Category: Psalms

For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

1 Sing praises to God, our strength.

Sing to the God of Jacob.

2 Sing! Beat the tambourine.

Play the sweet lyre and the harp.

3 Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,

and again at full moon to call a festival!

4 For this is required by the decrees of Israel;

it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.

5 He made it a law for Israel

when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,

6 “Now I will take the load from your shoulders;

I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.

7 You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;

I answered out of the thundercloud

and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah.

Interlude

8 “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.

O Israel, if you would only listen to me!

9 You must never have a foreign god;

you must not bow down before a false god.

10 For it was I, theLordyour God,

who rescued you from the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

11 “But no, my people wouldn’t listen.

Israel did not want me around.

12 So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,

living according to their own ideas.

13 Oh, that my people would listen to me!

Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!

14 How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!

How soon my hands would be upon their foes!

15 Those who hate theLordwould cringe before him;

they would be doomed forever.

16 But I would feed you with the finest wheat.

I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/81-c9597a6139c38a436a7b696713ffd492.mp3?version_id=116—

A psalm of Asaph.

1 God presides over heaven’s court;

he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings:

2 “How long will you hand down unjust decisions

by favoring the wicked?

Interlude

3 “Give justice to the poor and the orphan;

uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

4 Rescue the poor and helpless;

deliver them from the grasp of evil people.

5 But these oppressors know nothing;

they are so ignorant!

They wander about in darkness,

while the whole world is shaken to the core.

6 I say, ‘You are gods;

you are all children of the Most High.

7 But you will die like mere mortals

and fall like every other ruler.’”

8 Rise up, O God, and judge the earth,

for all the nations belong to you.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/82-3791ec1b61b9ced7a022e42148d498ff.mp3?version_id=116—

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, do not be silent!

Do not be deaf.

Do not be quiet, O God.

2 Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?

Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?

3 They devise crafty schemes against your people;

they conspire against your precious ones.

4 “Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.

We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”

5 Yes, this was their unanimous decision.

They signed a treaty as allies against you—

6 these Edomites and Ishmaelites;

Moabites and Hagrites;

7 Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites;

and people from Philistia and Tyre.

8 Assyria has joined them, too,

and is allied with the descendants of Lot.

Interlude

9 Do to them as you did to the Midianites

and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.

10 They were destroyed at Endor,

and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil.

11 Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did.

Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 for they said, “Let us seize for our own use

these pasturelands of God!”

13 O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,

like chaff before the wind!

14 As a fire burns a forest

and as a flame sets mountains ablaze,

15 chase them with your fierce storm;

terrify them with your tempest.

16 Utterly disgrace them

until they submit to your name, OLord.

17 Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.

Let them die in disgrace.

18 Then they will learn that you alone are called theLord,

that you alone are the Most High,

supreme over all the earth.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/83-d837024bd78dbcdb0dea40df36bb3d3e.mp3?version_id=116—

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,

OLordof Heaven’s Armies.

2 I long, yes, I faint with longing

to enter the courts of theLord.

With my whole being, body and soul,

I will shout joyfully to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young

at a place near your altar,

OLordof Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!

4 What joy for those who can live in your house,

always singing your praises.

Interlude

5 What joy for those whose strength comes from theLord,

who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,

it will become a place of refreshing springs.

The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.

7 They will continue to grow stronger,

and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

8 OLordGod of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.

Listen, O God of Jacob.

Interlude

9 O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!

Show favor to the one you have anointed.

10 A single day in your courts

is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God

than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

11 For theLordGod is our sun and our shield.

He gives us grace and glory.

TheLordwill withhold no good thing

from those who do what is right.

12 OLordof Heaven’s Armies,

what joy for those who trust in you.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/84-67914846477f93eb8cdac76d48751556.mp3?version_id=116—

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

1 Lord, you poured out blessings on your land!

You restored the fortunes of Israel.

2 You forgave the guilt of your people—

yes, you covered all their sins.

Interlude

3 You held back your fury.

You kept back your blazing anger.

4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation.

Put aside your anger against us once more.

5 Will you be angry with us always?

Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?

