1
Why do the nations gather together? Why do their
people devise useless plots? 2
Kings take their stands.
Rulers make plans together
against the LORD and against his Messiah by saying, 3
"Let's break apart their chains
and shake off their ropes." 4
The one enthroned in heaven laughs. The Lord
makes fun of them. 5
Then he speaks to them in his anger.
In his burning anger he terrifies them by saying, 6
"I have installed my own king on Zion, my holy mountain." 7
I will announce the LORD'S decree. He said to
me:
"You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father. 8
Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance
and the ends of the earth as your own possession. 9
You will break them with an iron scepter.
You will smash them to pieces like pottery." 10
Now, you kings, act wisely.
Be warned, you rulers of the earth! 11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12
Kiss the Son, or he will become angry
and you will die on your way
because his anger will burst into flames.
Blessed is everyone who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 7:11-16 (GOD'S WORD)
11
God is a fair judge,
a God who is angered by injustice every day. 12
If a person
does not change, God sharpens his sword.
By bending his
bow, he makes it ready {to shoot} . 13
He prepares his deadly weapons
and turns them into flaming
arrows. 14
See how that person conceives evil,
is pregnant with harm,
and gives birth to lies. 15
He digs a pit and shovels it out.
Then he falls into the hole that he made {for
others} . 16
His mischief lands back on his own head.
His violence
comes down on top of him.
Psalms 11:4-7 (GOD'S WORD)
4 The LORD is in his
holy temple.
The LORD’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes see.
They examine Adam’s descendants. 5 The LORD tests righteous
people,
but he hates wicked people and
the ones who love violence. 6
He rains down fire and burning
sulfur upon wicked people.
He
makes them drink from a cup filled with scorching wind. 7 The LORD is righteous.
He loves a righteous way of life.
Decent people
will see his face.
Psalms 16:7-11 (GOD'S WORD)
7 I will praise
the
Lord, who advises me. My conscience warns me
at night. 8 I always keep
the Lord in front of me. When he is by my side,
I cannot be moved. 9
That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices.
My body rests securely 10because you do not abandon my soul to the grave
or allow your holy one to decay. 11 You make the
path of life known to me.
Complete joy is in your presence.
Pleasures are by your side forever.
Psalms 18:7-15 (GOD'S WORD)
7 Then the earth
shook and quaked.
Even the foundations of the
mountains trembled.
They shook
violently because he was angry. 8 Smoke went up
from his nostrils,
and a raging fire came out of his
mouth.
Glowing coals
flared up from it. 9 He spread apart
the heavens
and came down with a dark cloud
under his feet. 10 He rode on one of
the angels as he flew,
and he soared on the wings of the
wind. 11 He made the darkness
his hiding place,
the dark rain clouds his covering. 12 Out of the
brightness in front of him,
those rain clouds passed by with
hailstones and lightning. 13 The LORD thundered
in the heavens.
The Most High made his voice
heard with hailstones and lightning. 14 He shot his arrows
and scattered them.
He flashed streaks of lightning
and threw them into confusion. 15 Then the ocean floor
could be seen.
The foundations of the earth were
laid bare
at your stern
warning, O LORD,
at the blast
of the breath from your nostrils.
Psalms 19:7-14 (GOD'S WORD)
7
The teachings of the LORD are perfect.
They renew the
soul.
The testimony of the LORD is
dependable.
It makes
gullible people wise. 8
The instructions of the LORD are correct.
They make the
heart rejoice.
The command of the LORD is
radiant.
It makes the
eyes shine. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure.
It endures
forever.
The decisions of the LORD are
true.
They are
completely fair. 10
They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even the drippings from a
honeycomb. 11
As your servant I am warned by
them.
There is a great reward in
following them.
12 Who can
notice every mistake?
Forgive
my hidden faults. 13
Keep me from sinning.
Do not
let anyone gain control over me.
Then I will be blameless,
and I will be free from any great
offense. 14 May the words from my mouth
and the thoughts from my heart
be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my
defender.
Psalms 21:1-6 (GOD'S WORD)
1
The king finds joy in your strength, O LORD. What great joy he has in
your victory! 2 You gave
him his heart’s desire. You did not refuse the prayer from his lips.
Selah 3 You
welcomed him with the blessings of good things and set a crown of fine
gold on his head. 4 He
asked you for life. You gave him a long life, forever and ever. 5 Because
of your victory his glory is great. You place splendor and majesty on
him. 6 Yes, you
made him a blessing forever.
Psalms 23 (GOD'S WORD)
A psalm by David.
1
The LORD is my shepherd.
I am never in need. 2
He makes me lie down in green
pastures.
He leads me beside peaceful waters. 3
He renews my soul.
He guides me along the paths of righteousness for
the sake of his name. 4
Even though I walk through the dark valley of death,
because you
are with me, I fear no harm.
Your rod and your staff give me courage. 5
You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch.
You anoint my
head with oil.
My cup
overflows. 6
Certainly, goodness and mercy will stay close to me
all the days of my life,
and I will
remain in the LORD’s house for days without end.
Psalms 24:1-6 (GOD'S WORD)
1The earth and everything it contains are the Lord's The world
and all who live in it are his. 2He laid its foundation on the seas
and set it firmly on the rivers. 3 Who
may go up the Lords mountain?
Who may stand in his holy
place? 4
{The one who} has clean hands and a pure heart
and does
not long for what is false
or lie when he is under oath. 5
{This pearson} will recieve a blessing from the Lord
and
righteosness from God, his savior. 6
This is the person who seeks him,
who searches for the face of the God of Jacab.
