Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

¹Blessed is the man1

who awalks not in bthe counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in cthe way of sinners,

nor dsits in ethe seat of fscoffers;

²but his gdelight is in the law2 of the Lord,

and on his hlaw he meditates day and night.

³He is like ia tree

planted by jstreams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its kleaf does not wither.

lIn all that he does, he prospers.

⁴The wicked are not so,

but are like mchaff that the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore the wicked nwill not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in othe congregation of the righteous;

⁶for the Lord pknows qthe way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

The Reign of the Lord's Anointed

¹rWhy do sthe nations rage1

and the peoples plot in vain?

²The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and against his tAnointed, saying,

³“Let us uburst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

⁴He who vsits in the heavens wlaughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

⁵Then he will speak to them in his xwrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

⁶“As for me, I have yset my King

on zZion, my aholy hill.”

⁷I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, b“You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

⁸Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and cthe ends of the earth your possession.

⁹You shall dbreak2 them with ea rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like fa potter's vessel.”

¹⁰Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

¹¹gServe the Lord with hfear,

and irejoice with htrembling.

¹²jKiss kthe Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his lwrath is quickly kindled.

mBlessed are all who take refuge in him.

Save Me, O My God

A Psalm of David, nwhen he fled from Absalom his son.

¹O Lord, ohow many are my foes!

Many are prising against me;

²many are saying of my soul,

q“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah1

³But you, O Lord, are ra shield sabout me,

my glory, and tthe lifter of my head.

⁴I ucried aloud to the Lord,

and he vanswered me from his wholy hill. Selah

⁵I xlay down and slept;

I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

⁶I ywill not be afraid of many thousands of people

who have zset themselves against me all around.

⁷aArise, O Lord!

Save me, O my God!

For you bstrike all my enemies on the cheek;

you cbreak the teeth of the wicked.

⁸dSalvation belongs to the Lord;

your blessing be on your people! Selah

Answer Me When I Call

To the echoirmaster: with estringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

¹Answer me when I call, O God of my frighteousness!

You have ggiven me relief when I was in distress.

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

²O men,1 how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after hlies? Selah

³But know that the Lord has iset apart jthe godly for himself;

the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴kBe angry,2 and do not sin;

lponder in your own hearts mon your beds, and be silent. Selah

⁵Offer nright sacrifices,

and put your otrust in the Lord.

⁶There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?

pLift up qthe light of your face upon us, O Lord!”

⁷You have put rmore joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸In peace I will both slie down and sleep;

for you alone, O Lord, make me tdwell in safety.

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

¹Give ear to my words, O Lord;

consider my ugroaning.

²Give attention to the sound of my cry,

my vKing and my God,

for wto you do I pray.

³O Lord, in xthe morning you hear my voice;

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you1 and ywatch.

⁴For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

evil may not dwell with you.

⁵The zboastful shall not astand before your eyes;

you bhate all evildoers.

⁶You destroy those who speak clies;

the Lord abhors dthe bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

will enter your house.

I will ebow down ftoward your gholy temple

in the fear of you.

⁸hLead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

imake your way straight before me.

⁹For there is no truth in their mouth;

their inmost self is jdestruction;

ktheir throat is lan open grave;

they mflatter with their tongue.

¹⁰nMake them bear their guilt, O God;

let them ofall by their own counsels;

because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,

for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹But let all who ptake refuge in you qrejoice;

let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may rexult in you.

¹²For you sbless the righteous, O Lord;

you tcover him with favor as with ua shield.