A Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked

581 Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones?
Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men? 2 No, in your heart you plot injustice.
You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth. 3 The wicked go astray from the womb.
They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies. 4 Their poison is like the poison of a snake;
like a deaf cobra that stops its ear, 5 which doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers,
no matter how skillful the charmer may be.

6 Break their teeth, God, in their mouth.
Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh. 7 Let them vanish as water that flows away.
When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt. 8 Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away,
like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun. 9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns,
he will sweep away the green and the burning alike. 10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance.
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked; 11 so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous.
Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”

A Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

591 Deliver me from my enemies, my God.
Set me on high from those who rise up against me. 2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity.
Save me from the bloodthirsty men. 3 For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul.
The mighty gather themselves together against me,
not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, Yahweh. 4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Rise up, behold, and help me! 5 You, Yahweh God of Armies, the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish the nations.
Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah. 6 They return at evening, howling like dogs,
and prowl around the city. 7 Behold, they spew with their mouth.
Swords are in their lips,
“For,” they say, “who hears us?”

8 But you, Yahweh, laugh at them.
You scoff at all the nations. 9 Oh, my Strength, I watch for you,
for God is my high tower. 10 My God will go before me with his loving kindness.
God will let me look at my enemies in triumph. 11 Don’t kill them, or my people may forget.
Scatter them by your power, and bring them down, Lord our shield. 12 For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride,
for the curses and lies which they utter. 13 Consume them in wrath.
Consume them, and they will be no more.
Let them know that God rules in Jacob,
to the ends of the earth. Selah. 14 At evening let them return.
Let them howl like a dog, and go around the city. 15 They shall wander up and down for food,
and wait all night if they aren’t satisfied. 16 But I will sing of your strength.
Yes, I will sing aloud of your loving kindness in the morning.
For you have been my high tower,
a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 To you, my strength, I will sing praises.
For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.

A Prayer for Help against the Foe

601 God, you have rejected us.
You have broken us down.
You have been angry.
Restore us, again. 2 You have made the land tremble.
You have torn it.
Mend its fractures,
for it quakes. 3 You have shown your people hard things.
You have made us drink the wine that makes us stagger. 4 You have given a banner to those who fear you,
that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. 5 So that your beloved may be delivered,
save with your right hand, and answer us.

6 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
“I will triumph.
I will divide Shechem,
and measure out the valley of Succoth. 7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine.
Ephraim also is the defense of my head.
Judah is my scepter. 8 Moab is my wash basin.
I will throw my shoe on Edom.
I shout in triumph over Philistia.” 9 Who will bring me into the strong city?
Who has led me to Edom? 10 Haven’t you, God, rejected us?
You don’t go out with our armies, God. 11 Give us help against the adversary,
for the help of man is vain. 12 Through God we shall do valiantly,
for it is he who will tread down our adversaries.

Confidence in God's Protection

611 Hear my cry, God.
Listen to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth, I will call to you, when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For you have been a refuge for me,
a strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will dwell in your tent forever.
I will take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah.

5 For you, God, have heard my vows.
You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6 You will prolong the king’s life;
his years shall be for generations. 7 He shall be enthroned in God’s presence forever.
Appoint your loving kindness and truth, that they may preserve him. 8 So I will sing praise to your name forever,
that I may fulfill my vows daily.

God the Only Refuge

621 My soul rests in God alone.
My salvation is from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress—
I will never be greatly shaken. 3 How long will you assault a man,
would all of you throw him down,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 4 They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place.
They delight in lies.
They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. 5 My soul, wait in silence for God alone,
for my expectation is from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress.
I will not be shaken. 7 With God is my salvation and my honor.
The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8 Trust in him at all times, you people.
Pour out your heart before him.
God is a refuge for us. Selah. 9 Surely men of low degree are just a breath,
and men of high degree are a lie.
In the balances they will go up.
They are together lighter than a breath. 10 Don’t trust in oppression.
Don’t become vain in robbery.
If riches increase,
don’t set your heart on them. 11 God has spoken once;
twice I have heard this,
that power belongs to God. 12 Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness,
for you reward every man according to his work.

God Satisfies the Thirsting Soul

631 God, you are my God.
I will earnestly seek you.
My soul thirsts for you.
My flesh longs for you,
in a dry and weary land, where there is no water. 2 So I have seen you in the sanctuary,
watching your power and your glory.

3 Because your loving kindness is better than life,
my lips shall praise you. 4 So I will bless you while I live.
I will lift up my hands in your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food.
My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you on my bed,
and think about you in the night watches.

7 For you have been my help.
I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings. 8 My soul stays close to you.
Your right hand holds me up. 9 But those who seek my soul, to destroy it,
shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10 They shall be given over to the power of the sword.
They shall be jackal food. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God.
Everyone who swears by him will praise him,
for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.

A Prayer for Protection from Hidden Enemies

641 Hear my voice, God, in my complaint.
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil; 3 who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
and aim their arrows, deadly words, 4 to shoot innocent men from ambushes.
They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly. 5 They encourage themselves in evil plans.
They talk about laying snares secretly.
They say, “Who will see them?” 6 They plot injustice, saying, “We have made a perfect plan!”
Surely man’s mind and heart are cunning.

7 But God will shoot at them.
They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow. 8 Their own tongues shall ruin them.
All who see them will shake their heads. 9 All mankind shall be afraid.
They shall declare the work of God,
and shall wisely ponder what he has done. 10 The righteous shall be glad in Yahweh,
and shall take refuge in him.
All the upright in heart shall praise him!

Praise for God's Bounty in Nature

651 Praise waits for you, God, in Zion.
To you shall vows be performed. 2 You who hear prayer,
to you all men will come. 3 Sins overwhelmed me,
but you atoned for our transgressions. 4 Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near,
that he may live in your courts.
We will be filled with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple. 5 By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us,
God of our salvation.
You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth,
of those who are far away on the sea;

6 Who by his power forms the mountains,
having armed yourself with strength; 7 who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations. 8 They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders.
You call the morning’s dawn and the evening with songs of joy. 9 You visit the earth, and water it.
You greatly enrich it.
The river of God is full of water.
You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it. 10 You drench its furrows.
You level its ridges.
You soften it with showers.
You bless it with a crop. 11 You crown the year with your bounty.
Your carts overflow with abundance. 12 The wilderness grasslands overflow.
The hills are clothed with gladness. 13 The pastures are covered with flocks.
The valleys also are clothed with grain.
They shout for joy!
They also sing.