6 Won’t you revive us again,

so your people can rejoice in you?

7 Show us your unfailing love, OLord,

and grant us your salvation.

8 I listen carefully to what God theLordis saying,

for he speaks peace to his faithful people.

But let them not return to their foolish ways.

9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,

so our land will be filled with his glory.

10 Unfailing love and truth have met together.

Righteousness and peace have kissed!

11 Truth springs up from the earth,

and righteousness smiles down from heaven.

12 Yes, theLordpours down his blessings.

Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.

13 Righteousness goes as a herald before him,

preparing the way for his steps.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/85-4c4ade053eb4e73e5627b61118f1116e.mp3?version_id=116—

A prayer of David.

1 Bend down, OLord, and hear my prayer;

answer me, for I need your help.

2 Protect me, for I am devoted to you.

Save me, for I serve you and trust you.

You are my God.

3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,

for I am calling on you constantly.

4 Give me happiness, O Lord,

for I give myself to you.

5 O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,

so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.

6 Listen closely to my prayer, OLord;

hear my urgent cry.

7 I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,

and you will answer me.

8 No pagan god is like you, O Lord.

None can do what you do!

9 All the nations you made

will come and bow before you, Lord;

they will praise your holy name.

10 For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.

You alone are God.

11 Teach me your ways, OLord,

that I may live according to your truth!

Grant me purity of heart,

so that I may honor you.

12 With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.

I will give glory to your name forever,

13 for your love for me is very great.

You have rescued me from the depths of death.

14 O God, insolent people rise up against me;

a violent gang is trying to kill me.

You mean nothing to them.

15 But you, O Lord,

are a God of compassion and mercy,

slow to get angry

and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

16 Look down and have mercy on me.

Give your strength to your servant;

save me, the son of your servant.

17 Send me a sign of your favor.

Then those who hate me will be put to shame,

for you, OLord, help and comfort me.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/86-5c0e31f56785eef7043f4ea2cc63a14d.mp3?version_id=116—

A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

1 On the holy mountain

stands the city founded by theLord.

2 He loves the city of Jerusalem

more than any other city in Israel.

3 O city of God,

what glorious things are said of you!

Interlude

4 I will count Egyptand Babylon among those who know me—

also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia.

They have all become citizens of Jerusalem!

5 Regarding Jerusalemit will be said,

“Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.”

And the Most High will personally bless this city.

6 When theLordregisters the nations, he will say,

“They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.”

Interlude

7 The people will play flutesand sing,

“The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/87-0a3d8fd93fc2cb63ada0a706a4c90807.mp3?version_id=116—

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm

of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 OLord, God of my salvation,

I cry out to you by day.

I come to you at night.

2 Now hear my prayer;

listen to my cry.

3 For my life is full of troubles,

and deathdraws near.

4 I am as good as dead,

like a strong man with no strength left.

5 They have left me among the dead,

and I lie like a corpse in a grave.

I am forgotten,

cut off from your care.

6 You have thrown me into the lowest pit,

into the darkest depths.

7 Your anger weighs me down;

with wave after wave you have engulfed me.

Interlude

8 You have driven my friends away

by making me repulsive to them.

I am in a trap with no way of escape.

9 My eyes are blinded by my tears.

Each day I beg for your help, OLord;

I lift my hands to you for mercy.

10 Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?

Do the dead rise up and praise you?

Interlude

11 Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?

Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

12 Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?

Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?

13 OLord, I cry out to you.

I will keep on pleading day by day.

14 OLord, why do you reject me?

Why do you turn your face from me?

15 I have been sick and close to death since my youth.

I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.

16 Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.

Your terrors have paralyzed me.

17 They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.

They have engulfed me completely.

18 You have taken away my companions and loved ones.

Darkness is my closest friend.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/88-29d1f582b3b735c4d0c93f3c5766fbd1.mp3?version_id=116—

A psalm

of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will sing of theLord’s unfailing love forever!

Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.

2 Your unfailing love will last forever.

Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

3 TheLordsaid, “I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant.

I have sworn this oath to him:

4 ‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever;

they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.’”

Interlude

5 All heaven will praise your great wonders,Lord;

myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.

