“Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet;
Judah is My scepter.

Give us help against the enemy,
For the help of man is worthless (ineffectual, without purpose).

How long will you attack a man
So that you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

Men of low degree are only a breath (emptiness), and men of [high] rank are a lie (delusion).
In the balances they go up [because they have no measurable weight or value];
They are together lighter than a breath.

Also to You, O Lord, belong lovingkindness and compassion,
For You compensate every man according to [the value of] his work.

To shoot from ambush at the blameless [one];
Suddenly they shoot at him, without fear.

Then all men will fear [God’s judgment];
They will declare the work of God,
And they will consider and wisely acknowledge what He has done.

Blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near
To dwell in Your courts.
We will be filled with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.

Come and see the works of God,
He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of men.

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].

You have ascended on high, You have led away captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell there.

Rebuke the beasts [living] among the reeds [in Egypt],
The herd of bulls (the leaders) with the calves of the peoples;
Trampling underfoot the pieces of silver;
He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked (godless),
From the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man.

Let them fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and worship You with obedience] while the sun endures,
And as long as the moon [reflects light], throughout all generations.

May he come down like rain on the mown grass,
Like showers that water the earth.

In his days may the righteous flourish,
And peace abound until the moon is no more.

May his name endure forever;
May his name continue as long as the sun;
And let men bless themselves by him;
Let all nations call him blessed.

They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like mankind.

It seems as if one had lifted up
An axe in a forest of trees [to set a record of destruction].

Arise, O God, plead Your own cause;
Remember how the foolish man scoffs at You all day long.

The stouthearted have been stripped of their spoil,
They have slept the sleep [of death];
And none of the warriors could use his hands.

For the wrath of man shall praise You;
With a remnant of wrath You will clothe and arm Yourself.

And He rained down manna upon them to eat
And gave them the grain of heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels;
God sent them provision in abundance.

So that He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh,
The tent in which He had dwelled among men,

The fire [of war] devoured His young men,
And His [bereaved] virgins had no wedding songs.

Then the Lord awakened as from sleep,
Like a [mighty] warrior who awakens from the sleep of wine [fully conscious of his power].

Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself.

Blow the trumpet at the New Moon,
At the full moon, on our feast day.

“Nevertheless you will die like men
And fall like any one of the princes.”

Blessed and greatly favored is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion.

O Lord of hosts,
How blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation].

O God, arrogant and insolent men have risen up against me;
A band of violent men have sought my life,
And they have not set You before them.

“I will mention Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon among those who know Me—
Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia (Cush)—
‘This one was born there.’”

But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her,”
And the Most High Himself will establish her.

The Lord will count, when He registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah.

I am counted among those who go down to the pit (grave);
I am like a man who has no strength [a mere shadow],

“It shall be established forever like the moon,
And the witness in the heavens is ever faithful.” Selah.

Remember how fleeting my lifetime is;
For what vanity, [for what emptiness, for what futility, for what wisp of smoke] You have created all the sons of men!

What man can live and not see death?
Can he rescue his soul from the [powerful] hand of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead)? Selah.

You turn man back to dust,
And say, “Return [to the earth], O children of [mortal] men!”

In the morning it flourishes and springs up;
In the evening it wilts and withers away.

A senseless man [in his crude and uncultivated state] knows nothing,
Nor does a [self-righteous] fool understand this:

He who instructs the nations,
Does He not rebuke and punish,
He who teaches man knowledge?

The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath (vain, empty, futile).

Blessed [with wisdom and prosperity] is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord,
And whom You teach from Your law,

So that people may declare the name of the Lord in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,

As for man, his days are like grass;
Like a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

He causes grass to grow for the cattle,
And all that the earth produces for cultivation by man,
So that he may bring food from the earth—

And wine which makes the heart of man glad,
So that he may make his face glisten with oil,
And bread to sustain and strengthen man’s heart.

He made the moon for the seasons;
The sun knows the [exact] place of its setting.

Man goes out to his work
And remains at his labor until evening.

When there were only a few men in number,
Very few [in fact], and strangers in it;

He allowed no man to oppress them;
He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying,

He sent a man before them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

They staggered and trembled like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].

Then they were glad because of the calm,
And He guided them to their desired haven (harbor).

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!

“Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet of My head [My stronghold, My defense];
Judah is My scepter.

Give us help against the adversary,
For deliverance by man is in vain [a worthless hope].

Appoint a wicked man against him,
And let an attacker stand at his right hand [to kill him].

Because the man did not remember to show kindness,
But persecuted the suffering and needy man,
And the brokenhearted, to put them to death.

Your people will offer themselves willingly [to participate in Your battle] in the day of Your power;
In the splendor of holiness, from the womb of the dawn,
Your young men are to You as the dew.

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with obedience],
Who delights greatly in His commandments.

It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;
He conducts his affairs with justice.

The wicked will see it and be angered,
He will gnash his teeth and melt away [in despair and death];
The desire of the wicked will perish and come to nothing.

The idols [of the nations] are silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.

The heavens are the heavens of the Lord,
But the earth He has given to the children of men.

I said in my alarm,
“All men are liars.”

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

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.

Beth.
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to Your precepts].

The arrogant (godless) have dug pits for me,
Men who do not conform to Your law.

Pe.
Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.

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

My eyes weep streams of water
Because people do not keep Your law.

The sun will not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
When men rose up against us,

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.

Behold, for so shall the man be blessed and divinely favored
Who fears the Lord [and worships Him with obedience].

But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared and worshiped [with submissive wonder].

Who struck the firstborn of Egypt,
Both of man and animal;

The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.

The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His lovingkindness endures forever;

O that You would kill the wicked, O God;
Go away from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.

Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;
Protect me from violent men.

Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Protect me from violent men
Who intend to trip up my steps.

“Do not let a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil quickly hunt the violent man [to overthrow him and stop his evil acts].”

Do not incline my heart to [consent to or tolerate] any evil thing,
Or to practice deeds of wickedness
With men who plan and do evil;
And let me not eat of their delicacies (be tempted by their gain).

Let the righteous [thoughtfully] strike (correct) me—it is a kindness [done to encourage my spiritual maturity].
It is [the choicest anointing] oil on the head;
Let my head not refuse [to accept and acknowledge and learn from] it;
For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.

Look to the right [the point of attack] and see;
For there is no one who has regard for me [to act in my favor].
Escape has failed me and I have nowhere to run;
No one cares about my life.

And do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no man living is righteous or justified.

Lord, what is man that You take notice of him?
Or the son of man that You think of him?

Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a shadow that passes away.

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

To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glorious majesty of Your kingdom.

Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation (help).