Psalms 27:1-6 (GOD'S WORD)
1 The LORD is
my light and my salvation.
Who is there to fear?
The LORD is my life’s fortress.
Who is there to be afraid of? 2
Evildoers closed in on me to tear me to pieces.
My opponents and enemies stumbled and fell. 3 Even
though an army sets up camp against me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even though a war breaks out against me,
I will still have confidence bin the LORDn . 4 I have
asked one thing from the LORD.
This I will seek:
to remain in the LORD’s house all the days of my life
in order to gaze at the LORD’s beauty
and to search for an answer in his temple. 5 He hides
me in his shelter when there is trouble.
He keeps me hidden in his tent.
He sets me high on a rock. 6 Now my
head will be raised above my enemies who surround me.
I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy in his tent.
I will sing and make music to praise the LORD.
Psalms 29:3-11 (GOD'S WORD)
3 The
voice
of the LORD rolls over the water.
The God of glory thunders.
The LORD shouts over raging water. 4 The
voice
of the LORD is powerful. The voice of the LORD
is majestic. 5 The
voice
of the LORD breaks the cedars.
The LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon. 6
He makes Lebanon ship along like a calf
and Mount Sirion like a wild ox. 7 The
voice
of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 The
voice
of the LORD makes the wilderness tremble.
The LORD makes the wilderness of Kadesh tremble. 9 The
voice
of the LORD splits the oaks
and strips {the trees of} the forests bare.
Everyone in his temple is saying, "Glory!" 10 The
LORD
sat enthroned over the flood. The LORD
is enthroned as king forever. 11 The
LORD
will give power to his people. The LORD
will bless his people with peace.
Psalms 32:3-7 (GOD'S WORD)
3 When I kept silent babout my sinsn , my bones
began to weaken because of my groaning all day long. 4 Day and
night your hand laid heavily on me. My strength shriveled in the summer
heat. 5 I made
my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt. I decided to
confess them to you, O LORD. Then you forgave all my sins. 6 For
this reason let all godly people pray to you when you may be found.
Then raging floodwater will not reach them. 7 You are
my hiding place. You protect me from trouble You surround me with
joyous songs of salvation..
Psalms 33:1-3 (GOD'S WORD)
1 Joyfully
sing to the LORD, you righteous people. Praising bthe LORDn is proper
for decent people. 2 Give
thanks with a lyre to the LORD. Make music for him on a ten-stringed
harp. 3 Sing a
new song to him. Play beautifully and joyfully on stringed instruments.
Psalms 34:8-14 (GOD'S WORD)
8 Taste and
see
that the Lord is good. Blessed is
the person who takes refuge in him. 9Fear the
Lord,
you holy people who belong to him. Those who
fear him are never in need. 10Young
lions
go hungry and may starve, but those
who seek the Lord's help have all the good things they need. 11Come,
children,
listen to me. I will
teach
you the fear of the Lord. 12Which of
you
wants a full life? Who would like to live long
enough to enjoy good things? 13Keep
your tongue from saying evil things
and your lips from speaking deceitful things. 14Turn
away from evil, and do good. Seek
peace, and pursue it!
Psalms 35:4-6 (GOD'S WORD)
4 Let those who seek
my life be put to shame and disgraced.
Let those who plan my downfall be turned back in
confusion. 5 Let them be like
husks blown by the wind
as the Messenger of the LORD
chases them. 6 Let their path be
dark and slippery
as the Messenger of the LORD
pursues them.
Psalms 37:10-15 (GOD'S WORD)
10 In a little
while a wicked person will vanish.
Then you can carefully examine where he was,
but there will be no trace of him. 11 Oppressed
people
will inherit the land
and enjoy unlimited peace. 12 The wicked
person plots against a righteous one
and grits his teeth at him. 13 The Lord
laughs
at him
because he has seen that his time is coming. 14 Wicked
people
pull out their swords and bend their bows
to kill oppressed and needy people,
to slaughter those who are decent. 15 [But] their
own swords will pierce their hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Psalms 40:1-3 (GOD'S WORD)
1 I
waited patiently for the LORD. He turned to me and heard my cry for
help. 2 He pulled
me out of a horrible pit, out of the mud and clay. He set my feet on a
rock and made my steps secure. 3 He
placed a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will
see this and worship. They will trust the LORD.
Psalms 42:1-5 (GOD'S WORD)
1 As a deer
longs
for flowing streams, so my soul longs for
you, O God. 2 My soul
thirsts
for God, for the living God. When may I come to see
God's face? 3 My tears are
my food day and night. People ask me all day
long, "Where is your God?" 4 I will
remember
these things as I pour out my soul: how I used to walk with
the crowd
and lead it in a procession to God's house.
[I sang] songs of joy and thanksgiving
while crowds of people celebrated a festival. 5
Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you
so restless?
Put your hope in God,
because I will still praise him.
He is my savior and my God.
Psalms 45:1-9 (GOD'S WORD)
1 My heart is
overflowing with good news.
I will direct my song to the king.
My tongue is a pen for a skillful
writer.
2 You are the most
handsome of Adam's descendants.
Grace is poured on your
lips.
That is why God has blessed you forever. 3 O warrior, strap your
sword to your side
with splendor and majesty. 4 Ride on
victoriously in your majesty
for the cause of truth,
humility, and righteousness.
Let your right hand teach you awe-inspiring
things. 5 Your arrows are
sharp in the heart of the king's enemies.
Nations fall beneath you.
6 Your
throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter in your kingdom is a
scepter for justice. 7 You have
loved what is right and hated what is wrong.