6 For who in all of heaven can compare with theLord?

What mightiest angel is anything like theLord?

7 The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God.

He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.

8 OLordGod of Heaven’s Armies!

Where is there anyone as mighty as you, OLord?

You are entirely faithful.

9 You rule the oceans.

You subdue their storm-tossed waves.

10 You crushed the great sea monster.

You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours;

everything in the world is yours—you created it all.

12 You created north and south.

Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon praise your name.

13 Powerful is your arm!

Strong is your hand!

Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.

Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.

15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,

for they will walk in the light of your presence,Lord.

16 They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.

They exult in your righteousness.

17 You are their glorious strength.

It pleases you to make us strong.

18 Yes, our protection comes from theLord,

and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.

19 Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people.

You said, “I have raised up a warrior.

I have selected him from the common people to be king.

20 I have found my servant David.

I have anointed him with my holy oil.

21 I will steady him with my hand;

with my powerful arm I will make him strong.

22 His enemies will not defeat him,

nor will the wicked overpower him.

23 I will beat down his adversaries before him

and destroy those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,

and by my authority he will grow in power.

25 I will extend his rule over the sea,

his dominion over the rivers.

26 And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

27 I will make him my firstborn son,

the mightiest king on earth.

28 I will love him and be kind to him forever;

my covenant with him will never end.

29 I will preserve an heir for him;

his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven.

30 But if his descendants forsake my instructions

and fail to obey my regulations,

31 if they do not obey my decrees

and fail to keep my commands,

32 then I will punish their sin with the rod,

and their disobedience with beating.

33 But I will never stop loving him

nor fail to keep my promise to him.

34 No, I will not break my covenant;

I will not take back a single word I said.

35 I have sworn an oath to David,

and in my holiness I cannot lie:

36 His dynasty will go on forever;

his kingdom will endure as the sun.

37 It will be as eternal as the moon,

my faithful witness in the sky!”

Interlude

38 But now you have rejected him and cast him off.

You are angry with your anointed king.

39 You have renounced your covenant with him;

you have thrown his crown in the dust.

40 You have broken down the walls protecting him

and ruined every fort defending him.

41 Everyone who comes along has robbed him,

and he has become a joke to his neighbors.

42 You have strengthened his enemies

and made them all rejoice.

43 You have made his sword useless

and refused to help him in battle.

44 You have ended his splendor

and overturned his throne.

45 You have made him old before his time

and publicly disgraced him.

Interlude

46 OLord, how long will this go on?

Will you hide yourself forever?

How long will your anger burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my life is,

how empty and futile this human existence!

48 No one can live forever; all will die.

No one can escape the power of the grave.

Interlude

49 Lord, where is your unfailing love?

You promised it to David with a faithful pledge.

50 Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced!

I carry in my heart the insults of so many people.

51 Your enemies have mocked me, OLord;

they mock your anointed king wherever he goes.

52 Praise theLordforever!

Amen and amen!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/89-ebdc6ec0b74240d7cd126114af4d0735.mp3?version_id=116—

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1 Lord, through all the generations

you have been our home!

2 Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world,

from beginning to end, you are God.

3 You turn people back to dust, saying,

“Return to dust, you mortals!”

4 For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,

as brief as a few night hours.

5 You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.

They are like grass that springs up in the morning.

6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes,

but by evening it is dry and withered.

7 We wither beneath your anger;

we are overwhelmed by your fury.

8 You spread out our sins before you—

our secret sins—and you see them all.

9 We live our lives beneath your wrath,

ending our years with a groan.

10 Seventy years are given to us!

Some even live to eighty.

But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;

soon they disappear, and we fly away.

11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?

Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.

12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,

so that we may grow in wisdom.

13 OLord, come back to us!

How long will you delay?

Take pity on your servants!

14 Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,

so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.

15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!

Replace the evil years with good.

16 Let us, your servants, see you work again;

let our children see your glory.

17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval

and make our efforts successful.

Yes, make our efforts successful!

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/PSA/90-931c94a53780bb8f544d8526dff94a62.mp3?version_id=116—