Psalms 29 - 41
29
Ascribe to the LORD, you gods,
ascribe to the LORD glory and might.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name;
bow down to the LORD in the splendour of holiness.
The God of gory thunders:
the voice of the LORD echoes over the waters,
the LORD is over the mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is power.
The voice of the LORD is majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars,
the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip off like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD makes flames of fire burst forth,
the voice of the LORD makes the wilderness writhe in travail;
the LORD makes the wilderness of Kadesh writhe.
The voice of the LORD makes the hinds calve
and brings kids early to birth;
and in his temple all cry, 'Glory!'
The LORD is king above the flood,
the LORD has taken his royal seat as king for ever.
The LORD will give strength to his people;
the LORD will bless his people with peace.
30
I will exalt thee, O LORD;
thou hast lifted me up
and hast not let my enemies make merry over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to thee and thou didst heal me.
O LORD, thou hast brought me up from Sheol
and saved my life as I was sinking into the abyss.
Sing a psalm to the LORD, all you his loyal servants,
and give thanks to his holy name.
In his anger is disquiet, in his favour there is life.
Tears may linger at nightfall,
but joy comes in the morning.
Carefree as I was, I had said,
'I can never be shaken.'
But, LORD, it was thy will to shake my mountain refuge;
thou didst hide thy face, and I was struck with dismay.
I called unto thee, O LORD,
and I pleaded with thee, LORD, for mercy:
'What profit in my death if I go down into the pit?
Can the dust confess thee or proclaim thy truth?
Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me;
LORD, be my helper.'
Thou hast turned my laments into dancing;
thou hast stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my spirit may sing psalms to thee and never cease.
I will confess thee for ever, O LORD my God.
31
With thee, O LORD, I have sought shelter,
let me never be put to shame.
Deliver me in thy righteousness;
bow down and hear me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be thou my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to keep me safe.
Thou art to me both rock and stronghold;
lead me and guide me for the honour of thy name.
Set me free from the net men have hidden for me;
thou art my refuge,
into thy keeping I commit my spirit.
Thou hast redeemed me, O LORD thou God of truth.
Thou hatest all who worship useless idols,
but I put my trust in the LORD.
I will rejoice and be glad in thy unfailing love;
for thou hast seen my affliction
and hast cared for me in my distress.
Thou hast not abandoned me to the power of the enemy
but hast set me free to range at will.
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress,
and my eyes are dimmed with grief.
My life is worn away with sorrow
and my years with sighing;
strong as I am, I stumble under my load of misery;
there is disease in all my bones.
I have such enemies that all men scorn me;
my neighbours find me a burden,
my friends shudder at me;
when they see me in the street they turn quickly away.
I am forgotten, like a dead man out of mind;
I have come to be like something lost.
For I hear many men whispering
threats from every side,
in league against me as they are
and plotting to take my life.
But, LORD, I put my trust in thee;
I say, 'Thou art my God.'
My fortunes are in thy hand;
rescue me from my enemies and those who persecute me.
Make thy face shine upon thy servant;
save me in thy unfailing love.
O LORD, do not put me to shame when I call upon thee;
let the wicked be ashamed, let them sink into Sheol.
Strike dumb the lying lips
which speak contempt against the righteous
in pride and arrogance.
How great is thy goodness,
stored up for those who fear thee,
made manifest before the eyes of men
for all who turn to thee for shelter.
Thou wilt hide them under the cover of thy presence
from men in league together;
thou keepest them beneath thy roof,
safe from contentious men.
Blessed be the LORD,
who worked a miracle of unfailing love for me
when I was in sore straits.
In sudden alarm I said,
'I am shut out from thy sight.'
But thou didst hear my cry for mercy
when I called to thee for help.
Love the LORD, all you his loyal servants.
The LORD protects the faithful
but pays the arrogant in full.
Be strong and take courage,
all you whose hope is in the LORD.
32
Happy the man whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put away!
Happy is a man when the LORD lays no guilt on his account
and in his spirit there is no deceit.
While I refused to speak, my body wasted away
with moaning all day long.
For day and night
thy hand was heavy upon me,
the sap in me dried up as in summer drought.
Then I declared my sin, I did not conceal my guilt.
I said, 'With sorrow I will confess
my disobedience to the LORD';
then thou didst remit penalty of my sin.
So every faithful heart shall pray to thee
in the hour of anxiety, when great floods threaten.
Thou art a refuge for me from distress
so that it cannot touch me;
thou dost guard me and enfold me in salvation
beyond all reach of harm.
I will teach you, and guide you in the way you should go.
I will keep you under my eye.
Do not behave like horse or mule, unreasoning creatures,
whose course must be checked with bit and bridle.
Many are the torments of the ungodly;
but unfailing love enfolds him who trusts in the LORD.
