Psalms 7; Psalms 27; Psalms 31; Psalms 34; Psalms 52

Psalms 7

1 Lord my God, I seek refuge in You; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,

2 or they will tear me like a lion, ripping me apart, with no one to rescue me.

3 Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice on my hands,

4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me or have plundered my adversary without cause,

5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me; may he trample me to the ground and leave my honor in the dust. Selah

6 Rise up, Lord, in Your anger; lift Yourself up against the fury of my adversaries; awake for me; You have ordained a judgment.

7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around You; take Your seat on high over it.

8 The Lord judges the peoples; vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity.

9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous. The One who examines the thoughts and emotions is a righteous God.

10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.

11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who executes justice every day.

12 If anyone does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has strung His bow and made it ready.

13 He has prepared His deadly weapons; He tips His arrows with fire.

14 See, he is pregnant with evil, conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.

15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out, but fell into the hole he had made.

16 His trouble comes back on his own head, and his violence falls on the top of his head.

17 I will thank the Lord for His righteousness; I will sing about the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Psalms 27

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom should I be afraid?

2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army deploy against me, my heart is not afraid; though war break out against me, still I am confident.

4 I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking [Him] in His temple.

5 For He will conceal me in His shelter in the day of adversity; He will hide me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high on a rock.

6 Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me.

8 In Your behalf my heart says, "Seek My face." Lord, I will seek Your face.

9 Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger. You have been my help; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.

10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.

11 Because of my adversaries, show me Your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path.

12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.

13 I am certain that I will see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the Lord.

Psalms 31

1 Lord, I seek refuge in You; let me never be disgraced. Save me by Your righteousness.

2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me.

3 For You are my rock and my fortress; You lead and guide me because of Your name.

4 You will free me from the net that is secretly set for me, for You are my refuge.

5 Into Your hand I entrust my spirit; You redeem me, Lord, God of truth.

6 I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.

7 I will rejoice and be glad in Your faithful love because You have seen my affliction. You have known the troubles of my life

8 and have not handed me over to the enemy. You have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be gracious to me, Lord, because I am in distress; my eyes are worn out from angry sorrow- my whole being as well.

10 Indeed, my life is consumed with grief, and my years with groaning; my strength has failed because of my sinfulness, and my bones waste away.

11 I am ridiculed by all my adversaries and even by my neighbors. I am an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street run from me.

12 I am forgotten: gone from memory like a dead person-like broken pottery.

13 I have heard the gossip of many; terror is on every side. When they conspired against me, they plotted to take my life.

14 But I trust in You, Lord; I say, "You are my God."

15 The course of my life is in Your power; deliver me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors.

16 Show Your favor to Your servant; save me by Your faithful love.

17 Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on You. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them be silent in Sheol.

18 Let lying lips be quieted; they speak arrogantly against the righteous with pride and contempt.

19 How great is Your goodness that You have stored up for those who fear You, and accomplished in the sight of everyone for those who take refuge in You.

20 You hide them in the protection of Your presence; You conceal them in a shelter from the schemes of men, from quarrelsome tongues.

21 May the Lord be praised, for He has wonderfully shown His faithful love to me in a city under siege.

22 In my alarm I had said, "I am cut off from Your sight." But You heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to You for help.

23 Love the Lord, all His faithful ones. The Lord protects the loyal, but fully repays the arrogant.

24 Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.

Psalms 34

1 I will praise the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.

2 I will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad.

3 Proclaim with me the Lord's greatness; let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard [him] and saved him from all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!

9 Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.

10 Young lions lack food and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.

11 Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Who is the man who delights in life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.

14 Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry for help.

16 The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil, to erase all memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.

19 Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

20 He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.

21 Evil brings death to the sinner, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 The Lord redeems the life of His servants, and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.

Psalms 52

1 Why brag about evil, you hero! God's faithful love is constant.

2 Like a sharpened razor, your tongue devises destruction, working treachery.

3 You love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully. Selah

4 You love any words that destroy, you treacherous tongue!

5 This is why God will bring you down forever. He will take you, ripping you out of your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

6 The righteous will look on with awe and will ridicule him:

7 "Here is the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, taking refuge in his destructive behavior."

8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God's faithful love forever and ever.

9 I will praise You forever for what You have done. In the presence of Your faithful people, I will put my hope in Your name, for it is good.