Month: December 2019

In Praise of God’s Goodness

1 I will always thank theLord;

I will never stop praising him.

2 I will praise him for what he has done;

may all who are oppressed listen and be glad!

3 Proclaim with me theLord’s greatness;

let us praise his name together!

4 I prayed to theLord, and he answered me;

he freed me from all my fears.

5 The oppressed look to him and are glad;

they will never be disappointed.

6 The helpless call to him, and he answers;

he saves them from all their troubles.

7 His angel guards those who honor theLord

and rescues them from danger.

8 Find out for yourself how good theLordis.

Happy are those who find safety with him.

9 Honor theLord, all his people;

those who obey him have all they need.

10 Even lions go hungry for lack of food,

but those who obey theLordlack nothing good.

11 Come, my young friends, and listen to me,

and I will teach you to honor theLord.

12 Would you like to enjoy life?

Do you want long life and happiness?

13 Then keep from speaking evil

and from telling lies.

14 Turn away from evil and do good;

strive for peace with all your heart.

15 TheLordwatches over the righteous

and listens to their cries;

16 but he opposes those who do evil,

so that when they die, they are soon forgotten.

17 The righteous call to theLord, and he listens;

he rescues them from all their troubles.

18 TheLordis near to those who are discouraged;

he saves those who have lost all hope.

19 Good people suffer many troubles,

but theLordsaves them from them all;

20 theLordpreserves them completely;

not one of their bones is broken.

21 Evil will kill the wicked;

those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 TheLordwill save his people;

those who go to him for protection will be spared.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/34-5472c209bdbef0c2b01c97111ad11e5c.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer for Help

1 Oppose those who oppose me,Lord,

and fight those who fight against me!

2 Take your shield and armor

and come to my rescue.

3 Lift up your spear and war ax

against those who pursue me.

Promise that you will save me.

4 May those who try to kill me

be defeated and disgraced!

May those who plot against me

be turned back and confused!

5 May they be like straw blown by the wind

as the angel of theLordpursues them!

6 May their path be dark and slippery

while the angel of theLordstrikes them down!

7 Without any reason they laid a trap for me

and dug a deep hole to catch me.

8 But destruction will catch them before they know it;

they will be caught in their own trap

and fall to their destruction!

9 Then I will be glad because of theLord;

I will be happy because he saved me.

10 With all my heart I will say to theLord,

“There is no one like you.

You protect the weak from the strong,

the poor from the oppressor.”

11 Evil people testify against me

and accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.

12 They pay me back evil for good,

and I sink in despair.

13 But when they were sick, I dressed in mourning;

I deprived myself of food;

I prayed with my head bowed low,

14 as I would pray for a friend or a brother.

I went around bent over in mourning,

as one who mourns for his mother.

15 But when I was in trouble, they were all glad

and gathered around to make fun of me;

strangers beat me

and kept striking me.

16 Like those who would mock a cripple,

they glared at me with hate.

17 How much longer, Lord, will you just look on?

Rescue me from their attacks;

save my life from these lions!

18 Then I will thank you in the assembly of your people;

I will praise you before them all.

19 Don’t let my enemies, those liars,

gloat over my defeat.

Don’t let those who hate me for no reason

smirk with delight over my sorrow.

20 They do not speak in a friendly way;

instead they invent all kinds of lies about peace-loving people.

21 They accuse me, shouting,

“We saw what you did!”

22 But you, OLord, have seen this.

So don’t be silent, Lord;

don’t keep yourself far away!

23 Rouse yourself, O Lord, and defend me;

rise up, my God, and plead my cause.

24 You are righteous, OLord, so declare me innocent;

don’t let my enemies gloat over me.

25 Don’t let them say to themselves,

“We are rid of him!

That’s just what we wanted!”

26 May those who gloat over my suffering

be completely defeated and confused;

may those who claim to be better than I am

be covered with shame and disgrace.

27 May those who want to see me acquitted

shout for joy and say again and again,

“How great is theLord!

He is pleased with the success of his servant.”

