Psalms 43; Psalms 44; Psalms 45; Psalms 49; Psalms 84; Psalms 85; Psalms 87

1 Vindicate me, God, and defend my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man.

2 For You are the God of my refuge. Why have You rejected me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy's oppression?

3 Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place.

4 Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the lyre, God, my God.

5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.

1 God, we have heard with our ears- our forefathers have told us- the work You accomplished in their days, in days long ago:

2 to plant them, You drove out the nations with Your hand; to settle them, You crushed the peoples.

3 For they did not take the land by their sword- their arm did not bring them victory- but by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You were pleased with them.

4 You are my King, my God, who ordains victories for Jacob.

5 Through You we drive back our foes; through Your name we trample our enemies.

6 For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not bring me victory.

7 But You give us victory over our foes and let those who hate us be disgraced.

8 We boast in God all day long; we will praise Your name forever. Selah

9 But You have rejected and humiliated us; You do not march out with our armies.

10 You make us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have taken plunder for themselves.

11 You hand us over to be eaten like sheep and scatter us among the nations.

12 You sell Your people for nothing; You make no profit from selling them.

13 You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors, a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us.

14 You make us a joke among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.

15 My disgrace is before me all day long, and shame has covered my face,

16 because of the voice of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy and avenger.

17 All this has happened to us, but we have not forgotten You or betrayed Your covenant.

18 Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path.

19 But You have crushed us in a haunt of jackals and have covered us with deepest darkness.

20 If we had forgotten the name of our God and spread out our hands to a foreign god,

21 wouldn't God have found this out, since He knows the secrets of the heart?

22 Because of You we are slain all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.

23 Wake up, Lord! Why are You sleeping? Get up! Don't reject us forever!

24 Why do You hide Yourself and forget our affliction and oppression?

25 For we have sunk down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.

26 Rise up! Help us! Redeem us because of Your faithful love.

1 My heart is moved by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

2 You are the most handsome of men; grace flows from your lips. Therefore God has blessed you forever.

3 Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side. In your majesty and splendor-

4 in your splendor ride triumphantly in the cause of truth, humility, and justice. May your right hand show your awe-inspiring deeds.

5 Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.

6 Your throne, God, is forever and ever; the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you, more than your companions, with the oil of joy.

8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia [perfume] all your garments; from ivory palaces harps bring you joy.

9 Kings' daughters are among your honored women; the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir, stands at your right hand.

10 Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider: forget your people and your father's house,

11 and the king will desire your beauty. Bow down to him, for he is your lord.

12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people, will seek your favor with gifts.

13 In [her chamber], the royal daughter is all glorious, her clothing embroidered with gold.

14 In colorful garments she is led to the king; after her, the virgins, her companions, are brought to you.

15 They are led in with gladness and rejoicing; they enter the king's palace.

16 Your sons will succeed your ancestors; you will make them princes throughout the land.

17 I will cause your name to be remembered for all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

1 Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who inhabit the world,

2 both low and high, rich and poor together.

3 My mouth speaks wisdom; my heart's meditation [brings] understanding.

4 I turn my ear to a proverb; I explain my riddle with a lyre.

5 Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me.

6 They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches.

7 Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God-

8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying-

9 so that he may live forever and not see the Pit.

10 For one can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless also pass away. Then they leave their wealth to others.

11 Their graves are their eternal homes, their homes from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves.

12 But despite [his] assets, man will not last; he is like the animals that perish.

13 This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. Selah

14 Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.

15 But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, for He will take me. Selah

16 Do not be afraid when a man gets rich, when the wealth of his house increases.

17 For when he dies, he will take nothing at all; his wealth will not follow him down.

18 Though he praises himself during his lifetime- and people praise you when you do well for yourself-

19 he will go to the generation of his fathers; they will never see the light.

20 A man with valuable possessions but without understanding is like the animals that perish.

1 How lovely is Your dwelling place, Lord of Hosts.

2 I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

3 Even a sparrow finds a home, and a swallow, a nest for herself where she places her young- near Your altars, Lord of Hosts, my King and my God.

4 How happy are those who reside in Your house, who praise You continually. Selah

5 Happy are the people whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a source of springwater; even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.

7 They go from strength to strength; each appears before God in Zion.

8 Lord God of Hosts, hear my prayer; listen, God of Jacob. Selah

9 Consider our shield, God; look on the face of Your anointed one.

10 Better a day in Your courts than a thousand [anywhere else]. I would rather be at the door of the house of my God than to live in the tents of the wicked.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord gives grace and glory; He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity.

12 Lord of Hosts, happy is the person who trusts in You!

1 Lord, You showed favor to Your land; You restored Jacob's prosperity.

2 You took away Your people's guilt; You covered all their sin. Selah

3 You withdrew all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger.

4 Return to us, God of our salvation, and abandon Your displeasure with us.

5 Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger for all generations?

6 Will You not revive us again so that Your people may rejoice in You?

7 Show us Your faithful love, Lord, and give us Your salvation.

8 I will listen to what God will say; surely the Lord will declare peace to His people, His godly ones, and not let them go back to foolish ways.

9 His salvation is very near those who fear Him, so that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Faithful love and truth will join together; righteousness and peace will embrace.

11 Truth will spring up from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven.

12 Also, the Lord will provide what is good, and our land will yield its crops.

13 Righteousness will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps.

1 His foundation is on the holy mountains.

2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3 Glorious things are said about you, city of God. Selah

4 "I will mention those who know Me: Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush- each one was born there."

5 And it will be said of Zion, "This one and that one were born in her." The Most High Himself will establish her.

6 When He registers the peoples, the Lord will record, "This one was born there." Selah

7 Singers and dancers alike [will say], "All my springs are in you."