Study Desk

Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.

I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.

So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair.

Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.

I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. Don't let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord . Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord .

For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

Be still in the presence of the Lord , and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.

But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.

For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly.

Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.

For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die.

The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them.