The Psalter

[Colin]

Psalm 1 ( Two ways of living )


1 Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked,
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
2 but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.

3 He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
4 Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
5 When the wicked are judged they shall not stand,
nor find room among those who are just;
6 for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 2 ( The Messianic kingship : warning to rulers and nations )



1 Why this tumult among nations,
among peoples this useless murmuring?
2 They arise, the kings of the earth,
princes plot against the Lord and his Anointed.
3 "Come, let us break their fetters,
come, let us cast off their yoke."

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord is laughing them to scorn.
5 Then he will speak in his anger,
his rage will strike them with terror.
6 "It is I who have set up my king on Zion,
my holy mountain."

7 (I will announce the decree of the Lord : )

The Lord said to me: "You are my Son.
It is I who have begotten you this day.
8 Ask and I will shall bequeath you the nations,
put the ends of the earth in your possession.
9 With a rod of iron you will break them,
shatter them like a potter's jar."

10 Now, O kings, understand,
take warning, rulers of the earth;
11 serve the Lord with awe
and trembling, pay him your homage
12 lest he be angry and you perish;
for suddenly his anger will blaze.

Blessed are they who put their trust in God.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 3 ( Confidence under persecution : a morning prayer )



2 How many are my foes, O Lord!
How many are rising up against me!
3 How many are saying about me:
"There is no help for him in God."

4 But you, Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, who lift up my head.
5 I cry aloud to the Lord.
He answers from his holy mountain.

6 I lie down to rest, and I sleep.
I wake, for the Lord upholds me.
7 I will not fear even thousands of people
who are ranged on every side against me.

8 Arise, Lord; save me, my God,
you who strike my foes on the mouth,
you who break the teeth of the wicked!
9 O Lord of salvation, bless your people!

 

[Colin]

Psalm 4 ( Night prayer )


.2 When I call, answer me, O God of justice;
from anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me!

.3 O men, how long will your hearts be closed,
will you love what is futile and seek what is false?

.4 It is the Lord who grants favors to those whom he loves;
the Lord hears me whenever I call him.

.5 Fear him; do not sin: ponder on your bed and be still
.6 Make justice your sacrifice, and trust in the Lord.

.7 "What can bring us happiness?" many say.
Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord.

.8 You have put into my heart a greater joy
than they have from abundance of corn and new wine.

.9 I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once
for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 5 ( Morning prayer )


.2 To my words give ear, O Lord,
give heed to my groaning.
.3 Attend to the sound of my cries,
my King and my God.

/.4 It is you whom I invoke, O Lord.
In the morning you hear me;
in the morning I offer you my prayer,
watching and waiting.

.5 You are no God who loves evil;
no sinner is your guest.
.6 The boastful shall not stand their ground
before your face.

.7 You hate all who do evil;
you destroy all who lie.
The deceitful and bloodthirsty man
the Lord detests.

.8 But I through the greatness of your love
have access to your house.
I bow down before your holy temple,
filled with awe.

.9 Lead me, Lord, in your justice,
because of those who lie in wait;
make clear your way before me.

.10 No truth can be found in their mouths,
their heart is all mischief,
their throat a wide-open grave,
all honey their speech.

.11 Declare them guilty, O God.
Let them fail in their designs.
Drive them out for their many offenses,
for they have defied you.

.12 All those you protect shall be glad
and ring out their joy.
You shelter them; in you they rejoice,
those who love your name.

.13 It is you who bless the just man
you surround him with favor as with a shield.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 6 ( Prayer in time of distress : first psalm of repentance )


.2 Lord, do not reprove me in your anger;
punish me not in your rage.
.3 Have mercy on me, Lord, I have no strength;
Lord, heal me, my body is racked;
.4 my soul is racked with pain.

But you, O Lord...how long?
.5 Return, Lord, rescue my soul.
Save me in your merciful love;
.6 for in death no one remembers you;
from the grave, who can give you praise?

.7 I am exhausted with my groaning;
every night I drench my pillow with tears;
I bedew my bed with weeping.
.8 My eye wastes away with grief;
I have grown old surrounded by my foes.

.9 Leave me, all you who do evil;
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
.10 The Lord has heard my plea;
The Lord will accept my prayer.
.11 All my foes will retire in confusion,
foiled and suddenly confounded.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 7 ( Appeal to God's justice )



.2 Lord God, I take refuge in you.
From my pursuer save me and rescue me,
.3 lest he tear me to pieces like a lion
and drag me off with no one to rescue me.

.4 Lord God, if my hands have done wrong,
.5 if I have paid back evil for good,
I who saved my unjust oppressor:
.6 then let my foe pursue me and seize me,
let him trample my life to the ground
and lay my soul in the dust.