28 Then I will proclaim your righteousness,

and I will praise you all day long.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/35-c29e051f62980284523908785289d11f.mp3?version_id=68—

Human Wickedness

1 Sin speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts;

they reject God and do not have reverence for him.

2 Because they think so highly of themselves,

they think that God will not discover their sin and condemn it.

3 Their speech is wicked and full of lies;

they no longer do what is wise and good.

4 They make evil plans as they lie in bed;

nothing they do is good,

and they never reject anything evil.

The Goodness of God

5 Lord, your constant love reaches the heavens;

your faithfulness extends to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is towering like the mountains;

your justice is like the depths of the sea.

People and animals are in your care.

7 How precious, O God, is your constant love!

We findprotection under the shadow of your wings.

8 We feast on the abundant food you provide;

you let us drink from the river of your goodness.

9 You are the source of all life,

and because of your light we see the light.

10 Continue to love those who know you

and to do good to those who are righteous.

11 Do not let proud people attack me

or the wicked make me run away.

12 See where evil people have fallen.

There they lie, unable to rise.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/36-10a961ceebe217c9a6e4c7e2cfc15eb7.mp3?version_id=68—

The Destiny of the Wicked and of the Good

1 Don’t be worried on account of the wicked;

don’t be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 They will soon disappear like grass that dries up;

they will die like plants that wither.

3 Trust in theLordand do good;

live in the land and be safe.

4 Seek your happiness in theLord,

and he will give you your heart’s desire.

5 Give yourself to theLord;

trust in him, and he will help you;

6 he will make your righteousness shine like the noonday sun.

7 Be patient and wait for theLordto act;

don’t be worried about those who prosper

or those who succeed in their evil plans.

8 Don’t give in to worry or anger;

it only leads to trouble.

9 Those who trust in theLordwill possess the land,

but the wicked will be driven out.

10 Soon the wicked will disappear;

you may look for them, but you won’t find them;

11 but the humble will possess the land

and enjoy prosperity and peace.

12 The wicked plot against good people

and glare at them with hate.

13 But the Lord laughs at wicked people,

because he knows they will soon be destroyed.

14 The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows

to kill the poor and needy,

to slaughter those who do what is right;

15 but they will be killed by their own swords,

and their bows will be smashed.

16 The little that a good person owns

is worth more than the wealth of all the wicked,

17 because theLordwill take away the strength of the wicked,

but protect those who are good.

18 TheLordtakes care of those who obey him,

and the land will be theirs forever.

19 They will not suffer when times are bad;

they will have enough in time of famine.

20 But the wicked will die;

the enemies of theLordwill vanish like wild flowers;

they will disappear like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and never pay back,

but good people are generous with their gifts.

22 Those who are blessed by theLordwill possess the land,

but those who are cursed by him will be driven out.

23 TheLordguides us in the way we should go

and protects those who please him.

24 If they fall, they will not stay down,

because theLordwill help them up.

25 I am old now; I have lived a long time,

but I have never seen good people abandoned by theLord

or their children begging for food.

26 At all times they give freely and lend to others,

and their children are a blessing.

27 Turn away from evil and do good,

and your descendants will always live in the land;

28 for theLordloves what is right

and does not abandon his faithful people.

He protects them forever,

but the descendants of the wicked will be driven out.

29 The righteous will possess the land

and live in it forever.

30 The words of good people are wise,

and they are always fair.

31 They keep the law of their God in their hearts

and never depart from it.

32 Wicked people watch good people

and try to kill them;

33 but theLordwill not abandon them to their enemy’s power

or let them be condemned when they are on trial.

34 Put your hope in theLordand obey his commands;

he will honor you by giving you the land,

and you will see the wicked driven out.

35 I once knew someone wicked who was a tyrant;

he towered over everyone like a cedar of Lebanon;

36 but later Ipassed by, and he wasn’t there;

I looked for him, but couldn’t find him.

37 Notice good people, observe the righteous;

peaceful people have descendants,

38 but sinners are completely destroyed,

and their descendants are wiped out.

39 TheLordsaves the righteous

and protects them in times of trouble.

