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JEWISH PSALMS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A JOURNEY

NEW JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA TANAKH (NJPS) TRANSLATION

Psalm 91:1-16

¹ O you who dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the protection of Shaddai— ² I say of the LORD, my refuge and stronghold, my God in whom I trust, ³ that He will save you from the fowler’s trap, from the destructive plague. ⁴ He will cover you with His pinions; you will find refuge under His wings; His fidelity is an encircling shield. ⁵ You need not fear the terror by night, or the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ the plague that stalks in the darkness, or the scourge that ravages at noon. ⁷ A thousand may fall at your left side, ten thousand at your right, but it shall not reach you. ⁸ You will see it with your eyes, you will witness the punishment of the wicked. ⁹ Because you took the LORD—my refuge, the Most High—as your haven, ¹⁰ no harm will befall you, no disease touch your tent. ¹¹ For He will order His angels to guard you wherever you go. ¹² They will carry you in their hands lest you hurt your foot on a stone. ¹³ You will tread on cubs and vipers; you will trample lions and asps. ¹⁴ “Because he is devoted to Me I will deliver him; I will keep him safe, for he knows My name. ¹⁵ When he calls on Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I will rescue him and make him honored; ¹⁶ I will let him live to a ripe old age, and show him My salvation.”

HEALING

NEW JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA TANAKH (NJPS) TRANSLATION

Psalm 6:1-11

¹ -For the leader; with instrumental music on the sheminith. A psalm of David. ² O LORD, do not punish me in anger, do not chastise me in fury. ³ Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I languish; heal me, O LORD, for my bones shake with terror. ⁴ My whole being is stricken with terror, while You, LORD—O, how long! ⁵ O LORD, turn! Rescue me! Deliver me as befits Your faithfulness. ⁶ For there is no praise of You among the dead; in Sheol, who can acclaim You? ⁷ I am weary with groaning; every night I drench my bed, I melt my couch in tears. ⁸ My eyes are wasted by vexation, worn out because of all my foes. ⁹ Away from me, all you evildoers, for the LORD heeds the sound of my weeping. ¹⁰ The LORD heeds my plea, the LORD accepts my prayer. ¹¹ All my enemies will be frustrated and stricken with terror; they will turn back in an instant, frustrated.

Psalm 16:1-11

¹ A michtam of David. Protect me, O God, for I seek refuge in You. ² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord, my benefactor; there is none above You.” ³ As to the holy and mighty ones that are in the land, my whole desire concerning them is that ⁴ those who espouse another god may have many sorrows! I will have no part of their bloody libations; their names will not pass my lips. ⁵ The LORD is my allotted share and portion; You control my fate. ⁶ Delightful country has fallen to my lot; lovely indeed is my estate. ⁷ I bless the LORD who has guided me; my conscience admonishes me at night. ⁸ I am ever mindful of the LORD’s presence; He is at my right hand; I shall never be shaken. ⁹ So my heart rejoices, my whole being exults, and my body rests secure. ¹⁰ For You will not abandon me to Sheol, or let Your faithful one see the Pit. ¹¹ You will teach me the path of life. In Your presence is perfect joy; delights are ever in Your right hand.

Psalm 41:1-14

¹ For the leader. A psalm of David. ² Happy is he who is thoughtful of the wretched; in bad times may the LORD keep him from harm. ³ May the LORD guard him and preserve him; and may he be thought happy in the land. Do not subject him to the will of his enemies. ⁴ The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed; You shall wholly transform his bed of suffering. ⁵ I said, “O LORD, have mercy on me, heal me, for I have sinned against You.” ⁶ My enemies speak evilly of me, “When will he die and his name perish?” ⁷ If one comes to visit, he speaks falsely; his mind stores up evil thoughts; once outside, he speaks them. ⁸ All my enemies whisper together against me, imagining the worst for me. ⁹ “Something baneful has settled in him; he’ll not rise from his bed again.” ¹⁰ My ally in whom I trusted, even he who shares my bread, has been utterly false to me. ¹¹ But You, O LORD, have mercy on me; let me rise again and repay them. ¹² Then shall I know that You are pleased with me: when my enemy cannot shout in triumph over me. ¹³ You will support me because of my integrity, and let me abide in Your presence forever. ¹⁴ Blessed is the LORD, God of Israel, from eternity to eternity. Amen and Amen.