* * *

.7 Lord, rise up in your anger,
rise against the fury of my foes;
my God, awake! You will give judgment.
.8 Let the company of nations gather round you,
taking your seat above them on high.
.9 (The Lord is judge of the peoples.)

Give judgment for me, Lord; I am just
and innocent of heart.
.10 Put an end to the evil of the wicked!
Make the just stand firm,
you who test mind and heart,
O just God!

.11 God is the shield that protects me,
who saves the upright of heart.
.12 God is a just judge
slow to anger;
but he threatens the wicked every day,
.13 men who will not repent.

* * *

God will sharpen his sword;
he has braced his bow and taken aim.
.14 For them he has prepared deadly weapons;
he barbs his arrows with fire.
.15 Here is one who is pregnant with malice,
who conceives evil and brings forth lies.

.16 He digs a pitfall, digs it deep;
and in the trap he has made he will fall.
.17 His malice will recoil on himself;
on his own head his violence will fall.

* * *

.18 I will thank the Lord for his justice:
I will sing to the Lord, the Most High.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 8 ( Man the viceroy of God )


.2 How great is your name, O Lord our God,
through all the earth!

Your majesty is praised above the heavens;
.3 on the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise to foil your enemy,
to silence the foe and the rebel.

.4 When I see the heavens, the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars which you arranged,
.5 what is man that you should keep him in mind,
mortal man that you care for him?

.6 Yet you have made him little less than a god;
with glory and honor you crowned him,
.7 gave him power over the works of your hands,
put all things under his feet.

.8 All of them, sheep and cattle,
yes, even the savage beasts,
.9 birds of the air, and fish
that make their way through the waters.

.10 How great is your name, O Lord our God
through all the earth!

 

[Colin]

Psalm 9 ( Gratitude and appeal )



.2 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will recount all your wonders.
.3 I will rejoice in you and be glad,
and sing psalms to your name, O Most High.

.4 See how my enemies turn back,
how they stumble and perish before you.
.5 You upheld the justice of my cause;
you sat enthroned, judging with justice.

.6 You have checked the nations, destroyed the wicked;
you have wiped out their name for ever and ever.
.7 The foe is destroyed, eternally ruined.
You uprooted their cities; their memory has perished.

.8 But the Lord sits enthroned for ever.
He has set up his throne for judgment;
.9 he will judge the world with justice,
he will judge the peoples with his truth.

.10 For the oppressed let the Lord be a stronghold,
a stronghold in times of distress.
.11 Those who know your name will trust you;
you will never forsake those who seek you.

.12 Sing psalms to the Lord who dwells in Zion.
Proclaim his mighty works among the peoples,
.13 for the Avenger of blood has remembered them,
has not forgotten the cry of the poor.

.14 Have pity on me, Lord, see my sufferings,
you who save me from the gates of death;
.15 that I may recount all your praise
at the gates of the city of Zion
and rejoice in your saving help.

.16 The nations have fallen in the pit which they made,
their feet caught in the snare they laid.
.17 The Lord has revealed himself, and given judgment.
The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

.18 Let the wicked go down among the dead,
all the nations forgetful of God;
.19 for the needy shall not always be forgotten
nor the hopes of the poor be in vain.

.20 Arise, Lord, let men not prevail!
Let the nations be judged before you.
.21 Lord, strike them with terror,
let the nations know they are but men.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 10 ( God crushes the wicked and saves the humble )


1 Lord, why do you stand afar off
and hide yourself in times of distress?
2 The poor man is devoured by the pride of the wicked:
he is caught in the schemes that others have made.

3 For the wicked man boasts of his heart's desires;
the covetous blasphemes and spurns the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked says: "He will not punish.
There is no God." Such are his thoughts.

5 His path is ever untroubled;
your judgment is far from his mind.
His enemies he regards with contempt.
6 He thinks: "Never shall I falter:
misfortune shall never be my lot."

7 His mouth is full of cursing, guile, oppression;
mischief and deceit are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait among the reeds;
the innocent he murders in secret.

His eyes are on the watch for the helpless man.
9 He lurks in hiding like a lion in his lair;
he lurks in hiding to seize the poor;
he seizes the poor man and drags him away.

10 He crouches, preparing to spring,
and the helpless fall beneath such strength.
11 He thinks in his heart: "God forgets,
he hides his face, he does not see."

12 Arise then, Lord, lift up your hand!
O God, do not forget the poor!
13 Why should the wicked spurn the Lord
and think in his heart: "God will not punish"?

14 But you have seen the trouble and sorrow,
you note it, you take it in hand.
The helpless trusts himself to you;
for you are the helper of the orphan.

15 Break the power of the wicked and the sinner!
Punish their wickedness till nothing remains!
16 The Lord is king for ever and ever.
The heathen shall perish from the land he rules.

