Psalms 119 - 135
119
Happy are they whose life is blameless,
who conform to the law of the LORD.
Happy are they who obey his instruction,
who set their heart on finding him;
who have done no wrong
and have lived according to his will.
Thou, Lord, hast laid down thy precepts
for men to keep them faithfully.
If only I might hold a steady course,
keeping thy statutes!
I shall never be put to shame
if I fix my eyes on thy commandments.
I will praise thee in sincerity of heart
as I learn thy just decrees.
Thy statutes will I keep faithfully;
O do not leave me forsaken.
How shall a young man steer an honest course?
By holding to thy word.
With all my heart I strive to find thee;
let me not stray from thy commandments.
I treasure thy promise in my heart,
for fear that I might sin against thee.
Blessed art thou, O LORD;
teach me thy statutes.
I say them over, one by one,
the decrees that thou hast proclaimed.
I have found more joy along the path of thy instruction
than in any kind of wealth.
I will meditate on thy precepts
and keep thy paths ever before my eyes.
In thy statutes I find continual delight;
I will not forget thy word.
Grant this to me, thy servant: let me live
and, living, keep thy word.
Take the veil from my eyes, that I may see
the marvels that spring from thy law.
I am but a stranger here on earth,
do not hide thy commandments from me.
My heart pines with longing
day and night for thy decrees.
The proud have felt thy rebuke;
cursed are those who turn from thy commandments.
Set me free from scorn and insult,
for I have obeyed thy instruction.
The powers that be sit scheming together against me;
but I, thy servant, will study thy statutes.
Thy instruction is my continual delight;
I turn to it for counsel.
I lie prone in the dust;
grant me life according to thy word.
I tell thee all I have done and thou dost answer me;
teach me thy statutes.
Show me the way set out in thy precepts,
and I will meditate on thy wonders.
I cannot rest for misery;
renew my strength in accordance with my word.
Keep falsehood far from me
and grant me the grace of living by the law.
I have chosen the path of truth
and have set thy decrees before me.
I hold fast to thy instruction;
O LORD, let me not be put to shame.
I will run the course set out in thy commandments,
for they gladden my heart.
Teach me, O LORD, the way set out in thy statutes,
and in keeping them I shall find my reward.
Give me the insight to obey thy law
and to keep it with all my heart;
make me walk in the path of thy commandments,
for that is my desire.
Dispose my heart toward thy instruction
and not toward ill-gotten gains;
Fulfil thy promise for thy servant,
the promise made to those who fear thee.
Turn away the censure which I dread,
for thy decrees are good.
How I long for thy precepts!
In thy righteousness grant me life.
Thy love never fails; let it light on me, O LORD,
and thy deliverance, for that was thy promise;
then I shall have my answer to the man who taunts me,
because I trust in thy word.
Rob me not of my power to speak the truth,
for I put my hope in thy decrees.
I will heed thy law continually,
for ever and ever;
I will walk in freedom wherever I will,
because I have studied thy precepts.
I will speak of thy instructions before kings
and will not be ashamed;
in thy commandments I find continuing delight;
I love them with all my heart.
I will welcome thy commandments
and will meditate on thy statutes.
Remember he word spoken to me, thy servant,
on which thou hast taught me to fix my hope.
In time of trouble my consolation is this,
that thy promise has given me life.
Proud men treat me with insolent scorn,
but I do not swerve from thy law.
I have cherished thy decrees all my life long,
and in them I find consolation, O LORD.
Gusts of anger seize me as I think of evil men
who forsake thy law.
Thy statutes are the theme of my song
wherever I make my home.
In the night I remember thy name, O LORD,
and dwell upon thy law.
This is true of me,
that I have kept thy precepts.
Thou, LORD, art all I have;
I have promised to keep thy word.
With all my heart I have tried to please thee;
fulfil my promise and be gracious to me.
I have thought much about the course of my life
and always turned back to thy instruction;
I have never delayed but always make haste
to keep thy commandments.
Bands of evil men close round me,
but I do not forget thy law.