Psalm 88:1-19

¹ A song. A psalm of the Korahites. For the leader; on maḥalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. ² O LORD, God of my deliverance, when I cry out in the night before You, ³ let my prayer reach You; incline Your ear to my cry. ⁴ For I am sated with misfortune; I am at the brink of Sheol. ⁵ I am numbered with those who go down to the Pit; I am a helpless man ⁶ abandoned among the dead, like bodies lying in the grave of whom You are mindful no more, and who are cut off from Your care. ⁷ You have put me at the bottom of the Pit, in the darkest places, in the depths. ⁸ Your fury lies heavy upon me; You afflict me with all Your breakers. Selah. ⁹ You make my companions shun me; You make me abhorrent to them; I am shut in and do not go out. ¹⁰ My eyes pine away from affliction; I call to You, O LORD, each day; I stretch out my hands to You. ¹¹ Do You work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise to praise You? Selah. ¹² Is Your faithful care recounted in the grave, Your constancy in the place of perdition? ¹³ Are Your wonders made known in the netherworld, Your beneficent deeds in the land of oblivion? ¹⁴ As for me, I cry out to You, O LORD; each morning my prayer greets You. ¹⁵ Why, O LORD, do You reject me, do You hide Your face from me? ¹⁶ From my youth I have been afflicted and near death; I suffer Your terrors wherever I turn. ¹⁷ Your fury overwhelms me; Your terrors destroy me. ¹⁸ They swirl about me like water all day long; they encircle me on every side. ¹⁹ You have put friend and neighbor far from me and my companions out of my sight.

Psalm 90:1-17

¹ A prayer of Moses, the man of God. O Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation. ² Before the mountains came into being, before You brought forth the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity You are God. ³ You return man to dust; You decreed, “Return you mortals!” ⁴ For in Your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that has passed, like a watch of the night. ⁵ You engulf men in sleep; at daybreak they are like grass that renews itself; ⁶ at daybreak it flourishes anew; by dusk it withers and dries up. ⁷ So we are consumed by Your anger, terror-struck by Your fury. ⁸ You have set our iniquities before You, our hidden sins in the light of Your face. ⁹ All our days pass away in Your wrath; we spend our years like a sigh. ¹⁰ The span of our life is seventy years, or, given the strength, eighty years; but the best of them are trouble and sorrow. They pass by speedily, and we are in darkness. ¹¹ Who can know Your furious anger? Your wrath matches the fear of You. ¹² Teach us to count our days rightly, that we may obtain a wise heart. ¹³ Turn, O LORD! How long? Show mercy to Your servants. ¹⁴ Satisfy us at daybreak with Your steadfast love that we may sing for joy all our days. ¹⁵ Give us joy for as long as You have afflicted us, for the years we have suffered misfortune. ¹⁶ Let Your deeds be seen by Your servants, Your glory by their children. ¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord, our God, be upon us; let the work of our hands prosper, O prosper the work of our hands!

Psalm 103:1-22

¹ Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, all my being, His holy name. ² Bless the LORD, O my soul and do not forget all His bounties. ³ He forgives all your sins, heals all your diseases. ⁴ He redeems your life from the Pit, surrounds you with steadfast love and mercy. ⁵ He satisfies you with good things in the prime of life, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. ⁶ The LORD executes righteous acts and judgments for all who are wronged. ⁷ He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the children of Israel. ⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. ⁹ He will not contend forever, or nurse His anger for all time. ¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor has He requited us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him. ¹² As east is far from west, so far has He removed our sins from us. ¹³ As a father has compassion for his children, so the LORD has compassion for those who fear Him. ¹⁴ For He knows how we are formed; He is mindful that we are dust. ¹⁵ Man, his days are like those of grass; he blooms like a flower of the field; ¹⁶ a wind passes by and it is no more, its own place no longer knows it. ¹⁷ But the LORD’s steadfast love is for all eternity toward those who fear Him, and His beneficence is for the children’s children ¹⁸ of those who keep His covenant and remember to observe His precepts. ¹⁹ The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His sovereign rule is over all. ²⁰ Bless the LORD, O His angels, mighty creatures who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding; ²¹ bless the LORD, all His hosts, His servants who do His will; ²² bless the LORD, all His works, through the length and breadth of His realm; bless the LORD, O my soul.

