Psalm 147

Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted,
And binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.
Great is our LORD, and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
Who covered the heavens with clouds,
Who provides rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens which cry.
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
The Lord favors those who fear Him.
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your sons within you.
He makes peace in your borders;
He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat.
He sends forth His command to the earth

His words runs very swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes.
He casts forth His ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His cold?
He sends forth His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
He declares His words to Jacob,
His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His ordinances, they have not known them.
Praise the Lord!

~Psalm 147 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 140

Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men
Who devise evil things in their hearts;
They continually stir up wars.
They sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to trip up my feet.
The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set snares for me. Selah.

I said to the LORD, “Thou art my God;
Give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my supplications.
“O God the LORD, the strength of my salvation,
Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
“Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
Do not promote his evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.

“As for the head of those who surround me,
May the mischief of their lips cover them.
“May burning coals fall upon them;
May they be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits from which they cannot rise.
“May a slanderer not be established in the earth;
May evil hunt the violent man speedily.”

I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted
And justice for the poor.
Surely the righteous will give thanks to Thy name;
The upright will dwell in Thy presence.

~Psalm 140 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 105

Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.
Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
Remember His wonders which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,
O seed of Abraham, His servant,
O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.

He has remembered His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,
The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac.
Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the portion of your inheritance,"
When they were only a few men in number,
Very few, and strangers in it.
And they wandered about from nation to nation,
From one kingdom to another people.
He permitted no man to oppress them,
And He reproved kings for their sakes:
"Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm."

And He called for a famine upon the land;
He broke the whole staff of bread.
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
They afflicted his feet with fetters,
He himself was laid in irons;
Until the time that his word came to pass,
The word of the LORD tested him.
The king sent and released him,
The ruler of peoples, and set him free.
He made him lord of his house
And ruler over all his possessions,
To imprison his princes at will,
That he might teach his elders wisdom.
Israel also came into Egypt;
Thus Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
And He caused His people to be very fruitful,
And made them stronger than their adversaries.

He turned their heart to hate His people,
To deal craftily with His servants.
He sent Moses His servant,
And Aaron, whom He had chosen.
They performed His wondrous acts among them,
And miracles in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness and made it dark;
And they did not rebel against His words.
He turned their waters into blood
And caused their fish to die.
Their land swarmed with frogs
Even in the chambers of their kings.
He spoke, and there came a swarm of flies
And gnats in all their territory.
He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
He struck down their vines also and their fig trees,
And shattered the trees of their territory.
He spoke, and locusts came,
And young locusts, even without number,
And ate up all vegetation in their land,
And ate up the fruit of their ground.
He also struck down all the firstborn in their land,
The first fruits of all their vigor.

Then He brought them out with silver and gold,
And among His tribes there was not one who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
For the dread of them had fallen upon them.
He spread a cloud for a covering,
And fire to illumine by night.
They asked, and He brought quail,
And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock and water flowed out;
It ran in the dry places like a river.
For He remembered His holy word
With Abraham His servant;
And He brought forth His people with joy,
His chosen ones with a joyful shout.
He gave them also the lands of the nations,
That they might take possession of the fruit of the peoples' labor,
So that they might keep His statutes
And observe His laws,
Praise the LORD!

~Psalm 105 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 103

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The LORD performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.

Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
Bless the LORD, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the LORD, O my soul!

~Psalm 103 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 102

Hear my prayer, O LORD!
And let my cry for help come to Thee.
Do not hide Thy face from me in the day of my distress;
Incline Thine ear to me;
In the day when I call answer me quickly.
For my days have been consumed in smoke,
And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away,
Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.
Because of the loudness of my groaning
My bones cling to my flesh.
I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.
I lie awake,
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.

My enemies have reproached me all day long;
Those who deride me have used my name as a curse.
For I have eaten ashes like bread
And mingled my drink with weeping
Because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath,
For Thou hast lifted me up and cast me away.
My days are like a lengthened shadow,
And I wither away like grass.

But Thou, O LORD, dost abide forever,
And Thy name to all generations.
Thou wilt arise and have compassion on Zion;
For it is time to be gracious to her,
For the appointed time has come.
Surely Thy servants find pleasure in her stones
And feel pity for her dust.
So the nations will fear the name of the LORD
And all the kings of the earth Thy glory.
For the LORD has built up Zion;
He has appeared in His glory.
He has regarded the prayer of the destitute
And has not despised their prayer.

