Category: Psalm

A Prayer for Justice

1 Why are you so far away, OLord?

Why do you hide yourself when we are in trouble?

2 The wicked are proud and persecute the poor;

catch them in the traps they have made.

3 The wicked are proud of their evil desires;

the greedy curse and reject theLord.

4 The wicked do not care about theLord;

in their pride they think that God doesn’t matter.

5 The wicked succeed in everything.

They cannot understand God’s judgments;

they sneer at their enemies.

6 They say to themselves, “We will never fail;

we will never be in trouble.”

7 Their speech is filled with curses, lies, and threats;

they are quick to speak hateful, evil words.

8 They hide themselves in the villages,

waiting to murder innocent people.

They spy on their helpless victims;

9 they wait in their hiding place like lions.

They lie in wait for the poor;

they catch them in their traps and drag them away.

10 The helpless victims lie crushed;

brute strength has defeated them.

11 The wicked say to themselves, “God doesn’t care!

He has closed his eyes and will never see me!”

12 OLord, punish those wicked people!

Remember those who are suffering!

13 How can the wicked despise God

and say to themselves, “He will not punish me”?

14 But you do see; you take notice of trouble and suffering

and are always ready to help.

The helpless commit themselves to you;

you have always helped the needy.

15 Break the power of wicked and evil people;

punish them for the wrong they have done

until they do it no more.

16 TheLordis king forever and ever.

Those who worship other gods

will vanish from his land.

17 You will listen, OLord, to the prayers of the lowly;

you will give them courage.

18 You will hear the cries of the oppressed and the orphans;

you will judge in their favor,

so that mortal men may cause terror no more.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/10-d4dd08cef0a17870ced087c5c87589c2.mp3?version_id=68—

Confidence in the Lord

1 I trust in theLordfor safety.

How foolish of you to say to me,

“Fly away like a bird to the mountains,

2 because the wicked have drawn their bows and aimed their arrows

to shoot from the shadows at good people.

3 There is nothing a good person can do

when everything falls apart.”

4 TheLordis in his holy temple;

he has his throne in heaven.

He watches people everywhere

and knows what they are doing.

5 He examines the good and the wicked alike;

the lawless he hates with all his heart.

6 He sends down flaming coalsand burning sulfur on the wicked;

he punishes them with scorching winds.

7 TheLordis righteous and loves good deeds;

those who do them will live in his presence.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/11-0c0cdf57b794dfd9286950dedd79d286.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer for Help

1 Help us,Lord!

There is not a good person left;

honest people can no longer be found.

2 All of them lie to one another;

they deceive each other with flattery.

3 Silence those flattering tongues, OLord!

Close those boastful mouths that say,

4 “With our words we get what we want.

We will say what we wish,

and no one can stop us.”

5 “But now I will come,” says theLord,

“because the needy are oppressed

and the persecuted groan in pain.

I will give them the security they long for.”

6 The promises of theLordcan be trusted;

they are as genuine as silver

refined seven times in the furnace.

7-8 The wicked are everywhere,

and everyone praises what is evil.

Keep us always safe, OLord,

and preserve us from such people.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/12-f0e56dcc2acd6635b57a29272256f521.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer for Help

1 How much longer will you forget me,Lord? Forever?

How much longer will you hide yourself from me?

2 How long must I endure trouble?

How long will sorrow fill my heart day and night?

How long will my enemies triumph over me?

3 Look at me, OLordmy God, and answer me.

Restore my strength; don’t let me die.

4 Don’t let my enemies say, “We have defeated him.”

Don’t let them gloat over my downfall.

5 I rely on your constant love;

I will be glad, because you will rescue me.

6 I will sing to you, OLord,

because you have been good to me.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/13-be76878b24ddbe9c486d92a515b34c37.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 TheLordlooks down from heaven at us humans

to see if there are any who are wise,

any who worship him.

3 But they have all gone wrong;

they are all equally bad.

Not one of them does what is right,

not a single one.

4 “Don’t they know?” asks theLord.

“Are all these evildoers ignorant?

They live by robbing my people,

and they never pray to me.”

