But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their refuge and stronghold in the time of trouble.

But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

But my [numerous] enemies are vigorous and strong,
And those who hate me without cause are many.

I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, afar from happiness, But, my pain had been stirred:

Look, you make my days short-lived, and my life span is nothing from your perspective. Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.

In fact, people walk around as shadows. Surely, they busy themselves for nothing, heaping up possessions but not knowing who will get them.

But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope!

By the weight of your wrath against man's sin, the glory of his form is wasted away; truly every man is but a breath. (Selah.)

O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things; you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. No one can thwart you! I want to declare them and talk about them, but they are too numerous to recount!

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.

Withdraw not thou thy mercy from me, O LORD, but let thy loving-kindness and thy truth always preserve me.

But let all those that seek thee, be joyful and glad in thee; and let such as love thy salvation, say always, "The LORD be praised!"

But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

But You, O Lord, be gracious to me and restore me [to health],
So that I may repay them.

But as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.

But the Lord will send his mercy in the daytime, and in the night his song will be with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

You drove out the [pagan] nations with Your own hand;
Then you planted and established them (Israel);
[It was by Your power that] You uprooted the [pagan] peoples,
Then You spread them abroad.

For our fathers did not possess the land [of Canaan] by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them,
But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence,
Because You favored and delighted in them.

But You have saved us from our enemies,
And You have put them to shame and humiliated those who hate us.

But now You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor,
And You do not go out with our armies [to lead us to victory].

All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You,
And we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant.

But Thou hast smitten us in a place of dragons, And dost cover us over with death-shade.

But for Your sake we are killed all the day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

The heathen make much ado, and the kingdoms are moved; but God hath showed his voice, and the earth shall melt away.

But no man may deliver his brother, nor make agreement unto God for him,

But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish.

Like sheep they are destined to Sheol; death will shepherd them. But the upright will rule over them in the morning, and their forms [will be for] Sheol to consume, [far from] his lofty abode.

But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol,
For He will receive me. Selah.

But he will join his ancestors; they will never again see the light of day.

A man with valuable possessions
but without understanding
is like the animals that perish.

But to the wicked God says:
“What right have you to recite My statutes
Or to take My covenant on your lips?

“These things you have done and I kept silent;
You thought that I was just like you.
Now I will reprimand and denounce you and state the case in order before your eyes.

But lo, thou hast a pleasure in the truth, and hast showed me secret wisdom.

For if thou hadst pleasure in sacrifice, I would give it thee: but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.

But God will tear you down forever; he will take you away, even snatching you out of your tent! He will uproot you from the land of the living. Interlude

The righteous will see it and fear,
And will [scoffingly] laugh, saying,

“Look, [this is] the man who would not make God his strength [his stronghold and fortress],
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
Taking refuge in his wealth.”

But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust [confidently] in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.

But they are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become abominable. There is none that doeth good, no not one.

But lo, God is my helper: it is he that upholdeth my soul.

But it is you, a man my equal and my counsel,
My companion and my familiar friend;

But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But his heart was hostile;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.

But You, O God, will bring down the wicked to the pit of destruction;
Men of blood and treachery will not live out half their days.
But I will [boldly and unwaveringly] trust in You.

They have set a snare for my feet, which makes me depressed. They dug a pit in front of me, but they are the ones who fell into it! Interlude

But ye imagine mischief in your hearts, and your hands deal with wickedness.

For look, they wait to ambush me; powerful men stalk me, but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.

But you, O Lord, laugh in disgust at them; you taunt all the nations.

Slay them not, lest my people forget it: but scatter them abroad with thy power, and put them down, O LORD our defense.

But as for me, I will sing of Your mighty strength and power;
Yes, I will sing joyfully of Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.

You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack],
A banner that may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

Mine, is Gilead - and mine, Manasseh, But, Ephraim, is the defence, of my head, Judah, is my commander's staff;

They spend all their time planning how to bring him down. They love to use deceit; they pronounce blessings with their mouths, but inwardly they utter curses. (Selah)

Men are nothing but a mere breath; human beings are unreliable. When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air.

God spoke once, but I heard it twice, "Power belongs to God."

Enemies seek to destroy my life, but they will descend into the depths of the earth.

But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who takes oaths in his name will boast, for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up.

But God will shoot them with an [unexpected] arrow;
Suddenly they will be wounded.

Our record of sins overwhelms me, but you forgive our acts of rebellion.

By awesome and wondrous things You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,
You who are the trust and hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;

You made men (charioteers) ride over our heads [in defeat];
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a [broad] place of abundance [to be refreshed].

But certainly God has heard [me];
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.

But let the righteous be glad; let them be in good spirits before God,
Yes, let them rejoice with delight.

God makes a home for the lonely;
He leads the prisoners into prosperity,
Only the stubborn and rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Let, My Lord, but give the word, The herald bands, will be a mighty host:

Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies,
The hairy scalp of one who goes on in his guilty ways.

I mourned and fasted,
but it brought me insults.

They sitting in the gate will speak against me, and I was but the music of stringed instruments, of strong drink

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable and opportune time;
O God, in the greatness of Your favor and in the abundance of Your lovingkindness,
Answer me with truth [that is, the faithfulness of Your salvation].

Reproach and insults have broken my heart and I am so sick.
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.

But they put in my food - poison! And, for my thirst, they gave for my drink - vinegar!

But I am sorrowful and in pain;
May Your salvation, O God, set me [securely] on high.

But let all those that seek thee be joyful and glad in thee, and let all such as delight in thy salvation say always, "The LORD be praised."

But I am afflicted and needy;
Come quickly to me, O God!
You are my help and my rescuer;
O Lord, do not delay.

but rid me, and deliver me, in thy righteousness; incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

I am as a wonder to many,
For You are my strong refuge.

But as for me, I will wait and hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.

And even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not abandon me,
Until I declare Your [mighty] strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.

You caused me to experience
many troubles and misfortunes,
but You will revive me again.
You will bring me up again,
even from the depths of the earth.

May he defend the afflicted of the people and deliver the children of the poor, but crush the oppressor.

Before him, let the men of the desert kneel, But, as for his foes, the dust, let them lick;

BOOK THE THIRD Nothing but good, is God, Unto Israel, Unto the pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slid out from under me.

For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.

Yea, I had almost also said even as they do; but lo, then should I have condemned the generation of thy children.

When I considered how to understand this,
It was too great an effort for me and too painful

But my heart had grown embittered, And, in my reins, had I received wounds;

But, I, was brutish, and could not perceive, Like the beasts, had I become before thee.

But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.

Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth.

My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.

But as for me, God's presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.

But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

But God has been my king from ancient times, performing acts of deliverance on the earth.

The earth is weak, and all that is therein; but I bear up her pillars. Selah.

But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.