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous men,
and sing aloud, all men of upright heart.
33
Shout for joy before the LORD, you who are righteous;
praise comes well from the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
sing him psalms to the ten-stringed lute.
Sing him a new song;
strike up with all your art and shout triumph.
The word of the LORD holds true,
and all his work endures.
The LORD loves righteousness and justice,
his love unfailing fills the earth.
The LORD's word made the heavens,
all the host of heaven was made at his command.
He gathered the sea like water in a goatskin;
he laid up the deep in his store-chambers.
Let the whole world fear the LORD
and all men on earth stand in awe of him.
For he spoke, and it was;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD brings the plans of nations to nothing;
he frustrates the counsel of the peoples.
But the LORD's own plans shall stand for ever,
and his counsel endure for generations.
Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own possession.
The LORD looks out of from heaven,
he sees the whole race of men;
he surveys from the dwelling-place
all the inhabitants of earth.
It is he who fashions the hearts of all men alike,
who discerns all that they do.
A king is not saved by a great army,
nor a warrior delivered by great strength.
A man cannot trust his horse to save him,
nor can it deliver him for all its strength.
The LORD's eyes are turned towards those who fear him,
towards those who hope for his unfailing love
to deliver them from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
We have waited eagerly for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
For in him our hearts are glad,
because we have trusted in his holy name.
Let thy unfailing love, O LORD rest upon us,
as we have put our hope in thee.
34
I will bless the LORD continually;
his praise shall always be on my lips.
In the LORD I will glory;
the humble shall hear and be glad.
O glorify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD's help and he answered me;
he set me free from my terrors.
Look towards him and shine with joy;
no longer hang your heads in shame.
Here was a poor wretch who cried to the LORD;
he heard him and saved him from all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD is on guard
round those who fear him, and rescues them.
Taste, then, and see that the LORD is good.
Happy the man who finds refuge in him!
Fear the LORD, all you his holy people;
for those who fear him lack nothing.
Unbelievers suffer want and go hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me:
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Which of you delights in life
and desires a long life to enjoy all good things?
Then keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies;
turn from evil and do good,
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous,
and his eyes are open to their cries.
The LORD sets his face against evildoers
to blot out their memory from the earth.
When men cry for help, the LORD hears them
and sets them free from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to those whose courage is broken
and he saves those whose spirit is crushed.
The good man's misfortunes may be many,
the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He guards every bone of his body,
and not one of them is broken.
Their own misdeeds are death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous are brought to ruin.
The LORD ransoms the lives of his servants,
and none who seek refuge in him are brought to ruin.
35
Strive, O LORD, with those who strive against me;
fight against those who fight me.
Grasp shield and buckler,
and rise up to help me.
Uncover the spear and bar the way
against my pursuers.
Let me hear thee declare,
'I am your salvation.'
Shame and disgrace be on those who seek my life;
and may those who plan to hurt me retreat in dismay!
May they be like chaff before the wind,
driven by the angel of the LORD!
Let their way be dark and slippery
as the angel of the LORD pursues them!
For unprovoked they have hidden a net for me,
unprovoked they have dug a pit to trap me.
May destruction unforeseen come on him;
may the net which he hid catch him;
may he crash headlong into it!
Then I shall rejoice in the LORD
and delight in his salvation.
My very bones cry out,
'LORD, who is like thee?——
thou saviour of the poor and those too strong for them,
the poor and the wretched from those who prey on them.'
Malicious witnesses step forward;
they question me on matters of which I know nothing.
They return me evil for good,
lying in wait to take my life.
And yet when they were sick, I put on sackcloth,
I mortified myself with fasting.
When my prayer came back unanswered,
I walked with head bowed in grief as if for a brother;
as one in sorrow for his other I lay prostrate in mourning.
But when I stumbled, they crowded round rejoicing,
they crowded about me;
nameless ruffians jeered at me
and nothing would stop them.
When I slipped, brutes who would mock even a hunchback
ground their teeth at me.
O LORD, how long wilt thou look on
at those who hate me for no reason?
Rescue me out of their cruel grasp,
save my precious life from the unbelievers.
Then I will praise thee before a great assembly,
I will extol thee where many people meet.
Let no treacherous enemy gloat over me
nor leer at me in triumph.
No friendly greeting do they give
to peaceable folk.
They invent lie upon lie,
they open their mouths at me;
'Hurrah!' they shouting their joy,
feasting their eyes on me.
Thou hast seen all this, O LORD, do not keep silence;
O LORD, be not far from me.
Awake, bestir thyself, to do me justice,
to plead my cause, my LORD and my God.
Judge me, O LORD my God, as thou art true;
do not let them gloat over me.
Do not let them say to themselves, 'Hurrah!