LOVE

NEW JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA TANAKH (NJPS) TRANSLATION

Psalm 32:1-11

¹ Of David. A maskil. Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered over. ² Happy the man whom the LORD does not hold guilty, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ³ As long as I said nothing, my limbs wasted away from my anguished roaring all day long. ⁴ For night and day Your hand lay heavy on me; my vigor waned as in the summer drought. Selah. ⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to You; I did not cover up my guilt; I resolved, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. ⁶ Therefore let every faithful man pray to You upon discovering his sin, that the rushing mighty waters not overtake him. ⁷ You are my shelter; You preserve me from distress; You surround me with the joyous shouts of deliverance. Selah. ⁸ Let me enlighten you and show you which way to go; let me offer counsel; my eye is on you. ⁹ Be not like a senseless horse or mule whose movement must be curbed by bit and bridle; far be it from you! ¹⁰ Many are the torments of the wicked, but he who trusts in the LORD shall be surrounded with favor. ¹¹ Rejoice in the LORD and exult, O you righteous; shout for joy, all upright men!

Psalm 38:1-23

¹ A psalm of David. Lehazkir. ² O LORD, do not punish me in wrath; do not chastise me in fury. ³ For Your arrows have struck me; Your blows have fallen upon me. ⁴ There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no wholeness in my bones because of my sin. ⁵ For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are like a heavy burden, more than I can bear. ⁶ My wounds stink and fester because of my folly. ⁷ I am all bent and bowed; I walk about in gloom all day long. ⁸ For my sinews are full of fever; there is no soundness in my flesh. ⁹ I am all benumbed and crushed; I roar because of the turmoil in my mind. ¹⁰ O Lord, You are aware of all my entreaties; my groaning is not hidden from You. ¹¹ My mind reels; my strength fails me; my eyes too have lost their luster. ¹² My friends and companions stand back from my affliction; my kinsmen stand far off. ¹³ Those who seek my life lay traps; those who wish me harm speak malice; they utter deceit all the time. ¹⁴ But I am like a deaf man, unhearing, like a dumb man who cannot speak up; ¹⁵ I am like one who does not hear, who has no retort on his lips. ¹⁶ But I wait for You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord, my God. ¹⁷ For I fear they will rejoice over me; when my foot gives way they will vaunt themselves against me. ¹⁸ For I am on the verge of collapse; my pain is always with me. ¹⁹ I acknowledge my iniquity; I am fearful over my sin; ²⁰ for my mortal enemies are numerous; my treacherous foes are many. ²¹ Those who repay evil for good harass me for pursuing good. ²² Do not abandon me, O LORD; my God, be not far from me; ²³ hasten to my aid, O Lord, my deliverance.

Psalm 70:1-6

¹ For the leader. Of David. Lehazkir. ² Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, to aid me! ³ Let those who seek my life be frustrated and disgraced; let those who wish me harm, fall back in shame. ⁴ Let those who say, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their frustration. ⁵ But let all who seek You be glad and rejoice in You; let those who are eager for Your deliverance always say, “Extolled be God!” ⁶ But I am poor and needy; O God, hasten to me! You are my help and my rescuer; O LORD, do not delay.