That is why God, your God, has
anointed you,
rather than
your companions, with the oil of joy. 8 All your
robes are {fragrant} with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From ivory palaces the music of stringed
instruments delights you. 9 The
daughters of kings are among your noble ladies.
The queen takes her place at your right hand
and wears gold from Ophir.
Psalms 47:8 (GOD'S WORD)
8
God rules the nations.
He sits upon his holy
throne.
Psalms 59:13-15 (GOD'S WORD)
13
Destroy them in your rage.
Destroy them until not one
of them is left.
Then they will know that God rules Jacob
to the ends of
the earth.
Selah 14
They return in the evening.
They howl like
dogs.
They prowl the
city. 15 They
wander around to find something to eat.
If they are
not full enough,
they will stay all night.
Psalms 66:1-15 (GOD'S WORD)
1 Shout
happily to God, all the earth! 2 Make
music to praise the glory of his name.
Make his praise glorious. 3 Say to
God,
“How awe-inspiring are your deeds!
Your power is so great that your enemies will cringe
in front of you. 4 The
whole earth will worship you.
It will make music to praise you.
It will make music to praise your name.” Selah 5 Come and
see what God has done—
his awe-inspiring deeds for Adam’s descendants. 6 He
turned the sea into dry land.
They crossed the river on foot.
We rejoiced because of what he did there. 7 He
rules forever with his might.
His eyes watch the nations.
Rebels will not be able to oppose him. 8Thank our
God, you nations. Make
the sound of his praise heard. 9
He has kept us alive
and has not allowed us to fall. 10
You have tested us, O God.
You have refined us in the same way silver is refined. 11
You have trapped us in a net.
You have laid burdens on our backs. 12
You let people ride over our heads.
We went through fire and water,
but then you brought us out and refreshed us. 13 I will
come into your temple with burnt offerings.
I will keep my vows to you, 14 the
vows made by my lips and spoken by my bownn mouth
when I was in trouble. 15 I will
offer you a sacrifice of fattened livestock for burnt offerings
with the smoke from rams.
I will offer cattle and goats.
Psalms 68:17-18 (GOD'S WORD)
17 The chariots
of
God are twenty thousand in number,
thousands upon thousands.
The Lord is among them.
[The God of] Sinai is in his holy place. 18 You went to
the highest place. You took prisoners captive. You received gifts from people,
even from rebellious people, so that the Lord God may live there.
Psalms 69:1-4 (GOD'S WORD)
1 Save me, O
God! The water is already up to my neck! 2 I am
sinking in deep mud. There is nothing to stand on. I am in deep
water. A flood is sweeping me away. 3 I am
exhausted from crying for help. My throat is hoarse. My eyes are
strained bfromn looking for my God. 4 Those who
hate me for no reason outnumber the hairs on my head. Those who want to
destroy me are mighty.
They have no reason to be my enemies. I am forced to pay back what I
did not steal.
Psalms 69:26-28 (GOD'S WORD)
26 They
persecute
the one you have struck,
and they talk about the pain of those you have wounded. 27 Charge them
with one crime after another.
Do not let them be found innocent. 28 Let their
[names]
be erased from the Book of Life.
Do not let them be listed with righteous people.
Psalms 72 (GOD'S WORD)
1 O
God, give the king your justice
and the
king's son your righteousness 2
so that he may judge your
people with righteousness
and your oppressed [people] with justice. 3 May
the mountains bring peace to the people
and
the hills bring righteousness. 4 May he
grant justice to the people who are oppressed.
May he save the children of needy
people
and crush their oppressor. 5
May they fear you as long as the sun and the moon [shine]
throughout every
generation. 6
May he be like rain that falls on [freshly] cut grass,
like showers
that water the land. 7 May
righteous people blossom in his day. 8
May he rule
from
sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. 9
May the people
of the desert kneel in front of him. May his enemies lick the dust. 10 May the
kings from
Tarshish
and the islands bring presents. May the kings from Sheba and Seba
bring
gifts. 11 May all
kings worship him. May all nations serve him. 12
He will rescue the needy person who cries for
help
and the oppressed person who has no one's help. 13
He will have pity on the poor and needy
and will save the lives of the needy. 14
He will rescue them from oppression and
violence.
Their blood will be precious in his sight. 15
May he live long.
May the gold from Sheba be given to
him.
May [the people]
pray for him continually.
May [they]
praise him all day long. 16
May there be plenty of grain in the land.
May it wave [in
the breeze] on the mountain tops,
its fruit like [the treetops of] Lebanon.
May those from
the city flourish like the grass on the ground. 17
May his name endure forever.
May his name continue
as long as the sun [shines].
May all the
nations be blessed through him and call him blessed. 18
Thank the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does miracles. 19
Thanks be to his glorious name forever.
May the whole earth be filled
with his glory.
Amen and amen! 20
The prayers by David, son of Jesse, end here.
Psalms 74:1-11 (GOD'S WORD)
1Why
does your anger
smolder against the sheep in your care? 2 Remember
your congregation.
Long ago you made it your own.
You bought this tribe to be your possession.
This tribe is Mount Zion, where you have made your home. 3 Turn
your steps towardb these pathetic ruins.
The enemy has destroyed everything in the holy temple. 4 Your
opponents have roared inside your meeting place.
They have set up their own emblems as symbols. 5 Starting
from its entrance, they hacked away
like a woodcutter in a forest. 6 They
smashed all its carved paneling with axes and hatchets. 7 They
burned your holy place to the ground.
