Psalm 144

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;

My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.
O LORD, what is man, that Thou dost take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that Thou dost think of him?
Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

Bow Thy heavens, O LORD, and come down;
Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Send out Thy arrows and confuse them.
Stretch forth Thy hand from on high;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
Out of the hand of aliens
Whose mouths speak deceit,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

I will sing a new song to Thee, O God;
Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to Thee,
Who dost give salvation to kings,
Who dost rescue David His servant from the evil sword.
Rescue me and deliver me out of the hand of aliens,
Whose mouth speaks deceit
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants,
And our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace;
Let our garners be full, furnishing every kind of produce,
And our flocks bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;
Let our cattle bear
Without mishap and without loss,
Let there be no outcry in our streets!
How blessed are the people who are so situated;
How blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

~Psalm 144 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 141

O LORD, I call upon Thee; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to Thee!
May my prayer be counted as incense before Thee;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds of wickedness
With men who do iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me;
It is the oil upon the head;
Do not let my head refuse it,
For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.
Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
As when one plows and breaks open the earth,
Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

For my eyes are toward Thee, O God, the LORD;
In Thee I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.
Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the snares of those who do iniquity,
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I pass by safely.

~Psalm 141 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 137

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.
Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.
For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormentors mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

How can we sing the LORD's song
In a foreign land?

If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.

Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it
To its very foundation.”
O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you
With the recompense with which you have repaid us.
How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.

~Psalm 137 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 114

When Israel went forth from Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became His sanctuary,
Israel, His dominion. 

The sea looked and fled;
The Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
The hills, like lambs.
What ails you, O sea, that you flee? 

O Jordan, that you turn back?
O Mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?

Tremble, O earth, before the Lord.
Before the God of Jacob,
Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of water.

~Psalm 114 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 95

O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.
The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand
Today, if you would hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
"When your fathers tested Me,
They tried Me, though they had seen My work.
"For forty years I loathed that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart,
And they do not know My ways.
"Therefore I swore in My anger,
Truly they shall not enter into My rest."

~Psalm 95 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 94

O LORD, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
How long shall the wicked, O LORD,
How long shall the wicked exult?
They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
They crush Thy people, O LORD,
And afflict Thy heritage.
They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
They have said, "The LORD does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed."

Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?
The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.

Blessed is the man whom Thou dost chasten, O LORD,
And dost teach out of Thy law;
That Thou mayest grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the LORD will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
For judgment will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?

If the LORD had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
If I should say, "My foot has slipped,"
Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up.
When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Thy consolations delight my soul.
Can a throne of destruction be allied with Thee,
One which devises mischief by decree?
They band themselves together against the life of the righteous
And condemn the innocent to death.
But the LORD has been my stronghold,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
He has brought back their wickedness upon them
And will destroy them in their evil;
The LORD our God will destroy them.

~Psalm 94 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 92

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High;
To declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning,
And Thy faithfulness by night.
With the ten-stringed lute, and with the harp;
With resounding music upon the lyre.
For Thou, O LORD, hast made me glad by what Thou hast done,
I will sing for joy at the works of Thy hands.

How great are Thy works, O LORD!
Thy thoughts are very deep.
A senseless man has no knowledge;
Nor does a stupid man understand this:
That when the wicked sprouted up like grass,
And all who did iniquity flourished,
It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore,
But Thou, O LORD, art on high forever.
For, behold, Thine enemies, O LORD,
For, behold, Thine enemies will perish;
All who do iniquity will be scattered.

But Thou hast exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
I have been anointed with fresh oil.
And my eye has looked exultantly upon my foes,
My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.
The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,
Planted in the house of the LORD.
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still yield fruit in old age;
They shall be full of sap and very green,
To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

~Psalm 92 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 89

I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever;
To all generations I will make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth.
For I have said, "Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens Thou wilt establish Thy faithfulness."
"I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,
I will establish your seed forever
And build up your throne to all generations." Selah.