At midnight I rise to give thee thanks
for the justice of thy decrees.
I keep company with all who fear thee,
with all who follow thy precepts.
The earth is full of thy never-failing love;
O LORD, teach me thy statutes.
Thou hast shown thy servant much kindness,
fulfilling thy word, O LORD.
Give me insight, give me knowledge,
for I put my trust in thy commandments.
I went astray before I was punished;
but now I pay heed to thy promise.
Thou art good and thou doest good;
teach me thy statutes.
Proud men blacken my name with lies,
yet I follow thy precepts with all my heart;
their hearts are thick and gross;
but I continually delight in thy law.
How good it is for me to have been punished,
to school me in thy statutes!
The law thou hast ordained means more to me
than a fortune in gold or silver.
Thy hands moulded me and made me what I am;
show me how I may learn thy commandments.
Let all who fear thee be glad when they see me,
because I hope for the fulfilment of thy word.
I know, O LORD, that thy decrees are just
and even in punishing thou keepest faith with me.
Let thy never-failing love console me,
as thou hast promised me, thy servant.
Extend thy compassion to me, that I may live;
for thy law is my continual delight.
Put the proud to shame, for with their lies they wrong me;
but I will meditate on thy precepts.
Let all who fear thee turn to me,
all who cherish thy instruction.
Let me give my whole heart to thy statutes,
so that I am not put to shame.
I long with all my heart for thy deliverance,
hoping for the fulfilment of thy word;
my sight grows dim with looking for thy promise
and still I cry, 'When wilt thou comfort me?'
Though I shrivel like a wine-skin in the smoke,
I do not forget thy statutes.
How long has thy servant to wait
for thee to fulfil thy decree against my persecutors?
Proud men who flout thy law
spread tales about me.
Help me, for they bound me with their lies,
but thy commandments all stand for ever.
They had almost swept me from the earth,
but I did not forsake thy precepts;
grant me life, as thy love is unchanging,
that I may follow all thy instruction.
Eternal is thy word, O LORD,
planted from in heaven.
Thy promise endures for all time,
stable as the earth which thou hast fixed.
This day, as ever, thy decrees stand fast,
for all things serve thee.
If thy law had not been my continual delight,
I should have perished in all my troubles;
never will I forget thy precepts,
for through them thou hast given me life.
I am thine; O save me,
for I have pondered thy precepts.
Evil men lie in wait to destroy me;
but I will give thought to thy instruction.
I see that all things come to an end,
but thy commandment has no limit.
O how I love thy law!
It is my study all day long.
Thy commandments are mine for ever;
through them I am wiser than my enemies.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for thy instruction is my study;
I have more wisdom than the old,
because I have kept thy precepts.
I set no foot on any evil path
in my obedience to thy word;
I do not swerve from thy decrees,
for thou hast been my teacher.
How sweet is thy promise in my mouth,
sweeter on my tongue than honey!
From thy precepts I learn wisdom;
therefore I hate the paths of falsehood.
Thy word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light on my path;
I have bound myself by oath and solemn vow
to keep thy just decrees.
I am cruelly afflicted;
O LORD, revive me and make good thy word.
Accept, O LORD, the willing tribute of my lips
and teach me thy decrees.
Every day I take my life in my hands,
yet I never forget thy law.
Evil men have set traps for me,
but I do not stray from thy precepts.
Thy instruction is my everlasting inheritance;
it is the joy of my heart.
I am resolved to fulfil thy statutes;
they are a reward that never fails.
I hate men that are not single-minded,
but I love thy law.
Thou art my shield and hiding-lace;
I hope for the fulfilment of thy word.
Go, you evildoers, and leave me to myself,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.
Support me as thou hast promised, that I may live;
do not disappoint my hope.
Sustain me, that I may see deliverance;
so shall I always be occupied with thy statutes.
Thou dost reject those who stray from thy statutes,
for their talk is all malice and lies.
In thy sight all the wicked of the earth are scum;
therefore I love thy instruction.