5 But then they will be terrified,

for God is with those who obey him.

6 Evildoers frustrate the plans of the humble,

but theLordis their protection.

7 How I pray that victory

will come to Israel from Zion.

How happy the people of Israel will be

when theLordmakes them prosperous again!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/14-997b88d74bbe4c4a1cf9ffd7624cc995.mp3?version_id=68—

What God Requires

1 Lord, who may enter your Temple?

Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?

2 Those who obey God in everything

and always do what is right,

whose words are true and sincere,

3 and who do not slander others.

They do no wrong to their friends

nor spread rumors about their neighbors.

4 They despise those whom God rejects,

but honor those who obey theLord.

They always do what they promise,

no matter how much it may cost.

5 They make loans without charging interest

and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent.

Whoever does these things will always be secure.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/15-3b55e221ad01a19936b5888c9929451e.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer of Confidence

1 Protect me, O God; I trust in you for safety.

2 I say to theLord, “You are my Lord;

all the good things I have come from you.”

3 How excellent are theLord’s faithful people!

My greatest pleasure is to be with them.

4 Those who rush to other gods

bring many troubles on themselves.

I will not take part in their sacrifices;

I will not worship their gods.

5 You,Lord, are all I have,

and you give me all I need;

my future is in your hands.

6 How wonderful are your gifts to me;

how good they are!

7 I praise theLord, because he guides me,

and in the night my conscience warns me.

8 I am always aware of theLord’s presence;

he is near, and nothing can shake me.

9 And so I am thankful and glad,

and I feel completely secure,

10 because you protect me from the power of death.

I have served you faithfully,

and you will not abandon me to the world of the dead.

11 You will show me the path that leads to life;

your presence fills me with joy

and brings me pleasure forever.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/16-d0dce6187cd3dcbf99ac8d7661883ad7.mp3?version_id=68—

The Prayer of an Innocent Person

1 Listen, OLord, to my plea for justice;

pay attention to my cry for help!

Listen to my honest prayer.

2 You will judge in my favor,

because you know what is right.

3 You know my heart.

You have come to me at night;

you have examined me completely

and found no evil desire in me.

I speak no evil,

4 as others do;

I have obeyed your command

and have not followed paths of violence.

5 I have always walked in your way

and have never strayed from it.

6 I pray to you, O God, because you answer me;

so turn to me and listen to my words.

7 Reveal your wonderful love and save me;

at your side I am safe from my enemies.

8 Protect me as you would your very eyes;

hide me in the shadow of your wings

9 from the attacks of the wicked.

Deadly enemies surround me;

10 they have no pity and speak proudly.

11 They are around me now, wherever I turn,

watching for a chance to pull me down.

12 They are like lions, waiting for me,

wanting to tear me to pieces.

13 Come,Lord! Oppose my enemies and defeat them!

Save me from the wicked by your sword;

14 save me from those who in this life have all they want.

Punish them with the sufferings you have stored up for them;

may there be enough for their children

and some left over for their children’s children!

15 But I will see you, because I have done no wrong;

and when I awake, your presence will fill me with joy.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/17-8459b0c97d3fb4e116b79f1997a09993.mp3?version_id=68—

David’s Song of Victory

1 How I love you,Lord!

You are my defender.

2 TheLordis my protector;

he is my strong fortress.

My God is my protection,

and with him I am safe.

He protects me like a shield;

he defends me and keeps me safe.

3 I call to theLord,

and he saves me from my enemies.

Praise theLord!

4 The danger of death was all around me;

the waves of destruction rolled over me.

5 The danger of death was around me,

and the grave set its trap for me.

6 In my trouble I called to theLord;

I called to my God for help.

In his temple he heard my voice;

he listened to my cry for help.

7 Then the earth trembled and shook;

the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered,

because God was angry.

8 Smoke poured out of his nostrils,

a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.

9 He tore the sky open and came down

with a dark cloud under his feet.

10 He flew swiftly on his winged creature;

he traveled on the wings of the wind.

11 He covered himself with darkness;

thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.

12 Hailstones and flashes of fire

came from the lightning before him

and broke through the dark clouds.

