Psalm 31

or the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    deliver me in your righteousness.
² Turn your ear to me,
    come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress to save me.
³ Since you are my rock and my fortress,
    for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
⁴ Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
    for you are my refuge.
⁵ Into your hands I commit my spirit;
    deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

⁶ I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
    as for me, I trust in the Lord.
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction
    and knew the anguish of my soul.
⁸ You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
    but have set my feet in a spacious place.

⁹ Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
    my soul and body with grief.
¹⁰ My life is consumed by anguish
    and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
    and my bones grow weak.
¹¹ Because of all my enemies,
    I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
    those who see me on the street flee from me.
¹² I am forgotten as though I were dead;
    I have become like broken pottery.
¹³ For I hear many whispering,
    “Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
    and plot to take my life.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in your hands;
    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
    from those who pursue me.
¹⁶ Let your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your unfailing love.
¹⁷ Let me not be put to shame, Lord,
    for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
    and be silent in the realm of the dead.
¹⁸ Let their lying lips be silenced,
    for with pride and contempt
    they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

¹⁹ How abundant are the good things
    that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
    on those who take refuge in you.
²⁰ In the shelter of your presence you hide them
    from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
    from accusing tongues.

²¹ Praise be to the Lord,
    for he showed me the wonders of his love
    when I was in a city under siege.
²² In my alarm I said,
    “I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
    when I called to you for help.

²³ Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
    The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
    but the proud he pays back in full.
²⁴ Be strong and take heart,
    all you who hope in the Lord.

Psalm 30

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.

¹ I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
² Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
³ You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.

⁴ Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

⁶ When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”
⁷ Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.

⁸ To you, Lord, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
⁹ “What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
    Lord, be my help.”

¹¹ You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
¹² that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, 
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders, 
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. 
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful; 
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
    Sirion like a young wild ox. 
⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning. 
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 
⁹ The voice of the Lord twists the oaks 
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; 
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever. 
¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people; 
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 28

Of David.

¹ To you, Lord, I call;
    you are my Rock,
    do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent, 
    I will be like those who go down to the pit. 
² Hear my cry for mercy 
    as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands 
    toward your Most Holy Place.

³ Do not drag me away with the wicked,
    with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
    but harbor malice in their hearts. 
⁴ Repay them for their deeds
    and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done 
    and bring back on them what they deserve.

⁵ Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
    and what his hands have done, 
he will tear them down
    and never build them up again.

⁶ Praise be to the Lord, 
    for he has heard my cry for mercy. 
⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy, 
    and with my song I praise him.

⁸ The Lord is the strength of his people,
    a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. 
⁹ Save your people and bless your inheritance; 
    be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Psalm 27

Of David.

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation —
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall. 
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear; 
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life, 
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble 
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted 
    above the enemies who surround me; 
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; 
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me. 
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face! ”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger; 
    you have been my helper. 
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior. 
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path 
    because of my oppressors. 
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

¹³ I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord 
    in the land of the living. 
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 26

Of David.

¹ Vindicate me, Lord,
    for I have led a blameless life; 
I have trusted in the Lord
    and have not faltered. 
² Test me, Lord, and try me,
    examine my heart and my mind; 
³ for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love 
    and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

⁴ I do not sit with the deceitful,
    nor do I associate with hypocrites. 
⁵ I abhor the assembly of evildoers
    and refuse to sit with the wicked.
⁶ I wash my hands in innocence, 
    and go about your altar, Lord,
⁷ proclaiming aloud your praise 
    and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

⁸ Lord, I love the house where you live,
    the place where your glory dwells. 
⁹ Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
    my life with those who are bloodthirsty, 
¹⁰ in whose hands are wicked schemes, 
    whose right hands are full of bribes. 
¹¹ I lead a blameless life;
    deliver me and be merciful to me.

¹² My feet stand on level ground; 
    in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.