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Psalm 1
The Way to Happiness
1 Happy is the man who does not go in the company of sinners, or take his place in the way of evil-doers, or in the seat of those who do not give honour to the Lord. 2 But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and whose mind is on his law day and night. 3 He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time, whose leaves will ever be green; and he will do well in all his undertakings. 4 The evil-doers are not so; but are like the dust from the grain, which the wind takes away. 5 For this cause there will be no mercy for sinners when they are judged, and the evil-doers will have no place among the upright, 6 Because the Lord sees the way of the upright, but the end of the sinner is destruction. ************
Psalms 2
The Lord’s Chosen King
1 Why are the nations so violently moved, and why are the thoughts of the people so foolish? 2 The kings of the earth have taken their place, and the rulers are fixed in their purpose, against the Lord, and against the king of his selection, saying, 3 Let their chains be broken, and their cords taken from off us. 4 Then he whose seat is in the heavens will be laughing: the Lord will make sport of them. 5 Then will his angry words come to their ears, and by his wrath they will be troubled: 6 But I have put my king on my holy hill of Zion. 7 I will make clear the Lord's decision: he has said to me, You are my son, this day have I given you being. 8 Make your request to me, and I will give you the nations for your heritage, and the farthest limits of the earth will be under your hand. 9 They will be ruled by you with a rod of iron; they will be broken like a potter's vessel. 10 So now be wise, you kings: take his teaching, you judges of the earth. 11 Give worship to the Lord with fear, kissing his feet and giving him honour, 12 For fear that he may be angry, causing destruction to come on you, because he is quickly moved to wrath. Happy are all those who put their faith in him. ************
Psalms 3
An Early Morning Prayer
A Psalm. Of David. When he went in flight from Absalom his son. 1 Lord, how greatly are they increased who make attacks on me! in great numbers they come against me. 2 Unnumbered are those who say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. (Selah.) 3 But your strength, O Lord, is round me, you are my glory and the lifter up of my head. 4 I send up a cry to the Lord with my voice, and he gives me an answer from his holy hill. (Selah.) 5 I took my rest in sleep, and then again I was awake; for the Lord was my support. 6 I will have no fear, though ten thousand have come round me, putting themselves against me. 7 Come to me, Lord; keep me safe, O my God; for you have given all my haters blows on their face-bones; the teeth of the evil-doers have been broken by you. 8 Salvation comes from the Lord; your blessing is on your people. (Selah.) ************
Psalms 4
An Evening Prater
To the chief music-maker on corded instruments. A Psalm. Of David. 1 Give answer to my cry, O God of my righteousness; make me free from my troubles; have mercy on me, and give ear to my prayer. 2 O you sons of men, how long will you go on turning my glory into shame? how long will you give your love to foolish things, going after what is false? (Selah.) 3 See how the Lord has made great his mercy for me; the Lord will give ear to my cry. 4 Let there be fear in your hearts, and do no sin; have bitter feelings on your bed, but make no sound. (Selah.) 5 Give the offerings of righteousness, and put your faith in the Lord. 6 There are numbers who say, Who will do us any good? the light of his face has gone from us. 7 Lord, you have put joy in my heart, more than they have when their grain and their wine are increased. 8 I will take my rest on my bed in peace, because you only, Lord, keep me safe. ************
Psalms 5
A Prayer for Help
To the chief music-maker on wind instruments. A Psalm. Of David. 1 Give ear to my words, O Lord; give thought to my heart-searchings. 2 Let the voice of my cry come to you, my King and my God; for to you will I make my prayer. 3 My voice will come to you in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I send my prayer to you, and keep watch. 4 For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wrongdoing; there is no evil with you. 5 The sons of pride have no place before you; you are a hater of all workers of evil. 6 You will send destruction on those whose words are false; the cruel man and the man of deceit are hated by the Lord. 7 But as for me, I will come into your house, in the full measure of your mercy; and in your fear I will give worship, turning my eyes to your holy Temple. 8 Be my guide, O Lord, in the ways of your righteousness, because of those who are against me; make your way straight before my face. 9 For no faith may be put in their words; their inner part is nothing but evil; their throat is like an open place for the dead; smooth are the words of their tongues. 10 Send them to destruction, O Lord; let their evil designs be the cause of their fall; let them be forced out by all their sins; because they have gone against your authority. 11 But let all those who put their faith in you be glad with cries of joy at all times, and let all the lovers of your name be glad in you. 12 For you, Lord, will send a blessing on the upright man; your grace will be round him, and you will be his strength. ************
Psalms 6
A Prayer in Time of Trouble
To the chief music-maker on corded instruments, on the Sheminith.A Psalm. Of David. 1 O Lord, do not be bitter with me in your wrath; do not send punishment on me in the heat of your passion. 2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am wasted away: make me well, for even my bones are troubled. 3 My soul is in bitter trouble; and you, O Lord, how long? 4 Come back, O Lord, make my soul free; O give me salvation because of your mercy. 5 For in death there is no memory of you; in the underworld who will give you praise? 6 The voice of my sorrow is a weariness to me; all the night I make my bed wet with weeping; it is watered by the drops flowing from my eyes. 7 My eyes are wasting away with trouble; they are becoming old because of all those who are against me. 8 Go from me, all you workers of evil; for the Lord has given ear to the voice of my weeping. 9 The Lord has given ear to my request; the Lord has let my prayer come before him. 10 Let all those who are against me be shamed and deeply troubled; let them be turned back and suddenly put to shame. ************
Psalms 7
The Lord Always Does Right
