Monday, January 31, 2011

Psalm 21

For the director of music. A psalm of David.
 1 The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.
   How great is his joy in the victories you give!
 2 You have granted him his heart’s desire
   and have not withheld the request of his lips.[b]
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
   and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
   length of days, for ever and ever.
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
   you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
   and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD;
   through the unfailing love of the Most High
   he will not be shaken.
 8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies;
   your right hand will seize your foes.
9 When you appear for battle,
   you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,
   and his fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
   their posterity from mankind.
11 Though they plot evil against you
   and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs
   when you aim at them with drawn bow.
 13 Be exalted in your strength, LORD;
   we will sing and praise your might.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-13 is numbered 21:2-14.
  2. Psalm 21:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Psalm 41

For the director of music. A psalm of David.
 1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
   the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.
2 The LORD protects and preserves them—
   they are counted among the blessed in the land—
   he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed
   and restores them from their bed of illness.
 4 I said, “Have mercy on me, LORD;
   heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies say of me in malice,
   “When will he die and his name perish?”
6 When one of them comes to see me,
   he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
   then he goes out and spreads it around.
 7 All my enemies whisper together against me;
   they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8 “A vile disease has afflicted him;
   he will never get up from the place where he lies.”
9 Even my close friend,
   someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
   has turned[b] against me.
 10 But may you have mercy on me, LORD;
   raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 I know that you are pleased with me,
   for my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 Because of my integrity you uphold me
   and set me in your presence forever.
 13 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
   from everlasting to everlasting.
            Amen and Amen.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 41:1 In Hebrew texts 41:1-13 is numbered 41:2-14.
  2. Psalm 41:9 Hebrew has lifted up his heel

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Psalm 129

A song of ascents.
 1 “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”
   let Israel say;
2 “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
   but they have not gained the victory over me.
3 Plowmen have plowed my back
   and made their furrows long.
4 But the LORD is righteous;
   he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”
 5 May all who hate Zion
   be turned back in shame.
6 May they be like grass on the roof,
   which withers before it can grow;
7 a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
   nor one who gathers fill his arms.
8 May those who pass by not say to them,
   “The blessing of the LORD be on you;
   we bless you in the name of the LORD.”

Monday, January 24, 2011

Psalm 104

 1 Praise the LORD, my soul.
   LORD my God, you are very great;
   you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
 2 The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;
   he stretches out the heavens like a tent
 3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
   and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers,[a]
   flames of fire his servants.
 5 He set the earth on its foundations;
   it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
   the waters stood above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
   at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
   they went down into the valleys,
   to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
   never again will they cover the earth.
 10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
   it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
   the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
   they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
   the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
   and plants for people to cultivate—
   bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens human hearts,
   oil to make their faces shine,
   and bread that sustains their hearts.
16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
   the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests;
   the stork has its home in the junipers.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
   the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
 19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,
   and the sun knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
   and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey
   and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
   they return and lie down in their dens.
23 Then people go out to their work,
   to their labor until evening.
 24 How many are your works, LORD!
   In wisdom you made them all;
   the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
   teeming with creatures beyond number—
   living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
   and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
 27 All creatures look to you
   to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
   they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
   they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
   they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
   they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
   they are created,
   and you renew the face of the ground.
 31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
   may the LORD rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
   who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
 33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
   I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
   as I rejoice in the LORD.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
   and the wicked be no more.
   Praise the LORD, my soul.
   Praise the LORD.[b]
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 104:4 Or angels
  2. Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Psalm 105

