Psalm 99

The Lord Is Enthroned in Jerusalem

1The Lord is king!

Let the nations tremble!

He sits on his throne between the cherubim.

Let the whole earth quake!

2The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem,*99:2 Hebrew Zion.

exalted above all the nations.

3Let them praise your great and awesome name.

Your name is holy!

4Mighty King, lover of justice,

you have established fairness.

You have acted with justice

and righteousness throughout Israel.*99:4 Hebrew Jacob. See note on 44:4.

5Exalt the Lord our God!

Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!

6Moses and Aaron were among his priests;

Samuel also called on his name.

They cried to the Lord for help,

and he answered them.

7He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud,

and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them.

8O Lord our God, you answered them.

You were a forgiving God to them,

but you punished them when they went wrong.

9Exalt the Lord our God,

and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem,

for the Lord our God is holy!

Psalm 38

A Prayer for Healing and Forgiveness

A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.

1O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your rage!

2Your arrows have struck deep,

and your blows are crushing me.

3Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;

my health is broken because of my sins.

4My guilt overwhelms me—

it is a burden too heavy to bear.

5My wounds fester and stink

because of my foolish sins.

6I am bent over and racked with pain.

All day long I walk around filled with grief.

7A raging fever burns within me,

and my health is broken.

8I am exhausted and completely crushed.

My groans come from an anguished heart.

9You know what I long for, Lord;

you hear my every sigh.

10My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,

and I am going blind.

11My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.

Even my own family stands at a distance.

12Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.

Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.

All day long they plan their treachery.

13But I am deaf to all their threats.

I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.

14I choose to hear nothing,

and I make no reply.

15For I am waiting for you, O Lord.

You must answer for me, O Lord my God.

16I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me

or rejoice at my downfall.”

17I am on the verge of collapse,

facing constant pain.

18But I confess my sins;

I am deeply sorry for what I have done.

19I have many aggressive enemies;

they hate me without reason.

20They repay me evil for good

and oppose me for pursuing good.

21Do not abandon me, O Lord.

Do not stand at a distance, my God.

22Come quickly to help me,

O Lord my savior.

Psalm 25*25 This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

A Prayer for Forgiveness and Guidance

A psalm of David.

1O Lord, I give my life to you.

2I trust in you, my God!

Do not let me be disgraced,

or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.

3No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,

but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

4Show me the right path, O Lord;

point out the road for me to follow.

5Lead me by your truth and teach me,

for you are the God who saves me.

All day long I put my hope in you.

6Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,

which you have shown from long ages past.

7Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.

Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,

for you are merciful, O Lord.

8The Lord is good and does what is right;

he shows the proper path to those who go astray.

9He leads the humble in doing right,

teaching them his way.

10The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness

all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

11For the honor of your name, O Lord,

forgive my many, many sins.

12Who are those who fear the Lord?

He will show them the path they should choose.

13They will live in prosperity,

and their children will inherit the land.

14The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.

He teaches them his covenant.

15My eyes are always on the Lord,

for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

16Turn to me and have mercy,

for I am alone and in deep distress.

17My problems go from bad to worse.

Oh, save me from them all!

18Feel my pain and see my trouble.

Forgive all my sins.

19See how many enemies I have

and how viciously they hate me!

20Protect me! Rescue my life from them!

Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.

21May integrity and honesty protect me,

for I put my hope in you.

22O God, ransom Israel

from all its troubles.

Psalm 31

A Prayer for Protection and Mercy

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1O Lord, I have come to you for protection;

don’t let me be disgraced.

Save me, for you do what is right.

2Turn your ear to listen to me;

rescue me quickly.

Be my rock of protection,

a fortress where I will be safe.

3You are my rock and my fortress.

For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.

4Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me,

for I find protection in you alone.

5I entrust my spirit into your hand.

Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.

6I hate those who worship worthless idols.

I trust in the Lord.

7I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love,

for you have seen my troubles,

and you care about the anguish of my soul.

8You have not handed me over to my enemies

but have set me in a safe place.

9Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress.

Tears blur my eyes.

My body and soul are withering away.

10I am dying from grief;

my years are shortened by sadness.

Sin has drained my strength;

I am wasting away from within.

11I am scorned by all my enemies

and despised by my neighbors—

even my friends are afraid to come near me.

When they see me on the street,

they run the other way.

12I am ignored as if I were dead,

as if I were a broken pot.

13I have heard the many rumors about me,

and I am surrounded by terror.

My enemies conspire against me,

plotting to take my life.

14But I am trusting you, O Lord,

saying, “You are my God!”

15My future is in your hands.

Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.

16Let your favor shine on your servant.

In your unfailing love, rescue me.

17Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord,

for I call out to you for help.

Let the wicked be disgraced;

let them lie silent in the grave.*31:17 Hebrew in Sheol.

18Silence their lying lips—

those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.

19How great is the goodness

you have stored up for those who fear you.

You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,

blessing them before the watching world.

20You hide them in the shelter of your presence,

safe from those who conspire against them.

You shelter them in your presence,

far from accusing tongues.

21Praise the Lord,

for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love.

He kept me safe when my city was under attack.

22In panic I cried out,

“I am cut off from the Lord!”

But you heard my cry for mercy

and answered my call for help.

23Love the Lord, all you godly ones!

For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him,

but he harshly punishes the arrogant.

24So be strong and courageous,

all you who put your hope in the Lord!

Mem

97Oh, how I love your instructions!

I think about them all day long.

98Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,

for they are my constant guide.

99Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,

for I am always thinking of your laws.

100I am even wiser than my elders,

for I have kept your commandments.

101I have refused to walk on any evil path,

so that I may remain obedient to your word.

102I haven’t turned away from your regulations,

for you have taught me well.

103How sweet your words taste to me;

they are sweeter than honey.

104Your commandments give me understanding;

no wonder I hate every false way of life.

Psalm 103

The Lord’s Goodness to His Children

A psalm of David.

1Let all that I am praise the Lord;

with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

2Let all that I am praise the Lord;

may I never forget the good things he does for me.

3He forgives all my sins

and heals all my diseases.

4He redeems me from death

and crowns me with love and tender mercies.

5He fills my life with good things.

My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

6The Lord gives righteousness

and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

7He revealed his character to Moses

and his deeds to the people of Israel.

8The Lord is compassionate and merciful,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

9He will not constantly accuse us,

nor remain angry forever.

10He does not punish us for all our sins;

he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

11For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

12He has removed our sins as far from us

as the east is from the west.

13The Lord is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

14For he knows how weak we are;

he remembers we are only dust.

15Our days on earth are like grass;

like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

16The wind blows, and we are gone—

as though we had never been here.

17But the love of the Lord remains forever

with those who fear him.

His salvation extends to the children’s children

18of those who are faithful to his covenant,

of those who obey his commandments!

19The Lord has made the heavens his throne;

from there he rules over everything.

20Praise the Lord, you angels,

you mighty ones who carry out his plans,

listening for each of his commands.

21Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels

who serve him and do his will!

22Praise the Lord, everything he has created,

everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Psalm 106

A Confession of Israel’s Sins

1Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

2Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?

Who can ever praise him enough?

3There is joy for those who deal justly with others

and always do what is right.

4Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people;

come near and rescue me.

5Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.

Let me rejoice in the joy of your people;

let me praise you with those who are your heritage.

6Like our ancestors, we have sinned.

We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!

7Our ancestors in Egypt

were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds.

They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.

Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.*106:7 Hebrew at the sea, the sea of reeds.

8Even so, he saved them—

to defend the honor of his name

and to demonstrate his mighty power.

9He commanded the Red Sea*106:9 Hebrew sea of reeds; also in 106:22. to dry up.

He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.

10So he rescued them from their enemies

and redeemed them from their foes.

11Then the water returned and covered their enemies;

not one of them survived.

12Then his people believed his promises.

Then they sang his praise.

13Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!

They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!

14In the wilderness their desires ran wild,

testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.

15So he gave them what they asked for,

but he sent a plague along with it.

16The people in the camp were jealous of Moses

and envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.

17Because of this, the earth opened up;

it swallowed Dathan

and buried Abiram and the other rebels.

18Fire fell upon their followers;

a flame consumed the wicked.

19The people made a calf at Mount Sinai*106:19 Hebrew at Horeb, another name for Sinai.;

they bowed before an image made of gold.

20They traded their glorious God

for a statue of a grass-eating bull.

21They forgot God, their savior,

who had done such great things in Egypt—

22such wonderful things in the land of Ham,

such awesome deeds at the Red Sea.

23So he declared he would destroy them.

But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people.

He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

24The people refused to enter the pleasant land,

for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.

25Instead, they grumbled in their tents

and refused to obey the Lord.

26Therefore, he solemnly swore

that he would kill them in the wilderness,

27that he would scatter their descendants*106:27 As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads he would cause their descendants to fall. among the nations,

exiling them to distant lands.

28Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor;

they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!

29They angered the Lord with all these things,

so a plague broke out among them.

30But Phinehas had the courage to intervene,

and the plague was stopped.

31So he has been regarded as a righteous man

ever since that time.

32At Meribah, too, they angered the Lord,

causing Moses serious trouble.

33They made Moses angry,*106:33 Hebrew They embittered his spirit.

and he spoke foolishly.

34Israel failed to destroy the nations in the land,

as the Lord had commanded them.

35Instead, they mingled among the pagans

and adopted their evil customs.

36They worshiped their idols,

which led to their downfall.

37They even sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to the demons.

38They shed innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and daughters.

By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan,

they polluted the land with murder.

39They defiled themselves by their evil deeds,

and their love of idols was adultery in the Lord’s sight.

40That is why the Lord’s anger burned against his people,

and he abhorred his own special possession.

41He handed them over to pagan nations,

and they were ruled by those who hated them.

42Their enemies crushed them

and brought them under their cruel power.

43Again and again he rescued them,

but they chose to rebel against him,

and they were finally destroyed by their sin.

44Even so, he pitied them in their distress

and listened to their cries.

45He remembered his covenant with them

and relented because of his unfailing love.

46He even caused their captors

to treat them with kindness.

47Save us, O Lord our God!

Gather us back from among the nations,

so we can thank your holy name

and rejoice and praise you.

48Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,

who lives from everlasting to everlasting!

Let all the people say, “Amen!”

Praise the Lord!

Nun

105Your word is a lamp to guide my feet

and a light for my path.

106I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again:

I will obey your righteous regulations.

107I have suffered much, O Lord;

restore my life again as you promised.

108Lord, accept my offering of praise,

and teach me your regulations.

109My life constantly hangs in the balance,

but I will not stop obeying your instructions.

110The wicked have set their traps for me,

but I will not turn from your commandments.

111Your laws are my treasure;

they are my heart’s delight.

112I am determined to keep your decrees

to the very end.