17 Lord, you hear the prayer of the poor;
you strengthen their hearts; you turn your ear
18 to protect the rights of the orphan and oppressed:
so that mortal man may strike terror no more.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 11 ( The security of God's friends : a psalm of confidence )


1 In the Lord I have taken my refuge.
How can you say to my soul:
"Fly like a bird to its mountain.

2 See the wicked bracing their bow;
they are fixing their arrows on the string
to shoot upright men in the dark.
3 Foundations once destroyed, what can the just do?"

4 The Lord is in his holy temple,
the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes look down on the world;
his gaze tests mortal men.

5 The Lord tests the just and the wicked;
the lover of violence he hates.
6 He sends fire and brimstone on the wicked;
he sends a scorching wind as their lot.

7 The Lord is just and loves justice;
the upright shall see his face.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 12 ( Truth in a world of lies )



.2 Help, O Lord, for good men have vanished;
truth has gone from the sons of men.
.3 Falsehood they speak one to another,
with lying lips, with a false heart.

.4 May the Lord destroy all lying lips,
the tongue that speaks high-sounding words,
.5 those who say: "Our tongue is our strength;
our lips are our own, who is our master?"

.6 "For the poor who are oppressed and the needy who groan
I myself will arise," says the Lord,
"I will grant them the salvation for which they thirst."

.7 The words of the Lord are words without alloy,
silver from the furnace, seven times refined.

.8 It is you, O Lord, who will take us in your care
and protect us for ever from this generation.
.9 See how the wicked prowl on every side,
while the worthless are prized highly by the sons of men.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 13 ( Prayer of a person in anxiety )



.2 How long, O Lord, will you forget me?
How long will you hide your face?
.3 How long must I bear grief in my soul,
this sorrow in my heart day and night?
How long shall my enemy prevail?

.4 Look at me, answer me, Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes lest I fall asleep in death,
.5 lest my enemy say: "I have overcome him";
lest my foes rejoice to see my fall.

.6 As for me, I trust in your merciful love.
Let my heart rejoice in your saving help:
.7 Let me sing to the Lord for his goodness to me,
singing psalms to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 14 ( The fools )


1 The fool has said in his heart:
"There is no God above."
Their deeds are corrupt, depraved;
not a good man is left.

2 From heaven the Lord looks down
on the sons of men
to see if any are wise,
if any seek God.

3 All have left the right path,
depraved, every one;
there is not a good man left,
no, not even one.

4 Will the evil-doers not understand?
They eat up my people
as though they were eating bread:
they never pray to the Lord.

5 See how they tremble with fear
without cause for fear:
for God is with the just.
6 You may mock the poor man's hope,
but his refuge is the Lord.

7 O that Israel's salvation might come from Zion!
When the Lord delivers his people from bondage,
then Jacob will be glad and Israel rejoice.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 15 ( Moral code of one who is good )


1 Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent
and dwell on your holy mountain?

2 He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
3 he who does not slander with his tongue;

He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbor,
4 who holds the godless in disdain,
but honors those who fear the Lord;

he who keeps his pledge, come what may;
5 who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a man will stand firm forever.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 16 ( a psalm of confidence )


1 Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
2 I say to the Lord: "You are my God.
My happiness lies in you alone."

3 He has put into my heart a marvelous love
for the faithful ones who dwell in his land.
4 Those who choose other gods increase their sorrows.
Never will I offer their offerings of blood.
Never will I take their name upon my lips.

5 O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.
6 The lot marked out for me is my delight:
welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!

7 I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
8 I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

9 And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.

11 You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 17 ( Appeal of an upright man )


1 Lord, hear a cause that is just,
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer:
no deceit is on my lips.

2 From you may my judgment come forth.
Your eyes discern the truth.

3 You search my heart, you visit me by night.
You test me and you find in me no wrong.
/4 My words are not sinful as are men's words.

I kept from violence because of your word,
5 I kept my feet firmly in your paths;
there was no faltering in my steps.

6 I am here and I call, you will hear me, O God.
Turn your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Display your great love, you whose right hand saves
your friends from those who rebel against them.

8 Guard me as the apple of your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the violent attack of the wicked.

My foes encircle me with deadly intent.
10 Their hearts tight shut, their mouths speak proudly.
11 They advance against me, and now they surround me.

Their eyes are watching to strike me to the ground,
12 as though they were lions ready to claw
or like some young lion crouched in hiding.

13 Lord, arise, confront them, strike them down!
Let your sword rescue my soul from the wicked;
14 let your hand, O Lord, rescue me from men,
from men whose reward is in this present life.

You give them their fill of your treasures;
they rejoice in abundance of offspring
and leave their wealth to their children.