 1 Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
   make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
   tell of all his wonderful acts.
3 Glory in his holy name;
   let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Look to the LORD and his strength;
   seek his face always.
 5 Remember the wonders he has done,
   his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
   his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
7 He is the LORD our God;
   his judgments are in all the earth.
 8 He remembers his covenant forever,
   the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
   the oath he swore to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
   to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
11 “To you I will give the land of Canaan
   as the portion you will inherit.”
 12 When they were but few in number,
   few indeed, and strangers in it,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
   from one kingdom to another.
14 He allowed no one to oppress them;
   for their sake he rebuked kings:
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones;
   do my prophets no harm.”
 16 He called down famine on the land
   and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17 and he sent a man before them—
   Joseph, sold as a slave.
18 They bruised his feet with shackles,
   his neck was put in irons,
19 till what he foretold came to pass,
   till the word of the LORD proved him true.
20 The king sent and released him,
   the ruler of peoples set him free.
21 He made him master of his household,
   ruler over all he possessed,
22 to instruct his princes as he pleased
   and teach his elders wisdom.
 23 Then Israel entered Egypt;
   Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24 The LORD made his people very fruitful;
   he made them too numerous for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
   to conspire against his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant,
   and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them,
   his wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and made the land dark—
   for had they not rebelled against his words?
29 He turned their waters into blood,
   causing their fish to die.
30 Their land teemed with frogs,
   which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
   and gnats throughout their country.
32 He turned their rain into hail,
   with lightning throughout their land;
33 he struck down their vines and fig trees
   and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came,
   grasshoppers without number;
35 they ate up every green thing in their land,
   ate up the produce of their soil.
36 Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
   the firstfruits of all their manhood.
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
   and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
   because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
 39 He spread out a cloud as a covering,
   and a fire to give light at night.
40 They asked, and he brought them quail;
   he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
   it flowed like a river in the desert.
 42 For he remembered his holy promise
   given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,
   his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,
   and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
45 that they might keep his precepts
   and observe his laws.
   Praise the LORD.[a]
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 105:45 Hebrew Hallelu Yah

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Psalm 96

 1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
   sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
   proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
 4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
   he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
   but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
   strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
 7 Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
   ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
   bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his[a] holiness;
   tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
   The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
   he will judge the peoples with equity.
 11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
   let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
   let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
   he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
   and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 96:9 Or LORD with the splendor of

Monday, January 17, 2011

Psalm 64

For the director of music. A psalm of David.
 1 Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;
   protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
 2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
   from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
   and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
   they shoot suddenly, without fear.
 5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
   they talk about hiding their snares;
   they say, “Who will see it[b]?”
6 They plot injustice and say,
   “We have devised a perfect plan!”
   Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
 7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
   they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them
   and bring them to ruin;
   all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9 All people will fear;
   they will proclaim the works of God
   and ponder what he has done.
 10 The righteous will rejoice in the LORD
   and take refuge in him;
   all the upright in heart will glory in him!
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1-10 is numbered 64:2-11.
  2. Psalm 64:5 Or us

Friday, January 14, 2011

Psalm 27

Of David.
 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
   whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
   of whom shall I be afraid?
 2 When the wicked advance against me
   to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
   who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
   my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
   even then I will be confident.
 4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
   this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
   all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
   and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
   he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
   and set me high upon a rock.
 6 Then my head will be exalted
   above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
   I will sing and make music to the LORD.
 7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
   be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
   Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
   do not turn your servant away in anger;
   you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
   God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
   the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, LORD;
   lead me in a straight path
   because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
   for false witnesses rise up against me,
   spouting malicious accusations.
 13 I remain confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 27:2 Or slander

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Psalm 33

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
   it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
   make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
   play skillfully, and shout for joy.
 4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
   he is faithful in all he does.
5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
   the earth is full of his unfailing love.
 6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
   their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars[a];
   he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
   let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
   he commanded, and it stood firm.
 10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
   he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
   the purposes of his heart through all generations.
 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
   the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the LORD looks down
   and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
   all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
   who considers everything they do.
 16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
   no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
   despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
   on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
   and keep them alive in famine.
 20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
   he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
   for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
   even as we put our hope in you.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 33:7 Or sea as into a heap