They dishonored the place where you live among us. 8 They
said to themselves, “We will crush them.”
They burned every meeting place of God in the land. 9 We no
longer see miraculous signs.
There are no prophets anymore.
No one knows how long this will last. 10 How
long, O God, will the enemy insult us?
Will the enemy despise you forever? 11 Why do
you hold back your hand, especially your right hand?
Take your hands out of your pockets.
Destroy your enemies!
Psalms 75:6-8 (GOD'S WORD)
6 The
authority to reward someone does not come
from the east, from the west, or even from the wilderness. 7 God
alone is the judge. He punishes one person and
rewards another. 8 A cup is
in the LORD’s hand. (Its foaming
wine is thoroughly mixed with spices.)
He will empty it, and all the wicked people on earth will have to drink
every last drop.
Psalms 76:1-3 (GOD'S WORD)
1 God
is known in Judah. His name is great in Israel. 2 His tent
is in Salem. His home is in Zion. 3 There he
destroyed flaming arrows, shields, swords, and weapons of war.
Psalms 79:1-7 (GOD'S WORD)
1 O God, the
nations have invaded the land that belongs to you.
They have dishonored your holy
temple.
They have left Jerusalem in ruins. 2
They have given the dead bodies of your servants
to the birds
for food.
They have given the flesh of your
godly ones
to the animals. 3
They have shed the blood of your people
around Jerusalem
as though it
were water.
There is no one to bury your people.
4 We have
become a disgrace to our neighbors,
an object of ridicule and
contempt to those around us. 5 How long,
O LORD?
Will you remain angry forever?
Will your fury continue to burn
like fire? 6 Pour your
fury on the nations that do not know you,
on the
kingdoms that have not called you. 7
They have devoured Jacob.
They
have destroyed his home.
Psalm 83:13-18 (GOD'S WORD)
13O my God, blow
them away like tumbleweeds,
like husks in the wind. 14 Pursue them with
your storms,
and terrify them with your windstorms 15
the way fire burns a forest
and flames set mountains on fire. 16
Let their faces blush with shame, O LORD,
so that they must look to you for help. 17
Let them be put to shame and terrified forever. Let
them die in disgrace 18
so that they must acknowledge you.
Your name is the LORD.
You alone are
the Most High God of the whole earth.
Psalm 86:8-10 (GOD'S WORD)
8 No god is like you, O Lord.
No one can do what you do. 9 All the
nations that you have made
will bow in your presence, O Lord.
They will honor you. 10 Indeed,
you are great, a worker of miracles.
You alone are God.
Psalm 87 (GOD'S WORD)
1 {The city} the Lord has founded {stands} on
holy mountains. 2The Lord loves
the city of Zion
more that
any other place in Jacob. 3Glorious things
are said about you O city of God! 4{The Lord
says} "I will add Egypt and Babylon
as
well as Philistia, Tyre, and Sudan
to the list of those who acknowledge me.
Each nation {will clame that it} was born there." 5But it
will me said to Zion,
"Every race is born in it.
The most high will make it secure." 6The Lord
will record it in the book of nations:
"Every race {will claimthat it } was born there." 7Singers
and dancers will sing,
"Zion is
the source of all our blessings."
Psalm 89:11-37 (GOD'S WORD)
11 The heavens
are yours.
The earth is also yours.
You made the world and everything
in it. 12
You created north and south.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing your name joyfully. 13
Your arm is mighty.
Your hand is
strong.
Your right hand is lifted high. 14
Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne.
Mercy and truth stand in
front of you. 15
Blessed are the people who know how to praise you.
They walk in
the light of your presence, O Lord. 16
They find joy in your name all day long.
They
are joyful in your righteousness 17
because you are the
glory of their strength.
By your favor you give us victory. 18 Our
shield belongs to the Lord.
Our king belongs to the Holy One
of Israel. 19 Once in
a vision
you said to your faithful ones: "I set a boy above
warriors. I have raised up
one chosen from the people. 20I found my
servant
David. I anointed him
with my holy oil. 21My
hand is ready to help him. My arm will also
give him strength. 22No
enemy will take him by surprise. No
wicked person will mistreat him. 23I will crush his
enemies in front of him and
defeat those who hate him. 24My faithfulness
and
mercy will be with him, and
in my name he will be victorious. 25I will put his
[left] hand on the sea. and
his right hand on the rivers. 26He will call out
to me, 'You
are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.' 27Yes, I will make
him the firstborn. He
will be the Most High to the kings of the earth. 28My mercy will
stay
with him forever. My promise to him is
unbreakable. 29I will make his
dynasty
endure forever and
his throne like the days of heaven. 30 “If his descendants
abandon my teachings
and do not live by my rules, 31 if they violate my laws
and do not obey my commandments, 32 then with a rod I will
punish their rebellion
and their crimes with beatings. 33 But I will not take my
mercy away from him
or allow my truth to become a lie. 34 I will not dishonor my
promise
or alter my own agreement. 35 On my holiness I have
taken an oath once and for all:
I will not lie to David. 36 His dynasty will last
forever.
His throne will be in my presence like the sun. 37 Like the moon his throne
will stand firm forever.
It will be like a faithful witness in heaven.”
Psalms 90:1-2 (GOD'S WORD)
1O Lord, you have been our refuge throughout
every generation. 2 Before the
mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
you were God.
You are God from everlasting to
everlasting.
Psalms 93:3-5 (GOD'S WORD)
3 The ocean rises, O
Lord. The ocean rises with a roar. The ocean rises with its pounding waves. 4
The Lord above is mighty --
mightier
than the sound of raging water,
mightier
than the foaming waves of the sea. 5 Your written
testimonies
are completely reliable. O Lord, holiness is what makes your house
beautiful
for days without end.
