Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

¹Blessed is the man1

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

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

and on his law he meditates day and night.

³He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

⁴The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

⁶for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

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The Reign of the Lord's Anointed

¹Why do the 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 Anointed, saying,

³“Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

⁴He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

⁵Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

⁶“As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

⁷I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

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

and the ends of the earth your possession.

⁹You shall break2 them with a rod of iron

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

¹⁰Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

¹¹Serve the Lord with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

¹²Kiss the Son,

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

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

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Save Me, O My God

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

¹O Lord, how many are my foes!

Many are rising against me;

²many are saying of my soul,

there is no salvation for him in God. Selah1

³But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the lifter of my head.

⁴I cried aloud to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

⁵I lay down and slept;

I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

⁶I will not be afraid of many thousands of people

who have set themselves against me all around.

⁷Arise, O Lord!

Save me, O my God!

For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;

you break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸Salvation belongs to the Lord;

your blessing be on your people! Selah

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Answer Me When I Call

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

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

You have given 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 lies? Selah

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

the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴Be angry,2 and do not sin;

ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

⁵Offer right sacrifices,

and put your trust in the Lord.

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

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”

⁷You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

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

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Lead Me in Your Righteousness

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

¹Give ear to my words, O Lord;

consider my groaning.

²Give attention to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

for to you do I pray.

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

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

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

evil may not dwell with you.

⁵The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;

you hate all evildoers.

⁶You destroy those who speak lies;

the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

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

will enter your house.

I will bow down toward your holy temple

in the fear of you.

⁸Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

make your way straight before me.

⁹For there is no truth in their mouth;

their inmost self is destruction;

their throat is an open grave;

they flatter with their tongue.

¹⁰Make them bear their guilt, O God;

let them fall by their own counsels;

because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,

for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may exult in you.

¹²For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

you cover him with favor as with a shield.

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