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

1 O Lord, my God, I come to you for protection; rescue me and save me from all who pursue me,

2 or else like a lion they will carry me off where no one can save me, and there they will tear me to pieces.

3 O Lord, my God, if I have wronged anyone, if I have betrayed a friend or without cause done violence to my enemy - if I have done any of these things -

5 then let my enemies pursue me and catch me, let them cut me down and kill me and leave me lifeless on the ground!

6 Rise in your anger, O Lord! Stand up against the fury of my enemies; rouse yourself and help me! Justice is what you demand,

7 so bring together all the peoples around you, and rule over them from above.

8 You are the judge of all people. Judge in my favor, O Lord; you know that I am innocent.

9 You are a righteous God and judge our thoughts and desires. Stop the wickedness of evildoers and reward those who are good.

10 God is my protector; he saves those who obey him.

11 God is a righteous judge and always condemns the wicked.

12 If they do not change their ways, God will sharpen his sword. He bends his bow and makes it ready;

13 he takes up his deadly weapons and aims his burning arrows.

14 See how wicked people think up evil; they plan trouble and practice deception.

15 But in the traps they set for others, they themselves get caught.

16 So they are punished by their own evil and are hurt by their own violence.

17 I thank the Lord for his justice; I sing praises to the Lord, the Most High.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.

2 When evil people attack me and try to kill me, they stumble and fall.

3 Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even if enemies attack me, I will still trust God.

4 I have asked the Lord for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the Lord's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance.

5 In times of trouble he will shelter me; he will keep me safe in his Temple and make me secure on a high rock.

6 So I will triumph over my enemies around me. With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his Temple; I will sing, I will praise the Lord.

7 Hear me, Lord, when I call to you! Be merciful and answer me!

8 When you said, "Come worship me," I answered, "I will come, Lord."

9 Don't hide yourself from me! Don't be angry with me; don't turn your servant away. You have been my help; don't leave me, don't abandon me, O God, my savior.

10 My father and mother may abandon me, but the Lord will take care of me.

11 Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and lead me along a safe path, because I have many enemies.

12 Don't abandon me to my enemies, who attack me with lies and threats.

13 I know that I will live to see the Lord's goodness in this present life.

14 Trust in the Lord. Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord.

1 I come to you, Lord, for protection; never let me be defeated. You are a righteous God; save me, I pray!

2 Hear me! Save me now! Be my refuge to protect me; my defense to save me.

3 You are my refuge and defense; guide me and lead me as you have promised.

4 Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me; shelter me from danger.

5 I place myself in your care. You will save me, Lord; you are a faithful God.

6 You hate those who worship false gods, but I trust in you.

7 I will be glad and rejoice because of your constant love. You see my suffering; you know my trouble.

8 You have not let my enemies capture me; you have given me freedom to go where I wish.

9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in trouble; my eyes are tired from so much crying; I am completely worn out.

10 I am exhausted by sorrow, and weeping has shortened my life. I am weak from all my troubles; even my bones are wasting away.

11 All my enemies, and especially my neighbors, treat me with contempt. Those who know me are afraid of me; when they see me in the street, they run away.

12 Everyone has forgotten me, as though I were dead; I am like something thrown away.

13 I hear many enemies whispering; terror is all around me. They are making plans against me, plotting to kill me.

14 But my trust is in you, O Lord; you are my God.

15 I am always in your care; save me from my enemies, from those who persecute me.

16 Look on your servant with kindness; save me in your constant love.

17 I call to you, Lord; don't let me be disgraced. May the wicked be disgraced; may they go silently down to the world of the dead.

18 Silence those liars - all the proud and arrogant who speak with contempt about the righteous.

19 How wonderful are the good things you keep for those who honor you! Everyone knows how good you are, how securely you protect those who trust you.

20 You hide them in the safety of your presence from the plots of others; in a safe shelter you hide them from the insults of their enemies.

21 Praise the Lord! How wonderfully he showed his love for me when I was surrounded and attacked!

22 I was afraid and thought that he had driven me out of his presence. But he heard my cry, when I called to him for help.

23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people. The Lord protects the faithful, but punishes the proud as they deserve.

24 Be strong, be courageous, all you that hope in the Lord.

1 I will always thank the Lord; I will never stop praising him.

2 I will praise him for what he has done; may all who are oppressed listen and be glad!

3 Proclaim with me the Lord's greatness; let us praise his name together!

4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears.

5 The oppressed look to him and are glad; they will never be disappointed.

6 The helpless call to him, and he answers; he saves them from all their troubles.

7 His angel guards those who honor the Lord and rescues them from danger.

8 Find out for yourself how good the Lord is. Happy are those who find safety with him.

9 Honor the Lord, all his people; those who obey him have all they need.

10 Even lions go hungry for lack of food, but those who obey the Lord lack nothing good.

11 Come, my young friends, and listen to me, and I will teach you to honor the Lord.

12 Would you like to enjoy life? Do you want long life and happiness?

13 Then keep from speaking evil and from telling lies.

14 Turn away from evil and do good; strive for peace with all your heart.

15 The Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their cries;

16 but he opposes those who do evil, so that when they die, they are soon forgotten.

17 The righteous call to the Lord, and he listens; he rescues them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope.

19 Good people suffer many troubles, but the Lord saves them from them all;

20 the Lord preserves them completely; not one of their bones is broken.

21 Evil will kill the wicked; those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 The Lord will save his people; those who go to him for protection will be spared.

1 Why do you boast, great one, of your evil? God's faithfulness is eternal.

2 You make plans to ruin others; your tongue is like a sharp razor. You are always inventing lies.

3 You love evil more than good and falsehood more than truth.

4 You love to hurt people with your words, you liar!

5 So God will ruin you forever; he will take hold of you and snatch you from your home; he will remove you from the world of the living.

6 Righteous people will see this and be afraid; then they will laugh at you and say,

7 "Look, here is someone who did not depend on God for safety, but trusted instead in great wealth and looked for security in being wicked."

8 But I am like an olive tree growing in the house of God; I trust in his constant love forever and ever.

9 I will always thank you, God, for what you have done; in the presence of your people I will proclaim that you are good.