I will pay my vows to the Lord,
Yes, in the presence of all His people.

I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord,
Yes, in the presence of all His people,

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can [mere] man do to me?

All nations encompassed me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.

They encompassed me, yes, they surrounded me [on every side];
In the name of the Lord I will cut them off.

They swarmed around me like bees;
They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.

Open to me the [temple] gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.

I will give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me;
And You have become my salvation [my Rescuer, my Savior].

This [day in which God has saved me] is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
[You are] my God, I extol You.

How blessed and favored by God are those whose way is blameless [those with personal integrity, the upright, the guileless],
Who walk in the law [and who are guided by the precepts and revealed will] of the Lord.

I will give thanks to You with an upright heart,
When I learn [through discipline] Your righteous judgments [for my transgressions].

I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not utterly abandon me [when I fail].

I will meditate on Your precepts
And [thoughtfully] regard Your ways [the path of life established by Your precepts].

I will delight in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

Gimel.
Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word [treasuring it and being guided by it day by day].

I will run the way of Your commandments [with purpose],
For You will give me a heart that is willing.

He.
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I will [steadfastly] observe it to the end.

Give me understanding [a teachable heart and the ability to learn], that I may keep Your law;
And observe it with all my heart.

I will keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever [writing Your precepts on my heart].

And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek and deeply long for Your precepts.

I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings
And shall not be ashamed.

For I shall delight in Your commandments,
Which I love.

And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments,
Which I love;
And I will meditate on Your statutes.

At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You
Because of Your righteous ordinances.

The arrogant have forged a lie against me,
But I will keep Your precepts with all my heart.

May those who [reverently] fear You see me and be glad,
Because I wait for Your word.

Let the arrogant be ashamed and humiliated, for they sabotage me with a lie;
But I will meditate on Your precepts.

My eyes fail [with longing, watching] for [the fulfillment of] Your promise,
Saying, “When will You comfort me?”

How many are the days of Your servant [which he must endure]?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?

According to Your steadfast love refresh me and give me life,
So that I may keep and obey the testimony of Your mouth.

I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have revived me and given me life.

The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will consider Your testimonies.

I have sworn [an oath] and have confirmed it,
That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.

Redeem me from the oppression of man;
That I may keep Your precepts.

Tsadhe.
Righteous are You, O Lord,
And upright are Your judgments.

Qoph.
I cried with all my heart; answer me, O Lord!
I will observe Your statutes.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]—
From where shall my help come?

He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly].

The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your life.

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do]
From this time forth and forever.

For the sake of my brothers and my friends,
I will now say, “May peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God [which is Jerusalem],
I will seek your (the city’s) good.

But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways [in unresponsiveness to God],
The Lord will lead them away with those who do evil.
Peace be upon Israel.

How blessed [happy and fortunate] is the man whose quiver is filled with them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies [in gatherings] at the [city] gate.

And He will redeem Israel
From all his sins.

“I absolutely will not enter my house,
Nor get into my bed—

I certainly will not permit my eyes to sleep
Nor my eyelids to slumber,

The Lord swore to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“One of your descendants I will set upon your throne.

“If your children will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their children also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

“This is My resting place forever” [says the Lord];
“Here will I dwell, for I have desired it.

“I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.

“Her priests also I will clothe with salvation,
And her godly ones will shout aloud for joy.

“There I will make the horn (strength) of David grow;
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed [fulfilling the promises].

“His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon himself shall his crown shine.”

For the Lord will judge His people
And He will have compassion on His servants [revealing His mercy].

I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I sing praises to You before the [pagan] gods.

I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy temple
And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word together with Your name.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.

The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me;
Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O Lord, endures forever—
Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.

I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

I know [with confidence] that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And [will secure] justice for the poor.

“Bring my soul out of prison (adversity),
So that I may give thanks and praise Your name;
The righteous will surround me [in triumph],
For You will look after me.”

Teach me to do Your will [so that I may please You],
For You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

I will sing a new song to You, O God;
Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,

I will exalt You, my God, O King,
And [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will bless Your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless You and lovingly praise You;
Yes, [with awe-inspired reverence] I will praise Your name forever and ever.

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

People will speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will tell of Your greatness.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience];
He also will hear their cry and will save them.

The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.

While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.

The wise will hear and increase their learning,
And the person of understanding will acquire wise counsel and the skill [to steer his course wisely and lead others to the truth],

“How long, O naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning?
How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing,
How long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge?

“If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke,
Behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.

I also will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when your dread and panic come,

“Then they will call upon me (Wisdom), but I will not answer;
They will seek me eagerly but they will not find me,

My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,

Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome]
And discover the knowledge of God.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice [in every circumstance]
And integrity and every good path.

In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].

And they will be life to your soul (your inner self)
And a gracious adornment to your neck (your outer self).

Then you will walk on your way [of life] securely
And your foot will not stumble.

Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the storm of the wicked when it comes [since you will be blameless];

Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.

“Do not turn away from her (Wisdom) and she will guard and protect you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.

“Prize wisdom [and exalt her], and she will exalt you;
She will honor you if you embrace her.

“She will place on your head a garland of grace;
She will present you with a crown of beauty and glory.”

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded [for your path will be clear and open];
And when you run, you will not stumble.

He will die for lack of instruction (discipline),
And in the greatness of his foolishness he will go astray and be lost.

How long will you lie down, O lazy one?
When will you arise from your sleep [and learn self-discipline]?

So your poverty will come like an approaching prowler who walks [slowly, but surely]
And your need [will come] like an armed man [making you helpless].

So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
Whoever touches her will not be found innocent or go unpunished.

Wounds and disgrace he will find,
And his reproach (blame) will not be blotted out.

For jealousy enrages the [wronged] husband;
He will not spare [the guilty one] on the day of vengeance.

He will not accept any ransom [offered to buy him off from demanding full punishment];
Nor will he be satisfied though you offer him many gifts (bribes).

He has taken a bag of money with him,
And he will come home on the appointed day.”