40 He helps them and rescues them;

he saves them from the wicked,

because they go to him for protection.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/37-9c55fa2201c7349fb385f309ca88684d.mp3?version_id=68—

The Prayer of a Sufferer

1 OLord, don’t punish me in your anger!

2 You have wounded me with your arrows;

you have struck me down.

3 Because of your anger, I am in great pain;

my whole body is diseased because of my sins.

4 I am drowning in the flood of my sins;

they are a burden too heavy to bear.

5 Because I have been foolish,

my sores stink and rot.

6 I am bent over, I am crushed;

I mourn all day long.

7 I am burning with fever

and I am near death.

8 I am worn out and utterly crushed;

my heart is troubled, and I groan with pain.

9 O Lord, you know what I long for;

you hear all my groans.

10 My heart is pounding, my strength is gone,

and my eyes have lost their brightness.

11 My friends and neighbors will not come near me,

because of my sores;

even my family keeps away from me.

12 Those who want to kill me lay traps for me,

and those who want to hurt me threaten to ruin me;

they never stop plotting against me.

13 I am like the deaf and cannot hear,

like the dumb and cannot speak.

14 I am like those who do not answer,

because they cannot hear.

15 But I trust in you, OLord;

and you, O Lord my God, will answer me.

16 Don’t let my enemies gloat over my distress;

don’t let them boast about my downfall!

17 I am about to fall

and am in constant pain.

18 I confess my sins;

they fill me with anxiety.

19 My enemies are healthy and strong;

there are many who hate me for no reason.

20 Those who pay back evil for good

are against me because I try to do right.

21 Do not abandon me, OLord;

do not stay away, my God!

22 Help me now, O Lord my savior!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/38-a41daf09f37ad0885432694e38acc9c9.mp3?version_id=68—

The Confession of a Sufferer

1 I said, “I will be careful about what I do

and will not let my tongue make me sin;

I will not say anything

while evil people are near.”

2 I kept quiet, not saying a word,

not even about anything good!

But my suffering only grew worse,

3 and I was overcome with anxiety.

The more I thought, the more troubled I became;

I could not keep from asking:

4 “Lord, how long will I live?

When will I die?

Tell me how soon my life will end.”

5 How short you have made my life!

In your sight my lifetime seems nothing.

Indeed every living being is no more than a puff of wind,

6 no more than a shadow.

All we do is for nothing;

we gather wealth, but don’t know who will get it.

7 What, then, can I hope for, Lord?

I put my hope in you.

8 Save me from all my sins,

and don’t let fools make fun of me.

9 I will keep quiet, I will not say a word,

for you are the one who made me suffer like this.

10 Don’t punish me any more!

I am about to die from your blows.

11 You punish our sins by your rebukes,

and like a moth you destroy what we love.

Indeed we are no more than a puff of wind!

12 Hear my prayer,Lord,

and listen to my cry;

come to my aid when I weep.

Like all my ancestors

I am only your guest for a little while.

13 Leave me alone so that I may have some happiness

before I go away and am no more.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/39-70e39ca9a033e9a5b9bb41dd5af22ff2.mp3?version_id=68—

A Song of Praise

1 I waited patiently for theLord’s help;

then he listened to me and heard my cry.

2 He pulled me out of a dangerous pit,

out of the deadly quicksand.

He set me safely on a rock

and made me secure.

3 He taught me to sing a new song,

a song of praise to our God.

Many who see this will take warning

and will put their trust in theLord.

4 Happy are those who trust theLord,

who do not turn to idols

or join those who worship false gods.

5 You have done many things for us, OLordour God;

there is no one like you!

You have made many wonderful plans for us.

I could never speak of them all—

their number is so great!

6 You do not want sacrifices and offerings;

you do not ask for animals burned whole on the altar

or for sacrifices to take away sins.

Instead, you have given me ears to hear you,

7 and so I answered, “Here I am;

your instructions for me are in the book of the Law.

8 How I love to do your will, my God!

I keep your teaching in my heart.”

9 In the assembly of all your people,Lord,

I told the good news that you save us.

You know that I will never stop telling it.

10 I have not kept the news of salvation to myself;

I have always spoken of your faithfulness and help.