Shiggaion of David; a song which he made to the Lord, about the words of Cush the Benjamite. 1 O Lord my God, I put my faith in you; take me out of the hands of him who is cruel to me, and make me free; 2 So that he may not come rushing on my soul like a lion, wounding it, while there is no one to be my saviour. 3 O Lord my God, if I have done this; if my hands have done any wrong; 4 If I have given back evil to him who did evil to me, or have taken anything from him who was against me without cause; 5 Let my hater go after my soul and take it; let my life be crushed to the earth, and my honour into the dust. (Selah.) 6 Come up, Lord, in your wrath; be lifted up against my haters; be awake, my God, give orders for the judging. 7 The meeting of the nations will be round you; take your seat, then, over them, on high. 8 The Lord will be judge of the peoples; give a decision for me, O Lord, because of my righteousness, and let my virtue have its reward. 9 O let the evil of the evil-doer come to an end, but give strength to the upright: for men's minds and hearts are tested by the God of righteousness. 10 God, who is the saviour of the upright in heart, is my breastplate. 11 God is the judge of the upright, and is angry with the evil-doers every day. 12 If a man is not turned from his evil, he will make his sword sharp; his bow is bent and ready. 13 He has made ready for him the instruments of death; he makes his arrows flames of fire. 14 That man is a worker of evil; the seed of wrongdoing has given birth to deceit. 15 He has made a hole deep in the earth, and is falling into the hole which he has made 16 His wrongdoing will come back to him, and his violent behaviour will come down on his head. 17 I will give praise to the Lord for his righteousness; I will make a song to the name of the Lord Most High. ************
Psalms 8
The Wonderful of the Lord
To the chief music-maker on the Gittith. A Psalm. Of David. 1 O Lord, our Lord, whose glory is higher than the heavens, how noble is your name in all the earth! 2 You have made clear your strength even out of the mouths of babies at the breast, because of those who are against you; so that you may put to shame the cruel and violent man. 3 When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have put in their places; 4 What is man, that you keep him in mind? the son of man, that you take him into account? 5 For you have made him only a little lower than the gods, crowning him with glory and honour. 6 You have made him ruler over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet; 7 All sheep and oxen, and all the beasts of the field; 8 The birds of the air and the fish of the sea, and whatever goes through the deep waters of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how noble is your name in all the earth! ************
Psalms 9
Sing Praises to the Lord
To the chief music-maker on Muthlabben. A Psalm. Of David. 1 I will give you praise, O Lord, with all my heart; I will make clear all the wonder of your works. 2 I will be glad and have delight in you: I will make a song of praise to your name, O Most High. 3 When my haters are turned back, they will be broken and overcome before you. 4 For you gave approval to my right and my cause; you were seated in your high place judging in righteousness. 5 You have said sharp words to the nations, you have sent destruction on the sinners, you have put an end to their name for ever and ever. 6 You have given their towns to destruction; the memory of them has gone; they have become waste for ever. 7 But the Lord is King for ever: he has made ready his high seat for judging. 8 And he will be the judge of the world in righteousness, giving true decisions for the peoples. 9 The Lord will be a high tower for those who are crushed down, a high tower in times of trouble; 10 And those who have knowledge of your name will put their faith in you; because you, Lord, have ever given your help to those who were waiting for you. 11 Make songs of praise to the Lord, whose house is in Zion: make his doings clear to the people. 12 When he makes search for blood, he has them in his memory: he is not without thought for the cry of the poor. 13 Have mercy on me, O Lord, and see how I am troubled by my haters; let me be lifted up from the doors of death; 14 So that I may make clear all your praise in the house of the daughter of Zion: I will be glad because of your salvation. 15 The nations have gone down into the hole which they made: in their secret net is their foot taken. 16 The Lord has given knowledge of himself through his judging: the evil-doer is taken in the net which his hands had made. (Higgaion. Selah.) 17 The sinners and all the nations who have no memory of God will be turned into the underworld. 18 For the poor will not be without help; the hopes of those in need will not be crushed for ever. 19 Up! O Lord; let not man overcome you: let the nations be judged before you. 20 Put them in fear, O Lord, so that the nations may see that they are only men. (Selah.) ************
Psalms 10
A Prayer for Help
1 Why do you keep far away, O Lord? why are you not to be seen in times of trouble? 2 The evil-doer in his pride is cruel to the poor; let him be taken by the tricks of his invention. 3 For the evil-doer is lifted up because of the purpose of his heart, and he whose mind is fixed on wealth is turned away from the Lord, saying evil against him. 4 The evil-doer in his pride says, God will not make a search. All his thoughts are, There is no God. 5 His ways are ever fixed; your decisions are higher than he may see: as for his haters, they are as nothing to him. 6 He has said in his heart, I will not be moved: through all generations I will never be in trouble. 7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and false words: under his tongue are evil purposes and dark thoughts. 8 He is waiting in the dark places of the towns: in the secret places he puts to death those who have done no wrong: his eyes are secretly turned against the poor. 9 He keeps himself in a secret place like a lion in his hole, waiting to put his hands on the poor man, and pulling him into his net. 10 The upright are crushed and made low, and the feeble are overcome by his strong ones. 11 He says in his heart, God has no memory of me: his face is turned away; he will never see it. 12 Up! O Lord; let your hand be lifted: give thought to the poor. 13 Why has the evil-doer a low opinion of God, saying in his heart, You will not make search for it? 14 You have seen it; for your eyes are on sorrow and grief, to take it into your hand: the poor man puts his faith in you; you have been the helper of the child who has no father. 15 Let the arm of the sinner and the evil-doer be broken; go on searching for his sin till there is no more. 16 The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations are gone from his land. 17 Lord, you have given ear to the prayer of the poor: you will make strong their hearts, you will give them a hearing: 18 To give decision for the child without a father and for the broken-hearted, so that the man of the earth may no longer be feared. ************
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