The dread of thee makes my flesh creep,
and I stand in awe of thy decrees.
I have done what is just and right;
thou wilt not abandon me to my oppressors.
Stand surety for the welfare of thy servant;
let not the proud oppress me.
My sight grows dim with looking for thy deliverance
and waiting for thy righteous promise.
In all thy dealings with me, LORD, show thy true love
and teach me thy statutes.
I am thy servant; give me insight
to understand thy instruction.
It is time to act, O LORD;
for men have broken thy law.
Truly I love thy commandments
more than the finest gold.
It is by thy precepts that I find the right way;
I hate the paths of falsehood.
Thy instruction is wonderful;
therefore I gladly keep it.
Thy word is revealed and all is light;
it gives understanding even to the untaught.
I pant, I thirst,
longing for thy commandments
Turn to meet me and be gracious,
as thou hast decreed for those who love thy name.
Make my step firm according to thy promise,
and let no wrong have the mastery over me.
Set me free from man's oppression,
that I may observe thy precepts.
Let thy face shine upon thy servant
and teach me thy statutes.
My eyes stream with tears
because men do not heed thy law.
How just thou art, O LORD!
How straight and true are thy decrees!
How just is the instruction thou givest!
It is fixed firm and sure.
I am speechless with resentment,
for my enemies have forgotten thy words.
Thy promise has been tested through and through,
and thy servant loves it.
I may be despised and of little account,
but I do not forget thy precepts.
Thy justice is an everlasting justice,
and thy law is truth.
Though I am oppressed by trouble and anxiety,
thy commandment are my continual delight.
Thy instruction is ever just;
give me understanding that I may live.
I call with my whole heart; answer me, LORD.
I will keep thy statutes.
I call to thee; O save me
that I may heed thy instruction.
I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I hope for the fulfilment of thy word.
Before the midnight watch also my eyes are open
for meditation on thy promise.
Hear me, as thy love is unchanging,
and give me life, O LORD, by thy decree.
My pursuers in their malice are close behind me,
but they are far from thy law.
Yet thou art near, O LORD,
and all thy commandments are true.
I have long known from thy instruction
that thou hast given it eternal foundations.
See in what trouble I am and set me free,
for I do not forget thy law.
Be thou my advocate and win release for me;
true to thy promise give me life.
Such deliverance is beyond the reach of wicked men,
because they do not ponder thy statutes.
Great is thy compassion, O LORD;
grant me life by thy decree.
Many are my persecutors and enemies,
but I have not swerved from thy instruction.
I was cut to the quick when I saw traitors
who had no regard for thy promise.
See how I love thy precepts, O LORD!
Grant me life, as thy love is unchanging.
Thy word is founded in truth,
and thy just decrees are everlasting.
The powers that be persecute me without cause,
yet my heart thrills at thy word.
I am jubilant over thy promise,
like a man carrying off much booty.
Falsehood I detest and loathe,
but I love thy law.
Seven times a day I praise thee
for the justice of thy decrees.
Peace is the reward of those who love thy law;
no pitfalls beset their path.
I hope for thy deliverance, O LORD,
and I fulfil thy commandments;
gladly I heed thy instruction,
and love it greatly.
I heed thy precepts and thy instruction,
for all my life lies open before thee.
Let my cry of joy reach thee, O LORD;
give me understanding of thy word.
Let my supplication reach thee;
be true to thy promise and save me.
Let thy praise pour from my lips,
because thou teachest me thy statutes;
let the music of thy promises be on my tongue,
for thy commandments are justice itself.
let thy hand be prompt to help me,
for I have chosen thy precepts;
I long for thy deliverance, O LORD,
and thy law is my continual delight.
Let me live and I will praise thee;
let thy decrees be my support.
I have strayed like a lost sheep;
come, search for thy servant,
for I have not forgotten thy commandments.
120
I called to the LORD in my distress,
and he answered me.
'O LORD,' I cried, 'save me from lying lips
and from the tongue of slander.'