Psalm 95:1-5 (God's Word)
1
Come, let’s sing joyfully to the LORD.
Let’s shout happily to the rock of our salvation. 2
Let’s come into his
presence with a song of thanksgiving.
Let’s shout happily to him with psalms. 3
The LORD is a great God and a great king above all
gods. 4
In his hand are the deep places
of the earth,
and the mountain peaks are his. 5
The sea is his.
He made it, and his hands formed
the dry land.
Psalm 97:1-6 (God's Word)
1
The LORD rules as king.
Let the earth
rejoice.
Let all the
islands be joyful. 2 Clouds and darkness
surround him.
Righteousness and justice are the
foundations of his throne. 3 Fire spreads ahead of
him.
It burns his enemies who surround him. 4 His flashes of
lightning light up the world.
The earth sees
them and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like
wax in the presence of the LORD,
in the
presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6 The heavens tell about
his righteousness,
and all the
people of the world see his glory.
Psalm 98:1-3 (God's Word)
1 Sing a new
song to the LORD because he has done miraculous things. His right hand
and his holy arm have gained victory for him. 2 The LORD has made his salvation known. He
has uncovered his righteousness for the nations to see. 3 He has not forgotten to be merciful and
faithful to Israel’s descendants. All the ends of the earth have seen
how our God saves them .
Psalms 102:23-28 (GOD'S WORD)
23
He has weakened my strength along the way.
He has reduced [the number
of] my days. 24
I said, "My God, don't take me now in the middle of my life.
Your years [continue on] throughout every generation. 25
Long ago you laid the foundation of the
earth.
Even the heavens are the works of your hands. 26
They will come to an end, but you will still
go on.
They will all wear out like clothing.
You will change them like
clothes,
and
they will be thrown away. 27
But you remain the same, and
your life will never end. 28
The children of your servants will go on
living [here],
Their
descendants will be secure in your presence."
Psalms 103:14-18 (GOD'S WORD)
14
He certainly knows what we are made of.
He bears in mind that we are dust. 15
Human life is as short-lived as grass.
It blossoms like a flower in the field. 16
When the wind blows over the flower, it disappears,
and there is no longer any sign of it.
17
But from everlasting to everlasting,
the LORD’s mercy is on those who fear him.
His righteousness belongs
to their
children and grandchildren, 18
to those who are faithful to his promise,
to those who
remember to follow his guiding principles.
Psalms 103:19-22 (GOD'S WORD)
19
The LORD has set his throne in heaven.
His kingdom rules
everything.
20
Praise the LORD, all his angels,
you mighty beings who carry out his orders
and are ready to obey his spoken orders. 21
Praise the LORD, all his armies,
his servants who carry out his will. 22
Praise the LORD, all his creatures
in all the places of his empire.
Praise the LORD, my soul!
Psalms 104:1-35 (GOD'S WORD)
1 Praise the
LORD, my soul!
O LORD my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with splendor and majesty. 2 You cover
yourself with light as though it were a robe.
You stretch out the heavens as though they were curtains. 3 You lay
the beams of your home in the water.
You use the clouds for your chariot.
You move on the wings of the wind. 4 You make
your angels winds
and your servants flames of fire. 5 You set
the earth on its foundations
so that it can never be shaken. 6You
covered the with an ocean as though it were a robe.
Water stood above the mountains 7 and fled
because of your threat.
Water ran away at the sound of your thunder. 8 The
mountains rose and the valleys sank
to the place you appointed for them. 9 Water
cannot cross the boundary you set
and cannot come back to cover the earth. 10 You make
water gush from springs into valleys.
It flows between the mountains. 11 Every
wild animal drinks bfrom themn .
Wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The
birds live by the streams.
They sing among the branches. 13 You
water the mountains from your home above.
You fill the earth with the fruits of your labors. 14 You make
grass grow for cattle
and make vegetables for humans to use
in order to get food from the ground. 15 You
make wine to cheer human hearts,
olive oil to make faces shine,
and bread to strengthen human hearts. 16 The
LORD’s trees, the cedars in Lebanon which he planted,
drink their fill. 17 Birds
build their nests in them.
Storks makes their homes in fir trees. 18 The
high mountains are for wild goats.
The rocks are a refuge for badgers. 19 He
created the moon, which marks the seasons,
and the sun, which knows when to set. 20 He
brings darkness, and it is nighttime,
when all the wild animals in the forest come out. 21 The
young lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God. 22 When the
sun rises,
they gather and lie down in their dens. 23 Then
people go to do their work,
to do their tasks until evening. 24 What a
large number of things you have made, O LORD!
You made them all by wisdom.
The earth is filled with your creatures. 25 The sea
is so big and wide with countless creatures,
living things both large and small. 26 Ships
sail on it,
and Leviathan,a which you made, plays in it. 27 All of
them look to you to give them their food at the right time. 28 You
give it to them, and they gather it up.
You open your hand, and they are filled with blessings. 29 You
hide your face, and they are terrified.
You take away their breath, and they die and return to dust. 30 You
send out your Spirit, and they are created.
You renew the face of the earth. 31 May the
glory of the LORD endure forever.
May the LORD find joy in what he has made. 32 He
looks at the earth, and it trembles.
He touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will
sing to the LORD throughout my life.
I will make music to praise my God as long as I live. 34 May my
thoughts be pleasing to him.
I will find joy in the LORD. 35 May
sinners vanish from the world.
