For the music director: a maskil

of the sons of Korah, a contemplative song.

O God, we have heard with our ears

– our ancestors have told us –

of what You did in their time and long before.

You displaced nations with Your hand

and planted our ancestors.

You crushed the peoples and You drove them out.

It was not by their own swords

that our ancestors took over the land,

nor did their own arms bring them victory;

it was Your right hand,

Your arm,

and the light of Your face

– because You were pleased with them.

You are my Monarch and my God

– command success for Jacob!

Through Your might, we push back our enemies.

Through Your name, we trample our foes.

I don’t trust in my bow

and my sword doesn’t win my battles.

You are the One who saves us

from our oppressors

and make our oppressors be ashamed.

We boast in God the whole day long

and we praise Your Name forever.

Selah

But now You have rejected and humiliated us,

and You no longer go out with our soldiers.

You make us retreat in battle,

and our foes have plundered us.

You gave us up to be gobbled up like sheep,

and have scattered us among strangers.

You sell Your people for nothing, making no profit.

You made our neighbors taunt us,

made us a source of mockery and ridicule

to those who are around us.

You have made us a joke among the nations,

the peoples shake their heads at us.

All day long my disgrace is before me

and shame covers my face

at the sounds of taunting and reviling

coming from the face of an enemy bent on revenge.

All of this befell us

even though we didn’t forget You

or break Your covenant.

Our hearts have not turned back

nor have our feet strayed from Your path.

Yet You crushed us among jackals

and blanketed us with the shadow of death.

If we had forgotten our God’s Name

or reached out to a strange god

wouldn’t God have discovered it

since God knows the secrets of our heart?

Yet for Your sake we are slain all day long.

We are counted among the sheep to be slaughtered.

Awaken, Adonai!

Why are You sleeping?

Wake up!

Don’t forever reject us!

Why do You hide Your face

and forget our affliction and oppression?

For our soul has sunk down to the dirt,

our belly clings to the earth.

Rise up!

Help us and redeem us

for the sake of Your mercy.

For the music director, a Davidic psalm.

Patiently, I waited for Adonai,

and Adonai turned toward me

and heard my cry.

Adonai lifted me up out of the slimy pit,

out of the muck and mire,

set my feet upon a rock

and made firm my footsteps.

Adonai placed a new song in my mouth,

a hymn praising our God.

Many will see and be in awe

and trust in Adonai.

The person who puts their trust in Adonai

is blessed, instead of following arrogant people

or those who listen to lies.

Much have You done, Adonai,

You plan wonderful things for us

– nothing can compare with You!

It would be impossible for me to recount

all Your deeds.

You don’t want sacrifice or offering

– You have opened my ears –

You don’t require burnt or sin offerings.

Then I spoke, “Here I am, I have come

– it is written about me in the scroll of a book.

I delight to do what You want, my God.

Yes, Your Torah lives in my heart.”

I declare the good news of righteousness

in the great assembly.

Behold, I do not shut up my lips Adonai,

 as You know.

I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart,

instead I spoke about

Your salvation and faithfulness.

I did not hide Your compassion and truth

from the great assembly.

Adonai, don’t hold back Your mercy from me.

Let Your compassion and truth

protect me always.

For limitless troubles surround me,

my mistakes have overwhelmed me

– making me blind –

more numerous than the hairs in my head

– and my heart is weak.

Adonai, deliver me!

Adonai, race to my help!

Let those who seek to end my life

be disgraced and humiliated.

Let those who wish evil for me

be driven back in disgrace.

Let those who mock me

be appalled at their own humiliation.

Let everyone who seeks You

be glad and rejoice in You,

let everyone who loves Your salvation say

“Adonai be magnified!” continuously.

As for me, I am poor and needy,

yet the Lord thinks of me.

You are my help and salvation,

my God, come quickly!

Of David.

Don’t worry because of those who act evilly,

don’t envy those who act wrongly.

They will soon wither like the grass

and wilt like a tender green herb.

Trust in Adonai and do what is good.

Live in the land and feast on faithfulness.

Take delight in Adonai

and Adonai will give your heart what it desires.

Pledge your path to Adonai, trust Adonai,

and Adonai will make your righteousness

shine brightly and your vindication

as bright as noon.

Be still and wait patiently for Adonai.

Don’t worry about those who follow their own paths

and are wealthy, or those who carry out evil schemes.

Turn away from anger and give up wrath;

don’t be agitated because only harm comes from it.

For those who are evil will be cut off,

but those who wait on Adonai

will receive their inheritance.

In a short time, the wicked will cease to be,

if you look for them, they will not be found.

Those who are meek shall inherit the land

and delight in abundant peace.

Wicked people plot against the righteous

and bare their teeth at them.

