'May' in the Bible

Salvation belongs to the Lord;May Your blessing be upon Your people. Selah.

That I may tell aloud all Your praises,That in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Jerusalem)I may rejoice in Your salvation and Your help.

Put them in [reverent] fear of You, O Lord,So that the nations may know they are but [frail and mortal] men. Selah.

He lurks in a hiding place like a lion in his lair;He lies in wait to catch the afflicted;He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.

To vindicate and obtain justice for the fatherless and the oppressed,So that man who is of the earth will no longer terrify them.

For look, the wicked are bending the bow;They take aim with their arrow on the stringTo shoot [by stealth] in darkness at the upright in heart.

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,The tongue that speaks great things [in boasting];

Let my verdict of vindication come from Your presence;May Your eyes look with equity and behold things that are just.

May the Lord answer you (David) in the day of trouble!May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high [and defend you in battle]!

May He grant you your heart’s desireAnd fulfill all your plans.

We will sing joyously over your victory,And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;Those who [diligently] seek Him and require Him [as their greatest need] will praise the Lord.May your hearts live forever!

Lift up your heads, O gates,And be lifted up, ancient doors,That the King of glory may come in.

Lift up your heads, O gates,And lift them up, ancient doors,That the King of glory may come in.

That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgivingAnd declare all Your wonders.

One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life,To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the LordAnd to meditate in His temple.

For His anger is but for a moment,His favor is for a lifetime.Weeping may endure for a night,But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found;Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.

Who is the man who desires lifeAnd loves many days, that he may see good?

The wicked borrows and does not pay back,But the righteous is gracious and kind and gives.

I said, “I will guard my waysThat I may not sin with my tongue;I will muzzle my mouthWhile the wicked are in my presence.”

“O look away from me, that I may smile and again know joyBefore I depart and am no more.”

But You, O Lord, be gracious to me and restore me [to health],So that I may repay them.

Consider her ramparts,Go through her palaces,That you may tell the next generation [about her glory].

He summons the heavens above,And the earth, to judge His people:

“He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me;And to him who orders his way rightly [who follows the way that I show him],I shall show the salvation of God.”

For You have rescued my soul from death,Yes, and my feet from stumbling,So that I may walk before GodIn the light of life.

You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack],A banner that may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

That Your beloved ones may be rescued,Save with Your right hand and answer us.

You will prolong the king’s life [adding days upon days];His years will be like many generations.

He will sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God;Appoint lovingkindness and truth to watch over and preserve him.

How long will you attack a manSo that you may murder him, all of you,Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

Blessed is the one whom You choose and bring nearTo dwell in Your courts.We will be filled with the goodness of Your house,Your holy temple.

That Your way may be known on earth,Your salvation and deliverance among all nations.

When you lie down [to rest] among the sheepfolds,You [Israel] are like the wings of a dove [of victory] overlaid with silver,Its feathers glistening with gold [trophies taken from the enemy].

That your foot may crush them in blood,That the tongue of your dogs may have its share from your enemies.”

May all those who seek You [as life’s first priority] rejoice and be glad in You;May those who love Your salvation say continually,“Let God be magnified!”

Be to me a rock of refuge and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually come;You have given the commandment to save me,For You are my rock and my fortress.

May he bring justice to the poor among the people,Save the children of the needyAnd crush the oppressor,

Let them fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and worship You with obedience] while the sun endures,And as long as the moon [reflects light], throughout all generations.

May he come down like rain on the mown grass,Like showers that water the earth.

My flesh and my heart may fail,But God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever.

But as for me, it is good for me to draw near to God;I have made the Lord God my refuge and placed my trust in Him,That I may tell of all Your works.

You, even You, are to be feared [with the submissive wonder of reverence];Who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry?

It is burned with fire, it is cut down;They perish at the rebuke of Your [angry] appearance.

Fill their faces with shame and disgrace,That they may [persistently] seek Your name, O Lord.

That they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord,Are the Most High over all the earth.

The bird has found a house,And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,My King and my God.

Will You not revive us and bring us to life again,That Your people may rejoice in You?

Surely His salvation is near to those who [reverently] fear Him [and obey Him with submissive wonder],That glory [the manifest presence of God] may dwell in our land.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,I will walk and live in Your truth;Direct my heart to fear Your name [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].

Show me a sign of [Your] goodwill,That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,Because You, O Lord, helped and comforted me.

So teach us to number our days,That we may cultivate and bring to You a heart of wisdom.

O satisfy us with Your lovingkindness in the morning [now, before we grow older],That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

A thousand may fall at your sideAnd ten thousand at your right hand,But danger will not come near you.

That You may grant him [power to calm himself and find] peace in the days of adversity,Until the pit is dug for the wicked and ungodly.

My eyes will be on the faithful (honorable) of the land, that they may dwell with me;He who walks blamelessly is the one who will minister to and serve me.

Morning after morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land,That I may cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do evil.

So that people may declare the name of the Lord in ZionAnd His praise in Jerusalem,

You set a boundary [for the waters] that they may not cross over,So that they will not return to cover the earth.

He causes grass to grow for the cattle,And all that the earth produces for cultivation by man,So that he may bring food from the earth—

They all wait for YouTo give them their food in its appointed season.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;May the Lord rejoice and be glad in His works—

May my meditation be sweet and pleasing to Him;As for me, I will rejoice and be glad in the Lord.

That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,That I may glory with Your inheritance.

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

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

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

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.

May the Lord give you [great] increase,You and your children.

May you be blessed of the Lord,Who made heaven and earth.

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 beholdWonderful things from Your law.

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

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

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.

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 meAnd 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.

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

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:“May they prosper who love you [holy city].

“May peace be within your wallsAnd prosperity within your palaces.”

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,”Let Israel now say,

May the Lord bless you from Zion [His holy mountain],And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;

Indeed, may you see your [family perpetuated in your] children’s children.Peace be upon Israel!

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

“Those who surround me raise their heads;May the mischief of their own lips come upon them.

“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.”