A Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked

581 To the Overseer.—'Destroy not.'—A secret treasure, by David. Is it true, O dumb one, righteously ye speak? Uprightly ye judge, O sons of men? 2 Even in heart ye work iniquities, In the land the violence of your hands ye ponder. 3 The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies. 4 Their poison 'is' as poison of a serpent, As a deaf asp shutting its ear, 5 Which hearkeneth not to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of charms most skilful.

6 O God, break their teeth in their mouth, The jaw-teeth of young lions break down, O Jehovah. 7 They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceedeth as they cut themselves off. 8 As a snail that melteth he goeth on, 'As' an untimely birth of a woman, They have not seen the sun. 9 Before your pots discern the bramble, As well the raw as the heated He whirleth away. 10 The righteous rejoiceth that he hath seen vengeance, His steps he washeth in the blood of the wicked. 11 And man saith: 'Surely fruit 'is' for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging in the earth!'

A Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

591 To the Overseer.—'Destroy not,' by David.—A secret treasure, in Saul's sending, and they watch the house to put him to death. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God, From my withstanders set me on high. 2 Deliver me from workers of iniquity, And from men of blood save me. 3 For, lo, they laid wait for my soul, Assembled against me are strong ones, Not my transgression nor my sin, O Jehovah. 4 Without punishment they run and prepare themselves, Stir up to meet me, and see. 5 And Thou, Jehovah, God of Hosts, God of Israel, Awake to inspect all the nations. Favour not any treacherous dealers of iniquity. Selah. 6 They turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And go round about the city. 7 Lo, they belch out with their mouths, Swords 'are' in their lips, for 'Who heareth?'

8 And Thou, O Jehovah dost laugh at them, Thou dost mock at all the nations. 9 O my Strength, unto Thee I take heed, For God 'is' my tower—the God of my kindness. 10 God doth go before me, He causeth me to look on mine enemies. 11 Slay them not, lest my people forget, Shake them by Thy strength, And bring them down, O Lord our shield. 12 The sin of their mouth 'is' a word of their lips, And they are captured in their pride, And from the curse and lying they recount. 13 Consume in fury, consume and they are not, And they know that God is ruling in Jacob, To the ends of the earth. Selah. 14 And they turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And they go round about the city. 15 They—they wander for food, If they are not satisfied—then they murmur. 16 And I—I sing 'of' Thy strength, And I sing at morn 'of' Thy kindness, For thou hast been a tower to me, And a refuge for me in a day of adversity. 17 O my Strength, unto Thee I sing praise, For God 'is' my tower, the God of my kindness!

A Prayer for Help against the Foe

601 To the Overseer.—'Concerning the Lily of Testimony,' a secret treasure of David, to teach, in his striving with Aram-Naharaim, and with Aram-Zobah, and Joab turneth back and smiteth Edom in the valley of Salt—twelve thousand. O God, Thou hadst cast us off, Thou hadst broken us—hadst been angry!—Thou dost turn back to us. 2 Thou hast caused the land to tremble, Thou hast broken it, Heal its breaches, for it hath moved. 3 Thou hast shewn Thy people a hard thing, Thou hast caused us to drink wine of trembling. 4 Thou hast given to those fearing thee an ensign. To be lifted up as an ensign Because of truth. Selah. 5 That Thy beloved ones may be drawn out, Save 'with' Thy right hand, and answer us.

6 God hath spoken in His holiness: I exult—I apportion Shechem, And the valley of Succoth I measure, 7 Mine 'is' Gilead, and mine 'is' Manasseh, And Ephraim 'is' the strength of my head, Judah 'is' my lawgiver, 8 Moab 'is' my pot for washing, over Edom I cast my shoe, Shout, concerning me, O Philistia. 9 Who doth bring me 'to' a city of bulwarks? Who hath led me unto Edom? 10 Is it not Thou, O God? hast Thou cast us off? And dost Thou not go forth, O God, with our hosts! 11 Give to us help from adversity, And vain 'is' the deliverance of man. 12 In God we do mightily, And He treadeth down our adversaries!

Confidence in God's Protection

611 To the Overseer, on stringed instruments.—By David. Hear, O God, my loud cry, attend to my prayer. 2 From the end of the land unto Thee I call, In the feebleness of my heart, Into a rock higher than I Thou dost lead me. 3 For Thou hast been a refuge for me, A tower of strength because of the enemy. 4 I sojourn in Thy tent to the ages, I trust in the secret place of Thy wings. Selah.

5 For Thou, O God, hast hearkened to my vows, Thou hast appointed the inheritance Of those fearing Thy name. 6 Days to the days of the king Thou addest, His years as generation and generation. 7 He dwelleth to the age before God, Kindness and truth appoint—they keep him. 8 So do I praise Thy name for ever, When I pay my vows day by day!

