Psalms 1 - 9

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who walks not in the ill counsel of the ungodly,
nor lingers in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and in His law he meditates day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season;
His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,
but are like the chaff which the wind sweeps away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment;
Sinners will have no part in the reunion of the just.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous;
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.


Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage,
and the peoples cherish vain dreams?
See how the kings of the earth stand in array,
How its rulers make common cause,
against the Lord, and against the King He has anointed, saying,
‘Let us break their bands asunder,
and cast away their cords from us.’

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath,
and vex them in His sore displeasure:
‘Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion.’

I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son;
This day have I begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little—
When the fire of His vengeance blazes out suddenly.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.


Psalm 3
A PSALM OF DAVID WHEN HE FLED FROM ABSALOM HIS SON.

Lord, how are my adversaries increased!
Many are they that rise up against me.
Many there be which say of my soul,
‘There is no hope for him in God.’ Selah.

But You, O Lord, are a shield about me;
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
I cried unto the Lord with my voice,
and He heard me from His mountain sanctuary. Selah.

Safe in God’s hand I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the fangs of malice.
Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.


Psalm 4
TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. A PSALM OF DAVID.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
Hear me, and grant redress.
You have given me relief when I was in distress;
Have pity on me now, and hear my prayer.

How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you set your heart on shadows, following a lie?
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
Tremble, and sin no more;
Take thought, as you lie awake, in the silence of your hearts. Selah.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many that languish for a sight of better times;
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!
Show us the sunshine of Your favour.
You have put more joy in my heart than in the season when their grain and wine increased.
Even as I lie down, sleep comes, and with sleep, tranquility;
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.


Psalm 5
TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. WITH FLUTES. A PSALM OF DAVID.

Give ear to my words, O Lord;
Consider my meditation;
Let me not sigh in vain.
Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God;
For to You will I pray.
My voice [shall] You hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning will I direct my prayer unto You,
and I will watch.

No evil thing claims Your Divine assent;
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
In Your presence the rebellious cannot endure.
The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You hate the wrongdoer, and will bring the liar to destruction;
The Lord abhors the bloody and deceitful man.

But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
And in Your fear will I worship toward Your holy temple.
O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before my face.
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inmost self is destruction;
Their throat is an open sepulcher;
They flatter with their tongue.
O God, pronounce them guilty!
Cheat them of their hopes;
Let them fall by their own counsels.
Cast them out in all their wickedness,
in the multitude of their transgressions,
for they have rebelled against You.

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them.
Spread Your protection over them,
that those who love Your name may exult in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor will You surround Him as with a shield.


Psalm 6
TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. ON AN EIGHT-STRINGED HARP. A PSALM OF DAVID.

O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger,
nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak;
I have no strength left;
Lord, heal me; my limbs tremble; my bones are vexed; my soul also is greatly troubled; my spirits are altogether broken. But You, O Lord—how long?

Return, O Lord, deliver my soul;
Turn back, and grant a wretched soul relief.
Save me for the sake of Your steadfast love.
As You are ever merciful, deliver my life.
For in death there is no remembrance of You;
Who can praise You in the world beneath?

I am weary with my groaning;
Every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of my grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.

Depart from me, all you that traffic in iniquity;
For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my supplication;
The Lord will receive my prayer.
Let all my enemies be ashamed and sore vexed;
Taken aback, all in a moment, and put to shame.


Psalm 7
A MEDITATION OF DAVID, WHICH HE SANG TO THE LORD CONCERNING THE WORDS OF CUSH, A BENJAMITE.

O Lord my God, in You do I put my trust;
Save me from all my pursuers, and grant me deliverance.
Lest they tear me like a lion,
Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

O Lord my God, if I have done this:
If there is iniquity in my hands,
If I have rewarded evil unto him who was at peace with me,
Or have plundered my enemy without cause,
Then indeed let some enemy overtake me with his relentless pursuit,
Trample me to earth, and lay my honor level with the dust! Selah.

Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
And awake for me to the judgment You have appointed.
Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about You;
For their sakes over it return on high, the Lord judging the nations!
The Lord shall judge the peoples:
Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,
and according to the integrity that is within me.
Surely You will put an end to the wrongdoing of the wicked,
and prosper the innocent;
No thought or desire of ours can escape Your divine justice.
O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the just.
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.
From the Lord, refuge of true hearts, my protection comes.

God is a righteous judge;
Day by day His indignation mounts up;
And He is angry with the wicked every day.
If they repent not, His sword will flash bright;
He has bent His bow in readiness,
and deadly are the weapons He is preparing for them;
He has barbed His arrows with fire.
Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity:
Here was a heart pregnant with malice,
that conceived only spite, and gave birth only to shame!
Here was one who dug a pit and sunk it deep,
and fell into a snare of his own setting!
His trouble shall return upon His own head;
All his spite will recoil on himself,
and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.

I will give the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.


Psalm 8
TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. ON THE INSTRUMENT OF GATH. A PSALM OF DAVID.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory above the heavens.
From the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength
because of Your adversaries,
to silence revengeful and malicious tongues.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man, that You are mindful of him?
What is Adam’s breed, that it should claim Your care?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
and have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the work of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet.
All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field:
The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!


Psalm 9
TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. TO THE TUNE OF “DEATH OF THE SON.” A PSALM OF DAVID.

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will recount all of Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

See how my enemies turn back, how they melt away at the sight of You!
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You are there are on Your throne, judging in righteousness.
You have checked the heathen in their course;
You have brought the wicked to nothing, blotting out their name for all time.
The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
Spent is the enemy’s power;
The memory of them has died with the fall of their cities.
Their cities You rooted out;
The very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness,
Still judging the world rightly, still awarding each people its due.
He is a stronghold to the oppressed in time of peril and affliction.
And those who know their name will put their trust in You;
For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
Declare among the people His doings.
For He who avenges blood is mindful of them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord!
Look upon all that I suffer at my enemies’ hands;
O You who lift me up from the gates of death,
that I may tell of all Your praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion.
I will rejoice in Your salvation.

The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made;
Their feet have been trapped in the very toils they had laid.
In the net which they hid is their own foot taken.

The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;
Now it will be seen how the Lord defends the right, how the wicked contrive their own undoing, snared in the work of their hands. Meditation. Selah.

The wicked shall be turned into hell,
and all the nations that forget God.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
Let the heathen, too, feel Your terrors, and learn they are but men. Selah.