This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
For He looked down from His holy height;
From heaven the LORD gazed upon the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To set free those who were doomed to death,
That men may tell of the name of the LORD in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,
When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

He has weakened my strength in the way;
He has shortened my days.
I say, "O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days,
Your years are throughout all generations.
"Of old Thou didst found the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Thy hands.
"Even they will perish, but Thou dost endure;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing Thou wilt change them and they will be changed.
"But Thou art the same,
And Thy years will not come to an end.
"The children of Thy servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before Thee."

~Psalm 102 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 99

The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble;
He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
The LORD is great in Zion,
And He is exalted above all peoples.
Let them praise Thy great and awesome name;
Holy is He.
And the strength of the King loves justice;
Thou hast established equity;
Thou hast executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt the LORD our God,
And worship at His footstool;
Holy is He.

Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
And Samuel was among those who called on His name;
They called upon the LORD, and He answered them.
He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
They kept His testimonies,
And the statute that He gave them.
O LORD our God, Thou didst answer them;
Thou wast a forgiving God to them,
And yet an avenger of their evil deeds.
Exalt the LORD our God,
And worship at His holy hill;
For holy is the LORD our God.

~Psalm 99 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 96

Sing to the LORD a new song;
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name;
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
Worship the LORD in holy attire;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity."

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
Before the LORD, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.

~Psalm 96 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 93

The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
Thy throne is established from of old;
Thou art from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
More than the sounds of many waters,
Than the mighty breaker of the sea,
The LORD on high is mighty.
Thy testimonies are fully confirmed;
Holiness befits Thy house,
O LORD, forevermore.

~Psalm 93 (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 86

Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am afflicted and needy.
Do preserve my soul, for I am a godly man;
O Thou my God, save Thy servant who trusts in Thee.
Be gracious to me, O Lord.
For to Thee I cry all day long.
Make glad the soul of Thy servant,
For to Thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon Thee.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
In the day of my trouble I shall call upon Thee,
For Thou wilt answer me.
There is no one like Thee among the gods, O Lord;
Nor are there any works like Thine.
All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord;
And they shall glorify Thy name.
For Thou are great and doest wondrous deeds;
Thou alone art God.

Teach me Thy way, O Lord;
I will walk in Thy truth;
Unite my heart to fear Thy name.
I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Thy name forever.
For Thy lovingkindness toward me is great,
And Thou hast delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
And a band of violent men have sought my life,
And they have not set Thee before them.
But Thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Oh grant Thy strength to Thy servant,
And save the son of Thy handmaid.
Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it, and be ashamed,
Because Thou, O Lord, has helped me and comforted me.

~Psalm 86 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 84

How lovely are Thy dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God,
How blessed are those who dwell in Thy house!
They are ever praising Thee.

How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee;
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring,
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob!
Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Thine anointed.
For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God,
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in Thee!

~Psalm 84 (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 80

Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel,
Thou who dost lead Joseph like a flock;
You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Thy power
And come to save us!
O God, restore us
And cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we will be saved. 

O LORD God of hosts,
How long wilt Thou be angry with the prayer of Thy people?
Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears,
And Thou hast made them to drink tears in large measure.
Thou dost make us an object of contention to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
O God of hosts, restore us
And cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

Thou didst removed a vine from Egypt;
Thou didst drive out the nations and planted it.
Thou didst clear the ground before it,
And it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And the cedars of God with its boughs.
It was sending out its branches to the sea
And its shoots to the River.
Why have Thou broken down its hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
A boar from the forest eats it away
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.

O God of hosts, turn again now, we beseech Thee;
Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
Even the shoot which Thy right hand has planted,
And on the son whom Thou hast strengthened for Thyself.
It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance.
Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand,
Upon the son of man whom Thou made strong for Yourself.
Then we shall not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Thy name.
O LORD God of hosts, restore us;
Cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

~Psalm 80 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 78

Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should teach them to their children,
That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,
That they should put their confidence in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows,
Yet they turned back in the day of battle.
They did not keep the covenant of God,
And refused to walk in His law;
And they forgot His deeds,
And His miracles that He had shown them.
He wrought wonders before their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through;
And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
Then He led them with the cloud by day,
And all the night with a light of fire.
He split the rocks in the wilderness,
And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths.
He brought forth streams also from the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Yet they still continued to sin against Him,
To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
And in their heart they put God to the test
By asking food according to their desire.
Then they spoke against God;
They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
“Behold, He struck the rock, so that waters gushed out,
And streams were overflowing;
Can He give bread also?
Will He provide meat for His people?”