May there no longer be any wicked people.
Praise the LORD, my soul!
Hallelujah!
Psalms 105:8-42 (GOD'S WORD)
8 He always
remembers his promise, the word that he commanded for a thousand
generations, 9 the
promise that he made to Abraham, and his sworn oath to Isaac. 10 He
confirmed it as a law for Jacob, as an everlasting promise to Israel, 11 by
saying, “I will give you the land of Canaan. It is your share of the
inheritance.” 12 While
the people of Israel were few in number, a small group of foreigners
living in that land, 13 they
wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another. 14 He
didn’t permit anyone to oppress them. He warned kings about them: 15 “Do not
touch my anointed ones or harm my prophets.” 16 He
brought famine to the land. He took away their food supply. 17 He sent
a man ahead of them. He sent Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 They
hurt his feet with shackles, and cut into his neck with an iron collar. 19 The
LORD’s promise tested him through fiery trials until his prediction
came true. 20 The king
sent someone to release him. The ruler of nations set him free. 21 He made
Joseph the master of his palace and the ruler of all his possessions. 22 Joseph
trained the king’s officers the way he wanted and taught his respected
leaders wisdom. 23 Then
Israel came to Egypt. Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham. 24 The LORD
made his people grow rapidly in number and stronger than their enemies. 25 He
changed their minds so that they hated his people, and they dealt
treacherously with his servants. 26He sent
his servant Moses, and he sent Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They
displayed his miraculous signs among them and did amazing things in the
land of Ham. 28 He sent
darkness and made their land dark. They did not rebel against his
orders. 29 He
turned their water into blood and caused their fish to die. 30 He made
their land swarm with frogs, even in the kings’ bedrooms. 31 He
spoke, and swarms of flies and gnats infested their whole territory. 32 He gave
them hail and lightning instead of rain throughout their land. 33 He
struck their grapevines and fig trees and smashed the trees in their
territory. 34 He
spoke, and countless locusts and grasshoppers
came. 35 They
devoured all the plants in the land. They devoured the crops in the
fields. 36 He
killed all the firstborn sons, the first ones born in the land when
their fathers were young. 37 He
brought Israel out with silver and gold, and no one among his tribes
stumbled. 38 The
Egyptians were terrified of Israel, so they were glad when Israel left. 39 He
spread out a cloud as a protective covering and a fire to light up the
night. 40 The
Israelites asked, and he brought them quail and filled them with bread
from heaven. 41 He
opened a rock, and water gushed and flowed like a river through the dry
places. 42 He
remembered his holy promise to his servant Abraham.
Psalms 106:1-48 (GOD'S WORD)
1 Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the LORD because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever. 2 Who can
speak about all the mighty things the LORD has done?
Who can announce all the things for which he is worthy of praise? 3 Blessed
are those who defend justice
and do what is right at all times. 4 Remember
me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people.
Come to help me with your salvation 5 so that I
may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
find joy in our people’s happiness,
and brag with the people who belong to you. 6 We have
sinned, and so did our ancestors.
We have done wrong.
We are guilty. 7 When our
ancestors were in Egypt,
they gave no thought to your miracles.
They did not remember your numerous acts of mercy,
so they rebelled at the sea, the Red Sea. 8 He saved
them because of his reputation
so that he could make his mighty power known. 9 He
angrily commanded the Red Sea, and it dried up.
He led them through deep water as though it were a desert. 10 He
rescued them from the power of the one who hated them.
He rescued them from the enemy. 11 Water
covered their adversaries.
Not one Egyptian survived. 12 Then
our ancestors believed what he said.
They sang his praise. 13 They
quickly forgot what he did.
They did not wait for his advice. 14 They
had an unreasonable desire bfor foodn in the wilderness.
In the desert they tested God. 15 He
gave them what they asked for.
He balson gave them a degenerative disease. 16 In the
camp certain men became envious of Moses.
They also became envious of Aaron, the LORD’s holy one. 17 The
ground split open and swallowed Dathan.
It buried Abiram’s followers. 18 A fire
broke out among their followers.
Flames burned up wicked people. 19 At
Mount Horeb they made ba statue ofn a calf.
They worshiped an idol made of metal. 20 They
traded their glorious Goda
for the statue of a bull that eats grass. 21 They
forgot God, their savior,
the one who did spectacular things in Egypt, 22 miracles
in the land of Ham,
and terrifying things at the Red Sea. 23 God
said he was going to destroy them,
but Moses, his chosen one, stood in his way
to prevent him from exterminating them. 24 They
refused bto entern the pleasant land.
They did not believe what he said. 25 They
complained in their tents.
They did not obey the LORD. 26 Raising
his hand, he swore
that he would kill them in the wilderness, 27 kill
their descendants among the nations,
and scatter them throughout various lands. 28
They joined in worshiping the god Baal while they were at Peor,
and they ate what was sacrificed to the dead. 29 They
infuriated God by what they did,
and a plague broke out among them. 30 Then
Phinehas stood between God and the people,
and the plague was stopped. 31 Because
of this, Phinehas was considered righteous forever,
throughout every generation. 32 They
made God angry by the water at Meribah.
Things turned out badly for Moses because of what they did, 33 since
they made him bitter so that he spoke recklessly. 34They did
not destroy the people as the LORD had told them. 35
Instead, they intermarried with
other nations.
They learned to do what other
nations did, 36
and they worshiped their idols,
which became a trap for them. 37
They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 38
They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their own sons and
daughters
whom they
sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land became polluted with blood. 39
They became filthy because of what they did.