Psalm 71:1-24

¹ I seek refuge in You, O LORD; may I never be disappointed. ² As You are beneficent, save me and rescue me; incline Your ear to me and deliver me. ³ Be a sheltering rock for me to which I may always repair; decree my deliverance, for You are my rock and my fortress. ⁴ My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and the lawless. ⁵ For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my trust from my youth. ⁶ While yet unborn, I depended on You; in the womb of my mother, You were my support; I sing Your praises always. ⁷ I have become an example for many, since You are my mighty refuge. ⁸ My mouth is full of praise to You, glorifying You all day long. ⁹ Do not cast me off in old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake me! ¹⁰ For my enemies talk against me; those who wait for me are of one mind, ¹¹ saying, “God has forsaken him; chase him and catch him, for no one will save him!” ¹² O God, be not far from me; my God, hasten to my aid! ¹³ Let my accusers perish in frustration; let those who seek my ruin be clothed in reproach and disgrace! ¹⁴ As for me, I will hope always, and add to the many praises of You. ¹⁵ My mouth tells of Your beneficence, of Your deliverance all day long, though I know not how to tell it. ¹⁶ I come with praise of Your mighty acts, O Lord GOD; I celebrate Your beneficence, Yours alone. ¹⁷ You have let me experience it, God, from my youth; until now I have proclaimed Your wondrous deeds, ¹⁸ and even in hoary old age do not forsake me, God, until I proclaim Your strength to the next generation, Your mighty acts, to all who are to come, ¹⁹ Your beneficence, high as the heavens, O God, You who have done great things; O God, who is Your peer! ²⁰ You who have made me undergo many troubles and misfortunes will revive me again, and raise me up from the depths of the earth. ²¹ You will grant me much greatness, You will turn and comfort me. ²² Then I will acclaim You to the music of the lyre for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing a hymn to You with a harp, O Holy One of Israel. ²³ My lips shall be jubilant, as I sing a hymn to You, my whole being, which You have redeemed. ²⁴ All day long my tongue shall recite Your beneficent acts, how those who sought my ruin were frustrated and disgraced.

Psalm 121:1-8

¹ A song for ascents. I turn my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? ² My help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth. ³ He will not let your foot give way; your guardian will not slumber; ⁴ See, the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps! ⁵ The LORD is your guardian, the LORD is your protection at your right hand. ⁶ By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night. ⁷ The LORD will guard you from all harm; He will guard your life. ⁸ The LORD will guard your going and coming now and forever.

Psalm 124:1-8

¹ A song of ascents. Of David. Were it not for the LORD, who was on our side, let Israel now declare, ² were it not for the LORD, who was on our side when men assailed us, ³ they would have swallowed us alive in their burning rage against us; ⁴ the waters would have carried us off, the torrent would have swept over us; ⁵ over us would have swept the seething waters. ⁶ Blessed is the LORD, who did not let us be ripped apart by their teeth. ⁷ We are like a bird escaped from the fowler’s trap; the trap broke and we escaped. ⁸ Our help is the name of the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.

PEACE

NEW JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA TANAKH (NJPS) TRANSLATION

Psalm 46:1-12

¹ For the leader. Of the Korahites; on alamoth. A song. ² God is our refuge and stronghold, a help in trouble, very near. ³ Therefore we are not afraid though the earth reels, though mountains topple into the sea— ⁴ its waters rage and foam; in its swell mountains quake. Selah. ⁵ There is a river whose streams gladden God’s city, the holy dwelling-place of the Most High. ⁶ God is in its midst, it will not be toppled; by daybreak God will come to its aid. ⁷ Nations rage, kingdoms topple; at the sound of His thunder the earth dissolves. ⁸ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our haven. Selah. ⁹ Come and see what the LORD has done, how He has wrought desolation on the earth. ¹⁰ He puts a stop to wars throughout the earth, breaking the bow, snapping the spear, consigning wagons to the flames. ¹¹ “Desist! Realize that I am God! I dominate the nations; I dominate the earth.” ¹² The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our haven. Selah.

