Psalms 17; Psalms 18; Psalms 19; Psalms 20

Psalms 17

1 Lord, hear a just cause; pay attention to my cry; listen to my prayer- from lips free of deceit.

2 Let my vindication come from You, [for] You see what is right.

3 You have tested my heart; You have visited by night; You have tried me and found nothing [evil]; I have determined that my mouth will not sin.

4 Concerning what people do: by the word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.

5 My steps are on Your paths; my feet have not slipped.

6 I call on You, God, because You will answer me; listen closely to me; hear what I say.

7 Display the wonders of Your faithful love, Savior of all who seek refuge from those who rebel against Your right hand.

8 Guard me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings

9 from the wicked who treat me violently, my deadly enemies who surround me.

10 They have become hardened; their mouths speak arrogantly.

11 They advance against me; now they surround me. They are determined to throw [me] to the ground.

12 They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.

13 Rise up, Lord! Confront him; bring him down. With Your sword, save me from the wicked.

14 With Your hand, Lord, [save me] from men, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life: You fill their bellies with what You have in store, their sons are satisfied, and they leave their surplus to their children.

15 But I will see Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.

Psalms 18

1 I love You, Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies.

4 The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me.

5 The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

6 I called to the Lord in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.

7 Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled; they shook because He burned with anger.

8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire [came] from His mouth; coals were set ablaze by it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down, a dark cloud beneath His feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness His hiding place, dark storm clouds His canopy around Him.

12 From the radiance of His presence, His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.

13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the Most High projected His voice.

14 He shot His arrows and scattered them; He hurled lightning bolts and routed them.

15 The depths of the sea became visible, the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He pulled me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my distress, but the Lord was my support.

19 He brought me out to a wide-open place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; He repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not turned from my God to wickedness.

22 Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind and have not disregarded His statutes.

23 I was blameless toward Him and kept myself from sinning.

24 So the Lord repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25 With the faithful You prove Yourself faithful; with the blameless man You prove Yourself blameless;

26 with the pure You prove Yourself pure, but with the crooked You prove Yourself shrewd.

27 For You rescue an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.

28 Lord, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.

29 With You I can attack a barrier, and with my God I can leap over a wall.

30 God-His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a rock? Only our God.

32 God-He clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me securely on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for war; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You have given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your humility exalts me.

36 You widen [a place] beneath me for my steps, and my ankles do not give way.

37 I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out.

38 I crush them, and they cannot get up; they fall beneath my feet.

39 You have clothed me with strength for battle; You subdue my adversaries beneath me.

40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I annihilate those who hate me.

41 They cry for help, but there is no one to save [them]- [they cry]to the Lord, but He does not answer them.

42 I pulverize them like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.

43 You have freed me from the feuds among the people; You have appointed me the head of nations; a people I had not known serve me.

44 Foreigners submit to me grudgingly; as soon as they hear, they obey me.

45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their fortifications.

46 The Lord lives-may my rock be praised! The God of my salvation is exalted.

47 God-He gives me vengeance and subdues peoples under me.

48 He frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my adversaries; You rescue me from violent men.

49 Therefore I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing about Your name.

50 He gives great victories to His king; He shows loyalty to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

Psalms 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.

2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.

3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard.

4 Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the inhabited world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun.

5 It is like a groom coming from the bridal chamber; it rejoices like an athlete running a course.

6 It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The instruction of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise.

8 The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the commandment of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous.

10 They are more desirable than gold- than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey- than honey dripping from the comb.

11 In addition, Your servant is warned by them; there is great reward in keeping them.

12 Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

13 Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule over me. Then I will be innocent, and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Psalms 20

1 May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble; may the name of Jacob's God protect you.

2 May He send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion.

3 May He remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering. Selah

4 May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose.

5 Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests.

6 Now I know that the Lord gives victory to His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with mighty victories from His right hand.

7 Some take pride in a chariot, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.

8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm.

9 Lord, give victory to the king! May He answer us on the day that we call.