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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord. O Lord, hear my prayer! Pay attention to my cry for help!

For I eat ashes as if they were bread, and mix my drink with my tears,

He does not deal with us as our sins deserve; he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.

For as the skies are high above the earth, so his loyal love towers over his faithful followers.

As far as the eastern horizon is from the west, so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.

He covers himself with light as if it were a garment. He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,

as the mountains rose up, and the valleys went down -- to the place you appointed for them.

as well as wine that makes people feel so good, and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, as well as food that sustains people's lives.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist!

He gave it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as a lasting promise,

saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance."

He sent a man ahead of them -- Joseph was sold as a servant.

He shouted at the Red Sea and it dried up; he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.

They did not destroy the nations, as the Lord had commanded them to do.

As for his people, he turned a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into springs of water.

As for their enemies, they decreased in number and were beaten down, because of painful distress and suffering.

Gilead belongs to me, as does Manasseh! Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my royal scepter.

When he is judged, he will be found guilty! Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.

May his children roam around begging, asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home!

My accusers will be covered with shame, and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.

Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.

and listened to me. As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.

The Lord is on my side as my helper. I look in triumph on those who hate me.

They surrounded me like bees. But they disappeared as quickly as a fire among thorns. Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules as if they were riches of all kinds.

(Vav) May I experience your loyal love, O Lord, and your deliverance, as you promised.

I seek your favor with all my heart. Have mercy on me as you promised!

(Tet) You are good to your servant, O Lord, just as you promised.

May your loyal love console me, as you promised your servant.

My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled. I say, "When will you comfort me?"

I claim your rules as my permanent possession, for they give me joy.

Sustain me as you promised, so that I will live. Do not disappoint me!

My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance, for your reliable promise to be fulfilled.

Turn toward me and extend mercy to me, as you typically do to your loyal followers.

Listen to me because of your loyal love! O Lord, revive me, as you typically do!

Your compassion is great, O Lord. Revive me, as you typically do!

Listen to my appeal for mercy! Deliver me, as you promised.

Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress, so my eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.

The Lord deserves praise, for he did not hand us over as prey to their teeth.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, now and forevermore.

As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path, may the Lord remove them, along with those who behave wickedly! May Israel experience peace!

O Lord, restore our well-being, just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.

Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.

The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag of seed, will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner rooms of your house; your children will be like olive branches, as they sit all around your table.

He gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to Israel his people.

Those who make them will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them.

and gave their land as an inheritance, for his loyal love endures,

as an inheritance to Israel his servant, for his loyal love endures,

for there our captors ask us to compose songs; those who mock us demand that we be happy, saying: "Sing for us a song about Zion!"

even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are the same to you.

As for the heads of those who surround me -- may the harm done by their lips overwhelm them!

As when one plows and breaks up the soil, so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

As a demonstration of your loyal love, destroy my enemies! Annihilate all who threaten my life, for I am your servant.

I will praise the Lord as long as I live! I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist!

For the Lord disciplines those he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.

but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

Keep my commands so that you may live, and obey my instruction as your most prized possession.

by me princes rule, as well as nobles and all righteous judges.

The Lord created me as the beginning of his works, before his deeds of long ago.

then I was beside him as a master craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, rejoicing before him at all times,

As for the one who repays evil for good, evil will not leave his house.

Flog a scorner, and as a result the simpleton will learn prudence; correct a discerning person, and as a result he will understand knowledge.

The way of the guilty person is devious, but as for the pure, his way is upright.

A wicked person shows boldness with his face, but as for the upright, he discerns his ways.

Fear the Lord, my child, as well as the king, and do not associate with rebels,

Do not say, "I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will pay him back according to what he has done."

As the heaven is high and the earth is deep so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow, so is the one who testifies against his neighbor as a false witness.

If someone blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse to him.

As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.

As in water the face is reflected as a face, so a person's heart reflects the person.

As Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so the eyes of a person are never satisfied.

As the crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, so a person is proved by the praise he receives.

The wicked person flees when there is no one pursuing, but the righteous person is as confident as a lion.

Bloodthirsty people hate someone with integrity; as for the upright, they seek his life.

Two things I ask from you; do not refuse me before I die:

For as the churning of milk produces butter and as punching the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.

I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as valuable treasures taken from kingdoms and provinces. I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight -- a harem of beautiful concubines!

Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king's successor do than what the king has already done?

I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, just as light is preferable to darkness:

For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,

For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same: As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath. There is no advantage for humans over animals, for both are fleeting.

I considered all the living who walk on earth, as well as the successor who would arise in his place.

Just as dreams come when there are many cares, so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are many words.

Just as there is futility in many dreams, so also in many words. Therefore, fear God!