Psalm 47

God Is King over All the Earth

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

1Come, everyone! Clap your hands!

Shout to God with joyful praise!

2For the Lord Most High is awesome.

He is the great King of all the earth.

3He subdues the nations before us,

putting our enemies beneath our feet.

4He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,

the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves.

Interlude

5God has ascended with a mighty shout.

The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.

6Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7For God is the King over all the earth.

Praise him with a psalm.*47:7 Hebrew maskil. This may be a literary or musical term.

8God reigns above the nations,

sitting on his holy throne.

9The rulers of the world have gathered together

with the people of the God of Abraham.

For all the kings of the earth belong to God.

He is highly honored everywhere.

Psalm 33

The Lord Watches over Those Who Fear Him

1Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;

it is fitting for the pure to praise him.

2Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;

make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.

3Sing a new song of praise to him;

play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.

4For the word of the Lord holds true,

and we can trust everything he does.

5He loves whatever is just and good;

the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.

6The Lord merely spoke,

and the heavens were created.

He breathed the word,

and all the stars were born.

7He assigned the sea its boundaries

and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.

8Let the whole world fear the Lord,

and let everyone stand in awe of him.

9For when he spoke, the world began!

It appeared at his command.

10The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations

and thwarts all their schemes.

11But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;

his intentions can never be shaken.

12What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,

whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

13The Lord looks down from heaven

and sees the whole human race.

14From his throne he observes

all who live on the earth.

15He made their hearts,

so he understands everything they do.

16The best-equipped army cannot save a king,

nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.

17Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—

for all its strength, it cannot save you.

18But the Lord watches over those who fear him,

those who rely on his unfailing love.

19He rescues them from death

and keeps them alive in times of famine.

20We put our hope in the Lord.

He is our help and our shield.

21In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

22Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,

for our hope is in you alone.

Psalm 105

The Lord’s Greatness in the Exodus

1Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.

Let the whole world know what he has done.

2Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.

Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.

3Exult in his holy name;

rejoice, you who worship the Lord.

4Search for the Lord and for his strength;

continually seek him.

5Remember the wonders he has performed,

his miracles, and the rulings he has given,

6you children of his servant Abraham,

you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7He is the Lord our God.

His justice is seen throughout the land.

8He always stands by his covenant—

the commitment he made to a thousand generations.

9This is the covenant he made with Abraham

and the oath he swore to Isaac.

10He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:

11“I will give you the land of Canaan

as your special possession.”

12He said this when they were few in number,

a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.

13They wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

14Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.

He warned kings on their behalf:

15“Do not touch my chosen people,

and do not hurt my prophets.”

16He called for a famine on the land of Canaan,

cutting off its food supply.

17Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—

Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

18They bruised his feet with fetters

and placed his neck in an iron collar.

19Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,*105:19 Hebrew his word.

the Lord tested Joseph’s character.

20Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free;

the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.

21Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household;

he became ruler over all the king’s possessions.

22He could instruct*105:22 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads bind or imprison. the king’s aides as he pleased

and teach the king’s advisers.

23Then Israel arrived in Egypt;

Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.

24And the Lord multiplied the people of Israel

until they became too mighty for their enemies.

25Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites,

and they plotted against the Lord’s servants.

26But the Lord sent his servant Moses,

along with Aaron, whom he had chosen.

27They performed miraculous signs among the Egyptians,

and wonders in the land of Ham.

28The Lord blanketed Egypt in darkness,

for they had defied*105:28 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads had not defied. his commands to let his people go.

29He turned their water into blood,

poisoning all the fish.

30Then frogs overran the land

and even invaded the king’s bedrooms.

31When the Lord spoke, flies descended on the Egyptians,

and gnats swarmed across Egypt.

32He sent them hail instead of rain,

and lightning flashed over the land.

33He ruined their grapevines and fig trees

and shattered all the trees.

34He spoke, and hordes of locusts came—

young locusts beyond number.

35They ate up everything green in the land,

destroying all the crops in their fields.

36Then he killed the oldest son in each Egyptian home,

the pride and joy of each family.

37The Lord brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold;

and not one among the tribes of Israel even stumbled.

38Egypt was glad when they were gone,

for they feared them greatly.

39The Lord spread a cloud above them as a covering

and gave them a great fire to light the darkness.

40They asked for meat, and he sent them quail;

he satisfied their hunger with manna—bread from heaven.