REPENTANCE

NEW JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA TANAKH (NJPS) TRANSLATION

Psalm 51:1-16

¹ For the leader. A psalm of David, ² when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had come to Bathsheba. ³ Have mercy upon me, O God, as befits Your faithfulness; in keeping with Your abundant compassion, blot out my transgressions. ⁴ Wash me thoroughly of my iniquity, and purify me of my sin; ⁵ for I recognize my transgressions, and am ever conscious of my sin. ⁶ Against You alone have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are just in Your sentence, and right in Your judgment. ⁷ Indeed I was born with iniquity; with sin my mother conceived me. ⁸ Indeed You desire truth about that which is hidden; teach me wisdom about secret things. ⁹ Purge me with hyssop till I am pure; wash me till I am whiter than snow. ¹⁰ Let me hear tidings of joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed exult. ¹¹ Hide Your face from my sins; blot out all my iniquities. ¹² Fashion a pure heart for me, O God; create in me a steadfast spirit. ¹³ Do not cast me out of Your presence, or take Your holy spirit away from me. ¹⁴ Let me again rejoice in Your help; let a vigorous spirit sustain me. ¹⁵ I will teach transgressors Your ways, that sinners may return to You. ¹⁶ Save me from bloodguilt, O God, God, my deliverer, that I may sing forth Your beneficence.

SPECIAL OCCASIONS

NEW JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA TANAKH (NJPS) TRANSLATION

Psalm 19:1-15

¹ For the leader. A psalm of David. ² The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky proclaims His handiwork. ³ Day to day makes utterance, night to night speaks out. ⁴ There is no utterance, there are no words, whose sound goes unheard. ⁵ Their voice carries throughout the earth, their words to the end of the world. He placed in them a tent for the sun, ⁶ who is like a groom coming forth from the chamber, like a hero, eager to run his course. ⁷ His rising-place is at one end of heaven, and his circuit reaches the other; nothing escapes his heat. ⁸ The teaching of the LORD is perfect, renewing life; the decrees of the LORD are enduring, making the simple wise; ⁹ The precepts of the LORD are just, rejoicing the heart; the instruction of the LORD is lucid, making the eyes light up. ¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is pure, abiding forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, righteous altogether, ¹¹ more desirable than gold, than much fine gold; sweeter than honey, than drippings of the comb. ¹² Your servant pays them heed; in obeying them there is much reward. ¹³ Who can be aware of errors? Clear me of unperceived guilt, ¹⁴ and from willful sins keep Your servant; let them not dominate me; then shall I be blameless and clear of grave offense. ¹⁵ May the words of my mouth and the prayer of my heart be acceptable to You, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 102:1-29

¹ A prayer of the lowly man when he is faint and pours forth his plea before the LORD. ² O LORD, hear my prayer; let my cry come before You. ³ Do not hide Your face from me in my time of trouble; turn Your ear to me; when I cry, answer me speedily. ⁴ For my days have vanished like smoke and my bones are charred like a hearth. ⁵ My body is stricken and withered like grass; too wasted to eat my food; ⁶ on account of my vehement groaning my bones show through my skin. ⁷ I am like a great owl in the wilderness, an owl among the ruins. ⁸ I lie awake; I am like a lone bird upon a roof. ⁹ All day long my enemies revile me; my deriders use my name to curse. ¹⁰ For I have eaten ashes like bread and mixed my drink with tears, ¹¹ because of Your wrath and Your fury; for You have cast me far away. ¹² My days are like a lengthening shadow; I wither like grass. ¹³ But You, O LORD, are enthroned forever; Your fame endures throughout the ages. ¹⁴ You will surely arise and take pity on Zion, for it is time to be gracious to her; the appointed time has come. ¹⁵ Your servants take delight in its stones, and cherish its dust. ¹⁶ The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth, Your glory. ¹⁷ For the LORD has built Zion; He has appeared in all His glory. ¹⁸ He has turned to the prayer of the destitute and has not spurned their prayer. ¹⁹ May this be written down for a coming generation, that people yet to be created may praise the LORD. ²⁰ For He looks down from His holy height; the LORD beholds the earth from heaven ²¹ to hear the groans of the prisoner, to release those condemned to death; ²² that the fame of the LORD may be recounted in Zion, His praises in Jerusalem, ²³ when the nations gather together, the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. ²⁴ He drained my strength in mid-course, He shortened my days. ²⁵ I say, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, You whose years go on for generations on end. ²⁶ Of old You established the earth; the heavens are the work of Your hands. ²⁷ They shall perish, but You shall endure; they shall all wear out like a garment; You change them like clothing and they pass away. ²⁸ But You are the same, and Your years never end. ²⁹ May the children of Your servants dwell securely and their offspring endure in Your presence.”