We have swallowed him up at one gulp.'
Let them all be disgraced and dismayed
who rejoice at my fall;
let them be covered with shame and dishonour
who glory over me.
But let all who would see me righted shout for joy,
let them all cry continually,
'All glory to the LORD
who would see his servant thrive!'
So shall I talk of thy justice
and of thy praise all day long.
36
Deep in his heart, sin whispers to the wicked man
who cherishes no fear of God.
For he flatters himself in his own opinion
and, when he is found out, he does not mend his ways.
All that he says is mischievous and false;
he has turned his back on wisdom;
in his bed he plots how best to do mischief.
So set is he on his wrong courses
that he rejects nothing evil.
But thy unfailing love, O LORD, reaches to heaven,
thy faithfulness to the skies.
Thy righteousness is like the lofty mountains,
thy judgements are like the great abyss;
O LORD, who savest man and beast,
how precious is thy unfailing love!
Gods and men seek refuge in the shadow of thy wings.
They are filled with the rich plenty of thy house,
and thou givest them water from the flowing stream of thy
delights;
for with thee is the fountain of life,
and in thy light we are bathed with light.
Maintain thy love unfailing over those who know thee,
and thy justice toward men of honest heart.
Let not the foot of pride come near me,
no wicked hand disturb me.
There they lie, the evildoers,
they are hurled down and cannot rise.
37
Do not strive to outdo the evildoers
or emulate those who do wrong.
For like grass they soon wither,
and fade like the green of spring.
Trust in the LORD and do good;
settle in the land and find safe pasture.
Depend upon the LORD,
and he will grant your heart's desire.
Commit your life to the LORD;
trust in him and he will act.
He will make your righteousness shine clear as the day
and the justice of your cause like the sun at noon.
Wait quietly for the LORD, be patient till he comes;
do not strive to outdo the successful
nor envy him who gains his ends.
Be angry no more, have done with wrath;
strive not to outdo in evildoing.
For evildoers will be destroyed,
but they who hope in the LORD shall possess the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
look well, and you will find their place is empty.
But the humble shall possess the land
and enjoy untold prosperity.
The wicked mutter against the righteous man
and grind their teeth at the sight of him;
the LORD shall laugh at them,
for he sees that their time is coming.
The wicked have drawn their swords
and strung their bows
to bring low the poor and needy
and to slaughter honest men.
Their swords shall pierce their own hearts
and heir bows be broken.
Better is the little which the righteous has
than the great wealth of the wicked.
For the strong arm of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The LORD knows each day of the good man's life,
and his inheritance shall last for ever.
When times are bad, he shall not be distressed,
and in days of famine he shall have enough.
But the wicked shall perish,
and their children shall beg their bread.
The enemies of the LORD, like fuel in a furnace,
are consumed in smoke.
The wicked man borrows and does not pay back,
but the righteous is a generous giver.
All whom the LORD has blessed shall possess the land,
and all who are cursed by him shall be destroyed.
It is the LORD who directs man's steps,
he holds him firm and watches over his path.
Though he may fall, he will not go headlong,
for the LORD grasps him by the hand.
I have been young and am now grown old,
and never have I seen a righteous man forsaken.
Day in, day out, he lends generously,
and his children become a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good,
and live at peace for ever;
for the LORD is a lover of justice
and will not forsake his loyal servants.
The lawless are banished for ever
and the children of the wicked destroyed.
The righteous shall possess the land
and shall live there at peace for ever.
The righteous man utters words of wisdom
and justice is always on his lips.
The law of his God is in his heart,
his steps do not falter.
The wicked watch for the righteous man
and seek to take his life;
but the LORD will not leave him in their power
nor let him be condemned before his judges.
Wait for the LORD and hold to his way;
he will keep you safe from the wicked men
and will raise you to be master of the land.
When the wicked are destroyed, you shall be there to see.
I have watched a wicked man at his work,
rank as a spreading tree in its native soil.
I passed by one day, and he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.
Now look at the good man, watch him who is honest,
for the man of peace leaves descendants;
but the transgressors are wiped out one and all,
and the descendants of the wicked are destroyed.
Deliverance for the righteous comes from the LORD,
their refuge in time of trouble.
The LORD will help them and deliver them;
he will save them because they seek shelter with him.
38
O LORD, do not rebuke me in thy anger,
nor punish me in thy wrath.
For thou hast aimed thy arrows at me,
and thy hand weighs heavy upon me.
Thy indignation has left no part of my body unscarred;
there is no health in my whole frame because of my sin.
For my iniquities have poured over my head;
they are a load heavier tan I can bear.
My wounds fester and stink because of my folly.
I am bowed down and utterly prostrate.
All day long I go about as if in mourning,
for my loins burn with fever,
and there is no wholesome flesh in me.