15 As for me, in my justice I shall see your face
and be filled, when I awake, with the sight of your glory.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 18 verses 1-26 ( David's gratitude for victory )


.2 I love you, Lord, my strength,
.3 my rock, my fortress, my savior.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.
.4 The Lord is worthy of all praise,
when I call I am saved from my foes.

.5 The waves of death rose about me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
.6 the snares of the grave entangled me;
the traps of death confronted me.

.7 In my anguish I called to the Lord;
I cried to God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.

.8 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the mountains were shaken to their base:
they reeled at his terrible anger.
.9 Smoke came forth from his nostrils
and scorching fire from his mouth:
coals were set ablaze by its heat.

.10 He lowered the heavens and came down,
a black cloud under his feet.
.11 He came enthroned on the cherubim,
he flew on the wings of the wind.

.12 He made the darkness his covering,
the dark waters of the clouds, his tent.
.13 A brightness shone out before him
with hailstones and flashes of fire.

.14 The Lord thundered in the heavens;
The Most High let his voice be heard.
.15 He shot his arrows, scattered the foe,
flashed his lightnings and put them to flight.

.16 The bed of the ocean was revealed;
the foundations of the world were laid bare
at the thunder of your threat, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your anger.

.17 From on high he reached down and seized me;
he drew me forth from the mighty waters.
.18 he snatched me from my powerful foe,
from my enemies whose strength I could not match.

.19 They assailed me in the day of my misfortune,
but the Lord was my support.
.20 He brought me forth into freedom,
he saved me because he loved me.

.21 He rewarded me because I was just,
repaid me, for my hands were clean,
.22 for I have kept the way of the Lord,
and have not fallen away from my God.

.23 For his judgments are all before me:
I have never neglected his commands.
.24 I have always been upright before him;
I have kept myself from guilt.

.25 He repaid me because I was just
and my hands were clean in his eyes.
.26 You are loving with those who love you:
you show yourself perfect with the perfect.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 18 verses 27-51 ( David's gratitude for victory )


.27 With the sincere you show yourself sincere,
but the cunning you outdo in cunning.
.28 For you save a humble people
but humble the eyes that are proud.

.29 You, O Lord, are my lamp,
my God who lightens my darkness.
.30 With you I can break through any barrier,
with my God I can scale any wall.

.31 As for God, his ways are perfect;
the word of the Lord, purest gold.
He indeed is the shield
of all who make him their refuge.

.32 For who is God but the Lord?
Who is a rock but our God?
.33 the God who girds me with strength
and makes the path safe before me.

.34 My feet you make swift as the deer's;
you have made me stand firm on the heights.
.35 You have trained my hands for battle
and my hands to bend the heavy bow.

.36 You gave me your saving shield;
you upheld me, trained me with care.
.37 You gave me freedom for my steps;
my feet have never slipped.

.38 I pursued and overtook my foes,
never turning back till they were slain.
.39 I smote them so they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.

.40 You girded me with strength for battle;
you made my enemies fall beneath me,
.41 you made my foes take flight;
those who hated me I destroyed.

.42 They cried, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but in vain.
.43 I crushed them fine as dust before the wind;
trod them down like dirt in the streets.

.44 You saved me from the feuds of the people
and put me at the head of the nations.
People unknown to me served me:
.45 when they heard of me they obeyed me.

Foreign nations came to me cringing:
.46 foreign nations faded away.
They came trembling out of their strongholds.

.47 Long life to the Lord, my rock!
Praised be the God who saves me,
.48 the God who gives me redress
and subdues people under me.

.49 You saved me from my furious foes.
You set me above my assailants.
You saved me from violent men,
.50 so I will praise you, Lord, among the nations:
I will sing a psalm to your name.

.51 He has given great victories to his king
and shown his love for his anointed,
for David and his sons for ever.

 

[Colin]

Psalm 19 ( Praise of God , creator and law-giver )



.2 The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
.3 Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.

.4 No speech, no word, no voice is heard
.5 yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

There he has placed a tent for the sun;
.6 it comes forth like a bridegroom coming from his tent,
rejoices like a champion to run its course.

.7 At the end of the sky is the rising of the sun;
to the furthest end of the sky is its course.
There is nothing concealed from its burning heat.

* * *

.8 The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.

.9 The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.

.10 The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.

.11 They are more to be desired than gold,
than the purest of gold
and sweeter are they than honey,
than honey from the comb.

.12 So in them your servant finds instruction;
great reward is in their keeping.
.13 But who can detect all his errors?
From hidden faults acquit me.

.14 From presumption restrain your servant
and let it not rule me.
Then shall I be blameless,
clean from grave sin.

.15 May the spoken words of my mouth,
the thoughts of my heart,
win favor in your sight, O Lord,
my rescuer, my rock