Sermon Central
Psalm 101-150
2I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart. 8Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD .
Psalm 102
3For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers.
4My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food.
5In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones.
7I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof.
8All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse.
10because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
13You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.
15The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
20to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.”
21So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem
23In the course of my life
24So I said: “Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations.
2Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
3who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
9He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
13As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
15The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
17But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD ’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
19The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
2The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent
8they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.
12The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.
14He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth:
16The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
18The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
19He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.
22The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens.
24How many are your works, LORD ! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.
27All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.
29When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
31May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works—
33I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
2Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
3Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
5Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
7He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
8He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
11“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”
13they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
14He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:
15“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
16He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;
17and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave.
19till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.
20The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.
21He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,
23Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
25whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.
26He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27They performed his signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.
28He sent darkness and made the land dark— for had they not rebelled against his words?
31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
32He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;
33he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.
34He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;
36Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.
38Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.
40They asked, and he brought them quail; he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.
43He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
Psalm 106
1Praise the LORD .
4Remember me, LORD, when you show favor to your people, come to my aid when you save them,
6We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
9He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert.
11The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived.
12Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.
13But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
14In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test.
17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram.
19At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
21They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,
22miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23So he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.
25They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD .
26So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
29they aroused the LORD ’s anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
30But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked.
32By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them;
33for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.
36They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods.
38They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
40Therefore the LORD was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.
42Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.
43Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.
44Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;
46He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy.
47Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
3those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.
4Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.
7He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.
10Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains,
12So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
15Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
17Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
20He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
21Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.
25For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves.
28Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.
29He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea
30They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.
32Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
33He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
37They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest;
39Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
41But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks.
42The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths.
5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
7God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.
9Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
12Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. 13With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
7When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.
9May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
10May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven
11May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
17He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him. He found no pleasure in blessing— may it be far from him.
18He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.
19May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.
20May this be the LORD ’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.
21But you, Sovereign LORD, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
24My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.
25I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your unfailing love.
28While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.
29May my accusers be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD ; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him. 31For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.
Psalm 110
1Of David. A psalm. The LORD says to my lord:
2The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
3Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb.
4The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
7He will drink from a brook along the way,
5He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
6He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.
8They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
9He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name. 10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
5Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.
6Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.
8Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn
3From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.
4The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.
5Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,
6who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
7He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 9He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD .
Psalm 114 1When Israel came out of Egypt, Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
3The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;
4the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like lambs.
7Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.
3Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
5They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.
8Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
9All you Israelites, trust in the LORD — he is their help and shield.
10House of Aaron, trust in the LORD — he is their help and shield.
11You who fear him, trust in the LORD — he is their help and shield.
13he will bless those who fear the LORD — small and great alike.
Psalm 116 1I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
2Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
4Then I called on the name of the LORD : “ LORD, save me!”
6The LORD protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.
8For you, LORD, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
9that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10I trusted in the LORD when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”
12What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me?
13I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD .
14I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.
16Truly I am your servant, LORD ; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
19in the courts of the house of the LORD — in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the LORD .
Psalm 117
1Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
2For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD .
Psalm 118 1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”
3Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”
6The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
7The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
10All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
11They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.
14The LORD is my strength and my defense
15Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD ’s right hand has done mighty things!
16The LORD ’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD ’s right hand has done mighty things!”
19Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD .
20This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.
21I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.
22The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
24The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. 29Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—
5Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!
7I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.
8I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. ב Beth
9How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.
10I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
11I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
12Praise be to you, LORD ; teach me your decrees.
13With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
14I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
15I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
17Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word.
19I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.
20My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
21You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed, those who stray from your commands.
22Remove from me their scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.
26I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.
28My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
31I hold fast to your statutes, LORD ; do not let me be put to shame.
32I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding. ה He
35Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
37Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
38Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.
40How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life. ו Waw
41May your unfailing love come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your promise;
43Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.
44I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.
47for I delight in your commands because I love them.
48I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees. ז Zayin
50My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
51The arrogant mock me unmercifully, but I do not turn from your law.
53Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law.
54Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.
55In the night, LORD, I remember your name, that I may keep your law.
56This has been my practice: I obey your precepts. ח Heth
58I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
61Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law.
62At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.
65Do good to your servant according to your word, LORD .
67Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
69Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart.
72The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. י Yodh
73Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.
74May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.
76May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.
78May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.
80May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees, that I may not be put to shame. כ Kaph
81My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.
