Psalms 17; Psalms 35; Psalms 54; Psalms 63

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 35

1 Oppose my opponents, Lord; fight those who fight me.

2 Take Your shields-large and small- and come to my aid.

3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers, and assure me: "I am your deliverance."

4 Let those who seek to kill me be disgraced and humiliated; let those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed.

5 Let them be like husks in the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away.

6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

7 They hid their net for me without cause; they dug a pit for me without cause.

8 Let ruin come on him unexpectedly, and let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it-to his ruin.

9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord; I will delight in His deliverance.

10 My very bones will say, "Lord, who is like You, rescuing the poor from one too strong for him, the poor or the needy from one who robs him?"

11 Malicious witnesses come forward; they question me about things I do not know.

12 They repay me evil for good, making me desolate.

13 Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.

14 I went about [grieving] as if for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning a mother.

15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; they gathered against me. Assailants I did not know tore at me and did not stop.

16 With godless mockery they gnashed their teeth at me.

17 Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my life from their ravages, my very life from the young lions.

18 I will praise You in the great congregation; I will exalt You among many people.

19 Do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me; do not let those who hate me without cause look at me maliciously.

20 For they do not speak in friendly ways, but contrive deceitful schemes against those who live peacefully in the land.

21 They open their mouths wide against me and say, "Aha, aha! We saw it!"

22 You saw it, Lord; do not be silent. Lord, do not be far from me.

23 Wake up and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!

24 Vindicate me, Lord, my God, in keeping with Your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.

25 Do not let them say in their hearts, "Aha! Just what we wanted." Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"

26 Let those who rejoice at my misfortune be disgraced and humiliated; let those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and reproach.

27 Let those who want my vindication shout for joy and be glad; let them continually say, "The Lord be exalted, who wants His servant's well-being."

28 And my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness, Your praise all day long.

Psalms 54

1 God, save me by Your name, and vindicate me by Your might!

2 God, hear my prayer; listen to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers rise up against me, and violent men seek my life. They have no regard for God. Selah

4 God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my life.

5 He will repay my adversaries for [their] evil. Because of Your faithfulness, annihilate them.

6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You. I will praise Your name, Lord, because it is good.

7 For He has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked down on my enemies.

Psalms 63

1 God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.

2 So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory.

3 My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life.

4 So I will praise You as long as I live; at Your name, I will lift up my hands.

5 You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

6 When, on my bed, I think of You, I meditate on You during the night watches

7 because You are my help; I will rejoice in the shadow of Your wings.

8 I follow close to You; Your right hand holds on to me.

9 But those who seek to destroy my life will go into the depths of the earth.

10 They will be given over to the power of the sword; they will become the jackals' prey.

11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by Him will boast, for the mouths of liars will be shut.