And the heavens will praise Thy wonders, O LORD;
Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD,
A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?
O LORD God of hosts, who is like Thee, O mighty LORD?
Thy faithfulness also surrounds Thee.
Thou dost rule the swelling of the sea;
When its waves rise, Thou dost still them.
Thou Thyself didst crush Rahab like one who is slain;
Thou didst scatter Thine enemies with Thy mighty arm.

The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine;
The world and all it contains, Thou hast founded them.
The north and the south, Thou hast created them;
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Thy name.
Thou hast a strong arm;
Thy hand is mighty, Thy right hand is exalted.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before Thee.
How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O LORD, they walk in the light of Thy countenance.
In Thy name they rejoice all the day,
And by Thy righteousness they are exalted.
For Thou art the glory of their strength,
And by Thy favor our horn is exalted.
For our shield belongs to the LORD,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Once Thou didst speak in vision to Thy godly ones,
And said, "I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
"I have found David My servant;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,
With whom My hand will be established;
My arm also will strengthen him.
"The enemy will not deceive him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
"But I shall crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.
"My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,
And in My name his horn will be exalted.
"I shall also set his hand on the sea
And his right hand on the rivers.
"He will cry to Me, 'Thou art my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.'
"I also shall make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.
"My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.
"So I will establish his descendants forever
And his throne as the days of heaven.

"If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
If they violate My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
Then I will punish their transgression with the rod
And their iniquity with stripes.
"But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,
Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.
"My covenant I will not violate,
Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
"Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David.
"His descendants shall endure forever
And his throne as the sun before Me.
"It shall be established forever like the moon,
And the witness in the sky is faithful." Selah.
But Thou hast cast off and rejected,
Thou hast been full of wrath against Thine anointed.
Thou hast spurned the covenant of Thy servant;
Thou hast profaned his crown in the dust.
Thou hast broken down all his walls;
Thou hast brought his strongholds to ruin.
All who pass along the way plunder him;
He has become a reproach to his neighbors.
Thou hast exalted the right hand of his adversaries;
Thou hast made all his enemies rejoice.
Thou dost also turn back the edge of his sword
And hast not made him stand in battle.
Thou hast made his splendor to cease
And cast his throne to the ground.
Thou hast shortened the days of his youth;
Thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.

How long, O LORD?
Wilt Thou hide Thyself forever?
Wilt Thou wrath burn like fire?
Remember what my span of life is;
For what vanity Thou hast created all the sons of men!
What man can live and not see death?
Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

Where are Thy former lovingkindnesses, O Lord,
Which Thou didst swear to David in Thy faithfulness?
Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Thy servants;
How I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,
With which Thine enemies have reproached, O LORD,
With which they have reproached the footsteps of Thine anointed.

Blessed be the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.

~Psalm 89 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 81

Sing for joy to God our strength;
Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.
Raise a song, strike the timbrel,
The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
At the full moon, on our feast day.
For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
He established it for a testimony in Joseph
When he went throughout the land of Egypt
I heard a language that I did not know:

"I relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the basket.
"You called in trouble and I rescued you;
I answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would listen to Me!
"Let there be no strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
"I, the LORD, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

"But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.
"So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.
"Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
"I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
"Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
"But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

~Psalm 81 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 62

My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.

How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. Selah.

My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie;
In the balances they go up;
They are together lighter than breath.
Do not trust in oppression
And do not vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.

Once God has spoken;
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God;
And lovingkindness is Thine, O Lord,
For Thou dost recompense a man according to his work.

~Psalm 62 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 61

Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to Thee, when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For Thou hast been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength against the enemy.
Let me dwell in Thy tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Thy wings.

For Thou hast heard my vows, O God;
Thou hast given me the inheritance of those who fear Thy name.
Thou wilt prolong the king's life;
His years will be as many generations.
He will abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth, that they may preserve him.
So I will sing praise to Thy name forever,
That I may pay my vows day by day.

~Psalm 61 (NASB 1977)