Therefore the LORD heard and was full of wrath,
And a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also mounted against Israel;
Because they did not believe in God,
And did not trust in His salvation.
Yet He commanded the clouds above,
And opened the doors of heaven;
And He rained down manna upon them to eat,
And gave them food from heaven.
Man did eat the bread of angels;
He sent them food in abundance.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens;
And by His power He directed the south wind.
When He rained meat upon them like the dust,
Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
Then He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
Round about their dwellings.
So they ate and were well filled;
And their desire He gave to them.
Before they had satisfied their desire,
While their food was in their mouths,
The anger of God rose against them,
And killed some of their stoutest ones,
And subdued the choice men of Israel.
In spite of all this they still sinned,
And did not believe in His wonderful works.
So He brought their days to an end in futility,
And their years in sudden terror.

When He killed them, then they sought Him,
And returned and searched diligently for God;
And they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer.
But they deceived Him with their mouth,
And lied to Him with their tongue.
For their heart was not steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them;
And often He restrained His anger,
And did not arouse all His wrath.
Thus He remembered that they were but flesh,
A wind that passes and does not return.

How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness,
And grieved Him in the desert!
And again and again they tempted God,
And pained the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember His power,
The day when He redeemed them from the adversary,
When He performed His signs in Egypt,
And His marvels in the field of Zoan,
And turned their rivers to blood,
And their streams, they could not drink.
He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,
And frogs which destroyed them.
He gave also their crops to the grasshopper,
And the product of their labor to the locust.
He destroyed their vines with hailstones,
And their sycamore trees with frost.
He gave over their cattle also to the hailstones,
And their herds to bolts of lightning.
He sent upon them His burning anger,
Fury, and indignation, and trouble,
A band of destroying angels.
He leveled a path for His anger;
He did not spare their soul from death,
But gave over their life to the plague,
And smote all the first-born in Egypt,
The first issue of their virility in the tents of Ham.
But He led forth His own people like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
And He led them safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea engulfed their enemies.

So He brought them to His holy land, 

To this hill country which His right hand had gained.
He also drove out the nations before them,
And He apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God,
And did not keep His testimonies,
But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers;
They turned aside like a treacherous bow.
For they provoked Him with their high places,
And aroused His jealousy with their graven images.
When God heard, He was filled with wrath,
And greatly abhorred Israel;
So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh,
The tent which He had pitched among men,
And gave up His strength to captivity,
And His glory into the hand of the adversary.
He also delivered His people to the sword,
And was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
Fire devoured His young men;
And His virgins had no wedding songs.
His priests fell by the sword;
And His widows could not weep.

Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep,
Like a warrior overcome by wine.
And He drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting reproach.
He also rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loved.
And He built His sanctuary like the heights, 

Like the earth which He has founded forever.
He also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.

~Psalm 78 NASB (1977)

Psalm 73

Surely God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!
But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling;
My steps had almost slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant,
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no pains in their death;
Nor are they plagued like mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart run riot.
They mock, and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth.

Therefore his people return to this place;
And waters of abundance are drunk by them.
And they say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
Behold, these are the wicked;
And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. 

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure,
And washed my hands in innocence;
For I have been stricken all day long,
And chastened every morning.

If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I should have betrayed the generations of Thy children.
When I pondered to understand this,
It was troublesome in my sight
Until I came into the sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their end.
Surely Thou dost set them in slippery places;
Thou dost cast them down to destruction.
How they are destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when aroused, Thou wilt despite their form.

When my heart was embittered,
And I was pierced within,
Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before Thee.
Nevertheless I am continually with Thee;
Thou hast take hold of my right hand.
With Thy counseled Thou wilt guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish;
Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Thy works.

