Study Desk

A prayer of David.

Hear me, Lord , and answer^(a) me, for I am poor and needy.

Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you.^(b) You are my God;

³have mercy^(c) on me, Lord, for I call^(d) to you all day long.

Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust^(e) in you.

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love^(f) to all who call to you.

Hear my prayer, Lord ; listen to my cry^(g) for mercy.

When I am in distress,^(h) I call⁽ⁱ⁾ to you, because you answer^(j) me.

Among the gods^(k) there is none like you,^(l) Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.

All the nations you have made will come^(m) and worship⁽ⁿ⁾ before you, Lord; they will bring glory^(o) to your name.

For you are great^(p) and do marvelous deeds;^(q) you alone^(r) are God.

Teach me your way,^(s) Lord , that I may rely on your faithfulness;^(t) give me an undivided^(u) heart, that I may fear^(v) your name.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;^(w) I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me^(x) from the depths, from the realm of the dead.^(y)

Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me— they have no regard for you.^(z)

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious^(aa) God, slow to anger,^(ab) abounding^(ac) in love and faithfulness.^(ad)

Turn to me^(ae) and have mercy^(af) on me; show your strength^(ag) in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.^(ah)

Give me a sign^(ai) of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord , have helped me and comforted me.

Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.

He has founded his city on the holy mountain.^(a)

The Lord loves the gates of Zion^(b) more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.

Glorious things are said of you, city of God:^[a](c)

"I will record Rahab^[b](d) and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia^(e) too, and Tyre^(f), along with Cush^[c]— and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.'"^[d](g)

Indeed, of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her."

The Lord will write in the register^(h) of the peoples: "This one was born in Zion."

As they make music⁽ⁱ⁾ they will sing, "All my fountains^(j) are in you."

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.^[b] A maskil^[c] of Heman the Ezrahite.

Lord , you are the God who saves me;^(a) day and night I cry out^(b) to you.

May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.

I am overwhelmed with troubles^(c) and my life draws near to death.^(d)

I am counted among those who go down to the pit;^(e) I am like one without strength.^(f)

I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off^(g) from your care.

You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.^(h)

Your wrath⁽ⁱ⁾ lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.^[d](j)

You have taken from me my closest friends^(k) and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined^(l) and cannot escape;^(m)

my eyes⁽ⁿ⁾ are dim with grief. I call^(o) to you, Lord , every day; I spread out my hands^(p) to you.

Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you?^(q)

Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness^(r) in Destruction^[e]?

Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

But I cry to you for help,^(s) Lord ; in the morning^(t) my prayer comes before you.^(u)

Why, Lord , do you reject^(v) me and hide your face^(w) from me?

From my youth^(x) I have suffered^(y) and been close to death; I have borne your terrors^(z) and am in despair.^(aa)

Your wrath^(ab) has swept over me; your terrors^(ac) have destroyed me.

All day long they surround me like a flood;^(ad) they have completely engulfed me.

You have taken from me friend^(ae) and neighbor— darkness is my closest friend.

A maskil^[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.

I will sing^(a) of the Lord 's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known^(b) through all generations.

I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.^(c)

You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,

‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'"^[c](d)

The heavens^(e) praise your wonders, Lord , your faithfulness too, in the assembly^(f) of the holy ones.

For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord ? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?^(g)

In the council^(h) of the holy ones⁽ⁱ⁾ God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.^(j)

Who is like you,^(k) Lord God Almighty?^(l) You, Lord , are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.^(m)

You crushed Rahab⁽ⁿ⁾ like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered^(o) your enemies.

The heavens are yours,^(p) and yours also the earth;^(q) you founded the world and all that is in it.^(r)

You created the north and the south; Tabor^(s) and Hermon^(t) sing for joy^(u) at your name.

Your arm is endowed with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.^(v)

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;^(w) love and faithfulness go before you.^(x)

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk^(y) in the light^(z) of your presence, Lord .

They rejoice in your name^(aa) all day long; they celebrate your righteousness.

For you are their glory and strength,^(ab) and by your favor you exalt our horn.^[d](ac)

Indeed, our shield^[e](ad) belongs to the Lord , our king^(ae) to the Holy One of Israel.

Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: "I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have raised up a young man from among the people.

I have found David^(af) my servant;^(ag) with my sacred oil^(ah) I have anointed^(ai) him.

My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.^(aj)

The enemy will not get the better of him;^(ak) the wicked will not oppress^(al) him.

I will crush his foes before him^(am) and strike down his adversaries.^(an)

My faithful love will be with him,^(ao) and through my name his horn^[f] will be exalted.

I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.^(ap)

He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,^(aq) my God, the Rock^(ar) my Savior.'^(as)

And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,^(at) the most exalted^(au) of the kings^(av) of the earth.

I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.^(aw)

I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.^(ax)

"If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,

if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,

I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;^(ay)

but I will not take my love from him,^(az) nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.

I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.^(ba)

Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness— and I will not lie to David—

that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;^(bb)

it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky."^(bc)

But you have rejected,^(bd) you have spurned, you have been very angry with your anointed one.

You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.^(be)

You have broken through all his walls^(bf) and reduced his strongholds^(bg) to ruins.

All who pass by have plundered^(bh) him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.^(bi)

You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.^(bj)

Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle.^(bk)

You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.

You have cut short^(bl) the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame.^(bm)

How long, Lord ? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?^(bn)

Remember how fleeting is my life.^(bo) For what futility you have created all humanity!

Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave?^(bp)

Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

Remember, Lord, how your servant has^[g] been mocked,^(bq) how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,

the taunts with which your enemies, Lord , have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.^(br)

Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.^(bs)