They behaved
like prostitutes. 40 The
LORD burned with anger against his own people.
He was disgusted with those who belonged to him. 41 He
handed them over to other nations,
and those who hated them ruled them. 42 Their
enemies oppressed them
and made them subject to their power. 43 He
rescued them many times,
but they continued to plot rebellion against him
and to sink deeper because of their sin. 44 He saw
that they were suffering
when he heard their cry for help. 45 He
remembered his promiseb to them.
In keeping with his rich mercy, he changed his plans. 46 He let
them find compassion
from all those who held them captive. 47 Rescue us, O LORD
our God, and gather us from the nations
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and make your praise our glory. 48 Thanks
be to the LORD God of Israel
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say amen.
Hallelujah!
Psalms 109:6-20 (GOD'S WORD)
6
[I said,] “Appoint the evil one to oppose him.
Let Satan
stand beside him. 7
When he stands trial,
let him be found guilty.
Let his prayer be considered
sinful. 8
Let his
days be few [in number] .
Let someone else take his
position.
9
“Let his
children become fatherless and his wife a widow. 10
Let his
children wander around and beg.
Let them seek help far from their
ruined homes. 11
Let a
creditor take everything he owns.
Let strangers steal what he has
worked for. 12
Let no one be
kind to him anymore.
Let no one show any pity to his
fatherless children. 13
Let his
descendants be cut off
and their
family name be wiped out
by the next generation. 14
Let the LORD
remember the guilt of his ancestors
and not wipe
out his mother’s sin. 15
Let their guilt and sin always remain on
record
in front of the LORD.
Let the LORD remove every memory
of himb from the earth, 16
because he did not remember to be kind.
“He drove oppressed, needy,
and brokenhearted people to their graves. 17
He
loved to put curses [on others],
so he, too, was cursed.
He did not like to bless
bothersn ,
so he never received a blessing. 18
He wore
cursing as though it were clothing,
so cursing entered his body like water
and his bones
like oil. 19
Let cursing be
his clothing,
a belt he always wears.” 20 This is how
the LORD rewards those who accuse me,
those who say
evil things against me.
Psalms 110:1-2 (GOD'S WORD)
1 The
LORD
said to my Lord, "Sit in the
highest position in heaven
until I make your enemies your footstool." 2 The
LORD
will extend your powerful scepter from Zion. Rule your
enemies who surround you.
Psalms 110:4-7 (GOD'S WORD)
4
The Lord has taken an oath and will
not change his mind:
"You are a priest forever, in the way Melchizedek
was a priest."
5
The Lord is at your right side.
He will crush kings on the day of
his anger. 6
He will pass
judgment on the nations
and fill them with dead bodies.
Throughout the earth he will
crush [their] heads. 7
He will drink from the
brook along the road.
He will hold his head high.
Psalms 111:7-10 (GOD'S WORD)
7
His works are done with truth and justice.
All his guiding principles are
trustworthy. 8 They
last forever and ever.
They are
carried out with truth and decency. 9 He has sent salvation
to his people.
He has ordered that his promise
should continue forever.
His name is holy and terrifying. 10 The fear of the LORD is
the beginning of wisdom.
Good sense is shown by everyone
who follows
[God’s guiding principles] .
His praise continues forever.
Psalms 112:1-6 (GOD'S WORD)
1 Hallelujah!
Blessed is the person who fears the LORD and is happy to obey his
commands. 2 His descendants will grow strong on the
earth. The family of a decent person will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches will be in his home. His
righteousness continues forever. 4 Light will shine in the dark for a decent
person. He is merciful, compassionate, and fair. 5 All goes well for the person who is
generous and lends willingly. He earns an honest living. 6 He will never fail.
Psalms 115:1-8 (GOD'S WORD)
1
Don’t give glory to us, O LORD.
Don’t give glory to
us.
Instead, give
glory to your name
because of your mercy and faithfulness. 2
Why should other nations say, “Where is their God?” 3
Our God is in heaven.
He does whatever he wants. 4
Their idols are made of silver and gold.
They were made by human hands. 5
They have mouths, but they cannot speak.
They have eyes, but they
cannot see. 6
They have ears, but they cannot hear.
They have noses, but
they cannot smell. 7
They have hands, but they cannot feel.
They have feet, but they
cannot walk.
They cannot {even} make a
sound with their throats. 8
Those who make idols end up like them.
So does everyone who trusts them.
Psalms 115:12-18 (GOD'S WORD)
12 The LORD,
who is [always] thinking about us, will bless us.
He will bless
the descendants of Israel.
He will bless
the descendants of Aaron. 13 He will
bless those who fear the LORD, from the least important to the most
important. 14 May the
LORD continue to bless you and your children. 15 You
will be blessed by the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. 16The highest
heaven belongs to the Lord,but he has given the earth to the
descendants of Adam. 17
Those who are dead do not praise the Lord,nor do those who go
into the silence [of the grave]. 18
But we will thank the Lord now and forever.
Hallelujah!
Psalms 118:19-21 (GOD'S WORD)
19Open the
gates of righteousness for me.
I will go threw them {and} give thanks to the Lord. 20This is the
gate of the Lord
through which righteous
people will enter. 21I give
thanks to you for you,
because have
answered me.
You are my savior.
Psalms 119:97-104 (GOD'S WORD)
97
Oh, how I love your teachings!