In the assembly of all your people I have not been silent

about your loyalty and constant love.

11 Lord, I know you will never stop being merciful to me.

Your love and loyalty will always keep me safe.

A Prayer for Help

12 I am surrounded by many troubles—

too many to count!

My sins have caught up with me,

and I can no longer see;

they are more than the hairs of my head,

and I have lost my courage.

13 Save me,Lord! Help me now!

14 May those who try to kill me

be completely defeated and confused.

May those who are happy because of my troubles

be turned back and disgraced.

15 May those who make fun of me

be dismayed by their defeat.

16 May all who come to you

be glad and joyful.

May all who are thankful for your salvation

always say, “How great is theLord!”

17 I am weak and poor, O Lord,

but you have not forgotten me.

You are my savior and my God—

hurry to my aid!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/40-49287d4d0283b46ba3d70a7fd97c1b8c.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer in Sickness

1 Happy are those who are concerned for the poor;

theLordwill help them when they are in trouble.

2 TheLordwill protect them and preserve their lives;

he will make them happy in the land;

he will not abandon them to the power of their enemies.

3 TheLordwill help them when they are sick

and will restore them to health.

4 I said, “I have sinned against you,Lord;

be merciful to me and heal me.”

5 My enemies say cruel things about me.

They want me to die and be forgotten.

6 Those who come to see me are not sincere;

they gather bad news about me

and then go out and tell it everywhere.

7 All who hate me whisper to each other about me,

they imagine the worst aboutme.

8 They say, “He is fatally ill;

he will never leave his bed again.”

9 Even my best friend, the one I trusted most,

the one who shared my food,

has turned against me.

10 Be merciful to me,Lord, and restore my health,

and I will pay my enemies back.

11 They will not triumph over me,

and I will know that you are pleased with me.

12 You will help me, because I do what is right;

you will keep me in your presence forever.

13 Praise theLord, the God of Israel!

Praise him now and forever!

Amen! Amen!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/41-b02473dfb2d110c95a665eb8880e03c4.mp3?version_id=68—

The Prayer of Someone in Exile

1 As a deer longs for a stream of cool water,

so I long for you, O God.

2 I thirst for you, the living God.

When can I go and worship in your presence?

3 Day and night I cry,

and tears are my only food;

all the time my enemies ask me,

“Where is your God?”

4 My heart breaks when I remember the past,

when I went with the crowds to the house of God

and led them as they walked along,

a happy crowd, singing and shouting praise to God.

5 Why am I so sad?

Why am I so troubled?

I will put my hope in God,

and once again I will praise him,

my savior and my God.

6-7 Here in exile my heart is breaking,

and so I turn my thoughts to him.

He has sent waves of sorrow over my soul;

chaos roars at me like a flood,

like waterfalls thundering down to the Jordan

from Mount Hermon and Mount Mizar.

8 May theLordshow his constant love during the day,

so that I may have a song at night,

a prayer to the God of my life.

9 To God, my defender, I say,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I go on suffering

from the cruelty of my enemies?”

10 I am crushed by their insults,

as they keep on asking me,

“Where is your God?”

11 Why am I so sad?

Why am I so troubled?

I will put my hope in God,

and once again I will praise him,

my savior and my God.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/42-cfe0113940400ef40342bb0bbd10d7ae.mp3?version_id=68—

The Prayer of Someone in Exile

(Continuation of Psalm 42)

1 O God, declare me innocent,

and defend my cause against the ungodly;

deliver me from lying and evil people!

2 You are my protector;

why have you abandoned me?

Why must I go on suffering

from the cruelty of my enemies?

3 Send your light and your truth;

may they lead me

and bring me back to Zion, your sacred hill,

and to your Temple, where you live.

4 Then I will go to your altar, O God;

you are the source of my happiness.

I will play my harp and sing praise to you,

O God, my God.

5 Why am I so sad?

Why am I so troubled?

I will put my hope in God,

and once again I will praise him,

my savior and my God.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/43-e78ab586f9f8f7b83c3e9f3654aa1d2f.mp3?version_id=68—