Month: December 2019

A Prayer for Protection

1 With our own ears we have heard it, O God—

our ancestors have told us about it,

about the great things you did in their time,

in the days of long ago:

2 how you yourself drove out the heathen

and established your people in their land;

how you punished the other nations

and caused your own to prosper.

3 Your people did not conquer the land with their swords;

they did not win it by their own power;

it was by your power and your strength,

by the assurance of your presence,

which showed that you loved them.

4 You are my king and my God;

you givevictory to your people,

5 and by your power we defeat our enemies.

6 I do not trust in my bow

or in my sword to save me;

7 but you have saved us from our enemies

and defeated those who hate us.

8 We will always praise you

and give thanks to you forever.

9 But now you have rejected us and let us be defeated;

you no longer march out with our armies.

10 You made us run from our enemies,

and they took for themselves what was ours.

11 You allowed us to be slaughtered like sheep;

you scattered us in foreign countries.

12 You sold your own people for a small price

as though they had little value.

13 Our neighbors see what you did to us,

and they mock us and laugh at us.

14 You have made us a joke among the nations;

they shake their heads at us in scorn.

15 I am always in disgrace;

I am covered with shame

16 from hearing the sneers and insults

of my enemies and those who hate me.

17 All this has happened to us,

even though we have not forgotten you

or broken the covenant you made with us.

18 We have not been disloyal to you;

we have not disobeyed your commands.

19 Yet you left us helpless among wild animals;

you abandoned us in deepest darkness.

20 If we had stopped worshiping our God

and prayed to a foreign god,

21 you would surely have discovered it,

because you know our secret thoughts.

22 But it is on your account that we are being killed all the time,

that we are treated like sheep to be slaughtered.

23 Wake up, Lord! Why are you asleep?

Rouse yourself! Don’t reject us forever!

24 Why are you hiding from us?

Don’t forget our suffering and trouble!

25 We fall crushed to the ground;

we lie defeated in the dust.

26 Come to our aid!

Because of your constant love save us!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/44-77c4c04ba13641aaf965b1626c451a56.mp3?version_id=68—

A Royal Wedding Song

1 Beautiful words fill my mind,

as I compose this song for the king.

Like the pen of a good writer

my tongue is ready with a poem.

2 You are the most handsome of men;

you are an eloquent speaker.

God has always blessed you.

3 Buckle on your sword, mighty king;

you are glorious and majestic.

4 Ride on in majesty to victory

for the defense of truth and justice!

Your strength will win you great victories!

5 Your arrows are sharp,

they pierce the hearts of your enemies;

nations fall down at your feet.

6 The kingdom that God has given you

will last forever and ever.

You rule over your people with justice;

7 you love what is right and hate what is evil.

That is why God, your God, has chosen you

and has poured out more happiness on you

than on any other king.

8 The perfume of myrrh and aloes is on your clothes;

musicians entertain you in palaces decorated with ivory.

9 Among the women of your court are daughters of kings,

and at the right of your throne stands the queen,

wearing ornaments of finest gold.

10 Bride of the king, listen to what I say—

forget your people and your relatives.

11 Your beauty will make the king desire you;

he is your master, so you must obey him.

12 The people of Tyre will bring you gifts;

rich people will try to win your favor.

13 The princess is in the palace—how beautiful she is!

Her gown is made of gold thread.

14 In her colorful gown she is led to the king,

followed by her bridesmaids,

and they also are brought to him.

15 With joy and gladness they come

and enter the king’s palace.

16 You, my king, will have many sons

to succeed your ancestors as kings,

and you will make them rulers over the whole earth.

17 My song will keep your fame alive forever,

and everyone will praise you for all time to come.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/45-59c4a3ff3442e66f78208987843bd4e4.mp3?version_id=68—

God Is with Us

1 God is our shelter and strength,

always ready to help in times of trouble.

2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken

and mountains fall into the ocean depths;

3 even if the seas roar and rage,

and the hills are shaken by the violence.

4 There is a river that brings joy to the city of God,

to the sacred house of the Most High.

5 God is in that city, and it will never be destroyed;

at early dawn he will come to its aid.

6 Nations are terrified, kingdoms are shaken;

God thunders, and the earth dissolves.

7 TheLordAlmighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

8 Come and see what theLordhas done.

See what amazing things he has done on earth.