Psalm 130:1-8

¹ A song of ascents. Out of the depths I call You, O LORD. ² O Lord, listen to my cry; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy. ³ If You keep account of sins, O LORD, Lord, who will survive? ⁴ Yours is the power to forgive so that You may be held in awe. ⁵ I look to the LORD; I look to Him; I await His word. ⁶ I am more eager for the Lord than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning. ⁷ O Israel, wait for the LORD; for with the LORD is steadfast love and great power to redeem. ⁸ It is He who will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.

Psalm 142:1-8

¹ A maskil of David, while he was in the cave. A prayer. ² I cry aloud to the LORD; I appeal to the LORD loudly for mercy. ³ I pour out my complaint before Him; I lay my trouble before Him ⁴ when my spirit fails within me. You know my course; they have laid a trap in the path I walk. ⁵ Look at my right and see— I have no friend; there is nowhere I can flee, no one cares about me. ⁶ So I cry to You, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, all I have in the land of the living.” ⁷ Listen to my cry, for I have been brought very low; save me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me. ⁸ Free me from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous shall glory in me for Your gracious dealings with me.

TIMES OF DISTRESS

NEW JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA TANAKH (NJPS) TRANSLATION

Psalm 20:1-10

¹ For the leader. A psalm of David. ² May the LORD answer you in time of trouble, the name of Jacob’s God keep you safe. ³ May He send you help from the sanctuary, and sustain you from Zion. ⁴ May He receive the tokens of all your meal offerings, and approve your burnt offerings. Selah. ⁵ May He grant you your desire, and fulfill your every plan. ⁶ May we shout for joy in your victory, arrayed by standards in the name of our God. May the LORD fulfill your every wish. ⁷ Now I know that the LORD will give victory to His anointed, will answer him from His heavenly sanctuary with the mighty victories of His right arm. ⁸ They call on chariots, they call on horses, but we call on the name of the LORD our God. ⁹ They collapse and lie fallen, but we rally and gather strength. ¹⁰ O LORD, grant victory! May the King answer us when we call.

Psalm 22:1-32

¹ For the leader; on ayyeleth ha-shaḥar. A psalm of David. ² My God, my God, why have You abandoned me; why so far from delivering me and from my anguished roaring? ³ My God, I cry by day—You answer not; by night, and have no respite. ⁴ But You are the Holy One, enthroned, the Praise of Israel. ⁵ In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You rescued them. ⁶ To You they cried out and they escaped; in You they trusted and were not disappointed. ⁷ But I am a worm, less than human; scorned by men, despised by people. ⁸ All who see me mock me; they curl their lips, they shake their heads. ⁹ “Let him commit himself to the LORD; let Him rescue him, let Him save him, for He is pleased with him.” ¹⁰ You drew me from the womb, made me secure at my mother’s breast. ¹¹ I became Your charge at birth; from my mother’s womb You have been my God. ¹² Do not be far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. ¹³ Many bulls surround me, mighty ones of Bashan encircle me. ¹⁴ They open their mouths at me like tearing, roaring lions. ¹⁵ My life ebbs away: all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me; ¹⁶ my vigor dries up like a shard; my tongue cleaves to my palate; You commit me to the dust of death. ¹⁷ Dogs surround me; a pack of evil ones closes in on me, like lions they maul my hands and feet. ¹⁸ I take the count of all my bones while they look on and gloat. ¹⁹ They divide my clothes among themselves, casting lots for my garments. ²⁰ But You, O LORD, be not far off; my strength, hasten to my aid. ²¹ Save my life from the sword, my precious life from the clutches of a dog. ²² Deliver me from a lion’s mouth; from the horns of wild oxen rescue me. ²³ Then will I proclaim Your fame to my brethren, praise You in the congregation. ²⁴ You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, honor Him! Be in dread of Him, all you offspring of Israel! ²⁵ For He did not scorn, He did not spurn the plea of the lowly; He did not hide His face from him; when he cried out to Him, He listened. ²⁶ Because of You I offer praise in the great congregation; I pay my vows in the presence of His worshipers. ²⁷ Let the lowly eat and be satisfied; let all who seek the LORD praise Him. Always be of good cheer! ²⁸ Let all the ends of the earth pay heed and turn to the LORD, and the peoples of all nations prostrate themselves before You; ²⁹ for kingship is the LORD’s and He rules the nations. ³⁰ All those in full vigor shall eat and prostrate themselves; all those at death’s door, whose spirits flag, shall bend the knee before Him. ³¹ Offspring shall serve Him; the Lord’s fame shall be proclaimed to the generation ³² to come; they shall tell of His beneficence to people yet to be born, for He has acted.

