1201 In my trouble my cry went up to the Lord, and he gave me an answer. 2 O Lord, be the saviour of my soul from false lips, and from the tongue of deceit. 3 What punishment will he give you? what more will he do to you, you false tongue? 4 Sharp arrows of the strong, and burning fire.
5 Sorrow is mine because I am strange in Meshech, and living in the tents of Kedar. 6 My soul has long been living with the haters of peace. 7 I am for peace: but when I say so, they are for war.
1211 My eyes are lifted up to the hills: O where will my help come from? 2 Your help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 May he not let your foot be moved: no need of sleep has he who keeps you. 4 See, the eyes of Israel's keeper will not be shut in sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 You will not be touched by the sun in the day, or by the moon at night. 7 The Lord will keep you safe from all evil; he will take care of your soul. 8 The Lord will keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time and for ever.
1221 I was glad because they said to me, We will go into the house of the Lord. 2 At last our feet were inside your doors, O Jerusalem. 3 O Jerusalem, you are like a town which is well joined together; 4 To which the tribes went up, even the tribes of the Lord, for a witness to Israel, to give praise to the name of the Lord. 5 For there seats for the judges were placed, even the rulers' seats of the line of David.
6 O make prayers for the peace of Jerusalem; may they whose love is given to you do well. 7 May peace be inside your walls, and wealth in your noble houses. 8 Because of my brothers and friends, I will now say, Let peace be with you. 9 Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will be working for your good.
1231 To you my eyes are lifted up, even to you whose seat is in the heavens. 2 See! as the eyes of servants are turned to the hands of their masters, and the eyes of a servant-girl to her owner, so our eyes are waiting for the Lord our God, till he has mercy on us. 3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for all men are looking down on us. 4 For long enough have men of pride made sport of our soul.
1241 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side (let Israel now say); 2 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men came up against us; 3 They would have made a meal of us while still living, in the heat of their wrath against us: 4 We would have been covered by the waters; the streams would have gone over our soul; 5 Yes, the waters of pride would have gone over our soul.
6 Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be wounded by their teeth. 7 Our soul has gone free like a bird out of the net of those who would take her: the net is broken, and we are free. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
1251 Those whose hope is in the Lord are like the mountain of Zion, which may not be moved, but keeps its place for ever. 2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people, from this time and for ever. 3 For the rod of sinners will not be resting on the heritage of the upright; so that the upright may not put out their hands to evil.
4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in heart. 5 But as for such as are turned out of the straight way, the Lord will take them away with the workers of evil. Let peace be on Israel.
1261 When the Lord made a change in Zion's fate, we were like men in a dream. 2 Then our mouths were full of laughing, and our tongues gave a glad cry; they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them. 3 The Lord has done great things for us; because of which we are glad.
4 Let our fate be changed, O Lord, like the streams in the South. 5 Those who put in seed with weeping will get in the grain with cries of joy. 6 Though a man may go out weeping, taking his vessel of seed with him; he will come again in joy, with the corded stems of grain in his arms.
1271 If the Lord is not helping the builders, then the building of a house is to no purpose: if the Lord does not keep the town, the watchman keeps his watch for nothing. 2 It is of no use for you to get up early, and to go late to your rest, with the bread of sorrow for your food; for the Lord gives to his loved ones in sleep. 3 See, sons are a heritage from the Lord; the fruit of the body is his reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a man of war, are the children of the young. 5 Happy is the man who has a good store of them; he will not be put to shame, but his cause will be supported by them against his haters.
1281 Happy is the worshipper of the Lord, who is walking in his ways. 2 You will have the fruit of the work of your hands: happy will you be, and all will be well for you. 3 Your wife will be like a fertile vine in the inmost parts of your house: your children will be like olive plants round your table. 4 See! this is the blessing of the worshipper of the Lord. 5 May the Lord send you blessing out of Zion: may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you see your children's children. Peace be on Israel.
1291 Great have been my troubles from the time when I was young (let Israel now say); 2 Great have been my troubles from the time when I was young, but my troubles have not overcome me. 3 The ploughmen were ploughing on my back; long were the wounds they made. 4 The Lord is true: the cords of the evil-doers are broken in two.
5 Let all the haters of Zion be shamed and turned back. 6 Let them be like the grass on the house-tops, which is dry before it comes to full growth. 7 He who gets in the grain has no use for it; and they do not make bands of it for the grain-stems. 8 And those who go by do not say, The blessing of the Lord be on you; we give you blessing in the name of the Lord.
1301 Out of the deep have I sent up my cry to you, O Lord. 2 Lord, let my voice come before you: let your ears be awake to the voice of my prayer. 3 O Jah, if you took note of every sin, who would go free? 4 But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be feared.
5 I am waiting for the Lord, my soul is waiting for him, and my hope is in his word. 6 My soul is watching for the Lord more than those who are watching for the morning; yes, more than the watchers for the morning. 7 O Israel, have hope in the Lord; for with the Lord is mercy and full salvation. 8 And he will make Israel free from all his sins.
1311 Lord, there is no pride in my heart and my eyes are not lifted up; and I have not taken part in great undertakings, or in things over-hard for me. 2 See, I have made my soul calm and quiet, like a child on its mother's breast; my soul is like a child on its mother's breast. 3 O Israel, have hope in the Lord, from this time and for ever.
1321 Lord, give thought to David, and to all his troubles; 2 How he made an oath to the Lord, and gave his word to the great God of Jacob, saying, 3 Truly, I will not come into my house, or go to my bed, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes, or rest to my eyeballs, 5 Till I have got a place for the Lord, a resting-place for the great God of Jacob. 6 We had news of it at Ephrathah: we came to it in the fields of the wood. 7 Let us go into his tent; let us give worship at his feet. 8 Come back, O Lord, to your resting-place; you and the ark of your strength. 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; and let your saints give cries of joy. 10 Because of your servant David, do not give up your king.
11 The Lord gave a true oath to David, which he will not take back, saying, I will give your kingdom to the fruit of your body. 12 If your children keep my word, and the teachings which I will give them, their children will be rulers of your kingdom for ever. 13 For the Lord's heart is on Zion, desiring it for his resting-place. 14 This is my rest for ever: here will I ever be; for this is my desire. 15 My blessing will be on her food; and her poor will be full of bread. 16 Her priests will be clothed with salvation; and her saints will give cries of joy. 17 There I will make the horn of David fertile: I have made ready a light for my king. 18 His haters will be clothed with shame; but I will make his crown shining.