They
are in my thoughts all day long. 98
Your commandments make me wiser than my
enemies,
because your commandments are
always with me. 99
I have more insight than all my teachers,
because your written instructions
are in my thoughts. 100
I have more wisdom than those with many years of
experience,
because I have obeyed your
guiding principles. 101
I have kept my feet {from walking} on any evil path
in order to obey your word. 102
I have not neglected your regulations,
because you have taught me. 103
How sweet the taste of your promise is!
It
tastes sweeter than honey. 104
From your guiding principles I gain understanding.
That is why I hate every path
that leads to lying.
Psalms 121 (GOD'S WORD)
1 look up towards the mountain.
Where can I find help? 2My help comes
from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
3He will not let
you fall.
Your guardian will not fall
asleep. 4Indeed, the
guardian of Isreal never reats or sleeps. 5The LOrd is your
guardian.
TheLord is your shade over your right hand. 6The sun will
not beat down on you during the day,
nor, the moon at
night. 7The Lord guards
you from every evil.
He guards your life. 8The Lord
guards you as you come and go,
now and
forever.
Psalms 122:6-9 (GOD'S WORD)
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those
who love you prosper. 7 May there be
peace inside your walls and prosperity in your palaces.” 8 For the sake of
my relatives and friends, let me say, “May it go well for you!” 9 For the
sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek what is good for you.
Psalms 124:1-5 (GOD'S WORD)
1 “If the LORD had not been on our side. . .”
(Israel should repeat this.) 2 “If the
LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us, 3 then they
would have swallowed us alive when their anger exploded against us. 4 Then the
floodwaters would have swept us away. An boverflowingn stream would
have washed us away. 5 Then
raging water would have washed us away.”.
Psalms 135:15-18 (GOD'S WORD)
15 The idols
of the nations are made of silver and gold.
They were made by human hands. 16
They have mouths, but they
cannot speak.
They have eyes, but they cannot see. 17
They have ears, but
they cannot hear.
They cannot
breathe. 18 Those
who make idols end up like them.
So does everyone who trusts them.
Psalms 137 (GOD'S WORD)
1
By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and cried as we remembered Zion. 2 We hung
our lyres on willow trees. 3 It was
there that those who had captured us
demanded that we sing. Those who guarded us wanted us to entertain
them. They said, “Sing a song from Zion for us!” 4 How
could we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign
land? 5 If I
forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand
forget how to play the lyren . 6 Let my
tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I
don’t remember you, if I don’t consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 7 O LORD,
remember the people of Edom. Remember what
they did the day Jerusalem bwas captured. They said, “Tear it down!
Tear it downto its foundation.” 8 You
destructive people of Babylon, blessed is the
one who pays you back with the same treatment you gave us. 9 Blessed
is the one who grabs your little children
and smashes them against a rock.
Psalms 141:1-4 (GOD'S WORD)
A psalm by David.
1
O LORD, I cry out to you, “Come quickly.”
Open your ears
to me when I cry out to you. 2
Let my prayer be accepted
as sweet-smelling incense in your presence.
Let the
lifting up of my hands in prayer be accepted
as an evening sacrifice. 3
O LORD, set a guard at my mouth.
Keep watch over the door of my lips. 4
Do not let me be persuaded to do
anything evil
or to become involved with
wickedness,
with people
who are troublemakers.
Do not let me taste their delicacies.
Psalm 145:17-21 (GOD'S WORD)
17
The LORD is fair in all his
ways
and faithful
in everything he does.
18 The LORD is near to everyone who
prays to him,
to every
faithful person who prays to him. 19 He
fills the needs of those who fear him.
He hears their
cries for help and saves them. 20 The
LORD protects everyone who loves him,
but he will
destroy all wicked people. 21 My
mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
and all living
creatures will praise his holy name
forever and ever.
Psalm 145:8-13 (GOD'S WORD)
8 The Lord is merciful,
compassionate,patient,and always read to forgive. 9 The
Lord is good to everyone and has compassion for every that he has made. 10 Everything
that you have made will give thanks to you , O Lord,
and your faithful ones will praise you. 11 Everyone
will talk about the glory of your kingdom
and will tell
the descendants of Adam about your might 12 in
order to make them known your mighty deeds
and the
gloriest honor of your kingdom. 13 Your
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
Your empire endures
throughout every generation.
Psalm 146:8-10 (GOD'S WORD)
8
The Lord gives sight to
blind people.
The Lord straightens{ the
backs} of those who are bent
over.
The Lord
loves righteous people. 9
The Lord protects foreigners.
The Lord
gives relief to orphans and widows.
But he keeps
wicked people from reaching their goal. 10 The
Lord rules as king forever.
Zion, your God rules
throughout every generation.
Hallelujah!
Psalms 148:1-14 (GOD'S WORD)
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD from the heavens.
Praise him in the heights above. 2Praise
him, all his angles.
Praise him, his entire heavenly army. 3Praise
him his sun and moon.
Praise him, his shining stars. 4Praise
him, you highest heaven and the water above the sky. 5 Let them
praise the name of the Lord because they where created by his command. 6 He set
them in their places forever and ever.
He made it a law that no one can break. 7Praise
the LORD from the earth.
Praise him, large sea
creatures and all the ocean depths, 8
lightning and hail,
snow and fog, wild animals and domestic animals
strong winds that obey his commands, 9
mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedar trees, 10
wild animals and all domestic animals,
crawling animals and birds, 11
kings of the earth and all its people,
officials and all judges on the earth, 12
young men and women,
old and young together. 13
Let them praise the name of the LORD
because his
name is high above all others.
His glory is above heaven and earth. 14
He has given his people a strong leader,
someone
praiseworthy for his faithful ones,
for the people of Israel, the people who are close to him.
Hallelujah!