But the Lord simply laughs at the wicked,

because the Lord knows

what will happen to them.

The wicked draw their sword

and bend their bow to harm those

who are poor and needy,

to kill those who act justly.

Yet their swords will puncture their own hearts,

 and their bows will be snapped in two.

It is better to have little like the righteous

than the wealth that many people have,

because the power of the wicked will be smashed,

while Adonai will raise up the righteous.

Adonai watches over all the days

of the blameless, and their inheritance is everlasting.

In times of evil they will not be disgraced,

and in days of hunger, they will be filled.

For the wicked will perish,

they will fade away like smoke,

even if they are as numerous as flowers in a meadow.

Those who are wicked borrow, but don’t repay

while the righteous give generously.

Those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,

but those the Lord curses will be cut off.

If you delight in Adonai’s ways,

Adonai will strengthen your steps.

Even if you stumble, you will not fall

because the Adonai holds your hand.

I once was young and now I’m old

and I have never seen

a righteous person forsaken

or their children beg for bread.

All day long they are gracious and charitable

so their children will be a blessing.

Turn aside from evil ways

and do what is good

so you may live in the land forever.

For Adonai loves those who are just

and does not abandon those who are faithful.

They will be kept safe eternally,

but the seed of the wicked will be destroyed.

Those who are righteous will inherit the land

and live in it for eternity.

Righteous people’s mouths utter wisdom

and their tongues speak justice.

God’s Torah is in their heart. Their steps are firm.

Those who are wicked

lie in wait for the righteous,

intent on killing them.

But Adonai will not leave the righteous

in the hands of the wicked

or let them be condemned when in court.

Wait for Adonai and follow Adonai’s way,

and Adonai will raise you up to inherit the land.

You will watch while the wicked are cut off.

I have observed a wicked, violent person

flourishing like a verdant tree in native soil,

but then in the blink of an eye,

they were no more,

no trace of them could be found,

even though I searched for them.

Pay attention to those who have integrity

and watch those who are upright

because those of shalom have a future.

But those who violate God‘s way

will be completely wiped out

– there will be no future for them.

The salvation of those who are righteous

comes from Adonai.

Adonai is a stronghold in troubling times.

Adonai is their helper and deliverer,

rescuing and saving them from the wicked,

because the righteous take refuge in Adonai.

A Davidic Psalm.

Oppose those who oppose me, Adonai,

fight with those who fight me.

Gather up Your shield and buckler,

rise up to my aid.

Raise Your spear and ax

against those who pursue me.

Assure my soul “I’m your salvation.”

Let those who want to kill me

be disgraced and ashamed.

Let those who plot evil against me

be turned away in humiliation.

Let them be like windborne chaff;

driven away by the angel of Adonai.

Let their path be slippery and dark

and the angel of Adonai chasing them.

They laid a trap for me without reason,

and without reason

they dug a pit for my soul.

Let ruin overtake them

when they least expect it.

Let the trap they laid for me

ensnare them instead!

Let them fall into their trap to their ruin.

Then my soul will delight in Adonai

and rejoice in Adonai’s deliverance.

Even my bones will exclaim

“Who is like You, Adonai,

rescuing the lowly

from those who overpower them,

the lowly from robbers?”

Violent witnesses come forth,

they challenge me about things

I don’t know.

They return my good with evil,

grieving my soul.

Yet I wore sackcloth when they were ill

and humbled my soul with fasting.

When my prayers were unanswered,

I mourned as for my friend or relative.

I was bent in grief

as for my own parent.

But when I stumbled

they gleefully gathered against me.

Malicious strangers rose against me,

clawing at me without end.

They mocked me like the godless do,

grinding their teeth.

My Lord, how long will you watch this happen?

Deliver me from their assaults,

my lonely life from these lions.

I will praise You before the great assembly,

exulting You among the crowds.

Don’t let my enemies gloat over me

without reason

or let those who hate me

wink with derision.

For they don’t speak peacefully,

rather they speak lies

about those who live quietly here.

They jeer against me saying

“Yes, yes, we’ve seen it for ourselves!”

Adonai, You’ve noticed it,

don’t be silent.

Adonai, stay close to me.

Awaken and arise to defend me and my cause,

my Adonai and my God!

Prove my innocence, Adonai, my God,

in accordance with Your righteousness

and don’t allow them to gloat over me.

Don’t let them think to themselves

“Yes, we got what we wanted!

We gobbled him up!”

Let those who celebrate my misfortune

be humiliated and filled with shame.

Let those who

puff themselves up over me

wear the rags of shame and disgrace.

May those who seek my vindication

shout out with joy and gladness.

May such people forever say

“May Adonai be exalted,

Who delights in the peace of Adonai’s servant.”

Then my tongue will openly proclaim

Your justice

and praise You all day long.