because they have turned away from following him, and have not understood any of his ways,

so that they caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he hears the cry of the needy.

But if God is quiet, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, then who can see him? Yet he is over the individual and the nation alike,

If you sin, how does it affect God? If your transgressions are many, what does it do to him?

How much less, then, when you say that you do not perceive him, that the case is before him and you are waiting for him!

If they obey and serve him, they live out their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness.

Indeed, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him?

Who has prescribed his ways for him? Or said to him, 'You have done what is wicked'?

See how he scattered his lightning about him; he has covered the depths of the sea.

Do you know about the balancing of the clouds, that wondrous activity of him who is perfect in knowledge?

will you, with him, spread out the clouds, solid as a mirror of molten metal?

Tell us what we should say to him. We cannot prepare a case because of the darkness.

As for the Almighty, we cannot attain to him! He is great in power, but justice and abundant righteousness he does not oppress.

Therefore people fear him, for he does not regard all the wise in heart."

"Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let the person who accuses God give him an answer!"

Scatter abroad the abundance of your anger. Look at every proud man and bring him low;

Look at every proud man and abase him; crush the wicked on the spot!

So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job will intercede for you, and I will respect him, so that I do not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has."

So they came to him, all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they dined with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled him for all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

Give sincere homage! Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take shelter in him!

Many say about me, "God will not deliver him." (Selah)

Realize that the Lord shows the godly special favor; the Lord responds when I cry out to him.

He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.

Rise up, Lord! O God, strike him down! Do not forget the oppressed!

Break the arm of the wicked and evil man! Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, which he thought you would not discover.

Then my enemy will say, "I have defeated him!" Then my foes will rejoice because I am upended.

Rise up, Lord! Confront him! Knock him down! Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man!

For the music director; by the Lord's servant David, who sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord rescued him from the power of all his enemies, including Saul. He said: "I love you, Lord, my source of strength!

From the brightness in front of him came hail and fiery coals.

I was innocent before him, and kept myself from sinning.

The one true God acts in a faithful manner; the Lord's promise is reliable; he is a shield to all who take shelter in him.

Now I am sure that the Lord will deliver his chosen king; he will intervene for him from his holy heavenly temple, and display his mighty ability to deliver.

The Lord will deliver the king; he will answer us when we call to him for help!

You grant him his heart's desire; you do not refuse his request. (Selah)

For you bring him rich blessings; you place a golden crown on his head.

He asked you to sustain his life, and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty.

Your deliverance brings him great honor; you give him majestic splendor.

For you grant him lasting blessings; you give him great joy by allowing him into your presence.

They say, "Commit yourself to the Lord! Let the Lord rescue him! Let the Lord deliver him, for he delights in him."

You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him!

For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed; he did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded.

Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! Let all the nations worship you!

All of the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and worship; all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him, including those who cannot preserve their lives.

A whole generation will serve him; they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord.

Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor, Jacob's descendants, who pray to him. (Selah)

The Lord strengthens and protects me; I trust in him with all my heart. I am rescued and my heart is full of joy; I will sing to him in gratitude.

An evil person suffers much pain, but the Lord's faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.

You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord! It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.

Give thanks to the Lord with the harp! Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument!

Sing to him a new song! Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him!

Let the whole earth fear the Lord! Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him!

Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness

For our hearts rejoice in him, for we trust in his holy name.

Written by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. I will praise the Lord at all times; my mouth will continually praise him.

Those who look to him for help are happy; their faces are not ashamed.

This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard; he saved him from all his troubles.

Taste and see that the Lord is good! How blessed is the one who takes shelter in him!

The Lord rescues his servants; all who take shelter in him escape punishment.

Do not let them say to themselves, "Aha! We have what we wanted!" Do not let them say, "We have devoured him!"

Commit your future to the Lord! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.

Wait patiently for the Lord! Wait confidently for him! Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, a man who carries out wicked schemes!

Surely those favored by the Lord will possess the land, but those rejected by him will be wiped out.

He gave me reason to sing a new song, praising our God. May many see what God has done, so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord!

For the music director; a psalm of David. How blessed is the one who treats the poor properly! When trouble comes, the Lord delivers him.

May the Lord protect him and save his life! May he be blessed in the land! Do not turn him over to his enemies!

The Lord supports him on his sickbed; you completely heal him from his illness.

They say, 'An awful disease overwhelms him, and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.'

Then the king will be attracted by your beauty. After all, he is your master! Submit to him!

For he will take nothing with him when he dies; his wealth will not follow him down into the grave.

Our God approaches and is not silent; consuming fire goes ahead of him and all around him a storm rages.

When you see a thief, you join him; you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives.

For the music director; a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David's affair with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love! Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts!

Indeed, it is not an enemy who insults me, or else I could bear it; it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, or else I could hide from him.

For the music director; according to the yonath-elem-rechovim style; a prayer of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath. Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me! All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me.

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. Deliver me from my enemies, my God! Protect me from those who attack me!

May he reign forever before God! Decree that your loyal love and faithfulness should protect him.

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)

Trust in him at all times, you people! Pour out your hearts before him! God is our shelter! (Selah)

in order to shoot down the innocent in secluded places. They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation.

The godly will rejoice in the Lord and take shelter in him. All the morally upright will boast.

Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation! Give him the honor he deserves!

He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. Let us rejoice in him there!

I cried out to him for help and praised him with my tongue.

May God bless us! Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves.

For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song. God springs into action! His enemies scatter; his adversaries run from him.

Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Exalt the one who rides on the clouds! For the Lord is his name! Rejoice before him!

I will sing praises to God's name! I will magnify him as I give him thanks!

Let the heavens and the earth praise him, along with the seas and everything that swims in them!

The descendants of his servants will inherit it, and those who are loyal to him will live in it.

They say, "God has abandoned him. Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!"

Before him the coastlands will bow down, and his enemies will lick the dust.

All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him.

May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba! May they continually pray for him! May they pronounce blessings on him all day long!

May his fame endure! May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! May all nations consider him to be favored by God!

Why do you remain inactive? Intervene and destroy him!

You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the people who live along the coast.

Make vows to the Lord your God and repay them! Let all those who surround him bring tribute to the awesome one!

He humbles princes; the kings of the earth regard him as awesome.

I said, "I will remember God while I groan; I will think about him while my strength leaves me." (Selah)

Yet they continued to sin against him, and rebelled against the sovereign One in the desert.