Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.

He is the one who forms every human heart, and takes note of all their actions.

No king is delivered by his vast army; a warrior is not saved by his great might.

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

He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.

I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me and dug a pit to trap me.

Let destruction take them by surprise! Let the net they hid catch them! Let them fall into destruction!

Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me! Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes!

For they do not try to make peace with others, but plan ways to deceive those who are unsuspecting.

But you take notice, Lord! O Lord, do not remain far away from me!

Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God! Do not let them gloat over me!

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

For the music director; written by the Lord's servant, David; an oracle. An evil man is rebellious to the core. He does not fear God,

The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful; he does not care about doing what is wise and right.

He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed; he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; he does not reject what is evil.

Do not let arrogant men overtake me, or let evil men make me homeless!

By David. Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed! Do not envy evildoers!

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!

Do not be angry and frustrated! Do not fret! That only leads to trouble!

They will not be ashamed when hard times come; when famine comes they will have enough to eat.

Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion and are generous.

Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds his hand.

The law of their God controls their thinking; their feet do not slip.

But the Lord does not surrender the godly, or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.

But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! I looked for them, but they could not be found.

Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! For the one who promotes peace has a future.

A psalm of David, written to get God's attention. O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger! Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury!

O Lord, you understand my heart's desire; my groaning is not hidden from you.

Do not abandon me, O Lord! My God, do not remain far away from me!

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David. I decided, "I will watch what I say and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. I will put a muzzle over my mouth while in the presence of an evil man."

Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion! Do not make me the object of fools' insults!

Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cry for help! Do not ignore my sobbing! For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land; I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were.

How blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord and does not seek help from the proud or from liars!

Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. You make that quite clear to me! You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.

I have not failed to tell about your justice; I spoke about your reliability and deliverance; I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness.

O Lord, you do not withhold your compassion from me. May your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me!

I am oppressed and needy! May the Lord pay attention to me! You are my helper and my deliverer! O my God, do not delay!

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

By this I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.

I cannot eat, I weep day and night; all day long they say to me, "Where is your God?"

By day the Lord decrees his loyal love, and by night he gives me a song, a prayer to the living God.

For they did not conquer the land by their swords, and they did not prevail by their strength, but rather by your power, strength and good favor, for you were partial to them.

For I do not trust in my bow, and I do not prevail by my sword.

But you rejected and embarrassed us! You did not go into battle with our armies.

You sold your people for a pittance; you did not ask a high price for them.

All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you or violated your covenant with us.

We have not been unfaithful, nor have we disobeyed your commands.

would not God discover it, for he knows one's thoughts?

Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Wake up! Do not reject us forever!

For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes, and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,

so that he might continue to live forever and not experience death.

but, despite their wealth, people do not last, they are like animals that perish.

Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and his wealth multiplies!

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

Wealthy people do not understand; they are like animals that perish.

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

I am not condemning you because of your sacrifices, or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me.

I do not need to take a bull from your household or goats from your sheepfolds.

Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all it contains belong to me.

Do not reject me! Do not take your Holy Spirit away from me!

Certainly you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it; you do not desire a burnt sacrifice.

The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit -- O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.

"Look, here is the man who would not make God his protector! He trusted in his great wealth and was confident about his plans to destroy others."

Everyone rejects God; they are all morally corrupt. None of them does what is right, not even one!

All those who behave wickedly do not understand -- those who devour my people as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to God.

They are absolutely terrified, even by things that do not normally cause fear. For God annihilates those who attack you. You are able to humiliate them because God has rejected them.

For foreigners attack me; ruthless men, who do not respect God, seek my life. (Selah)

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song by David. Listen, O God, to my prayer! Do not ignore my appeal for mercy!

Day and night they walk around on its walls, while wickedness and destruction are within it.

Disaster is within it; violence and deceit do not depart from its public square.

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.

God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago, will hear and humiliate them. (Selah) They refuse to change, and do not fear God.

But you, O God, will bring them down to the deep Pit. Violent and deceitful people will not live even half a normal lifespan. But as for me, I trust in you.

In God -- I boast in his promise -- in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?

Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape! In your anger bring down the nations, O God!

You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container! Are they not recorded in your scroll?

in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?

They have prepared a net to trap me; I am discouraged. They have dug a pit for me. They will fall into it! (Selah)

Their venom is like that of a snake, like a deaf serpent that does not hear,

that does not respond to the magicians, or to a skilled snake-charmer.

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

Do not strike them dead suddenly, because then my people might forget the lesson. Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down, O Lord who shields us!

Have you not rejected us, O God? O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.

He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be upended.

He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be upended.

Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression! Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery! If wealth increases, do not become attached to it!

He rules by his power forever; he watches the nations. Stubborn rebels should not exalt themselves. (Selah)

He preserves our lives and does not allow our feet to slip.

If I had harbored sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

God deserves praise, for he did not reject my prayer or abandon his love for me!

Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head. Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, outnumber me. They make me repay what I did not steal!

O God, you are aware of my foolish sins; my guilt is not hidden from you.

Do not ignore your servant, for I am in trouble! Answer me right away!

Hold them accountable for all their sins! Do not vindicate them!

May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living! Do not let their names be listed with the godly!

For the Lord listens to the needy; he does not despise his captive people.

I am oppressed and needy! O God, hurry to me! You are my helper and my deliverer! O Lord, do not delay!

Do not reject me in my old age! When my strength fails, do not abandon me!

O God, do not remain far away from me! My God, hurry and help me!

Even when I am old and gray, O God, do not abandon me, until I tell the next generation about your strength, and those coming after me about your power.