9 He stops wars all over the world;

he breaks bows, destroys spears,

and sets shields on fire.

10 “Stop fighting,” he says, “and know that I am God,

supreme among the nations,

supreme over the world.”

11 TheLordAlmighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/46-f01906997c38ecfbbbfaa5074354951b.mp3?version_id=68—

The Supreme Ruler

1 Clap your hands for joy, all peoples!

Praise God with loud songs!

2 TheLord, the Most High, is to be feared;

he is a great king, ruling over all the world.

3 He gave us victory over the peoples;

he made us rule over the nations.

4 He chose for us the land where we live,

the proud possession of his people, whom he loves.

5 God goes up to his throne.

There are shouts of joy and the blast of trumpets,

as theLordgoes up.

6 Sing praise to God;

sing praise to our king!

7 God is king over all the world;

praise him with songs!

8 God sits on his sacred throne;

he rules over the nations.

9 The rulers of the nations assemble

with the peopleof the God of Abraham.

More powerful than all armies is he;

he rules supreme.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/47-78cb85de6a2739f2e559c43382c19424.mp3?version_id=68—

Zion, the City of God

1 TheLordis great and is to be highly praised

in the city of our God, on his sacred hill.

2 Zion, the mountain of God, is high and beautiful;

the city of the great king brings joy to all the world.

3 God has shown that there is safety with him

inside the fortresses of the city.

4 The kings gathered together

and came to attack Mount Zion.

5 But when they saw it, they were amazed;

they were afraid and ran away.

6 There they were seized with fear and anguish,

like a woman about to bear a child,

7 like ships tossing in a furious storm.

8 We have heard what God has done,

and now we have seen it

in the city of our God, theLordAlmighty;

he will keep the city safe forever.

9 Inside your Temple, O God,

we think of your constant love.

10 You are praised by people everywhere,

and your fame extends over all the earth.

You rule with justice;

11 let the people of Zion be glad!

You give right judgments;

let there be joy in the cities of Judah!

12 People of God, walk around Zion and count the towers;

13 take notice of the walls and examine the fortresses,

so that you may tell the next generation:

14 “This God is our God forever and ever;

he will lead us for all time to come.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/48-17ad449a8b4fb6c0a9e3e6fb936d4243.mp3?version_id=68—

The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches

1 Hear this, everyone!

Listen, all people everywhere,

2 great and small alike,

rich and poor together.

3 My thoughts will be clear;

I will speak words of wisdom.

4 I will turn my attention to proverbs

and explain their meaning as I play the harp.

5 I am not afraid in times of danger

when I am surrounded by enemies,

6 by evil people who trust in their riches

and boast of their great wealth.

7 We can never redeem ourselves;

we cannot pay God the price for our lives,

8 because the payment for a human life is too great.

What we could pay would never be enough

9 to keep us from the grave,

to let us live forever.

10 Anyone can see that even the wise die,

as well as the foolish and stupid.

They all leave their riches to their descendants.

11 Their gravesare their homes forever;

there they stay for all time,

though they once had lands of their own.

12 Our greatness cannot keep us from death;

we will still die like the animals.

13 See what happens to those who trust in themselves,

the fate of thosewho are satisfied with their wealth—

14 they are doomed to die like sheep,

and Death will be their shepherd.

The righteous will triumph over them,

as their bodies quickly decay

in the world of the dead far from their homes.

15 But God will rescue me;

he will save me from the power of death.

16 Don’t be upset when someone becomes rich,

when his wealth grows even greater;

17 he cannot take it with him when he dies;

his wealth will not go with him to the grave.

18 Even if someone is satisfied with this life

and is praised because he is successful,

19 he will join all his ancestors in death,

where the darkness lasts forever.

20 Our greatness cannot keep us from death;

we will still die like the animals.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/49-5ef9170b6b89a30d9e6c5b955cfe8372.mp3?version_id=68—

True Worship

1 The Almighty God, theLord, speaks;

he calls to the whole earth from east to west.

2 God shines from Zion,

the city perfect in its beauty.

3 Our God is coming, but not in silence;

a raging fire is in front of him,

a furious storm around him.

4 He calls heaven and earth as witnesses

to see him judge his people.