God the Only Refuge

621 Only—toward God 'is' my soul silent, From Him 'is' my salvation. 2 Only—He 'is' my rock, and my salvation, My tower, I am not much moved. 3 Till when do ye devise mischief against a man? Ye are destroyed all of you, As a wall inclined, a hedge that is cast down. 4 Only—from his excellency They have consulted to drive away, They enjoy a lie, with their mouth they bless, And with their heart revile. Selah. 5 Only—for God, be silent, O my soul, For from Him 'is' my hope. 6 Only—He 'is' my rock and my salvation, My tower, I am not moved. 7 On God 'is' my salvation, and my honour, The rock of my strength, my refuge 'is' in God.

8 Trust in Him at all times, O people, Pour forth before Him your heart, God 'is' a refuge for us. Selah. 9 Only—vanity 'are' the low, a lie the high. In balances to go up they than vanity 'are' lighter. 10 Trust not in oppression, And in robbery become not vain, Wealth—when it increaseth—set not the heart. 11 Once hath God spoken, twice I heard this, That 'strength 'is' with God.' 12 And with Thee, O Lord, 'is' kindness, For Thou dost recompense to each, According to his work!

God Satisfies the Thirsting Soul

631 O God, Thou 'art' my God, earnestly do I seek Thee, Thirsted for Thee hath my soul, Longed for Thee hath my flesh, In a land dry and weary, without waters. 2 So in the sanctuary I have seen Thee, To behold Thy strength and Thine honour.

3 Because better 'is' Thy kindness than life, My lips do praise Thee. 4 So I bless Thee in my life, in Thy name I lift up my hands. 5 As 'with' milk and fatness is my soul satisfied, And 'with' singing lips doth my mouth praise. 6 If I have remembered Thee on my couch, In the watches—I meditate on Thee.

7 For Thou hast been a help to me, And in the shadow of Thy wings I sing. 8 Cleaved hath my soul after Thee, On me hath Thy right hand taken hold. 9 And they who for desolation seek my soul, Go in to the lower parts of the earth. 10 They cause him to run on the edge of the sword, A portion for foxes they are. 11 And the king doth rejoice in God, Boast himself doth every one swearing by Him, But stopped is the mouth of those speaking lies!

A Prayer for Protection from Hidden Enemies

641 Hear, O God, my voice, in my meditation, From the fear of an enemy Thou keepest my life, 2 Hidest me from the secret counsel of evil doers, From the tumult of workers of iniquity. 3 Who sharpened as a sword their tongue, They directed their arrow—a bitter word. 4 To shoot in secret places the perfect, Suddenly they shoot him, and fear not. 5 They strengthen for themselves an evil thing, They recount of the hiding of snares, They have said, 'Who doth look at it?' 6 They search out perverse things, 'We perfected a searching search,' And the inward part of man, and the heart 'are' deep.

7 And God doth shoot them 'with' an arrow, Sudden have been their wounds, 8 And they cause him to stumble, Against them 'is' their own tongue, Every looker on them fleeth away. 9 And all men fear, and declare the work of God, And His deed they have considered wisely. 10 The righteous doth rejoice in Jehovah, And hath trusted in Him, And boast themselves do all the upright of heart!

Praise for God's Bounty in Nature

651 A Song. To Thee, silence—praise, O God, 'is' in Zion, And to Thee is a vow completed. 2 Hearer of prayer, to Thee all flesh cometh. 3 Matters of iniquities were mightier than I, Our transgressions—Thou dost cover them. 4 O the happiness of 'him whom' Thou choosest, And drawest near, he inhabiteth Thy courts, We are satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple. 5 By fearful things in righteousness Thou answerest us, O God of our salvation, The confidence of all far off ends of earth and sea.

6 Establishing mountains by His power, He hath been girded with might, 7 Restraining the noise of seas, the noise of their billows, And the multitude of the peoples. 8 And the inhabitants of the uttermost parts From Thy signs are afraid, The outgoings of morning and evening Thou causest to sing. 9 Thou hast inspected the earth, and waterest it, Thou makest it very rich, the rivulet of God 'is' full of water, Thou preparest their corn, When thus Thou dost prepare it, 10 Its ridges have been filled, Deepened hath been its furrow, With showers Thou dost soften it, Its springing up Thou blessest. 11 Thou hast crowned the year of Thy goodness, And Thy paths drop fatness. 12 Drop do the pastures of a wilderness, And joy of the heights Thou girdest on. 13 Clothed have lambs the flock, And valleys are covered with corn, They shout—yea, they sing!