Psalm 69:1-37

¹ For the leader. On shoshannim. Of David. ² Deliver me, O God, for the waters have reached my neck; ³ I am sinking into the slimy deep and find no foothold; I have come into the watery depths; the flood sweeps me away. ⁴ I am weary with calling; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for God. ⁵ More numerous than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without reason; many are those who would destroy me, my treacherous enemies. Must I restore what I have not stolen? ⁶ God, You know my folly; my guilty deeds are not hidden from You. ⁷ Let those who look to You, O Lord, God of hosts, not be disappointed on my account; let those who seek You, O God of Israel, not be shamed because of me. ⁸ It is for Your sake that I have been reviled, that shame covers my face; ⁹ I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my kin. ¹⁰ My zeal for Your house has been my undoing; the reproaches of those who revile You have fallen upon me. ¹¹ When I wept and fasted, I was reviled for it. ¹² I made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword among them. ¹³ Those who sit in the gate talk about me; I am the taunt of drunkards. ¹⁴ As for me, may my prayer come to You, O LORD, at a favorable moment; O God, in Your abundant faithfulness, answer me with Your sure deliverance. ¹⁵ Rescue me from the mire; let me not sink; let me be rescued from my enemies, and from the watery depths. ¹⁶ Let the floodwaters not sweep me away; let the deep not swallow me; let the mouth of the Pit not close over me. ¹⁷ Answer me, O LORD, according to Your great steadfastness; in accordance with Your abundant mercy turn to me; ¹⁸ do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress; answer me quickly. ¹⁹ Come near to me and redeem me; free me from my enemies. ²⁰ You know my reproach, my shame, my disgrace; You are aware of all my foes. ²¹ Reproach breaks my heart, I am in despair; I hope for consolation, but there is none, for comforters, but find none. ²² They give me gall for food, vinegar to quench my thirst. ²³ May their table be a trap for them, a snare for their allies. ²⁴ May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see; may their loins collapse continually. ²⁵ Pour out Your wrath on them; may Your blazing anger overtake them; ²⁶ may their encampments be desolate; may their tents stand empty. ²⁷ For they persecute those You have struck; they talk about the pain of those You have felled. ²⁸ Add that to their guilt; let them have no share of Your beneficence; ²⁹ may they be erased from the book of life, and not be inscribed with the righteous. ³⁰ But I am lowly and in pain; Your help, O God, keeps me safe. ³¹ I will extol God’s name with song, and exalt Him with praise. ³² That will please the LORD more than oxen, than bulls with horns and hooves. ³³ The lowly will see and rejoice; you who are mindful of God, take heart! ³⁴ For the LORD listens to the needy, and does not spurn His captives. ³⁵ Heaven and earth shall extol Him, the seas, and all that moves in them. ³⁶ For God will deliver Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah; they shall live there and inherit it; ³⁷ the offspring of His servants shall possess it; those who cherish His name shall dwell there.

Psalm 150:1-6

¹ Hallelujah. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the sky, His stronghold. ² Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him for His exceeding greatness. ³ Praise Him with blasts of the horn; praise Him with harp and lyre. ⁴ Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with lute and pipe. ⁵ Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with loud-clashing cymbals. ⁶ Let all that breathes praise the LORD. Hallelujah.