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

Let those who attack my life be ashamed and consumed;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.

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.

My tongue also will speak of Your righteousness all day long;
For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my injury.

But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped.

For there are no pains in their death,
Their body is fat and pampered.

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

Whom have I in heaven [but You]?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever.

But as for me, it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge and placed my trust in Him,
That I may tell of all Your works.

But God is the Judge;
He puts down one and lifts up another.

But as for me, I will declare it and rejoice forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

All the horns of the wicked He will cut off,
But the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

And I said, “This is my grief,
That the right hand of the Most High has changed [and His lovingkindness is withheld].”

Your way [of escape for Your people] was through the sea,
And Your paths through the great waters,
And Your footprints were not traceable.

We will not hide them from their children,
But [we will] tell to the generation to come the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
And [tell of] His great might and power and the wonderful works that He has done.

That they should place their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,

“Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out
And the streams overflowed;
Can He give bread also?
Or will He provide meat for His people?”

Before they had satisfied their desire,
And while their food was in their mouths,

But He, the source of compassion and lovingkindness, forgave their wickedness and did not destroy them;
Many times He restrained His anger
And did not stir up all His wrath.

For He [graciously] remembered that they were mere [human] flesh,
A wind that goes and does not return.

He leveled a path for His anger [to give it free run];
He did not spare their souls from death,
But turned over their lives to the plague.

But God led His own people forward like sheep
And guided them in the wilderness like [a good shepherd with] a flock.

He led them safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea engulfed their enemies.

They turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were twisted like a warped bow [that will not respond to the archer’s aim].

He drove His enemies backward;
He subjected them to lasting shame and dishonor.

But He chose the tribe of Judah [as Israel’s leader],
Mount Zion, which He loved [to replace Shiloh as His capital].

“But My people would not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not [consent to] obey Me.

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

Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever;
Yes, let them be humiliated and perish,

I will hear [with expectant hope] what God the Lord will say,
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones—
But let them not turn again to folly.

But You, O Lord, are a God [who protects and is] merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.

Show me a sign of [Your] goodwill,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, helped and comforted me.

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

You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In dark places, in the depths.

You have put my friends far from me;
You have made me an object of loathing to them.
I am shut up and I cannot go out.

But I have cried out to You, O Lord, for help;
And in the morning my prayer will come to You.

Lover and friend You have placed far from me;
My familiar friends are in darkness.

“I will crush his adversaries before him,
And strike those who hate him.

But [in apparent contradiction of all this] You [the faithful Lord] have cast off and rejected;
You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.

For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
Or as a watch in the night.

A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But danger will not come near you.

But You, Lord, are on high forever.

But my horn [my emblem of strength and power] You have exalted like that of a wild ox;
I am anointed with fresh oil [for Your service].

That You may grant him [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity,
Until the pit is dug for the wicked and ungodly.

But the Lord has become my high tower and defense,
And my God the rock of my refuge.

For all the gods of the peoples are [worthless, lifeless] idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.

Let all those be [deeply] ashamed who serve carved images,
Who boast in idols.
Worship Him, all you gods!

But You, O Lord, are enthroned forever [ruling eternally as sovereign];
And [the fame and glory of] Your name [endures] to all generations.

“Even they will perish, but You endure;
Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment.
Like clothing You will change them and they shall be changed.

“But You remain the same,
And Your years will never end.

Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy;

The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all the oppressed.

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [reverently] fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,

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

Who can put into words the mighty deeds of the Lord?
Or who can proclaim all His praise [that is due Him]?

Our fathers in Egypt did not understand nor appreciate Your miracles;
They did not remember the abundance of Your mercies nor imprint Your lovingkindnesses on their hearts,
But they were rebellious at the sea, at the Red Sea.

But they quickly forgot His works;
They did not [patiently] wait for His counsel and purpose [to be revealed regarding them],

But lusted intensely in the wilderness
And tempted God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.

So He gave them their request,
But sent a wasting disease among them.

But they sulked and complained in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.

But they mingled with the [idolatrous] nations
And learned their ways,

Many times He rescued them;
But they were rebellious in their counsel,
And sank down in their wickedness.

He sent His word and healed them,
And rescued them from their destruction.

The upright see it and rejoice;
But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.

In return for my love, they attack me,
But I am in prayer.

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

But You, O God, the Lord, show kindness to me, for Your name’s sake;
Because Your lovingkindness (faithfulness, compassion) is good, O rescue me;

Let them curse, but You bless.
When adversaries arise, let them be ashamed,
But let Your servant rejoice.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
But to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth and faithfulness.

But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.

They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;

They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;

They have hands, but they cannot feel;
They have feet, but they cannot walk;
Nor can they make a sound with their throats.

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

But as for us, we will bless and affectionately and gratefully praise the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

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

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

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.

You [my enemy] pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the Lord helped me.

I will not die, but live,
And declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.

The Lord has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

Then I will not be ashamed
When I look [with respect] to all Your commandments [as my guide].

Even though princes sit and talk to one another against me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

I cling tightly to Your testimonies;
O Lord, do not put me to shame!

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

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

Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep and honor Your word [with loving obedience].

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

Their heart is insensitive like fat [their minds are dull and brutal],
But I delight in Your law.

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

May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,
So that I will not be ashamed.

Kaph.
My soul languishes and grows weak for Your salvation;
I wait for Your word.

They had almost destroyed me on earth,
But as for me, I did not turn away from Your precepts.

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

I have seen that all [human] perfection has its limits [no matter how grand and perfect and noble];
Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity].

Samekh.
I hate those who are double-minded,
But I love and treasure Your law.

Uphold me according to Your word [of promise], so that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope [in Your great goodness].