All battered and benumbed,
I groan aloud in my heart's longing.
O LORD, all my lament lies open before thee
and my sighing is no secret to thee.
My heart beats fast, my strength has ebbed away,
and the light has gone out of my eyes.
My friends and my companions shun me in my sickness,
and my kinsfolk keep far away.
Those who wish me dead defame me,
those who mean to injure me spread cruel gossip
and mutter slander all day long.
But I am deaf, I do not listen;
I am like a dumb man who cannot hear
and whose tongue offers no defence.
On thee, O LORD, I fix my hope;
thou wilt answer, O LORD my God.
I said, 'Let them never rejoice over me
who exult when my foot slips.'
I am indeed prone to stumble,
and suffering is never far away.
I make no secret of my iniquity
and am anxious at the thought of my sin.
But many are my enemies, all without cause,
and many those who hate me wrongfully.
Those who repay good with evil
oppose me because my purpose is good.
But, LORD, do not thou forsake me;
keep not far from me, my God.
Hasten to my help, O LORD my salvation.
39
I said: I will keep close watch over myself
that all I say may be free from sin.
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth,
so long as wicked men confront me.
In dumb silence I held my peace.
So my agony was quickened,
and my heart burned within me.
My mind wandered as the fever grew,
and I began to speak:
LORD, let me know my end
and the number of my days;
tell me how short my life must be.
I know thou hast made my days a mere span long,
and my whole life is nothing in thy sight.
Man, though he stands upright, is but a puff of wind,
he moves like a phantom;
the riches he piles up are no more than vapour,
he does not know who will enjoy them.
And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in thee.
Deliver me from all who do me wrong,
make me no longer the butt of fools.
I am dumb, I will not open my mouth,
because it is thy doing.
Plague me no more;
I am exhausted by thy blows.
When thou dost rebuke a man and punish his sin,
all charm festers and drains away;
indeed man is only a puff of wind.
Hear my prayer, O LORD;
listen to my cry,
hold not thy peace at my tears;
for I shall find shelter with thee,
I am thy guest, as all my fathers were.
Frown on me no more and let me smile again,
before I go away and cease to be.
40
I waited, waited for the LORD,
he bent down to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the muddy pit,
out of the mire and the clay;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm footing;
and on my lips he put a new song,
a song of praise to our God.
Many when they see will be filled with awe
and will learn to trust in the LORD;
happy is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
and does not look to brutal and treacherous men.
Great things thou hast done,
O LORD my God;
thy wonderful purposes are all for our good;
none can compare with thee;
I would proclaim them and speak of them,
but they are more than I can tell.
If thou hadst desired sacrifice and offering
thou wouldst have given me ears to hear.
If thou hadst asked for whole-offering and sin-offering
I wold have said, 'Here I am.'
My desire is to do thy will, O God,
and thy law is in my heart.
In the great assembly I have proclaimed what is right,
I do not hold back my words,
as thou knowest, O LORD.
I have not kept thy goodness hidden in my heart;
I have proclaimed thy faithfuness and saving power,
and not concealed thy unfailing love and truth
from the great assembly.
Thou, O LORD, dost not withhold
thy tender care from me;
thy unfailing love and truth for ever guard me.
For misfortunes beyond counting
press on me from all sides;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and my sight fails;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
and my courage forsakes me.
Show me favour, O LORD, and save me;
hasten to help me, O LORD.
Let those who seek to take my life
be put to shame and dismayed one and all;
let all who love to hurt me shrink back disgraced;
let those who cry 'Hurrah!' at my downfall
be horrified at their reward of shame.
But let all those who seek thee
be jubilant and rejoice in thee;
and let those who long for thy saving help ever cry,
'All glory to the LORD!'
But I am poor and needy;
O LORD, think of me.
Thou art my help and my salvation;
O my God, make no delay.
41
Happy the man who has a concern for the helpless!
The LORD will save him in time of trouble.
The LORD protects him and gives him life,
making him secure in the land;
the LORD never leaves him to the greed of his enemies.
He nurses him on his sick-bed;
he turns his bed when he is ill.
But I said, 'LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against thee.'
'His case is desperate,' my enemies say;
'when will he die, and his line become extinct?'
All who visit me speak from an empty heart,
alert to gather bad news;
then go out to spread it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me
and love to make the worst of everything:
'An evil spell is cast upon him;
he is laid on his bed, and will rise no more.'
Even the friend whom I trusted, who ate at my table,
exults over my misfortune.
O LORD, be gracious and restore me,
that I may pay them out to the full.
Then I shall know that thou delightest in me
and that my enemy will not triumph over me.
But I am upheld by thee because of my innocence;
thou keepest me for ever in thy sight.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen, Amen.
The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970
Posted Jun 27, 2019, 9:26 PM UTC
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