As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up, so I can pay them back!"

By this I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.

And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.

Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting! Amen and amen. BOOK II For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah.

{To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.} As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

My God! over myself, my soul is cast down, - For this cause, will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.

I will say to God my rock, Wherefore didst thou forget me? wherefore darkened shall I go for the oppression of the enemy?

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Vindicate me, O God! Fight for me against an ungodly nation! Deliver me from deceitful and evil men!

For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

{To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil.} We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

For thou hast saved us from our adversaries, and hast put them to shame that hate us.

In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

But now thou art far off, and puttest us to confusion, and goest not forth with our armies.

Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.

Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a mockery and a derision for them that are round about us;

Our name is a word of shame among the nations, a sign for the shaking of heads among the peoples.

For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

For thou didst crush us in the place of jackals, and thou wilt cover over us with the shadow of death.

Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.

For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

{To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.} My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

And in Your majesty ride on triumphantly
For the cause of truth and humility and righteousness;
Let Your right hand guide You to awesome things.

Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated lawlessness, - For this cause, hath God, thine own God, anointed thee, With the oil of gladness, beyond thy partners.

So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

And the daughters of Tyre will be there with an offering; those who have wealth among the people will be looking for your approval.

Instead of thy fathers are thy sons, Thou dost appoint them for princes in all the earth.

I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

{To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.} God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

God is in the midst of her, therefore shall she not be removed; for God helpeth her, and that right early.

Jehovah of Hosts is with us, A tower for us is the God of Jacob. Selah.

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Jehovah of hosts is with us, A tower for us is the God of Jacob! Selah.

{To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.} O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

{A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah.} Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.

They looked and froze with fear;
they fled in terror.

Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.

We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.

The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth is worthy of your reputation, O God. You execute justice!

Rejoice doth Mount Zion, The daughters of Judah are joyful, For the sake of Thy judgments.

For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

{To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.} Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:

Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

As for them who are trusting in their wealth, - And, in the abundance of their riches, do boast themselves,

None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

But man, like the animals, does not go on for ever; he comes to an end like the beasts.

This their way is folly for them, And their posterity with their sayings are pleased. Selah.

They are appointed as a flock for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, That there be no habitation for it.

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

Fear not, when one maketh wealth, When the honour of his house is abundant,

For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

For his soul in his life he blesseth, (And they praise thee when thou dost well for thyself.)

It cometh to the generation of his fathers, For ever they see not the light.

Man, like the animals, does not go on for ever; he comes to an end like the beasts.

The God of gods, even the Lord, has sent out his voice, and the earth is full of fear; from the coming up of the sun to its going down.

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

"Listen, my people, for I am making a pronouncement: Israel, I, God, your God, am testifying against you.

I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

I have no need for a bull from your stall, nor male goats from your pens.

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

As for the wicked, God says, "How dare you recite my statutes or speak about my covenant with your lips!

For you hate instruction and reject my words.

You give your mouth free rein for evil, and you harness your tongue to deceit.

Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and prepares his way so that I will show God's salvation to him." For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

For the music director; a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David's affair with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love! Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts!

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Your desire is for what is true in the inner parts: in the secrets of my soul you will give me knowledge of wisdom.

Make me free from sin with hyssop: let me be washed whiter than snow.

A clean heart prepare for me, O God, And a right spirit renew within me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Rescue me from the guilt of murder, O God, the God who delivers me! Then my tongue will shout for joy because of your deliverance.