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

1 God, defend me. Argue my case against those who don't follow you. Save me from liars and those who do evil.

2 God, you are my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why am I sad and troubled by my enemies?

3 Send me your light and truth to guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to where you live.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God who is my joy and happiness. I will praise you with a harp, God, my God.

5 Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? and keep praising him, my Savior and my God.

1 God, we have heard about you. Our ancestors told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.

2 With your power you forced the nations out of the land and placed our ancestors here. You destroyed those other nations, but you made our ancestors grow strong.

3 It wasn't their swords that took the land. It wasn't their power that gave them victory. But it was your great power and strength. You were with them because you loved them.

4 My God, you are my King. Your commands led Jacob's people to victory.

5 With your help we pushed back our enemies. In your name we trampled those who came against us.

6 I don't trust my bow to help me, and my sword can't save me.

7 You saved us from our foes, and you made our enemies ashamed.

8 We will praise God every day; we will praise your name forever.Selah

9 But you have rejected us and shamed us. You don't march with our armies anymore.

10 You let our enemies push us back, and those who hate us have taken our wealth.

11 You gave us away like sheep to be eaten and have scattered us among the nations.

12 You sold your people for nothing and made no profit on the sale.

13 You made us a joke to our neighbors; those around us laugh and make fun of us.

14 You made us a joke to the other nations; people shake their heads.

15 I am always in disgrace, and I am covered with shame.

16 My enemy is getting even with insults and curses.

17 All these things have happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or failed to keep our agreement with you.

18 Our hearts haven't turned away from you, and we haven't stopped following you.

19 But you crushed us in this place where wild dogs live, and you covered us with deep darkness.

20 If we had forgotten our God or lifted our hands in prayer to foreign gods,

21 God would have known, because he knows what is in our hearts.

22 But for you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.

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

24 Why do you hide from us? Have you forgotten our pain and troubles?

25 We have been pushed down into the dirt; we are flat on the ground.

26 Get up and help us. Because of your love, save us.

1 Beautiful words fill my mind. I am speaking of royal things. My tongue is like the pen of a skilled writer.

2 You are more handsome than anyone, and you are an excellent speaker, so God has blessed you forever.

3 Put on your sword, powerful warrior. Show your glory and majesty.

4 In your majesty win the victory for what is true and right. Your power will do amazing things.

5 Your sharp arrows will enter the hearts of the king's enemies. Nations will be defeated before you.

6 God, your throne will last forever and ever. You will rule your kingdom with fairness.

7 You love right and hate evil, so God has chosen you from among your friends; he has set you apart with much joy.

8 Your clothes smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia. From palaces of ivory music comes to make you happy.

9 Kings' daughters are among your honored women. Your bride stands at your right side wearing gold from Ophir.

10 Listen to me, daughter; look and pay attention. Forget your people and your father's family.

11 The king loves your beauty. Because he is your master, you should obey him.

12 People from the city of Tyre have brought a gift. Wealthy people will want to meet you.

13 The princess is very beautiful. Her gown is woven with gold.

14 In her beautiful clothes she is brought to the king. Her bridesmaids follow behind her, and they are also brought to him.

15 They come with happiness and joy; they enter the king's palace.

16 You will have sons to replace your fathers. You will make them rulers through all the land.

17 I will make your name famous from now on, so people will praise you forever and ever.

1 Listen to this, all you nations; listen, all you who live on earth.

2 Listen, both great and small, rich and poor together.

3 What I say is wise, and my heart speaks with understanding.

4 I will pay attention to a wise saying; I will explain my riddle on the harp.

5 Why should I be afraid of bad days? Why should I fear when evil men surround me?

6 They trust in their money and brag about their riches.

7 No one can buy back the life of another. No one can pay God for his own life,

8 because the price of a life is high. No payment is ever enough.

9 Do people live forever? Don't they all face death?

10 See, even wise people die. Fools and stupid people also die and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their graves will always be their homes. They will live there from now on, even though they named places after themselves.

12 Even rich people do not live forever; like the animals, people die.

13 This is what will happen to those who trust in themselves and to their followers who believe them. Selah

14 Like sheep, they must die, and death will be their shepherd. Honest people will rule over them in the morning, and their bodies will rot in a grave far from home.

15 But God will save my life and will take me from the grave.Selah

16 Don't be afraid of rich people because their houses are more beautiful.

17 They don't take anything to the grave; their wealth won't go down with them.

18 Even though they were praised when they were alive -- and people may praise you when you succeed --

19 they will go to where their ancestors are. They will never see light again.

20 Rich people with no understanding are just like animals that die. A psalm of Asaph.

1 Lord All-Powerful, how lovely is your Temple!

2 I want more than anything to be in the courtyards of the Lord's Temple. My whole being wants to be with the living God.

3 The sparrows have found a home, and the swallows have nests. They raise their young near your altars, Lord All-Powerful, my King and my God.

4 Happy are the people who live at your Temple; they are always praising you. Selah

5 Happy are those whose strength comes from you, who want to travel to Jerusalem.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it like a spring. The autumn rains fill it with pools of water.

7 The people get stronger as they go, and everyone meets with God in Jerusalem.

8 Lord God All-Powerful, hear my prayer; God of Jacob, listen to me. Selah

9 God, look at our shield; be kind to your appointed king.

10 One day in the courtyards of your Temple is better than a thousand days anywhere else. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the Temple of my God than live in the homes of the wicked.

11 The Lord God is like a sun and shield; the Lord gives us kindness and honor. He does not hold back anything good from those whose lives are innocent.

12 Lord All-Powerful, happy are the people who trust you!

1 Lord, you have been kind to your land; you brought back the people of Jacob.

2 You forgave the guilt of the people and covered all their sins. Selah

3 You stopped all your anger; you turned back from your strong anger.

4 God our Savior, bring us back again. Stop being angry with us.

5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you stay angry from now on?

6 Won't you give us life again? Your people would rejoice in you.

7 Lord, show us your love, and save us.

8 I will listen to God the Lord. He has ordered peace for those who worship him. Don't let them go back to foolishness.

9 God will soon save those who respect him, and his glory will be seen in our land.

10 Love and truth belong to God's people; goodness and peace will be theirs.

11 On earth people will be loyal to God, and God's goodness will shine down from heaven.

12 The Lord will give his goodness, and the land will give its crops.

13 Goodness will go before God and prepare the way for him. A prayer of David.

1 The Lord built Jerusalem on the holy mountain.

2 He loves its gates more than any other place in Israel.

3 City of God, wonderful things are said about you.Selah

4 God says, "I will put Egypt and Babylonia on the list of nations that know me. People from Philistia, Tyre, and Cush will be born there."

5 They will say about Jerusalem, "This one and that one were born there. God Most High will strengthen her."

6 The Lord will keep a list of the nations. He will note, "This person was born there."Selah

7 They will dance and sing, "All good things come from Jerusalem." A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.