It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

A Song of Ascents.
How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.

When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.

The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in two the cords of the wicked.

Nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait,
And in His word do I hope.

O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.

A Song of Ascents, of David.
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.

A Song of Ascents.
Remember, O Lord, on David’s behalf,
All his affliction;

How he swore to the Lord
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,

“Surely I will not enter my house,
Nor lie on my bed;

Until I find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah,
We found it in the field of Jaar.

A Song of Ascents, of David.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!

A Song of Ascents.
Behold, bless the Lord, all servants of the Lord,
Who serve by night in the house of the Lord!

You who stand in the house of the Lord,
In the courts of the house of our God!

For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His own possession.

Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.

For the Lord will judge His people
And will have compassion on His servants.

They have ears, but they do not hear,
Nor is there any breath at all in their mouths.

Those who make them will be like them,
Yes, everyone who trusts in them.

Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
Who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Who remembered us in our low estate,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion.

Upon the willows in the midst of it
We hung our harps.

For there our captors demanded of us songs,
And our tormentors mirth, saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

How can we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?

O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one,
How blessed will be the one who repays you
With the recompense with which you have repaid us.

How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones
Against the rock.

On the day I called, You answered me;
You made me bold with strength in my soul.

All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord,
When they have heard the words of Your mouth.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.

Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.

My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Who devise evil things in their hearts;
They continually stir up wars.

“O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.

“May a slanderer not be established in the earth;
May evil hunt the violent man speedily.”

Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The upright will dwell in Your presence.

A Psalm of David.
O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to You!

Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me;
It is oil upon the head;
Do not let my head refuse it,
For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.

As when one plows and breaks open the earth,
Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

For my eyes are toward You, O God, the Lord;
In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.

Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I pass by safely.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have hidden a trap for me.

Look to the right and see;
For there is no one who regards me;
There is no escape for me;
No one cares for my soul.

I cried out to You, O Lord;
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.

A Psalm of David.
Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!
Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness!

And do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no man living is righteous.

For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For I trust in You;
Teach me the way in which I should walk;
For to You I lift up my soul.

Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I take refuge in You.

Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

For the sake of Your name, O Lord, revive me.
In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.

And in Your lovingkindness, cut off my enemies
And destroy all those who afflict my soul,
For I am Your servant.

My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.

Stretch forth Your hand from on high;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
Out of the hand of aliens

Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants,
And our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace;

Let our garners be full, furnishing every kind of produce,
And our flocks bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;

Let our cattle bear
Without mishap and without loss,
Let there be no outcry in our streets!

One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

The Lord is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.

Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;
In that very day his thoughts perish.

How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;

Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,

Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who provides rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

He makes peace in your borders;
He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.

Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

Let the godly ones exult in glory;
Let them sing for joy on their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,

To execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,

To execute on them the judgment written;
This is an honor for all His godly ones.
Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

To receive instruction in wise behavior,
Righteousness, justice and equity;