You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;
You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

In You, O Lord, I have placed my trust and taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed;
In Your righteousness rescue me.

Incline Your ear to me, deliver me quickly;
Be my rock of refuge,
And a strong fortress to save me.

Yes, You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

You will draw me out of the net that they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength and my stronghold.

Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth and faithfulness.

I will rejoice and be glad in Your steadfast love,
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have taken note of my life’s distresses,

And You have not given me into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a broad place.

Be gracious and compassionate to me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
My eye is clouded and weakened by grief, my soul and my body also.

For my life is spent with sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My strength has failed because of my iniquity,
And even my body has wasted away.

Because of all my enemies I have become a reproach and disgrace,
Especially to my neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me on the street run from me.

For I have heard the slander and whispering of many,
Terror is on every side;
While they schemed together against me,
They plotted to take away my life.

But as for me, I trust [confidently] in You and Your greatness, O Lord;
I said, “You are my God.”

My times are in Your hands;
Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue and persecute me.

Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.

Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on You;
Let the wicked (godless) be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

Blessed be the Lord,
For He has shown His marvelous favor and lovingkindness to me [when I was assailed] in a besieged city.

As for me, I said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from Your eyes.”
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications (specific requests)
When I cried to You [for help].

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all the day long.

For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me;
My energy (vitality, strength) was drained away as with the burning heat of summer. Selah.

I acknowledged my sin to You,
And I did not hide my wickedness;
I said, “I will confess [all] my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found;
Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.

You are my hiding place; You, Lord, protect me from trouble;
You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
The humble and downtrodden will hear it and rejoice.

O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us lift up His name together.

I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.

Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you to fear the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience].

Who is the man who desires life
And loves many days, that he may see good?

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.

Take hold of shield and buckler (small shield),
And stand up for my help.

Draw also the spear and javelin to meet those who pursue me.
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back [in defeat] and humiliated who plot evil against me.

For without cause they hid their net for me;
Without cause they dug a pit [of destruction] for my life.

Let destruction come upon my enemy by surprise;
Let the net he hid for me catch him;
Into that very destruction let him fall.

All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like You,
Who rescues the afflicted from him who is too strong for him [to resist alone],
And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?”

Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me of things that I do not know.

They repay me evil for good,
To the sorrow of my soul.

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth (mourning garment);
I humbled my soul with fasting,
And I prayed with my head bowed on my chest.

I behaved as if grieving for my friend or my brother;
I bowed down in mourning, as one who sorrows for his mother.

But in my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered together [against me];
The slanderers whom I did not know gathered against me;
They slandered and reviled me without ceasing.

Like godless jesters at a feast,
They gnashed at me with their teeth [in malice].

Lord, how long will You look on [without action]?
Rescue my life from their destructions,
My only life from the young lions.

Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those who hate me without cause wink their eye [maliciously].

They open their mouths wide against me;
They say, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”

You have seen this, O Lord; do not keep silent.
O Lord, do not be far from me.

Wake Yourself up, and arise to my right
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness and justice;
And do not let them rejoice over me.

Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who rejoice at my distress;
Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.

Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication and want what is right for me;
Let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who delights and takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness (justice),
And Your praise all the day long.

Do not let the foot of the proud [person] overtake me,
And do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away.

The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and kind and gives.

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor discipline me in Your burning anger.

For Your arrows have sunk into me and penetrate deeply,
And Your hand has pressed down on me and greatly disciplined me.

There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation;
There is no health in my bones because of my sin.

For my iniquities have gone over my head [like the waves of a flood];
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.

My wounds are loathsome and foul
Because of my foolishness.

For my sides are filled with burning,
And there is no health in my flesh.

I am numb and greatly bruised [deadly cold and completely worn out];
I groan because of the disquiet and moaning of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.

My heart throbs violently, my strength fails me;
And as for the light of my eyes, even that has also gone from me.

My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my neighbors stand far away.

Those who seek my life lay snares for me,
And those who seek to injure me threaten mischievous things and destruction;
They devise treachery all the day long.

For in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will answer, O Lord my God.

For I pray, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, would boast against me.”

For I am ready to fall;
My sorrow is continually before me.

For I do confess my guilt and iniquity;
I am filled with anxiety because of my sin.

But my [numerous] enemies are vigorous and strong,
And those who hate me without cause are many.

They repay evil for good, they attack and try to kill me,
Because I follow what is good.

Do not abandon me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me.

Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my Salvation.

I said, “I will guard my ways
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will muzzle my mouth
While the wicked are in my presence.”

I was mute and silent [before my enemies],
I refrained even from good,
And my distress grew worse.

My heart was hot within me.
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:

“Lord, let me know my [life’s] end
And [to appreciate] the extent of my days;
Let me know how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].

“Behold, You have made my days as [short as] hand widths,
And my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight.
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]! Selah.

“And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait?
My hope [my confident expectation] is in You.

“Save me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the scorn and reproach of the [self-righteous, arrogant] fool.

“I am mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is You who has done it.

“Remove Your plague from me;
I am wasting away because of the conflict and opposition of Your hand.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and listen to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am Your temporary guest,
A sojourner like all my fathers.

“O look away from me, that I may smile and again know joy
Before I depart and am no more.”

I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear [with great reverence]
And will trust confidently in the Lord.

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of your wonders,
They would be too many to count.

Sacrifice and meal offering You do not desire, nor do You delight in them;
You have opened my ears and given me the capacity to hear [and obey Your word];
Burnt offerings and sin offerings You do not require.

Then I said, “Behold, I come [to the throne];
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

“I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart.”

I have proclaimed good news of righteousness [and the joy that comes from obedience to You] in the great assembly;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips [from proclaiming Your righteousness],
As You know, O Lord.

I have not concealed Your righteousness within my heart;
I have proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation.
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly.

Do not withhold Your compassion and tender mercy from me, O Lord;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.

For innumerable evils have encompassed me;
My sins have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see.
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has failed me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to save me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.

Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back [in defeat] and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.

Let those be appalled and desolate because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha [rejoicing in my misfortune]!”

Even though I am afflicted and needy,
Still the Lord takes thought and is mindful of me.
You are my help and my rescuer.
O my God, do not delay.