What has he in store for you, slanderous tongue?
What more has he for you?
Nothing but a warrior's sharp arrows
or red-hot charcoal.
Hard is my lot, exiled in Meshech,
dwelling in the tents of Kedar.
All the time that I dwelt
among men who hated peace,
I sought peace; but wherever I spoke of it,
they were for war.
121
If I lift up my eyes to the hills,
where shall I find help?
Help comes only from the LORD,
maker of heaven and earth.
How could he let your foot stumble?
How could he, your guardian, sleep?
The guardian of Israel
never slumbers, never sleeps.
The LORD is your guardian,
your defence at your right hand;
the sun will not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will guard you against all evil;
he will guard you, body and soul.
The LORD will guard your going and your coming,
now and for evermore.
122
I rejoiced when they said to me,
'Let us go to the house of the LORD.'
Now we stand within your gates,
O Jerusalem:
Jerusalem that is built to be a city
where people come together in unity;
to which the tribes resort, the tribes of the LORD,
to give thanks to the LORD himself,
the bounden duty of Israel.
For in her are set the thrones of justice,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
'May those who love you prosper;
peace be within your ramparts
and prosperity in your palaces.'
For the sake of these my brothers and my friends,
I will say, 'Peace be within you.'
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God
I will pray for your good.
123
I lift my eyes to thee
whose throne is in heaven.
As the eyes of a slave follow the master's hand
or the eyes of a slave-girl her mistress,
so our eyes are turned to the LORD our God
waiting for kindness from him.
Deal kindly with us, O LORD, deal kindly,
for we ave suffered insult enough;
too long have we had to suffer
the insults of the wealthy,
the scorn of proud men.
124
If the LORD had not been on our side,
Israel may now say,
if the LORD had not been on our side
when they assailed us,
they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger was roused against us.
The waters would have carried us away
and the torrent swept over us;
over us would have swept
the seething waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
to be prey between their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler's trap;
the trap broke, and so we escaped.
our help is in the name of the LORD,
maker of heaven and earth.
125
Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but stands fast for ever.
As the hills enfold Jerusalem,
so the LORD enfolds his people, now and evermore.
The sceptre of the wickedness shall surely find no home
in the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous shall not set
their hands to injustice.
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good
and to those who are upright in heart.
But those who turn aside into crooked ways,
may the LORD destroy them, as he destroys all evildoers!
Peace be upon Israel!
126
When the LORD turned the tide of Zion's fortune,
we were like men who had found new health.
Our mouths were full of laughter
and our tongues sang aloud for joy.
Then word went round among the nations,
'The LORD has done great things for them.'
Great things indeed the LORD then did for us,
and we rejoiced.
Turn once again our fortune, LORD,
as streams return in the dry south.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap the songs of joy.
A man may go out weeping,
carrying his bag of seed;
but he will come back with songs of joy,
carrying home his sheaves.
127
Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders will have toiled in vain.
Unless the LORD keeps watch over a city,
in vain he watchman stands guard.
In vain you rise up early
and go late to rest,
toiling for the bread you eat;
he supplies the need of those he loves.
Sons are a gift from the LORD
and children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hand of a fighting man
are the sons of a man's youth.
Happy is the man
who has a quiver full of them;
such men are not to be put to shame
when they confront their enemies in court.
128
Happy are those who fear the LORD,
who live according to his will.
You shall eat the fruit of your own labours,
you shall be happy and you shall prosper.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the heart of your house;
your sons shall be like olive-shoots
round about your table.
This is he blessing in store for the man
who fears the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from Zion;
may you share the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life,
and live to see your children's children!
Peace be upon Israel!
129
Often since I was young have men attacked me—–
let Israel now say——
often since I was young have men attacked me,
but never have they prevailed.
They scored my back with scourges,
like ploughmen driving long furrows.
Yet the LORD in his justice
has cut me loose from the bonds of the wicked.