13 Then theLordthundered from the sky;

and the voice of the Most High was heard.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;

with flashes of lightning he sent them running.

15 The floor of the ocean was laid bare,

and the foundations of the earth were uncovered,

when you rebuked your enemies,Lord,

and roared at them in anger.

16 TheLordreached down from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me out of the deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemies

and from all those who hate me—

they were too strong for me.

18 When I was in trouble, they attacked me,

but theLordprotected me.

19 He helped me out of danger;

he saved me because he was pleased with me.

20 TheLordrewards me because I do what is right;

he blesses me because I am innocent.

21 I have obeyed the law of theLord;

I have not turned away from my God.

22 I have observed all his laws;

I have not disobeyed his commands.

23 He knows that I am faultless,

that I have kept myself from doing wrong.

24 And so he rewards me because I do what is right,

because he knows that I am innocent.

25 OLord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you;

completely good to those who are perfect.

26 You are pure to those who are pure,

but hostile to those who are wicked.

27 You save those who are humble,

but you humble those who are proud.

28 OLord, you give me light;

you dispel my darkness.

29 You give me strength to attack my enemies

and power to overcome their defenses.

30 This God—how perfect are his deeds!

How dependable his words!

He is like a shield

for all who seek his protection.

31 TheLordalone is God;

God alone is our defense.

32 He is the God who makes me strong,

who makes my pathway safe.

33 He makes me sure-footed as a deer;

he keeps me safe on the mountains.

34 He trains me for battle,

so that I can use the strongest bow.

35 OLord, you protect me and save me;

your care has made me great,

and your power has kept me safe.

36 You have kept me from being captured,

and I have never fallen.

37 I pursue my enemies and catch them;

I do not stop until I destroy them.

38 I strike them down, and they cannot rise;

they lie defeated before me.

39 You give me strength for the battle

and victory over my enemies.

40 You make my enemies run from me;

I destroy those who hate me.

41 They cry for help, but no one saves them;

they call to theLord, but he does not answer.

42 I crush them, so that they become like dust

which the wind blows away.

I trample on them like mud in the streets.

43 You saved me from a rebellious people

and made me ruler over the nations;

people I did not know have now become my subjects.

44 Foreigners bow before me;

when they hear me, they obey.

45 They lose their courage

and come trembling from their fortresses.

46 TheLordlives! Praise my defender!

Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.

47 He gives me victory over my enemies;

he subdues the nations under me

48 and saves me from my foes.

OLord, you give me victory over my enemies

and protect me from violent people.

49 And so I praise you among the nations;

I sing praises to you.

50 God gives great victories to his king;

he shows constant love to the one he has chosen,

to David and his descendants forever.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/18-9aeba30fe14425facd2d958501c5211d.mp3?version_id=68—

God’s Glory in Creation

1 How clearly the sky reveals God’s glory!

How plainly it shows what he has done!

2 Each day announces it to the following day;

each night repeats it to the next.

3 No speech or words are used,

no sound is heard;

4 yet their messagegoes out to all the world

and is heard to the ends of the earth.

God made a home in the sky for the sun;

5 it comes out in the morning like a happy bridegroom,

like an athlete eager to run a race.

6 It starts at one end of the sky

and goes across to the other.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

The Law of the Lord

7 The law of theLordis perfect;

it gives new strength.

The commands of theLordare trustworthy,

giving wisdom to those who lack it.

8 The laws of theLordare right,

and those who obey them are happy.

The commands of theLordare just

and give understanding to the mind.

9 Reverence for theLordis good;

it will continue forever.

The judgments of theLordare just;

they are always fair.

10 They are more desirable than the finest gold;

they are sweeter than the purest honey.

11 They give knowledge to me, your servant;

I am rewarded for obeying them.

12 None of us can see our own errors;

deliver me,Lord, from hidden faults!

13 Keep me safe, also, from willful sins;

don’t let them rule over me.

Then I shall be perfect

and free from the evil of sin.

14 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you,

OLord, my refuge and my redeemer!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/19-2f343fe21d59e3495acb7e73d41287e5.mp3?version_id=68—