5 He says, “Gather my faithful people to me,

those who made a covenant with me by offering a sacrifice.”

6 The heavens proclaim that God is righteous,

that he himself is judge.

7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;

I will testify against you, Israel.

I am God, your God.

8 I do not reprimand you because of your sacrifices

and the burnt offerings you always bring me.

9 And yet I do not need bulls from your farms

or goats from your flocks;

10 all the animals in the forest are mine

and the cattle on thousands of hills.

11 All the wild birds are mine

and all living things in the fields.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not ask you for food,

for the world and everything in it is mine.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14 Let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to God,

and give the Almighty all that you promised.

15 Call to me when trouble comes;

I will save you,

and you will praise me.”

16 But God says to the wicked,

“Why should you recite my commandments?

Why should you talk about my covenant?

17 You refuse to let me correct you;

you reject my commands.

18 You become the friend of every thief you see,

and you associate with adulterers.

19 “You are always ready to speak evil;

you never hesitate to tell lies.

20 You are ready to accuse your own relatives

and to find fault with them.

21 You have done all this, and I have said nothing,

so you thought that I am like you.

But now I reprimand you

and make the matter plain to you.

22 “Listen to this, you that ignore me,

or I will destroy you,

and there will be no one to save you.

23 Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honors me,

and I will surely save all who obey me.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/50-ba077853bbae5dfca8b332bdfef55715.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer for Forgiveness

1 Be merciful to me, O God,

because of your constant love.

Because of your great mercy

wipe away my sins!

2 Wash away all my evil

and make me clean from my sin!

3 I recognize my faults;

I am always conscious of my sins.

4 I have sinned against you—only against you—

and done what you consider evil.

So you are right in judging me;

you are justified in condemning me.

5 I have been evil from the day I was born;

from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.

6 Sincerity and truth are what you require;

fill my mind with your wisdom.

7 Remove my sin, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;

and though you have crushed me and broken me,

I will be happy once again.

9 Close your eyes to my sins

and wipe out all my evil.

10 Create a pure heart in me, O God,

and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

11 Do not banish me from your presence;

do not take your holy spirit away from me.

12 Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation,

and make me willing to obey you.

13 Then I will teach sinners your commands,

and they will turn back to you.

14 Spare my life, O God, and save me,

and I will gladly proclaim your righteousness.

15 Help me to speak, Lord,

and I will praise you.

16 You do not want sacrifices,

or I would offer them;

you are not pleased with burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God;

you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.

18 O God, be kind to Zion and help her;

rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifices

and with our burnt offerings;

and bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/51-928d664c7da3066f947bbf0c64f97239.mp3?version_id=68—

God’s Judgment and Grace

1 Why do you boast, great one, of your evil?

God’s faithfulness is eternal.

2 You make plans to ruin others;

your tongue is like a sharp razor.

You are always inventing lies.

3 You love evil more than good

and falsehood more than truth.

4 You love to hurt people with your words, you liar!

5 So God will ruin you forever;

he will take hold of you and snatch you from your home;

he will remove you from the world of the living.

6 Righteous people will see this and be afraid;

then they will laugh at you and say,

7 “Look, here is someone who did not depend on God for safety,

but trusted instead in great wealth

and looked for security in being wicked.”

8 But I am like an olive tree growing in the house of God;

I trust in his constant love forever and ever.

9 I will always thank you, God, for what you have done;

in the presence of your people

I will proclaim that you are good.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/52-85062f680511ef737e88b0483d73971c.mp3?version_id=68—

Human Wickedness

1 Fools say to themselves,

“There is no God.”

They are all corrupt,

and they have done terrible things;

there is no one who does what is right.

2 God looks down from heaven at people

to see if there are any who are wise,

any who worship him.

3 But they have all turned away;

they are all equally bad.

Not one of them does what is right,

not a single one.

4 “Don’t they know?” God asks.

“Are these evildoers ignorant?

They live by robbing my people,

and they never pray to me.”

5 But then they will become terrified,

as they have never been before,

for God will scatter the bones of the enemies of his people.

God has rejected them,

and so Israel will totally defeat them.

6 How I pray that victory

will come to Israel from Zion.

How happy the people of Israel will be

when God makes them prosperous again!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/53-f04df10119453fff370aaaf09dcb478b.mp3?version_id=68—