~Psalm 73 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 71

In Thee, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed.
In Thy righteousness deliver me, and rescue me;
Incline Thine ear to me, and save me.
Be Thou to me a rock of habitation, to which I may continually come;
Thou hast given commandment to save me,
For Thou art my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,
For Thou art my hope;
O LORD God, Thou art my confidence from my youth.
By Thee I have been sustained from my birth;
Thou art He who took me from my mother’s womb;
My praise is continually of Thee.

I have become a marvel to many;
For Thou art my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with Thy praise,
And with Thy glory all day long.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails,
For my enemies have spoken against me;
And those who watch for my life have consulted together,
Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”

O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, hasten to my help!
Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.
But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will praise Thee yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Thy righteousness,
And of Thy salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them.
I will come with the mighty deeds of the LORD God;
I will make mention of Thy righteousness, Thine alone.

O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth;
And I still declare Thy wondrous deeds.
And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Thy strength to this generation,
Thy power to all who are to come.
For Thy righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
Thou who hast done great things;
O God, who is like Thee?
Thou, who hast shown me many troubles and distresses,
Wilt revive me again,
And wilt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
Mayest Thou increase my greatness,
And turn to comfort me.

I will also praise Thee with a harp,
Even Thy truth, O my God;
O Thou Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to Thee;
And my soul, which Thou hast redeemed.
My tongue also will utter Thy righteousness all day long;
For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my hurt.

~Psalm 71 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 68

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,

And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;

As wax melts before the fire,

So let the wicked perish before God.

But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God;

Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;

Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,

Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.

A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows,

Is God in His holy habitation.

God makes a home for the lonely;

He leads out the prisoners into prosperity,

Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

O God, when Thou didst go forth before Thy people,

When Thou didst march through the wilderness, Selah.

The earth quaked;

The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;

Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Thou didst shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;

Thou didst confirm Thine inheritance when it was parched.

Thy creatures settled in it;

Thou didst provide in Thy goodness for the poor, O God.

The Lord gives the command;

The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:

"Kings of armies flee, they flee,

And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!"

When you lie down among the sheepfolds,

You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,

And its pinions with glistening gold.

When the Almighty scattered the kings there,

It was snowing in Zalmon.

A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;

A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,

At the mountain which God has desired for His abode?

Surely the LORD will dwell there forever.

The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands;

The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captive Thy captives;

Thou hast received gifts among men,

Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,

The God who is our salvation. Selah.

God is to us a God of deliverances;

And to God the Lord belong escapes from death.

Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies,

The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.

The Lord said, "I will bring them back from Bashan.

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;

That your foot may shatter them in blood,

The tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies."

They have seen Thy procession, O God,

The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

The singers went on, the musicians after them,

In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.

Bless God in the congregations,

Even the LORD, you who are of the fountain of Israel.

There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,

The princes of Judah in their throng,

The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

Your God has commanded your strength;

Show Thyself strong, O God, who have acted on our behalf.

Because of Thy temple at Jerusalem

Kings will bring gifts to Thee.

Rebuke the beasts in the reeds,

The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,

Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;

He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

Envoys will come out of Egypt;

Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,

Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.

To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times;

Behold, He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice.

Ascribe strength to God;

His majesty is over Israel

And His strength is in the skies.

O God, Thou art awesome from Thy sanctuary

The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people

Blessed be God!

~Psalm 68 (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)

Psalm 59

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from those who do iniquity,
And save me from men of bloodshed.
For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;
Fierce men launch an attack against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD,
For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.
Arouse Thyself to help me, and see!
And Thou, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Awake to punish all the nations;
Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity, [Selah.]
They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And go around the city.
Behold, they belch forth with their mouth;
Swords are in their lips,
For, they say, "Who hears?"
But Thou, O LORD, dost laugh at them;
Thou does scoff at all the nations.

Because of his strength I will watch for Thee,
For God is my stronghold.
My God in His lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.
Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
Scatter them by Thy power, and bring them down,
O LORD, our shield.
On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be caught in their pride,
And on account of curses and lies which they utter.
Destroy them in weather, destroy them, that they may be no more;
That men may know that God rules in Jacob,
To the ends of the earth.  [Selah.]
And they return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And go around the city.
They wander about for food,
And growl if they are not satisfied.

But as for me, I shall sing of Thy strength
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Thy lovingkindness in the morning,
For Thou hast been my stronghold,
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
O my strength, I will sing praised to Thee;
For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.

~Psalm 59 (NASB 1977)