Monday, January 10, 2011

Psalm 144

Of David.
 1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
   who trains my hands for war,
   my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress,
   my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
   who subdues peoples[a] under me.
 3 LORD, what are human beings that you care for them,
   mere mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath;
   their days are like a fleeting shadow.
 5 Part your heavens, LORD, and come down;
   touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
6 Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy;
   shoot your arrows and rout them.
7 Reach down your hand from on high;
   deliver me and rescue me
from the mighty waters,
   from the hands of foreigners
8 whose mouths are full of lies,
   whose right hands are deceitful.
 9 I will sing a new song to you, my God;
   on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
10 to the One who gives victory to kings,
   who delivers his servant David.
   From the deadly sword 11 deliver me;
   rescue me from the hands of foreigners
whose mouths are full of lies,
   whose right hands are deceitful.
 12 Then our sons in their youth
   will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars
   carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our barns will be filled
   with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
   by tens of thousands in our fields;
 14 our oxen will draw heavy loads.[b]
There will be no breaching of walls,
   no going into captivity,
   no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Blessed is the people of whom this is true;
   blessed is the people whose God is the LORD.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 144:2 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Jerome and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text subdues my people
  2. Psalm 144:14 Or our chieftains will be firmly established

Friday, January 7, 2011

Psalm 118

 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
   his love endures forever.
 2 Let Israel say:
   “His love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say:
   “His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD say:
   “His love endures forever.”
 5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;
   he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
   What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper.
   I look in triumph on my enemies.
 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
   than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
   than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
   but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
   but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
   but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
   in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
   but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my defense[a];
   he has become my salvation.
 15 Shouts of joy and victory
   resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!
 16 The LORD’s right hand is lifted high;
   the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die but live,
   and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
18 The LORD has chastened me severely,
   but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
   I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD
   through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
   you have become my salvation.
 22 The stone the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone;
23 the LORD has done this,
   and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The LORD has done it this very day;
   let us rejoice today and be glad.
 25 LORD, save us!
   LORD, grant us success!
 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
   From the house of the LORD we bless you.[b]
27 The LORD is God,
   and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
   up[c] to the horns of the altar.
 28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
   you are my God, and I will exalt you.
 29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
   his love endures forever.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 118:14 Or song
  2. Psalm 118:26 The Hebrew is plural.
  3. Psalm 118:27 Or Bind the festal sacrifice with ropes / and take it

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Psalm 85

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
 1 You, LORD, showed favor to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people
   and covered all their sins.[b]
3 You set aside all your wrath
   and turned from your fierce anger.
 4 Restore us again, God our Savior,
   and put away your displeasure toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
   Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
   that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, LORD,
   and grant us your salvation.
 8 I will listen to what God the LORD says;
   he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
   but let them not turn to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
   that his glory may dwell in our land.
 10 Love and faithfulness meet together;
   righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
   and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The LORD will indeed give what is good,
   and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
   and prepares the way for his steps.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 85:1 In Hebrew texts 85:1-13 is numbered 85:2-14.
  2. Psalm 85:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Psalm 56

For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.[b] When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
 1 Be merciful to me, my God,
   for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
   all day long they press their attack.
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;
   in their pride many are attacking me.
 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
 4 In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
   What can mere mortals do to me?
 5 All day long they twist my words;
   all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire, they lurk,
   they watch my steps,
   hoping to take my life.
7 Because of their wickedness do not[c] let them escape;
   in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
 8 Record my misery;
   list my tears on your scroll[d]
   are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
   when I call for help.
   By this I will know that God is for me.
 10 In God, whose word I praise,
   in the LORD, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
   What can man do to me?
 12 I am under vows to you, my God;
   I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death
   and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
   in the light of life.
Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 56:1 In Hebrew texts 56:1-13 is numbered 56:2-14.
  2. Psalm 56:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 56:7 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have do not.
  4. Psalm 56:8 Or misery; / put my tears in your wineskin