A Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble

61 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O Lord, rebuke me not in thy anger, nor chasten me in thy wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is sorely troubled. But thou, O Lord--how long? 4 Turn, O Lord, save my life; deliver me for the sake of thy steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in Sheol who can give thee praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief, it grows weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil; for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and sorely troubled; they shall turn back, and be put to shame in a moment.

God's Glory and Man's Honor

81 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth! Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted 2 by the mouth of babes and infants, thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; 4 what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him? 5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor. 6 Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

Thanksgiving for God's Justice

91 To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all thy wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before thee. 4 For thou hast maintained my just cause; thou hast sat on the throne giving righteous judgment. 5 Thou hast rebuked the nations, thou hast destroyed the wicked; thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever. 6 The enemy have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities thou hast rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. 7 But the Lord sits enthroned for ever, he has established his throne for judgment; 8 and he judges the world with righteousness, he judges the peoples with equity. 9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know thy name put their trust in thee, for thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek thee.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! 12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13 Be gracious to me, O Lord! Behold what I suffer from those who hate me, O thou who liftest me up from the gates of death, 14 that I may recount all thy praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in thy deliverance. 15 The nations have sunk in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid has their own foot been caught. 16 The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. [Higgaion. Selah] 17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever. 19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before thee! 20 Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men! [Selah]

A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked

101 Why dost thou stand afar off, O Lord? Why dost thou hide thyself in times of trouble? 2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes which they have devised. 3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his heart, and the man greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. 4 In the pride of his countenance the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God." 5 His ways prosper at all times; thy judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. 6 He thinks in his heart, "I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity." 7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. 8 He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the hapless, 9 he lurks in secret like a lion in his covert; he lurks that he may seize the poor, he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. 10 The hapless is crushed, sinks down, and falls by his might. 11 He thinks in his heart, "God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it."

12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thy hand; forget not the afflicted. 13 Why does the wicked renounce God, and say in his heart, "Thou wilt not call to account"? 14 Thou dost see; yea, thou dost note trouble and vexation, that thou mayest take it into thy hands; the hapless commits himself to thee; thou hast been the helper of the fatherless. 15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and evildoer; seek out his wickedness till thou find none. 16 The Lord is king for ever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land. 17 O Lord, thou wilt hear the desire of the meek; thou wilt strengthen their heart, thou wilt incline thy ear 18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

The Folly and Wickedness of Men

141 To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. 3 They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one.

4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord? 5 There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge. 7 O that deliverance for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.

A Goodly Heritage

161 A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee." 3 As for the saints in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. 4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their libations of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. 5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. 7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

8 I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. 10 For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit. 11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

The Works and Word of God

191 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; 4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 But who can discern his errors? Clear thou me from hidden faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Praise for Deliverance from the Enemy

211 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In thy strength the king rejoices, O Lord; and in thy help how greatly he exults! 2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withheld the request of his lips. [Selah] 3 For thou dost meet him with goodly blessings; thou dost set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 4 He asked life of thee; thou gavest it to him, length of days for ever and ever. 5 His glory is great through thy help; splendor and majesty thou dost bestow upon him. 6 Yea, thou dost make him most blessed for ever; thou dost make him glad with the joy of thy presence.

7 For the king trusts in the Lord; and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. 9 You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath; and fire will consume them. 10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among the sons of men. 11 If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13 Be exalted, O Lord, in thy strength! We will sing and praise thy power.