyou waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of theLord,

# ForHe commanded and they were created.

6 He also established them forever and ever;

He made a decree which shall not pass away.

7 Praise theLordfrom the earth,

# You great sea creatures and all the depths;

8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;

Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

9 Mountains and all hills;

Fruitful trees and all cedars;

10 Beasts and all cattle;

Creeping things and flying fowl;

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;

Princes and all judges of the earth;

12 Both young men and maidens;

Old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of theLord,

# For Hisname alone is exalted;

His gloryisabove the earth and heaven.

14 And Hehas exalted the horn of His people,

# The praise ofall His saints—

Of the children of Israel,

# A people near to Him.

Praise theLord!