I will sing praises to God's name! I will magnify him as I give him thanks!

They say, "God has abandoned him. Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!"

As for me, I will wait continually, and will continue to praise you.

People will fear you as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky, for generation after generation.

During his days the godly will flourish; peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky.

May there be an abundance of grain in the earth; on the tops of the mountains may it sway! May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon! May its crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth!

May his fame endure! May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! May all nations consider him to be favored by God!

A psalm by Asaph. Certainly God is good to Israel, and to those whose motives are pure!

But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slid out from under me.

For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.

They are immune to the trouble common to men; they do not suffer as other men do.

Arrogance is their necklace, and violence their clothing.

They speak as if they rule in heaven, and lay claim to the earth.

They say, "How does God know what we do? Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?"

Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer.

I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before you.

You guide me by your wise advice, and then you will lead me to a position of honor.

Yes, look! Those far from you die; you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you.

But as for me, God's presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.

A well-written song by Asaph. Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?

Remember your people whom you acquired in ancient times, whom you rescued so they could be your very own nation, as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

We do not see any signs of God's presence; there are no longer any prophets and we have no one to tell us how long this will last.

For God is the judge! He brings one down and exalts another.

As for me, I will continually tell what you have done; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob!

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song. God has revealed himself in Judah; in Israel his reputation is great.

You shine brightly and reveal your majesty, as you descend from the hills where you killed your prey.

He humbles princes; the kings of the earth regard him as awesome.

What we have heard and learned -- that which our ancestors have told us --

They insulted God, saying, "Is God really able to give us food in the wilderness?

Yes, he struck a rock and water flowed out, streams gushed forth. But can he also give us food? Will he provide meat for his people?"

He rained down meat on them like dust, birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores.

Yet he is compassionate. He forgives sin and does not destroy. He often holds back his anger, and does not stir up his fury.

He sent swarms of biting insects against them, as well as frogs that overran their land.

His raging anger lashed out against them, He sent fury, rage, and trouble as messengers who bring disaster.

They were unfaithful and acted as treacherously as their ancestors; they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow.

He made his sanctuary as enduring as the heavens above; as secure as the earth, which he established permanently.

They have made their blood flow like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them.

We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.

Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations! Quickly send your compassion our way, for we are in serious trouble!

Help us, O God, our deliverer! For the sake of your glorious reputation, rescue us! Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation!

Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants be avenged among the nations!

Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die!

In the sight of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh reveal your power! Come and deliver us!

O God, restore us! Smile on us! Then we will be delivered!

You have given them tears as food; you have made them drink tears by the measure.

You have made our neighbors dislike us, and our enemies insult us.

O God, invincible warrior, restore us! Smile on us! Then we will be delivered!

It is burned and cut down. They die because you are displeased with them.

Then we will not turn away from you. Revive us and we will pray to you!

O Lord God, invincible warrior, restore us! Smile on us! Then we will be delivered!

For observing the festival is a requirement for Israel; it is an ordinance given by the God of Jacob.

He decreed it as a regulation in Joseph, when he attacked the land of Egypt. I heard a voice I did not recognize.

A song, a psalm of Asaph. O God, do not be silent! Do not ignore us! Do not be inactive, O God!

Do to them as you did to Midian -- as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River!

For the music director; according to the gittith style; written by the Korahites, a psalm. How lovely is the place where you live, O Lord who rules over all!

As they pass through the Baca Valley, he provides a spring for them. The rain even covers it with pools of water.

They are sustained as they travel along; each one appears before God in Zion.

Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better than spending a thousand elsewhere. I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God than live in the tents of the wicked.

For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. The Lord bestows favor and honor; he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.

Restore us, O God our deliverer! Do not be displeased with us!

Will you stay mad at us forever? Will you remain angry throughout future generations?

Will you not revive us once more? Then your people will rejoice in you!

O Lord, show us your loyal love! Bestow on us your deliverance!

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song. The Lord's city is in the holy hills.

I mention Rahab and Babylon to my followers. Here are Philistia and Tyre, along with Ethiopia. It is said of them, "This one was born there."

But it is said of Zion's residents, "Each one of these was born in her, and the sovereign One makes her secure."

As for the singers, as well as the pipers -- all of them sing within your walls.

For my life is filled with troubles and I am ready to enter Sheol.

Is your loyal love proclaimed in the grave, or your faithfulness in the place of the dead?

As for me, I cry out to you, O Lord; in the morning my prayer confronts you.

For I say, "Loyal love is permanently established; in the skies you set up your faithfulness."

O Lord, the heavens praise your amazing deeds, as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.

For who in the skies can compare to the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,

a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly, and more awesome than all who surround him?

O Lord, sovereign God! Who is strong like you, O Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds you.

The heavens belong to you, as does the earth. You made the world and all it contains.

Your arm is powerful, your hand strong, your right hand victorious.

I have discovered David, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.

I will always extend my loyal love to him, and my covenant with him is secure.

I will give him an eternal dynasty, and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.

Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults; they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps.

The days of our lives add up to seventy years, or eighty, if one is especially strong. But even one's best years are marred by trouble and oppression. Yes, they pass quickly and we fly away.

So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely.

Turn back toward us, O Lord! How long must this suffering last? Have pity on your servants!

Satisfy us in the morning with your loyal love! Then we will shout for joy and be happy all our days!

Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us, in proportion to the years we have experienced trouble!

May our sovereign God extend his favor to us! Make our endeavors successful! Yes, make them successful!

As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the sovereign One, and resides in the protective shadow of the mighty king --

He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.

The Lord says, "Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he is loyal to me.

When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor.

A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day. It is fitting to thank the Lord, and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One!

It is fitting to proclaim your loyal love in the morning, and your faithfulness during the night,

When the wicked sprout up like grass, and all the evildoers glisten, it is so that they may be annihilated.

So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector, is just and never unfair.

The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty, the Lord is robed, he wears strength around his waist. Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.

Does the one who disciplines the nations not punish? He is the one who imparts knowledge to human beings!

How blessed is the one whom you instruct, O Lord, the one whom you teach from your law,

If I say, "My foot is slipping," your loyal love, O Lord, supports me.

Come! Let's sing for joy to the Lord! Let's shout out praises to our protector who delivers us!