And that was credited to him for righteousness,
To all generations forever.

They provoked Him to anger at the waters of Meribah,
So that it went hard with Moses on their account;

Because they were rebellious against His Spirit,
Moses spoke recklessly with his lips.

Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people
And He detested His own inheritance.

He gave them into the hands of the nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them.

Save us, O Lord our God,
And gather us from among the nations,
That we may give thanks to Your holy name
And glory in praising You.

He led them by the straight way,
To an inhabited city [where they could establish their homes].

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

He brought them out of darkness and the deep (deathly) darkness
And broke their bonds apart.

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!

He hushed the storm to a gentle whisper,
So that the waves of the sea were still.

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

And there He has the hungry dwell,
So that they may establish an inhabited city,

Also He blesses them so that they multiply greatly,
And He does not let [the number of] their cattle decrease.

That Your beloved [ones] may be rescued,
Save with Your right hand, and answer me!

Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder the product of his labor.

Let them be before the Lord continually,
That He may cut off their memory from the earth;

And let them know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.

That He may seat them with princes,
With the princes of His people.

What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?

O mountains, that you leap like rams,
O [little] hills, like lambs?

Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”

Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”

Oh let those who [reverently] fear the Lord, say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”

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

You have ordained Your precepts,
That we should follow them with [careful] diligence.

Oh, that my ways may be established
To observe and keep Your statutes [obediently accepting and honoring them]!

Your word I have treasured and stored in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.

Gimel.
Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word [treasuring it and being guided by it day by day].

Open my eyes [to spiritual truth] so that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.

My soul is crushed with longing
For Your ordinances at all times.

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

Give me understanding [a teachable heart and the ability to learn], that I may keep Your law;
And observe it with all my heart.

This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word has revived me and given me life.

This has become mine [as the gift of Your grace],
That I observe Your precepts [accepting them with loving obedience].

It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.

Yodh.
Your hands have made me and established me;
Give me understanding and a teachable heart, that I may learn Your commandments.

I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are fair,
And that in faithfulness You have disciplined me.

Let Your compassion come to me that I may live,
For Your law is my delight.

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

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].

I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.

I have sworn [an oath] and have confirmed it,
That I will keep Your righteous ordinances.

Leave me, you evildoers,
That I may keep the commandments of my God [honoring and obeying them].

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].

Uphold me that I may be safe,
That I may have regard for Your statutes continually.

I am Your servant; give me understanding [the ability to learn and a teachable heart]
That I may know Your testimonies.

I cried to You; save me
And I will keep Your testimonies.

My eyes anticipate the night watches and I awake before the call of the watchman,
That I may meditate on Your word.

Of old I have known from Your testimonies
That You have founded them forever.

Let my soul live that it may praise You,
And let Your ordinances help me.

Woe to me, for I sojourn in Meshech,
and I live among the tents of Kedar [among hostile people]!

Jerusalem, that is built
As a city that is firmly joined together;

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

“If your children will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their children also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head,
Coming down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron,
Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body].

It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon
Coming down on the hills of Zion;
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.

For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.

Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all deeps—

Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom,
The day of [the fall of] Jerusalem,
Who said “Down, down [with her]
To her very foundation.”

The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me;
Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O Lord, endures forever—
Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.

I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s;
Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me. Selah.

“Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further their evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.

I know [with confidence] that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And [will secure] justice for the poor.

Their [wicked, godless] judges are thrown down the sides of the rocky cliff,
And they [who followed them] will hear my words, for they are pleasant (just).

“Bring my soul out of prison (adversity),
So that I may give thanks and praise Your name;
The righteous will surround me [in triumph],
For You will look after me.”

I reach out my hands to You;
My throat thirsts for You, as a parched land [thirsts for water]. Selah.

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.

When his spirit leaves him, he returns to the earth;
In that very day his thoughts and plans perish.

Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them,
Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,

He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that for which they cry.

Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

To know [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction;
To discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight,

That prudence (good judgment, astute common sense) may be given to the naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled],
And knowledge and discretion (intelligent discernment) to the youth,

The wise will hear and increase their learning,
And the person of understanding will acquire wise counsel and the skill [to steer his course wisely and lead others to the truth],

To understand a proverb and a figure [of speech] or an enigma with its interpretation,
And the words of the wise and their riddles [that require reflection].

If they say, “Come with us;
Let us lie in wait to shed blood,
Let us ambush the innocent without cause;

I also will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when your dread and panic come,

He guards the paths of justice;
And He preserves the way of His saints (believers).

But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day.

Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.

That you may exercise discrimination and discretion (good judgment),
And your lips may reserve knowledge and answer wisely [to temptation].

Therefore [the crushing weight of] his disaster will come suddenly upon him;
Instantly he will be broken, and there will be no healing or remedy [because he has no heart for God].

A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others], a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that creates wicked plans,
Feet that run swiftly to evil,

That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the foreigner [who does not observe God’s laws and] who flatters with her [smooth] words.

“So I came out to meet you [that you might share with me the feast of my offering],
Diligently I sought your face and I have found you.

Until an arrow pierced his liver [with a mortal wound];
Like a bird fluttering straight into the net,
He did not know that it would cost him his life.

“For wisdom is better than rubies;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth and true riches,
And that I may fill their treasuries.

When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the waters would not transgress [the boundaries set by] His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth—

But he does not know that the spirits of the dead are there,
And that her guests are [already] in the depths of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.

The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life,
So that one may avoid the snares of death.

Wisdom rests [silently] in the heart of one who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of [shortsighted] fools is made known.

The [chosen] path of life leads upward for the wise,
That he may keep away from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) below.