41He split open a rock, and water gushed out

to form a river through the dry wasteland.

42For he remembered his sacred promise

to his servant Abraham.

43So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy,

his chosen ones with rejoicing.

44He gave his people the lands of pagan nations,

and they harvested crops that others had planted.

45All this happened so they would follow his decrees

and obey his instructions.

Praise the Lord!

Qoph

145I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord!

I will obey your decrees.

146I cry out to you; rescue me,

that I may obey your laws.

147I rise early, before the sun is up;

I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.

148I stay awake through the night,

thinking about your promise.

149In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry;

let me be revived by following your regulations.

150Lawless people are coming to attack me;

they live far from your instructions.

151But you are near, O Lord,

and all your commands are true.

152I have known from my earliest days

that your laws will last forever.

Book Five (Psalms 107–150)

Psalm 107

Praise for the Lord’s Great Love

1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!

Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

3For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,

from east and west,

from north and south.*107:3 Hebrew and sea.

4Some wandered in the wilderness,

lost and homeless.

5Hungry and thirsty,

they nearly died.

6“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he rescued them from their distress.

7He led them straight to safety,

to a city where they could live.

8Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

9For he satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

10Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,

imprisoned in iron chains of misery.

11They rebelled against the words of God,

scorning the counsel of the Most High.

12That is why he broke them with hard labor;

they fell, and no one was there to help them.

13“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

14He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;

he snapped their chains.

15Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

16For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;

he cut apart their bars of iron.

17Some were fools; they rebelled

and suffered for their sins.

18They couldn’t stand the thought of food,

and they were knocking on death’s door.

19“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

20He sent out his word and healed them,

snatching them from the door of death.

21Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

22Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving

and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

23Some went off to sea in ships,

plying the trade routes of the world.

24They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,

his impressive works on the deepest seas.

25He spoke, and the winds rose,

stirring up the waves.

26Their ships were tossed to the heavens

and plunged again to the depths;

the sailors cringed in terror.

27They reeled and staggered like drunkards

and were at their wits’ end.

28“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

29He calmed the storm to a whisper

and stilled the waves.

30What a blessing was that stillness

as he brought them safely into harbor!

31Let them praise the Lord for his great love

and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

32Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation

and before the leaders of the nation.

33He changes rivers into deserts,

and springs of water into dry, thirsty land.

34He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands,

because of the wickedness of those who live there.

35But he also turns deserts into pools of water,

the dry land into springs of water.

36He brings the hungry to settle there

and to build their cities.

37They sow their fields, plant their vineyards,

and harvest their bumper crops.

38How he blesses them!

They raise large families there,

and their herds of livestock increase.

39When they decrease in number and become impoverished

through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,

40the Lord pours contempt on their princes,

causing them to wander in trackless wastelands.

41But he rescues the poor from trouble

and increases their families like flocks of sheep.

42The godly will see these things and be glad,

while the wicked are struck silent.

43Those who are wise will take all this to heart;

they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

Psalm 34*34 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

A Testimony of God’s Rescue

A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.

1I will praise the Lord at all times.

I will constantly speak his praises.

2I will boast only in the Lord;

let all who are helpless take heart.

3Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

let us exalt his name together.

4I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.

He freed me from all my fears.

5Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;

no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

6In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;

he saved me from all my troubles.

7For the angel of the Lord is a guard;

he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

9Fear the Lord, you his godly people,

for those who fear him will have all they need.

10Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,

but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

11Come, my children, and listen to me,

and I will teach you to fear the Lord.

12Does anyone want to live a life

that is long and prosperous?

13Then keep your tongue from speaking evil

and your lips from telling lies!

14Turn away from evil and do good.

Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

15The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;

his ears are open to their cries for help.

16But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;

he will erase their memory from the earth.

17The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.

He rescues them from all their troubles.

18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;

he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19The righteous person faces many troubles,

but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

20For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;

not one of them is broken!

21Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.

No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Shin

161Powerful people harass me without cause,

but my heart trembles only at your word.

162I rejoice in your word

like one who discovers a great treasure.

163I hate and abhor all falsehood,

but I love your instructions.

164I will praise you seven times a day

because all your regulations are just.

165Those who love your instructions have great peace

and do not stumble.

166I long for your rescue, Lord,

so I have obeyed your commands.

167I have obeyed your laws,

for I love them very much.

168Yes, I obey your commandments and laws

because you know everything I do.