Reading the Bible Together

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

¹ You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us;
you have been angry—now restore us!

² You have shaken the land and torn it open;
mend its fractures, for it is quaking.

³ You have shown your people desperate times;
you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

⁴ But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
to be unfurled against the bow.

⁵ Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered.

⁶ God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.

⁷ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah is my scepter.

⁸ Moab is my washbasin,
on Edom I toss my sandal;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

⁹ Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?

¹⁰ Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?

¹¹ Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.

¹² With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.

¹ Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.

² Deliver me from evildoers
and save me from those who are after my blood.

³ See how they lie in wait for me!
Powerful people conspire against me
for no offense or sin of mine, LORD.

⁴ I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Arise to help me; look on my plight!

⁵ You, LORD God Almighty,
you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to wicked traitors.

⁶ They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.

⁷ See what they spew from their mouths—
the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
and they think, “Who can hear us?”

⁸ But you laugh at them, LORD;
you scoff at all those nations.

⁹ You are my strength, I watch for you;
you, God, are my fortress,

¹⁰ my God on whom I can rely.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

¹¹ But do not kill them, Lord our shield,
or my people will forget.
In your might uproot them
and bring them down.

¹² For the sins of their mouths,
for the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,

¹³ consume them in wrath,
consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.

¹⁴ They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.

¹⁵ They wander about for food
and howl if not satisfied.

¹⁶ But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁷ You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.

¹ Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?

² No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

³ Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.

⁴ Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,

⁵ that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skillful the enchanter may be.

⁶ Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
LORD, tear out the fangs of those lions!

⁷ Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.

⁸ May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.

⁹ Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.

¹⁰ The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹ Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.

¹ Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.

² I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.

³ He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.

⁴ I am in the midst of lions;
I am forced to dwell among man-eating beasts,
whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

⁶ They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.

⁷ My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.

⁸ Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. 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 let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.

⁸ Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll —
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 mere human beings 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.

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David.

¹ Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;

² hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

³ because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me
and assail me in their anger.

⁴ My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.

⁵ Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.

⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.

⁷ I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;

⁸ I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”

⁹ Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰ Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.

¹¹ Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.

¹² If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.

¹³ But it is you, one like myself,
my companion, my close friend,

¹⁴ with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers.

¹⁵ Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.

¹⁶ As for me, I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.

¹⁷ Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.

¹⁸ He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.

¹⁹ God, who is enthroned from of old,
who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.

²⁰ My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.

²¹ His talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.

²² Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.

²³ But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”

¹ Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.

² Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.

³ Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people seek my life—
people without regard for God.

⁴ Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.

⁵ Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.

⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.

⁷ You have delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

For the director of music. According to mahalath. A maskil of David.

¹ Fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.

² God looks down from heaven
on the human race
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.

³ Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.

⁴ Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.

⁵ But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you put them to shame, for God despised them.

⁶ Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

¹ Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?

² You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.

³ You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.

⁴ You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!

⁵ Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.

⁶ The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,

⁷ “Here now is the one
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”

⁸ But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.

⁹ For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

² Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.

⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

⁹ Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.