The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
How blessed is the man who adoes not walk in the bcounsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the cpath of sinners,
Nor dsit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his adelight is bin the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates cday and dnight.
3 He will be like aa tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, bhe prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like achaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore athe wicked will not stand in the bjudgment,
Nor sinners in cthe assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord aknows the way of the righteous,
But the way of bthe wicked will perish.
The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed.
Why are athe nations in an uproar
And the peoples bdevising a vain thing?
2 The akings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
bAgainst the Lord and against His cAnointed, saying,
3 “Let us atear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”
4 He who sits in the heavens alaughs,
The Lord bscoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His aanger
And bterrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed aMy King
Upon Zion, bMy holy mountain.”
7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are aMy Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and aI will surely give bthe nations as Your inheritance,
And the very cends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall abreak them with a rod of iron,
You shall bshatter them like earthenware.’”
10 Now therefore, O kings, ashow discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the Lord with areverence
And rejoice with btrembling.
12 Do homage to athe Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For bHis wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who ctake refuge in Him!
Morning Prayer of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
O Lord, how amy adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
2 Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no adeliverance for him in God.” Selah.
3 But You, O Lord, are aa shield about me,
My bglory, and the One who clifts my head.
4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He aanswered me from bHis holy mountain. Selah.
5 I alay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I will anot be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have bset themselves against me round about.
7 aArise, O Lord; bsave me, O my God!
For You have csmitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have dshattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 aSalvation belongs to the Lord;
Your bblessing be upon Your people! Selah.
Evening Prayer of Trust in God.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
aAnswer me when bI call, O God of my righteousness!
You have crelieved me in my distress;
Be dgracious to me and ehear my prayer.
2 O sons of men, how long will amy honor become ba reproach?
How long will you love cwhat is worthless and aim at ddeception? Selah.
3 But know that the Lord has aset apart the bgodly man for Himself;
The Lord chears when I call to Him.
4 aTremble, band do not sin;
cMeditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer the asacrifices of righteousness,
And btrust in the Lord.
6 Many are saying, “aWho will show us any good?”
bLift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!
7 You have put agladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will both alie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to bdwell in safety.
Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.
For the choir director; for flute accompaniment. A Psalm of David.
aGive ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my bgroaning.
2 Heed athe sound of my cry for help, bmy King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3 In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the amorning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly bwatch.
4 For You are not a God awho takes pleasure in wickedness;
bNo evil dwells with You.
5 The aboastful shall not bstand before Your eyes;
You chate all who do iniquity.
6 You adestroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors bthe man of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But as for me, aby Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bbow in creverence for You.
8 O Lord, alead me bin Your righteousness cbecause of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
9 There is anothing reliable in what they say;
Their binward part is destruction itself.
Their cthroat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, O God;
aBy their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions bthrust them out,
For they are crebellious against You.
11 But let all who atake refuge in You bbe glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You cshelter them,
That those who dlove Your name may exult in You.
12 For it is You who ablesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You bsurround him with favor as with a shield.
Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble.
For the choir director; with stringed instruments, upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David.
O Lord, ado not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am apining away;
bHeal me, O Lord, for cmy bones are dismayed.
3 And my asoul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O Lord—bhow long?
4 Return, O Lord, arescue my soul;
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.
5 For athere is no mention of You in death;
In Sheol who will give You thanks?
6 I am aweary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with bmy tears.
7 My aeye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.
8 aDepart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the Lord bhas heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord ahas heard my supplication,
The Lord breceives my prayer.
10 All my enemies will abe ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will bsuddenly be ashamed.
The Lord Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
O Lord my God, ain You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and bdeliver me,
2 Or he will tear my soul alike a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is ainjustice in my hands,
4 If I have arewarded evil to my friend,
Or have bplundered him who without cause was my adversary,
5 Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it;
And let him trample my life down to the ground
And lay my glory in the dust. Selah.
6 aArise, O Lord, in Your anger;
bLift up Yourself against cthe rage of my adversaries,
And darouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the apeoples encompass You,
And over them return on high.
8 The Lord ajudges the peoples;
bVindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 O let athe evil of the wicked come to an end, but bestablish the righteous;
For the righteous God ctries the hearts and minds.
10 My ashield is with God,
Who bsaves the upright in heart.
11 God is a arighteous judge,
And a God who has bindignation every day.
12 If a man adoes not repent, He will bsharpen His sword;
He has cbent His bow and made it ready.
13 He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His aarrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he aconceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.
15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has afallen into the hole which he made.
16 His amischief will return upon his own head,
And his bviolence will descend upon his own pate.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord aaccording to His righteousness
And will bsing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.