82My eyes fail, looking for your promise; I say, “When will you comfort me?”
83Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your decrees.
86All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
87They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88In your unfailing love preserve my life, that I may obey the statutes of your mouth. ל Lamedh
89Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
91Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.
92If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
93I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
95The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes.
98Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.
100I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
101I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
103How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. נ Nun
105Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
106I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.
108Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.
109Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.
110The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.
112My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.
113I hate double-minded people, but I love your law.
114You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
115Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
116Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.
117Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.
118You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their delusions come to nothing.
120My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws. ע Ayin
121I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors.
122Ensure your servant’s well-being; do not let the arrogant oppress me.
124Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.
127Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold,
129Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.
130The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
134Redeem me from human oppression, that I may obey your precepts.
138The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.
140Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.
142Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.
143Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.
146I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes.
147I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.
148My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.
150Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.
152Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever. ר Resh
153Look on my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law.
154Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.
155Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.
157Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes.
159See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, LORD, in accordance with your love.
161Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.
162I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.
163I hate and detest falsehood but I love your law.
165Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
168I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you. ת Taw
169May my cry come before you, LORD ; give me understanding according to your word.
170May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.
172May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.
174I long for your salvation, LORD, and your law gives me delight.
175Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. 176I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.
Psalm 120 1A song of ascents. I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.
3What will he do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue?
4He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush. 7I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
Psalm 121 1A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?
3He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
5The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
2Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem.
3Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together.
4That is where the tribes go up— the tribes of the LORD — to praise the name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel.
5There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
3Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt.
2if the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us,
4the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us,
6Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
7We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. 5But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be on Israel.
3The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
5Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
Psalm 127 1A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
2In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to
Psalm 128 1A song of ascents. Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him.
2You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the LORD .
2“they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me.
3Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long.
4But the LORD is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”
5May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.
6May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow;
7a reaper cannot fill his hands with it, nor one who gathers fill his arms. 8May those who pass by not say to them, “The blessing of the LORD be on you; we bless you in the name of the LORD .”
2Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
4But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
6I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
Psalm 131 1A song of ascents. Of David. My heart is not proud, LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
2But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.
2He swore an oath to the LORD, he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3“I will not enter my house or go to my bed,
4I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
8‘Arise, LORD, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
12If your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”
14“This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
17“Here I will make a horn
Psalm 133 1A song of ascents. Of David. How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
2It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. 3It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
Psalm 134 1A song of ascents. Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD .
2Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD .
2you who minister in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.
4For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.
8He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, the firstborn of people and animals.
9He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings—
11Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan—
12and he gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to his people Israel.
13Your name, LORD, endures forever, your renown, LORD, through all generations.
15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands.
18Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
20house of Levi, praise the LORD ; you who fear him, praise the LORD .
Psalm 136 1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
4to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
5who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
6who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
8the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
12with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.
15but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.
17to him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
18and killed mighty kings— His love endures forever.
19Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.
20and Og king of Bashan— His love endures forever.
21and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.
22an inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.
23He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
2There on the poplars we hung our harps,
3for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
5If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
6May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
8Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. 9Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
2I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame.
3When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.
6Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.
4Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.
10even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
12even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
16Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17How precious to me are your thoughts,
18Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.
19If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
21Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 140
2who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.
3They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips.
4Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.
6I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy.
9Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them.
11May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent.
12I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. 13Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence.
Psalm 141 1A psalm of David. I call to you, LORD, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you.
2May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
6Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
8But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD ; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.
9Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me. 10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.
Psalm 142
3When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me.
Psalm 143 1A psalm of David. LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.
3The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead.
4So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.
6I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.
7Answer me quickly, LORD ; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
10Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 12In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
2He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples
4They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.
6Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy; shoot your arrows and rout them.
7Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners
8whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
12Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
14our oxen will draw heavy loads.
4One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.
6They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds.
8The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
10All your works praise you, LORD ; your faithful people extol you.
12so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
15The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
16You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
18The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
2I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.
4When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God.
6He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever.
7He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free,
8the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.
2The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
5Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
8He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.
14He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
15He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
20He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws.
Psalm 148
1Praise the LORD .
4Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.
6and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,
9you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,
10wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,
11kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,
13Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14And he has raised up for his people a horn,
4For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.
5Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.
6May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 9to carry out the sentence written against them— this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the LORD .
Psalm 150
1Praise the LORD .
2Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
5praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.