Let all enemies of Zion
be thrown back in shame;
let them be like grass growing on the roof,
which withers before it can shoot,
which will never fill a mower's hand
nor yield an armful for the harvester,
so that passers-by will never say to them,
'The blessing of the LORD be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the LORD.'
130
Out of the depths have I called to thee, O LORD;
Lord, hear my cry.
Let thy ears be attentive
to my plea for mercy.
If thou, Lord, shouldest keep account of sins,
who, O Lord, could hold up his head?
But in thee is forgiveness,
and therefore thou art revered.
I wait for the LORD with all my soul,
I hope for the fulfilment of his word.
My soul waits for the Lord
more eagerly than watchmen for the morning.
Like men who watch for the morning,
O Israel, look for the LORD.
For in the LORD is love unfailing,
and great is his power to set men free.
He alone will set Israel free
from all their sins.
131
O LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor are my eyes haughty;
I do not busy myself with great matters
or things too marvellous for me.
No; I submit myself, I account myself lowly,
as a weaned child clinging to its mother.
O Israel, look for the LORD
now and evermore.
132
O LORD, remember David
in the time of his adversity,
how he swore to the LORD
and made a vow to the mighty one of Jacob:
'I will not enter my house
nor will I mount my bed,
I will not close my eyes in sleep
or my eyelids in slumber,
until I find a sanctuary for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.'
We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we came upon it in the region of Jaar.
Let us enter his dwelling,
let us fall in worship at his footstool.
Arise, O LORD, and come to thy resting-place,
thou and the ark of thy power.
Let thy priests be clothed in righteousness
and let thy loyal servants shout for joy.
For thy servant David's sake
reject not thy anointed king.
The LORD swore to David
an oath which he will not break:
'A prince of your own line
will I set upon your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant
and heed the teaching that I give them,
their sons in turn for all time
shall sit upon your throne.'
For the LORD has chosen Zion
and desired it for his home:
'This is my resting-place for ever;
here will I make my home, for such is my desire.
I will richly bless her destitute
and satisfy her needy with bread.
With salvation will I clothe her priests;
her loyal servants shall shout for joy.
There will I renew the line of David's house
and light a lamp for my anointed king;
his enemies will I clothe with shame,
but on his head shall be a shining crown.'
133
How good it is and how pleasant
for brothers to live together!
It is fragrant as oil poured upon the head
and falling over the beard,
Aaron's beard, when the oil runs down
over the collar of his vestments.
It is like the dew of Hermon falling
upon the hills of Zion.
There the LORD bestows his blessing,
life for evermore.
134
Come, bless the LORD,
all you servants of the LORD,
who stand night after night
in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and bless the LORD.
The LORD, maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion!
135
O praise the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD;
praise him, you servants of the LORD,
who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the temple courts of our God.
Praise the LORD, for that is good;
honour his name with psalms, for that is pleasant.
The LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own
and Israel as his special treasure.
I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the LORD pleases,
that he does, in heaven and on earth,
in the sea, in the depth of the ocean.
He brings up the mist from the ends of the earth,
he opens rifts for the rain,
and brings the wind out of his storehouses.
He struck down all the first-born in Egypt,
both man and beast.
In Egypt he sent signs and portents
against Pharaoh and all his subjects.
He struck down mighty nations
and slew great kings,
Sihon king of Amorites, Og king of Bashan,
and all the princes of Canaan,
and gave their land to Israel,
to Israel his people as their patrimony.
O LORD, thy name endures for ever;
thy renown, O LORD, shall last for all generations.
The LORD will give his people justice
and have compassion on his servants.
The gods of the nations are idols of silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
They have mouths that cannot speak
and eyes that cannot see;
they have ears that do not hear,
and there is no breath in their nostrils.
Their makers grow like them,
and so do all who trust in them.
O house of Israel, bless the LORD;
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD.
O house of Levi, bless the LORD;
you who fear the LORD, bless the LORD.
Blessed from Zion be the LORD
who dwells in Jerusalem.
O praise the LORD.
The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970
Posted Jul 8, 2019, 4:44 PM UTC
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